“Gog and Magog” in Ezekiel and Revelation
Posted: Sun Jun 05, 2016 10:25 am
I received this question in my email. Whenever I take the time to answer an individual on a subject of interest to others, I try to post it here as well. Here is his question, and my response:
Hi Steve,
I've been wondering about Israel and Gog and Magog and the deception of nations when Satan is released in Rev 20:7ff. My question is this...although Ezekiel 38 is historical in its fulfillment is there a chance that Gog and Magog can have a future fulfillment in regards to a future Israel coming back to its land and the world still being deceived into thinking Israel is something special, like dispensationalists do? Maybe that's part of Satan deceiving the nations cause like you I believe the Israel itself had its chance and paid for it in 70 AD. That would make Israel being in its ancient land relevant but mean nothing else cause they need Jesus too. Again maybe that's how Satan is deceiving the nations especially us in the western world making Israel to be more than God intended. Maybe them being back in the land is just a sign of the end.
God bless you,
Dan
--------------------------------------
Hello Dan,
I find it difficult to identify the exact fulfillment of Ezekiel 38 and 39. If it is describing an actual military invasion, it seems to be set after the return of the exiles from Babylon, but that is the only time indicator. I know of several theories:
1) Some believe it refers (in highly-symbolic terms) to the crisis described in the book of Esther, so that Gog might be identified with someone like Haman. A case can be made for this, and I believe it is the view of Gary DeMar. You might look for something by him on the subject—an article on the internet, perhaps. I know I have read something, but it was years ago, and I don't remember all the points that were made. It seemed that there were quite a few.
2) A view that is, I think, an older one, is that the crisis in Ezekiel describes (again, in very symbolic terms) the crisis of the Maccabees in the time of Antiochus Epiphanes.
Both of the above views would find fulfillment in the timeframe suggested.
3) Some see it, not as a military episode at all, but as the spiritual warfare involving the church in the present age, culminating in the ultimate destruction of our enemies at the coming of Christ. This view might dovetail well with the mention of Gog and Magog in Revelation 20.
4) There is a preterist view, which could see the AD 70 crisis in Ezekiel 38 (but not so easily in chapter 39). I have never fully understood it in regard to Revelation 20.
5) The futurist view, which sees this as an eschatological Middle Eastern crisis involving Israel and a confederacy of enemies led by Russia.
My own leanings would be toward one of the first two views, though the other's are not impossible.
The mention of Gog and Magog in Revelation 20 might not be intended to be telling us that the Ezekiel 38-39 prophecy is involved. True, only Ezekiel and Revelation make reference to these name together, but Revelation has a tendency to bring data from the Old Testament into new applications. Thus, the woman teaching idolatry in the church of Thyatira is called "Jezebel" (Rev.2:20)—not because she is the same woman who seduced Israel into idolatry, but because of the similarity between the two, in principle. Jerusalem is "spiritually called Sodom and Egypt" (11:8)—not because she really is identified with these Gentile entities, but because her moral and spiritual state parallels theirs, and because her judgment is going to be described in terms reminiscent of theirs—i.e., fire and brimstone (9:17; 14:10; 19:3) and various plagues, like those of Egypt (darkness, water to blood, locusts, boils, etc.). These are not the phenomena that actually accompanied the fall of Jerusalem, but in the apocalyptic genre, these images serve to make the comparison between the fate of Jerusalem and that of these pagan nations.
Similarly, the preservation of the church under wholesale persecution, and her vindication against her enemies at the coming of Christ, are parallel, in principle, with the preservation and vindication of the post-exilic Judean community from overwhelming enemies, in pre-Christian times. Thus, Revelation uses the imagery of that Old Testament scenario (Gog, Magog, fire from heaven) in the description of this final vindication. In other words, I do not think that the fulfillment of Ezekiel 38-39 is necessarily the same historical event as that in Revelation 20, though the same names appear both places.
As for Israel's presence in the land being a sign of the times, I am not able to comment helpfully, since, in my view, this is not predicted in scripture and would thus remain a matter of speculation. It may be true, but I am not able to ascertain that from scripture, and I generally avoid making statements about "end times" which depend merely on current events.
