Gog and Magog: Which is the great nation that will attack Israel in end times?

Question

Since decades ago I remember reading about this. Someone in my family who is old now, always kept on saying she knew which country it would be. I myself was concerned with many other interesting Bible prophecies, stories, etc. Although very aged this person still wonders about it, and says "When Israel is sorrounded by these people, that's when Jesus Christ comes back?"

What do you think of Gog and Magog? Which is that huge army which will be invading Israel? And do you know that according to the Bible, God himself will be fighting them?

Answer 1

Those are forces under Satan's control, but these Satanic forces attack spiritual Israel rather than literal Israel.

Note Revelation's listing of the twelve tribes of literal Israel; no other bible passage uses the listing given at Revelation 7:5-8.

Revelation's listing is given thusly:
...(Revelation 7:5-8) 'Judah, Reuben, Gad, Asher, Naphtali, Manasseh, Simeon, Levi, Issachar, Zebulun, Joseph, and Benjamin'


Revelation's listing CONTRASTS with the first listing of the twelve tribes of literal Israel. That was given by the patriarch Israel (Jacob) himself, using the names of his twelve sons:
...(Genesis 49:3-28) Reuben...5 Simeon and Levi...8 ...Judah...13 Zebulun...14 Issachar...16 Dan...19 As for Gad...20 Out of Asher... 21 Naphtali...22 ...Joseph... 27 Benjamin...28 All these are the twelve tribes of Israel


Revelation's listing also CONTRASTS with the tribes as they were established in the Promised Land. For reasons explained during the lifetimes of Israel's sons (the original tribal heads), the tribe of Joseph was given the "double portion" and each of Joseph's sons was elevated to become a full tribe (see Genesis 48:1-6 and 1 Chronicles 5:1,2), since Levi would concentrate on priestly duties. At that, the twelve tribes of literal Israel were listed thusly:
...(Numbers 1:4-15) One man to a tribe... 5 ...Of Reuben...6 of Simeon...7 of Judah...8 of Issachar...9 of Zebulun...10 ...of Ephraim...of Manasseh...11 of Benjamin...12 of Dan...13 of Asher...14 of Gad...15 of Naphtali


The bible offers no explanation why the literal tribal names would ever be changed again, prior to the writing or fulfillment of Revelation. Frankly, there is no reason or purpose behind doing so, for the tribal identities of all Jews were lost when Jerusalem's temple was destroyed (that destruction was decades BEFORE the penning of Revelation). No Jew today has any idea what his tribal heritage might be, and even the Jews in the apostle John's day could not prove their specific genealogy.

Frankly, the listing at Revelation chapter 7 seems to have been selected specifically to indicate that this is NOT literal Israel !
Note that the tribe of Dan is NEVER excluded from any other tribal listing, and note that it is inconsistent for Revelation to list Manasseh AND Joseph (Joseph was Manasseh's father, while Ephraim was Manasseh's brother).


Does the bible ever teach that the term "Israel" can refer to Christians rather than Jews? Yes, many times. The bible clearly teaches that Christianity would replace Judaism as the approved form of worship, and those initial Christians would all be part of a new Christian entity called "the Israel of God".

...(Galatians 6:15-16) For neither is circumcision [that is, the former requirements of Judaism] anything nor is uncircumcision, but a new creation is something. And all those who will walk orderly by this rule of conduct, upon them be peace and mercy, even upon the Israel of God.

...(Romans 9:6-26) It is not as though the word of God had failed [in that Judaism became invalid]. For not all who spring from [literal] Israel are really “Israel” ...8 That is, the children in the flesh [literal descendants of Jacob/Israel] are not really the children of God, but the children by the promise are counted as the seed. ...22 If, now, God, although having the will to demonstrate his wrath and to make his power known...called not only from among Jews but also from among nations, what of it? 25 It is as [God] says also in Hosea: “Those not [Jewish] people I will call ‘my people,’


So does the bible ever refer to "the twelve tribes" when the writer seems quite plainly to be actually referring to the Christian congregation? Yes.

...(James 1:1-2;2:1) James, a slave of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes that are scattered about: Greetings! Consider it all joy, my brothers...My brothers, you are not holding the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, our glory, with acts of favoritism, are you?


