I Am Against You, O Gog

“This is what the sovereign Lord says: I am against you, O Gog [of the land of Magog], chief prince of Meshach and Tubal. I will turn you around and drag you along.  I will bring you from the far north and send you against the mountains of Israel” (Ezek 39:1-2; also Ezek 38:3-4).

Ezekiel recorded some incredible prophecies about the end of the age, on par with Daniel and with the Apocalypse itself. Many of them were focused upon events that would relate to Israel in the far distant future. One of those events was the prophecy about Gog, in chapters 38-39.

Who is this person named Gog? He is a chief prince who leads a huge army against Israel at the end of the age just before Messiah comes back. He is called the man of lawlessness by Paul in II Thessalonians -- they are one and the same. And he is the leader of the alliance of ten kings who give their authority to him as the eighth beast in Revelation 17. Some would call him the Antichrist, although that name is not even used in Revelation. One of the great misunderstandings about Revelation is that chapter 13, the vision of the beast with seven heads and ten horns, is describing the Antichrist. But that is not true, even though it has been postulated since the early centuries of the Church. The beast of Revelation 13 depicts the great beast nation of the end of the age, a seventh beast nation, whose demise is to be accomplished before the rise of the eighth beast, which is highlighted in Revelation 17.

Gog is a powerful, deceptive, war-mongering Arab leader arising at the end of the age. He is not truly a world leader, yet his influence and effect will be felt world-wide. It might be best not to call him the Antichrist. The image conjured up by most people when Antichrist is mentioned is the image of a miraculous, powerful, larger than life, leader of the entire world. In the Left Behind series, the Antichrist becomes the leader of the United Nations and leads a one-world government. He favors Israel, seductively, then turns on them, destructively, all of this in the course of a seven-year Great Tribulation. But that is not the Gog of Ezekiel, nor the man of lawlessness described by Paul, and does not derive from an accurate interpretation of Revelation.

Here is what we do know about Gog, from Ezekiel 38-39. He is from the land of Magog and he is the chief prince of Meshach and Tubal (38:2). These are the names of three of the sons of Japheth (Gen 10:2), and probably refers to regions in western Asia Minor, what is today Turkey. Most interestingly, these three tribes are descendants of Japheth, not of Shem and Ham. And it was the Semites and Hamites who were the constant, historical enemy of Israel for 2000 years before Christ. But Turkey became part of the Arab bloc of nations after the birth of Islam, and in fact lead the Islam world for centuries.

Gog will lead an army that combines the forces of many nations, predominantly Arab nations (38:5-6, 9). This correlates to Revelation 17 where it is prophesied that ten kings will give their authority to the eighth beast, specifically ten kingdoms that did not exist at the time of John’s writing (Rev 17:11-14). Gog’s army is described as “hordes”, and will advance “like a cloud” (38 :7, 9). This description probably correlates to the description in Revelation of an army of “200 million” (Rev 9:16). Gog will “have thoughts come into his mind, and he will devise a scheme” (38:10). This first scheme is to invade unwalled cities, peaceful and unsuspecting people, and plunder and loot their lands (38:11-13). This is probably referring to an initial campaign against nations in the Middle East, the Saudi Peninsula, and in northern Africa – other Arab countries – in an effort to bring them into submission to himself as the final Imam-Mahdi, and purify their beliefs and submission to Allah. (Dan 11:36-45 also describes this initial campaign.) Eventually God will turn him around, drag him along, and send him against the mountains of Israel. (38:14; developed more fully in 39:1-20). This is the great battle of Armageddon, described at several places in Revelation. When Gog attacks Israel God’s great wrath will be aroused (38:18; compare the winepress of God’s wrath in Rev 14). Jesus will defeat this great army, and give the flesh of the soldiers as a feast to the vultures (39:4, 17-20). It will take seven months to bury the dead and cleanse the land (39:12, 14-16). God’s wrath will culminate in the final judgment of earthquakes, crumbling cliffs, plague, bloodshed, rain, hailstones and burning sulfur (38:19-23; obviously correlating to the sixth seal, the seventh trumpet, and the seventh bowl judgments of Revelation).

God is uniquely against this Arab leader, Gog, and will providentially draw him into these great battles. This is not just a madman that excites God’s wrath, but the culmination of a just anger and wrath against one particular enemy of Israel -- judgment and vindication that has been mounting for several millennia. All of this great rage and wrath, war and destruction, and judgment serves one great purpose. God will show his greatness and holiness, and “the nations will know that I am Lord” (38:23). Also, from that day forward the house of Israel will know that I am the Lord their God (39:22).  Those “days forward”, the era following this great battle and defeat of Gog, will be the earthly kingdom of Messiah, the Millennial kingdom.