What Does the Bible Say? Who is Gog of Magog? Ezekiel 38:1 prophesied the coming of a terrible king, Gog, the land of Magog, to oppose the restored people of God. Chapters 38 and 39 describe the preparation of the forces that supported Gog, his attack against the people of God and his sudden defeat by God. The nations that would participate in the battle with Gog represent many gentiles. Interestingly, most of these names comes from Genesis 10, of the lists of descendants of Japheth and Ham Neither is the list of the descendants of Shem The lineage is traced through the promise of Shem Abraham, David and Jesus are descendants of Shem and Japheth Cam, in turn, were ancestors of many heathen nations, generally known as Gentiles. This information clarifies for us the symbolism of Ezekiel 38 and 39. Armies of Gog of Magog represent the enemies of Gods people trying to overthrow restored Israel. Nothing in context (a book that uses an apocalyptic style) suggests that Gog would be a particular historical person. Chapter 37 is symbolic (he speaks of the resurrection of people filled a valley of dry bones). Chapters 40-48 also are symbolic (talk about a particular city and a figurative temple representing the presence of God among his redeemed people). In the same vein, the prophet uses Gog to represent the threat of the wicked who would try to defeat the kingdom of God. A less detailed prophecy, Gog and Magog reappear in Revelation 20:8-10. This time, Satan is seen as the true leader. The result is the same: a sudden and decisive victory for the forces of God. As was the case in Ezekiel, the context in Revelation uses figurative language, and does not suggest a specific, historical person. There are many theories and fantastic speculations about passages like these that leave many people trying to interpret signals about the end times. One of the great dangers of this type of interpretation is that people are looking to external threats and forget the greatest enemy: the temptations of the flesh which lead many to perdition (see James 1:14-15, Galatians 5:19-21). The message of the Bible teaches us that every person should prepare for his own death, or the return of Jesus, which will be like a thief in the night (2 Peter 3:10). That day he will judge us (John 5:27-29).
Posted on: Fri, 25 Jul 2014 21:43:03 +0000
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