Chapter 38 of Ezekiel: who is Gog of Magog?
If you've read the article titled "Which Nations Disappear at Armageddon?" whether you've shared it or not , pretend you haven't read it.
Obviously at the end of this article, if you deem it useful, you can go and get it again.
Even though this article necessarily dealt with the identity of Gog of Magog, I felt it necessary to revisit the subject as it was the subject of discussion among many.
According to some, Gog of Magog is a coalition of nations (no longer Satan) who will organize to attack God's people.
Referring to Christ's Millennial Reign, Gog of Magog "surges" again to attack the "healthy portion" of God's people.
That is to say, these people, before being identified as Gog of Magog, would be our brothers who survived Armageddon (and their offspring) but who, after a thousand years of peace and prosperity, decide to rebel against Jehovah God by attacking the faithful of his people.
It must honestly be admitted that this eventuality has left everyone somewhat perplexed from the beginning because it seems really absurd that, after a thousand years of peace and happiness, someone organizes themselves to recreate the same terrible conditions existing in the pre-Armageddon world.
Among other things, Revelation does not really speak of "someone" but says that they will be "like the sand of the sea"!
Now, whatever interpretation we wanted to give to the expression "sand of the sea", it certainly cannot give the idea of four disorganized cats: they really seem to be a large population.
With this in mind, let's try to examine Ezekiel chapter 38 to see if it can give us interesting details on this subject and if there is a possibility that we need to revise some of our beliefs.
“ After many days, attention will be paid to you. In the final part of the years thou shalt come to the land [of the people] brought back by the sword, gathered out of many peoples, to the mountains of Israel, which have been continually a devastated place; yea, [a land] that was brought out of the peoples, [where] they dwelt in safety, all of them – Ezekiel 38:8
Why would Almighty God say to His Own people, people He deemed worthy to survive Armageddon, "after many years you will be heeded"?
Scripture also says..."You will come to the land [of the people] brought back by the sword, gathered together from many peoples"...
But if these are the inhabitants of the "new world" themselves, are they not also that people who were "brought back by the sword, gathered together from many peoples"?
Then, speaking of this people the same verse adds that "they dwelt in security, all of them".
Why is this distinction made if there will be peace and security in every corner of the earth during the Millennial Kingdom?
During the Millennial Kingdom, well after Armageddon, don't everyone dwell in safety?
Did not Gog of Magog dwell in safety until then?
And you will be forced to climb. You will come like a storm. You will be like clouds to cover the land, you and all your hosts and many peoples with you”' - Ezekiel 38:9
The verse says he will go up "to cover the land".
Again we should ask ourselves... " Which country?"
Will the world still be divided into nations and countries during Christ's Millennial reign?
Among other things, speaking of "hosts", one glimpses an organized people of military workmanship ; certainly not a bunch of disorganized and improvised people.
This is what the Sovereign Lord Jehovah has said: 'And it must occur in that day that things will come up into your heart, and you will certainly devise an injurious design; and you shall say: “I will go up against the country of open country. I will go upon those who have no disturbance, who dwell in security, who all dwell without walls, and who do not even have bars and gates” - Ezekiel 38:10, 11
"I will go up against the country of open country."
What is the country of open country? Are there other countries that cannot be considered open country, i.e. defenseless?
What is the country of open country? Are there other countries that cannot be considered open country, i.e. defenseless?
And why should any other "countries" bother defending themselves during the Millennial Kingdom?
"I will go to those who have no trouble, who dwell in safety, who all dwell without walls, and who also have no bar and gates."
What is the people who dwell safely in the New World?
What is the people who dwell safely in the New World?
So this other people, to make these considerations, did not dwell in safety?
Did it have any walls?
Did it have bars and doors?
And why should a country have walls, bars and gates if there are no wars, no weapons, no thieves or other criminals?
Why should we equip ourselves with bars and doors if everyone loves each other intensely, with sincere and loyal love, as brothers and under one Father?
Why should we equip ourselves with bars and doors if everyone loves each other intensely, with sincere and loyal love, as brothers and under one Father?
It will be to take much spoil and to make much plunder, to lay your hand upon wasteland inhabited again and upon a people gathered from the nations, [a people] accumulating riches and possessions, [those] who dwell in the center of the earth – Ezekiel 38:12
Let's assume that at some point, towards the end of the Millennial Kingdom, greed, the desire for conquest and pride are reborn after a thousand years of oblivion.
Who would be the "little people gathered from the nations"?
If Armageddon destroyed all the nations of the world , are not all those who are now living in the Millennial Kingdom and therefore survived, not all those "gathered from the nations"?
Apart from that even the term "harvested" is not very suitable because we should speak, at most, of the people who survived among the nations (if, in fact, all the others have been destroyed).
"Collected" means that it is set apart from all others.
Apart from that even the term "harvested" is not very suitable because we should speak, at most, of the people who survived among the nations (if, in fact, all the others have been destroyed).
"Collected" means that it is set apart from all others.
In any case, the scripture says that there is a people that organizes itself to plunder this other people: the one gathered by the nations, in fact.
Therefore prophesy, O son of man, and you must say to Gog: 'This is what the Sovereign Lord Jehovah has said: “In that day, when my people Israel dwell in security, will you not know [it]? - Ezekiel 38:14
This writing could let us guess why Gog of Magog, until the day before yesterday, was identified as Satan.
Here Jehovah clearly identifies himself as the God of Israel...but shouldn't all of it be "Israel" in the Millennial Kingdom?
