Gog and Magog
Gog and Magog
By
Gary Primo
June 20, 2015
Introduction
Who are Gog and Magog? This is a question that has long mystified both biblical and historical researchers. As I have long maintained and I am sure many serious researchers would agree, that truth is not all found in one place – but, here a little, there a little. Some argue that Gog is a person, not a nation. But if that (evil) person rules a nation, would not both be evil?
While with the World Wide Church of God during the Armstrong years and the first couple of Tkatch years, we were taught that Gog and Magog were Russia and China. I am not sure what the present understanding of that church is. However, I do believe that they were, at least, partially correct.
Many are totally focused on the future Gog and Magog. However, to understand the future we must study the past. Whoever Gog and Magog were in the past, there is a pretty good chance that they remain the same today. So let’s first study the past, then the present and finally the future.
Gog and Magog in Biblical Times.
I Ch. 5:4 - The sons of Joel; Shemaiah his son, Gog his son, Shimei his son,
I do not believe that this man is the source of who Gog is in biblical prophecy. Rather, I believe it is the Gog of Gen. 10:2, the son of Japheth, as the names of some of the other sons of Japheth (Gomer, Madai, Javan, Tubal, Meshech, and Tiras) are also mentioned in conjunction with the name Gog throughout the Scriptures.
Ezek. 38:1 - And the word of Yahuwah came unto me, saying,
2 - Son of man, set thy face against Gog, the land of Magog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal, and prophesy against him,
All references are from “Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible”.
http://www.biblestudytools.com/
2. Gog--the prince of the land of Magog. The title was probably a common one of the kings of the country, as "Pharaoh" in Egypt. Chakan was the name given by the Northern Asiatics to their king, and is still a title of the Turkish sultan: "Gog" may be a contraction of this. In Ezekiel's time a horde of northern Asiatics, termed by the Greeks "Scythians," and probably including the Moschi and Tibareni, near the Caucasus, here ("Meshech . . . Tubal") undertook an expedition against Egypt [HERODOTUS, 1.103-106]. These names might be adopted by Ezekiel from the historical fact familiar to men at the time, as ideal titles for the great last anti-Christian confederacy.
Magog--( Genesis 10:2 , 1 Chronicles 1:5 ). The name of a land belonging to Japheth's posterity. Maha, in Sanskrit, means "land." Gog is the ideal political head of the region. In Revelation 20:8 , Gog and Magog are two peoples.
the chief prince--rather, "prince of Rosh," or "Rhos" [Septuagint]. The Scythian Tauri in the Crimea were so called. The Araxes also was called "Rhos." The modern Russians may have hence assumed their name, as Moscow and Tobolsk from Meshech and Tubal, though their proper ancient name was Slavi, or Wends.HENGSTENBERG supports English Version, as "Rosh" is not found in the Bible. "Magog was Gog's original kingdom, though he acquired also Meshech and Tubal, so as to be called their chief prince."
Of late I have been studying into the possibility of Gog being the modern day nation of Turkey. The current president of Turkey is indeed causing some alarm amongst Western nations as he is advocating a restoration of the Ottoman Empire along with the possibility of being allied with Iran. However there are other alliances being presently formed as well at this time (i.e. Russia and China).
3 - And say, Thus says Yahuwah Elohim; Behold, I am against thee, O Gog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal:
3. His high-sounding titles are repeated to imply the haughty self-confidence of the invader as if invincible.
Meshesh and Tubal, also sons of Japheth will likely be allied with modern-day Gog as well. So we need to seek who they are today as well.
4 - And I will turn thee back, and put hooks into thy jaws, and I will bring thee forth, and all your army, horses and horsemen, all of them clothed with all sorts of armour, even a great company with bucklers and shields, all of them handling swords:
4. turn thee back--as a refractory wild beast, which thinks to take its own way, but is bent by a superior power to turn on a course which must end in its destruction. Satan shall be, by overruling Providence, permitted to deceive them to their ruin ( Revelation 20:7 Revelation 20:8 ).
Indeed Satan and all his forces will be ultimately destroyed by Yahushua after he returns.
5 - Persia, Ethiopia, and Libya with them; all of them with shield and helmet:
5. Persia . . . Libya--expressly specified by APPIAN as supplying the ranks of Antiochus' army.
Libya is presently in a state of great turmoil, following the regime change initiated by Western forces. They left the nation in a state of civil war after killing its leader. I believe that the likelihood of Libya joining a coalition to attack Israel is pretty much a foregone conclusion.
Persia is usually recognized as Iran.