There can be sincere disagreement among Christians about whether the number "144,000" is literal or not, but it seems much less debatable about whether the Christian Scriptures (such as Revelation 7:4) repeatedly discuss literal Israel or instead the Christian "Israel of God" (that is, spiritual Israel).

Learn more:
http://watchtower.org/e/20041001/article_01.htm

Answer 2

Israel= The Saved
Gog and Magog= The Lost

The Battle of Armageddon= The Final Battle between God and Satan

You don't have to be a Jew to be Israel, Israel means God's people. You can be any color.

You don't have to be Russian or Chinese, or Iranian to be Gog and Magog. They will be many colors also. They are the hordes of the lost.

Gog and Magog attack after the 1000 years of peace when the saved are in the New Jerusalem.

Answer 3

Sorry that I can't explain it all right here. But here are some really good websites that I can say are pretty trustworthy. Look it up there. Click around. You will find a lot of information on them.
www.understandthetimes.org
www.thebereancall.org
www.pro-gospel.org

I like your question. But plz don't ask questions on strong biblical matters on here! There are so many people on here who will do anything to put that spark out in you! I say that by only reading your bible, the pure inspired word of God will you get the right answers. I encourage you to study and read you bible daily with a good reference guide and concordance.

Hope that you will find what you are looking for!

Answer 4

Eze 38:2 -
Son of man, set thy face against Gog, the land of Magog - This is allowed to be the most difficult prophecy in the Old Testament. It is difficult to us, because we know not the king nor people intended by it: but I am satisfied they were well known by these names in the time that the prophet wrote.
I have already remarked in the introduction to this book that there are but two opinions on this subject that appear to be at all probable:
1. That which makes Gog Cambyses, king of Persia; and,
2. That which makes him Antiochus Epiphanes, king of Syria.
And between these two (for one or other is supposed to be the person intended) men are much divided.
Calmet, one of the most judicious commentators that ever wrote on the Bible, declares for Cambyses; and supports his opinion, in opposition to all others, by many arguments.
Mr. Mede supposes the Americans are meant who were originally colonies of the Scythians who were descendants of Magog, son of Japheth. Houbigant declares for the Scythians, whose neighbors were the people of Rosh, Meshech, and Tubal, that is the Russians, Muscovites, and Tybareni or Cappadocians. Several eminent critics espouse this opinion. Rabbi David Kimchi says the Christians and Turks are meant: and of later opinions there are several, founded in the ocean of conjecture. Calmet says expressly, that Gog is Cambyses, king of Persia, who on his return from the land of Egypt, died in Judea. The Revelation David Martin, pastor of the Waloon church at Utrecht, concludes, after examining all previous opinions, that Antiochus Epiphanes, the great enemy on the Israelites, is alone intended here; and that Gog, which signifies covered, is an allusion to the well-known character of Antiochus, whom historians describe as an artful, cunning, and dissembling man. See Dan_8:23, Dan_8:25; Dan_11:23, Dan_11:27, Dan_11:32. Magog he supposes to mean the country of Syria. Of this opinion the following quotation from Pliny, Hist. Nat., lib. v., c. 23, seems a proof; who, speaking of Coele-Syria, says Coele habet Apamiam Marsyia amne divisam a Nazarinorum Tetrarchia. Bambycem quam alio nomine Hierapolis vocatur, Syris vero Magog. “Coele-Syria has Apamia separated from the tetrarchy of the Nazarenes by the river Marsyia; and Bambyce, otherwise called Hierapolis; but by the Syrians, Magog.”
I shall at present examine the text by this latter opinion.
Chief prince of Meshech and Tubal - These probably mean the auxiliary forces, over whom Antiochus was supreme; they were the Muscovites and Cappadocians.

Answer 5

Russian and Iran.
We were just talking about this at bible study last night. Prophecy is being fullfilled very rapidly.

Answer 6

I am not quite clear on this myself but the only standing armies of gigantic proportions are China and Russia, Iran and Iraq are just not large enough.

Answer 7

This is all speculation, but certainly interesting speculation:
http://www.thirtysix.org/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=541

Answer 8

Gog and Magog are aliens .

Answer 9

Irak and Iran

Answer 10

"God himself will be fighting them"
Well that's silly.

I don't recall that part (I'm not saying it isn't there), but do you have a link?