The battle of Gog and Magog

[Hobie]

We all have heard about the battle of Armageddon, but there is another battle that will occur and this is when the New Jerusalem comes down. We find it in Revelation 20:8:

Revelation 20:8
"8 And shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog, and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea."

In Revelation 20:8, Gog and Magog are identified as they fight on the side of Satan in the very final battle against God. But if you look at the text, they are sent out into the earth to gather nations after the 1000 years of millennial reign of Christ for one last battle just before Satan is cast into the lake of fire. f we look in the Bible, we see Revelation 19 and 20 belong together, and describe Christ's Second Coming and immediately continue with the Millennium, their sequence indicating that the millennium begins when Christ returns.

What follows in Revelation 20, deals with the fate of the devil or the dragon. He is taken captive and cast into the bottomless pit, where he remains for 1000 years. The earth becomes desolate, since the righteous ascend to be with the Lord and the wicked are destroyed at His appearing. So the earth stands for a time without human inhabitants. Scripture points to such a situation. Jeremiah said, "I beheld the earth, and indeed it was without form, and void; and the heavens, they had no light. I beheld the mountains, and indeed they trembled, and all the hills moved back and forth. I beheld, and indeed there was no man" (Jer. 4:23-25). Jeremiah's use of the terminology found in Genesis 1:2, "without form, and void," indicates that the earth is to become as chaotic as it was at the beginning of Creation.

Then during the during the 1000 years of the millennium, we see the judgment of the wicked. John saw that during the millennium the saints would be involved in judgment; he saw "thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was committed to them (Rev. 20:4). This is the time of the judgment of Satan and his angels that Scripture notes (2 Peter 2:4; Jude 6). It's the time when Paul's declaration that the saints would judge the world and even the angels (1 Cor. 6:2, 3) will come to pass.

So after the 1000 years of the millennium when wicked dead are resurrected, Satan now has people once again to deceive; thus he is, in effect, 'loosed'; from his chains. Satan then 'will go out to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle, whose number is as the sand of the sea';(vs. 8). The 'sand of the sea'; means myriads of people. These will be all the lost of the earth, from the days of Adam down to the last person who were struck down at Christ's return). During the 1000 years, they remain in their graves; now, they are raised to life in 'the resurrection of damnation';(John 5:29).

Immediately after the lost are resurrected, Satan gathers 'them together to battle', and has them gather round God's holy city to make war against it in the battle of Gog and Magog.

Ezekiel 38 and 39 gives context on this future battle as it presents an ideal and conditional scenario which we will see. Here the if restored people remained faithful, there would be a final attack from pagan forces, but God would intervene supernaturally to defend them. We will see this when the nations attack the New Jerusalem. Lets see how the scenario is framed in Ezekiel 38:1-2

Ezekiel 38:1-2
"1 And the word of the Lord came unto me, saying,
2 Son of man, set thy face against Gog, the land of Magog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal, and prophesy against him,:"

And more in Ezekiel 38:8-9 & Ezekiel 38:18:
"8 After many days thou shalt be visited: in the latter years thou shalt come into the land that is brought back from the sword, and is gathered out of many people, against the mountains of Israel, which have been always waste: but it is brought forth out of the nations, and they shall dwell safely all of them.
9 Thou shalt ascend and come like a storm, thou shalt be like a cloud to cover the land, thou, and all thy bands, and many people with thee."

"18 And it shall come to pass at the same time when Gog shall come against the land of Israel, saith the Lord God, that my fury shall come up in my face."

It tells you in part that an enemy called 'Gog of . . . Magog' invades 'the land' of God's people. But that attack causes Jehovah's wrath to flare up, and Jehovah steps in and defeats Gog.

Magog was a grandson of Noah (Genesis 10:2). The descendants of Magog settled to the far north of Israel, likely in Europe. Magog seems to be used to refer to "northern barbarians" in general, and the people of Magog are described as skilled warriors

The New Testament takes up Ezekiel's language. In Revelation 20, 'Gog and Magog' appear again, but with significant expansion. It places the event after the 1000 year millennium. The Battle of Gog and Magog occurs at the very end of the 1,000 years mentioned in Revelation 20. It takes place after the Holy City (New Jerusalem) descends from heaven to the renovated Earth, but before the final cleansing of the planet. Gog and Magog are not considered literal nations but instead, they represent the "nations which are in the four quarters of the earth", the resurrected wicked people from all of human history, gathered by Satan for a final assault.