Ethiopia (by itself) presently does not represent any significant worldly military power, but if thrown into the mix of other nations attacking Israel, it would be significant.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gomer
Josephus placed Gomer and the "Gomerites" in Anatolian Galatia: "For Gomer founded those whom the Greeks now call Galatians, but were then called Gomerites."[3] Galatia in fact takes its name from the ancient Gauls (Celts) who settled there. However, the later Christian writer Hippolytus of Rome in c. 234 assigned Gomer as the ancestor of the Cappadocians, neighbours of the Galatians.[4] Jerome (c. 390) and Isidore of Seville (c. 600) followed Josephus' identification of Gomer with the Galatians, Gauls and Celts.
The Hebrew name Gomer is widely considered to refer to the Cimmerians (Akkadian Gimirru, "complete"), who dwelt on the Eurasian Steppes[5] and attacked Assyria in the late 7th century BC. The Assyrians called them Gimmerai ; the Cimmerian king Teushpa was defeated by Assarhadon of Assyria sometime between 681 and 668 BC.[6]
The Cimbri were a tribe settled in Denmark ca. 200 BC, who were variously identified in ancient times as Cimmerian, Germanic or Celtic. In later times, some scholars connected them with the Welsh people, and descendants of Gomer. Among the first authors to identify Gomer, the Cimmerians, and Cimbri, with the Welsh name for themselves, Cymri, was the English antiquarian William Camden in his Britannia (first published in 1586).[7] In his 1716 book Drych y Prif Oesoedd, Welsh antiquary Theophilus Evans also posited that the Welsh were descended from the Cimmerians and from Gomer;[8] this was followed by a number of later writers of the 18th and 19th centuries.
Galatia was earlier called Asia Minor. Therefore, they must be descendants of Eastern tribes. They may also form part of the armies of Gog and Magog. Or, Gog could be the physical leader and Magog the nation.
6 - Gomer, and all his bands; the house of Togarmah of the north quarters, and all his bands: and many people with thee.
6. Gomer--the Celtic Cimmerians of Crim-Tartary.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Togarmah
Togarmah (Hebrew: תּוגרמה) is a figure in the "table of nations" in Genesis 10, the list of descendants of Noah that represents the peoples known to the ancient Hebrews. Togarmah is among the descendants of Japheth and is thought to represent some people located in Anatolia. Medieval traditions variously claimed Togarmah as the mythical ancestor of peoples in the Caucasus and western Asia, including the Georgians, the Armenians and some Turkic peoples.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turkic_p
The Turkic peoples are a collection of ethnic groups that live in northern, eastern, central, and western Asia, northwestern China, and parts of eastern Europe. They speak languages belonging to the Turkic language family.[24] They share, to varying degrees, certain cultural traits and historical backgrounds. The term Turkic represents a broad ethno-linguistic group of peoples including existing societies such as the Turkish people, Azerbaijanis, Chuvashes, Kazakhs, Tatars, Kyrgyz, Turkmens, Uyghurs, Uzbeks, Bashkirs,Qashqai, Gagauz, Yakuts, Crimean Karaites, Krymchaks, Karakalpaks, Karachays, Balkars, Nogais and as well as past civilizations such as Tiele (and Dingling), Yenisei Kirghiz, Chuban, Pannonian Avars, Göktürks,Bulgars, Kumans, Kipchaks, Turgeshes, Khazars, Seljuk Turks, Ottoman Turks, Mamluks, Timurids, Khiljis, and possibly Huns, Xiongnu, Wusun, Tauri and the Tuoba.[24][25][26][27][28]
These are all nations to the south of Russia, largely Islamic. They include Turkey and Iran.
7 - Be thou prepared, and prepare for thyself, thou, and all thy company that are assembled unto thee, and be thou a guard unto them.
8 - After many days thou shall be visited: in the latter years thou shall come into the land that is brought back from the sword, and is gathered out of many people, against the mountains of Israel, which have been always waste: but it is brought forth out of the nations, and they shall dwell safely all of them.
8. thou shall be visited--in wrath, by God ( Isaiah 29:6 ). Probably there is allusion to Isaiah 24:21 Isaiah 24:22 , "The host of the high ones . . . shall be gathered . . . as prisoners . . . in me pit . . . and after many days shall they be visited." I therefore prefer English Version to GROTIUS rendering, "Thou shalt get the command" of the expedition. The "after many days" is defined by "in the latter years," that is, in the times just before the coming of Messiah, namely, under Antiochus, before His first coming; under Antichrist, before His second coming.
The land brought back from the sword may be a reference to Israel being returned to the Jews; however, it cannot be said that they are dwelling in safety. Therefore, this is a millennial prophesy for the end of the millennial rule of Yahushua.
9 - Thou shall ascend and come like a storm, thou shall be like a cloud to cover the land, thou, and all thy bands, and many people with thee.
10 - Thus says Yahuwah Elohim; It shall also come to pass, that at the same time shall things come into thy mind, and thou shall think an evil thought:
11 - And thou shall say, I will go up to the land of un-walled villages; I will go to them that are at rest, that dwell safely, all of them dwelling without walls, and having neither bars nor gates,
11. dwell safely--that is, securely, without fear of danger (compare Esther 9:19 ). Antiochus, the type of Antichrist, took Jerusalem without a blow.