In this scripture Gog is clearly seen in opposition to Israel and therefore identifying him as Satan seemed the most sensible.
Obviously it makes sense if we take it for granted that all the nations of the world are destroyed at Armageddon, therefore all unbelievers and rebels.
Put simply: if only deserving people live in the post-Armageddon world, the only one who can stand in opposition to God's people is Satan.
Obviously this intention seemed to bring some things together but it also created absurd paradoxes, as we will see later.
And you shall certainly come from your place, from the farthest parts of the north, you and many peoples with you, all mounted on horses, a large congregation, yea, numerous military forces - Ezekiel 38:15
"Numerous military forces"?
Do you improvise or become a soldier after a period of training?
Previously, in verses 4 and 5, we read that these are all dressed "with perfect taste" and that they have "a large shield and a small shield".
This really suggests that we are talking about a people equipped and trained for war!
Even assuming that these verses refer to the earlier Gog of Magog (the one living before Armageddon), the description of this people in verse 15 as a congregation of numerous military forces suggests that they are not quite fledglings.
So the logical question we should ask ourselves is… "Where did they train, if they are all the good guys of the Millennial Kingdom ? With what weapons? For how long?"
"And you will surely come up against my people Israel, like clouds to cover the land. It will be in the final part of the days, and I will certainly bring you against my land, that the nations will know me when I sanctify myself in you before their eyes, O Gog” - Ezekiel 38:16
Again Jehovah identifies His people, Israel, by contrasting it with Gog of Magog.
It is also understood that this distinction does not arise when one part of the people decides to attack another, but that Israel has already existed for a certain number of years and coexists with these other peoples or nations.
Not only that: Jehovah himself says that he will have to sanctify himself among the nations.
But... which countries?
Maybe the same ones that Satan will have to lead astray when he comes out of the abyss? - Revelation 20:2, 3
By reading Ezekiel 38:17-20 we can find other interesting details.
In particular we can isolate the point where it is said that "the mountains will really be torn down and the steep ways will have to fall, and also every wall will fall to the ground".
We might wonder what these mountains represent and who, until the end of the Millennial Kingdom, will still possess defensive walls that will have to fall to the ground.
“' And I shall certainly call upon him the sword in all my mountainous region,' is the utterance of the Sovereign Lord Jehovah. 'Everyone's sword will be against his own brother - Ezekiel 38:21
And again we should ask ourselves where did these peaceful brothers, inhabitants of the New World get their swords and where did they forge them.
And I will certainly come into judgment with him, with pestilence and with blood; and I will rain a flooding downpour and hailstones, fire and brimstone upon him and upon his hosts and upon the many peoples who will be with him. And I will certainly magnify and sanctify myself and make myself known before the eyes of many nations; and they shall know that I am Jehovah' - Ezekiel 38:22, 23
Have the people taken from every nation at the end of the great tribulation, having seen, among other things, the destruction of every nation in opposition to Jehovah, have they not already known who Jehovah is? - Hebrews 8:11, 12
Just reading what is written, doesn't it seem that there is something wrong with the understanding that Gog of Magog are the brothers of the New World who, at the end of the millennium, rebel?
Other interesting details will be found in chapter 39 of Ezekiel.
These details have forced the governing body of Jehovah's Witnesses to revise their interpretation that Gog of Magog was Satan, and it is a fair reflection.
Indeed, how can Satan be fed to birds of prey? - Ezekiel 39:4
How can he have a burial place on earth? - Ezekiel 39:11
Identifying Gog of Magog as a "coalition of nations" is correct as it is enough to simply read what is written without looking for hidden meanings - Ezekiel 38:15
However, simply saying that it is a coalition of nations opens up other questions, if one does not have the courage to review other fundamental interpretations that lie upstream.
One is to understand that while the wild beast and all those united in fighting against the Lamb will be destroyed at Armageddon, some nations will be allowed to continue – Compare Daniel 7:11, 12
This means that after Armageddon , something of the old world will still remain, and there is a scriptural reason for that.
If you are curious, you can find the article in the following link
This makes it very easy to understand how such a thing could happen during the Millennial Kingdom.
And it hints at many other things such as the repopulation of the nation of Israel by God's true people (currently occupied by the abusive prostitute) or when people will flock en masse, of their own initiative, to the mountain of Jehovah," to the house of the God of Jacob" – Isaiah 2:2-4
It brings full understanding of the meaning and order of events described in 1 Corinthians 15:25 and many other things.
From this brief examination we have been able to see how our visual horizon changes if we only make an effort to read Scripture without preconceptions.
By sticking to the understanding of one's own religious organization, truly irreconcilable contradictions and strains are created, but allowing Scripture to flow freely will form a logical and coherent scenario.
We know that in front of a prejudice it is difficult to build something.
How many times have we heard abstruse and philosophical reasoning to make Scripture say what it doesn't say, perhaps to demonstrate doctrines such as the Trinity, hellfire or something like that?
Faced with certain scriptural somersaults, perhaps we said to ourselves... "But how can you say these things! How can you not understand! Yet it is so clear!"
The answer is often prejudice and the inability to question one's beliefs, one's ministers, one's life.
Of course, it is very easy to apply it to others.
A little more difficult is to apply it to ourselves.
Is there a possibility that those who claim to teach the truth to others have become modern-day Pharisees?
Is it possible that, having paid for what one has learned, it is now more difficult to question oneself again?
Let's try to reflect on it by meditating on the history of Israel.
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