Revelation 20:8-10
8 And shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog, and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea.
9 And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them.
10 And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.

After being resurrected, Satan deceives the wicked into believing they can capture the Holy City. They march and surround the camp of the saints (the saved) and the Beloved City. The battle will be won as the wicked surround the city, God sends fire down from heaven to consume them, which is the final destruction of sin and Satan in the "lake of fire".

This event is the final resolution of the "great controversy" between Christ and Satan. It vindicates God's justice, showing that the wicked, even after a 1000 year millennium of death in the grave, are still in rebellion as shown when they surround the' beloved city', the New Jerusalem.

[Hobie]

Now some try to claim that its about kingdoms back in the ancient times in the Bible, but this is not about earthly kingdoms in 'old history', clearly that is not what we see in this prophecy, it is the end as Revelation shows.

Revelation 20:7-10

7 And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison,
8 And shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog, and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea.
9 And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them.
10 And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.

[DaveW]

So you are talking about the 2nd Gog/Magog war?

[DaveW]

You really need to read the First Fruits of Zion "End of Days" part on the first and 2nd wars G/MG  and why there even is a 2nd war.

[dpr]

The Gog and Magog of Revelation 20:8 is not the same Gog and Magog of Ezekiel 38. Knowing the difference is easy, if one stays with the written Scripture.

The Gog and Magog of Revelation 20:8 happens after Christ's future return and "thousand years" Millennial reign. And that army will go up against the "beloved city" and "camp of the saints" on earth and be destroyed.

Is that "camp of the saints" at the "beloved city" today in the land of Israel? Absolutely not, because the majority of Jews in today's land of Israel still reject Jesus Christ as Messiah, so they cannot qualify as His saints. Easy.

The Gog and Magog of Rev.20:8 is put for the Antichrist's host. It's the unsaved still rebellious that will go up with Satan against the "camp of the saints" after the future Millennium.

[Hobie]

So you are talking about the 2nd Gog/Magog war?

The first 'war' is the battle of Armageddon which is before the Millennium of the 1000 years, while the Battle of Gog and Magog is after the Millennium when Christ and the New Jerusalem come down and the dead are raised up at the Great White Throne judgement to received the punishment they merit in the Lake of Fire.

[Hobie]

The Gog and Magog of Revelation 20:8 is not the same Gog and Magog of Ezekiel 38. Knowing the difference is easy, if one stays with the written Scripture.

The Gog and Magog of Revelation 20:8 happens after Christ's future return and "thousand years" Millennial reign. And that army will go up against the "beloved city" and "camp of the saints" on earth and be destroyed.

Is that "camp of the saints" at the "beloved city" today in the land of Israel? Absolutely not, because the majority of Jews in today's land of Israel still reject Jesus Christ as Messiah, so they cannot qualify as His saints. Easy.

The Gog and Magog of Rev.20:8 is put for the Antichrist's host. It's the unsaved still rebellious that will go up with Satan against the "camp of the saints" after the future Millennium.

Well Ezekiel 38 has some real insight on the final battle if you see, as it is a prophecy with a dual or double fulfillment. It applies to both:
Ezekiel 38:18-23
18 And it shall come to pass at the same time when Gog shall come against the land of Israel, saith the Lord God, that my fury shall come up in my face.
19 For in my jealousy and in the fire of my wrath have I spoken, Surely in that day there shall be a great shaking in the land of Israel;
20 So that the fishes of the sea, and the fowls of the heaven, and the beasts of the field, and all creeping things that creep upon the earth, and all the men that are upon the face of the earth, shall shake at my presence, and the mountains shall be thrown down, and the steep places shall fall, and every wall shall fall to the ground.
21 And I will call for a sword against him throughout all my mountains, saith the Lord God: every man's sword shall be against his brother.
22 And I will plead against him with pestilence and with blood; and I will rain upon him, and upon his bands, and upon the many people that are with him, an overflowing rain, and great hailstones, fire, and brimstone.
23 Thus will I magnify myself, and sanctify myself; and I will be known in the eyes of many nations, and they shall know that I am the Lord.