Again this event comes near the end of Yahushua’s millennial rule.
12 - To take a spoil, and to take a prey; to turn your hand upon the desolate places that are now inhabited, and upon the people that are gathered out of the nations, which have gotten cattle and goods, that dwell in the midst of the land.
12. midst of the land--literally, "the navel" of the land ( Judges 9:37 , Margin). So, in Ezekiel 5:5 , Israel is said to be set "in the midst of the nations"; not physically, but morally, a central position for being a blessing to the world: so (as the favored or "beloved city," Revelation 20:9 ) an object of envy. GROTIUS translates, "In the height of the land" (so Ezekiel 38:8 ), "the mountains of Israel," Israel being morally elevated above the rest of the world.
13 - Sheba, and Dedan, and the merchants of Tarshish, with all the young lions thereof, shall say unto thee, Art thou come to take a spoil? hast thou gathered thy company to take a prey? to carry away silver and gold, to take away cattle and goods, to take a great spoil?
13. Sheba, &c.--These mercantile peoples, though not taking an active part against the cause of God, are well pleased to see others do it. Worldliness makes them ready to deal in the ill-gotten spoil of the invaders of God's people. Gain is before godliness with them (I Maccabees 3:41).
young lions--daring princes and leaders.
14 - Therefore, son of man, prophesy and say unto Gog, Thus says Yahuwah Elohim; “In that day when my people of Israel dwells safely, shall thou not know it?”
14. shalt thou not know it?--to thy cost, being visited with punishment, while Israel dwells safely.
15 - And thou shall come from thy place out of the north parts, thou, and many people with thee, all of them riding upon horses, a great company, and a mighty army:
16 - And thou shall come up against my people of Israel, as a cloud to cover the land; it shall be in the latter days, and I will bring thee against my land, that the heathen may know me, when I shall be sanctified in thee, O Gog, before their eyes.
17 - Thus says Yahuwah Elohim; Art thou he of whom I have spoken in old time by my servants the prophets
17. thou he of whom I have spoken in old time--Gog, &c. are here identified with the enemies spoken of in other prophecies ( Numbers 24:17-24 , Isaiah 27:1 ; compare Isaiah 26:20 Isaiah 26:21 , Jeremiah 30:23Jeremiah 30:24 , Joel 3:1 , Micah 5:5 Micah 5:6 , Isaiah 14:12-14 , 59:19 ). God is represented as addressing Gog at the time of his assault; therefore, the "old time" is the time long prior, when Ezekiel uttered these prophecies; so, he also, as well as Daniel ( Daniel 11:1-45 ) and Zechariah ( Zechariah 14:1-21 ) are included among "the prophets of Israel" here.
It would seem that Gog and Magog have long been the enemies of Yahuwah’s people, and will be up until the end of Yahushua’s millennial rule. Therefore, it might be assumed that all of the enemies of Yahuwah are either members of these two tribes or allied with them.
Ezek. 39: 1 - Therefore, thou son of man, prophesy against Gog, and say, Thus says Yahuwah Elohim; Behold, I am against thee, O Gog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal:
2 - And I will turn thee back, and leave but the sixth part of thee, and will cause thee to come up from the north parts, and will bring thee upon the mountains of Israel:
2. leave but the sixth part of thee--Margin, "strike thee with six plagues" (namely, pestilence, blood, overflowing rain, hailstones, fire, brimstone, Ezekiel 38:22 ); or, "draw thee back with an hook of six teeth" (Ezekiel 38:4 ), the six teeth being those six plagues. Rather, "lead thee about" [LUDOVICUS DE DIEU and Septuagint]. As Antiochus was led (to his ruin) to leave Egypt for an expedition against Palestine, so shall the last great enemy of God be.
north parts--from the extreme north [FAIRBAIRN].
Plagues have almost always been the method of correction used by Yahuwah. They do not have to be a disease of some sort. They can include any natural disaster.
3 - And I will smite thy bow out of thy left hand, and will cause your arrows to fall out of thy right hand.
4 - Thou shall fall upon the mountains of Israel, thou, and all thy bands, and the people that is with thee: I will give thee unto the ravenous birds of every sort, and to the beasts of the field to be devoured.
5 - Thou shall fall upon the open field: for I have spoken it, says Yahuwah Elohim.
6 - And I will send a fire on Magog, and among them that dwell carelessly in the isles: and they shall know that I am Yahuwah.
6. carelessly--in self-confident security.
the isles--Those dwelling in maritime regions, who had helped Gog with fleets and troops, shall be visited with the fire of God's wrath in their own lands.