Hi Steve,
I've been wondering about Israel and Gog and Magog and the deception of nations when Satan is released in Rev 20:7ff. My question is this...although Ezekiel 38 is historical in its fulfillment is there a chance that Gog and Magog can have a future fulfillment in regards to a future Israel coming back to its land and the world still being deceived into thinking Israel is something special, like dispensationalists do? Maybe that's part of Satan deceiving the nations cause like you I believe the Israel itself had its chance and paid for it in 70 AD. That would make Israel being in its ancient land relevant but mean nothing else cause they need Jesus too. Again maybe that's how Satan is deceiving the nations especially us in the western world making Israel to be more than God intended. Maybe them being back in the land is just a sign of the end.
God bless you,
Dan
--------------------------------------
Hello Dan,
I find it difficult to identify the exact fulfillment of Ezekiel 38 and 39. If it is describing an actual military invasion, it seems to be set after the return of the exiles from Babylon, but that is the only time indicator. I know of several theories:
1) Some believe it refers (in highly-symbolic terms) to the crisis described in the book of Esther, so that Gog might be identified with someone like Haman. A case can be made for this, and I believe it is the view of Gary DeMar. You might look for something by him on the subject—an article on the internet, perhaps. I know I have read something, but it was years ago, and I don't remember all the points that were made. It seemed that there were quite a few.
2) A view that is, I think, an older one, is that the crisis in Ezekiel describes (again, in very symbolic terms) the crisis of the Maccabees in the time of Antiochus Epiphanes.
Both of the above views would find fulfillment in the timeframe suggested.
3) Some see it, not as a military episode at all, but as the spiritual warfare involving the church in the present age, culminating in the ultimate destruction of our enemies at the coming of Christ. This view might dovetail well with the mention of Gog and Magog in Revelation 20.
4) There is a preterist view, which could see the AD 70 crisis in Ezekiel 38 (but not so easily in chapter 39). I have never fully understood it in regard to Revelation 20.
5) The futurist view, which sees this as an eschatological Middle Eastern crisis involving Israel and a confederacy of enemies led by Russia.
My own leanings would be toward one of the first two views, though the other's are not impossible.
The mention of Gog and Magog in Revelation 20 might not be intended to be telling us that the Ezekiel 38-39 prophecy is involved. True, only Ezekiel and Revelation make reference to these name together, but Revelation has a tendency to bring data from the Old Testament into new applications. Thus, the woman teaching idolatry in the church of Thyatira is called "Jezebel" (Rev.2:20)—not because she is the same woman who seduced Israel into idolatry, but because of the similarity between the two, in principle. Jerusalem is "spiritually called Sodom and Egypt" (11:8)—not because she really is identified with these Gentile entities, but because her moral and spiritual state parallels theirs, and because her judgment is going to be described in terms reminiscent of theirs—i.e., fire and brimstone (9:17; 14:10; 19:3) and various plagues, like those of Egypt (darkness, water to blood, locusts, boils, etc.). These are not the phenomena that actually accompanied the fall of Jerusalem, but in the apocalyptic genre, these images serve to make the comparison between the fate of Jerusalem and that of these pagan nations.
Similarly, the preservation of the church under wholesale persecution, and her vindication against her enemies at the coming of Christ, are parallel, in principle, with the preservation and vindication of the post-exilic Judean community from overwhelming enemies, in pre-Christian times. Thus, Revelation uses the imagery of that Old Testament scenario (Gog, Magog, fire from heaven) in the description of this final vindication. In other words, I do not think that the fulfillment of Ezekiel 38-39 is necessarily the same historical event as that in Revelation 20, though the same names appear both places.
As for Israel's presence in the land being a sign of the times, I am not able to comment helpfully, since, in my view, this is not predicted in scripture and would thus remain a matter of speculation. It may be true, but I am not able to ascertain that from scripture, and I generally avoid making statements about "end times" which depend merely on current events.