The fire being spoken of here is usually a fire that comes from heaven and therefore is clearly attributed as an act of Elohim, as it is otherwise physically irregular. Yet the enemies of Yahuwah’s people will still refuse to repent.
7 - So will I make my holy name known in the midst of my people Israel; and I will not let them pollute my holy name any more: and the heathen shall know that I am Yahuwah, the Holy One in Israel.
8 - Behold, it is come, and it is done, says Yahuwah Elohim; this is the day whereof I have spoken.
8. it is come . . . it is done--The prediction of the salvation of My people, and the ruin of their enemy, is come to pass--is done: expressing that the event foretold is as certain as if it were already accomplished.
These plagues will not be lost on Yahuwah’s people. They will know exactly the source of the plagues and will turn to Yahuwah in all earnestness and urgency.
9 - And they that dwell in the cities of Israel shall go forth, and shall set on fire and burn the weapons, both the shields and the bucklers, the bows and the arrows, and the handstaves, and the spears, and they shall burn them with fire seven years:
10 - So that they shall take no wood out of the field, neither cut down any out of the forests; for they shall burn the weapons with fire: and they shall spoil those that spoiled them, and rob those that robbed them, says Yahuwah Elohim.
9 -10 -The desolation by Antiochus began in the one hundred and forty-first year of the Seleucidæ. From this date to 148, a period of six years and four months ("2300 days," Daniel 8:14 ), when the temple-worship was restored (I Maccabees 4:52), God vouchsafed many triumphs to His people; from this time to the death of Antiochus, early in 149, a period of seven months, the Jews had rest from Antiochus, and purified their land, and on the twenty-fifth day of the ninth month celebrated the Encænia, or feast of dedication ( John 10:22 ) and purification of the temple. The whole period, in round numbers, was seven years. Mattathias was the patriotic Jewish leader, and his third son, Judas, the military commander under whom the Syrian generals were defeated. He retook Jerusalem and purified the temple. Simon and Jonathan, his brothers, succeeded him: the independence of the Jews was secured, and the crown vested in the Asmonean family, in which it continued till Herod the Great.
I expect the next attempt by Gog and Magog will play out almost exactly the same as the previous ones. Yahuwah protects His faithful followers and visits their enemies with all sorts of plagues.
11 - And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will give unto Gog a place there of graves in Israel, the valley of the passengers on the east of the sea: and it shall stop the noses of the passengers: and there shall they bury Gog and all his multitude: and they shall call it The valley of Hamongog.
11. place . . . of graves--Gog found only a grave where he had expected the spoils of conquest.
valley--So vast were to be the masses that nothing but a deep valley would suffice for their corpses.
the passengers on the east of the sea--those travelling on the high road, east of the Dead Sea, from Syria to Petra and Egypt. The publicity of the road would cause many to observe God's judgments, as the stench (as English Version translates) or the multitude of graves (as HENDERSON translates, "it shall stop the passengers") would arrest the attention of passers-by. Their grave would be close to that of their ancient prototypes, Sodom and Gomorrah in the Dead Sea, both alike being signal instances of God's judgments.
If it takes 7 years to burn all the weapons of Gog and Magog, imagine how long it will take to bury their dead! Personally, I would not even afford them the dignity of burial; I’d simply pile up the bodies and burn them.
As for the term, “hamongog”:
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/Hamon-gog
multitude of Gog, the name of the valley in which the slaughtered forces ofGog are to be buried (Ezek. 39:11,15), "the valley of the passengers on the east of the sea."
http://bibleatlas.org/valley_of_hamon-gog.htm
Rev.- 20:6 - Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of Elohim and of HaMashiyack, and shall reign with him a thousand years.
7 - And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison,
8 - And shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea.
8. Gog and Magog--(Ezekiel 38:1-39:29'; of Japheth's posterity, whose ideal head is Gog ( Genesis 10:2). A has but one Greek article to "Gog and Magog," whereby the two, namely, the prince and the people, are marked as having the closest connection. B reads the second article before Magog wrongly. HILLER [Onomasticon] explains both words as signifying "lofty," "elevated." For "quarters" the Greek is "corners."
to battle--Greek, "to the war," in A and B. But ANDREAS omits "the."
Again, this is talking of the time at the end of the millennial rule of Yahushua. Of significant note is that some of Gog and Magog do survive the pre-millennial battle so that they can (again) lead the post – millennial attack. Obviously, Israel will again spare some when they were ordered by Yahuwah to kill all.
9 - And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them.
9. on the breadth of the earth--so as completely to overspread it. Perhaps we ought to translate, ". . . of the [holy] land."
the camp of the saints and the beloved city--the camp of the saints encircling the beloved city, Jerusalem (Ecclesiasticus 24:11). Contrast "hateful" in Babylon ( Revelation 18:2 , Deuteronomy 32:15 ,Septuagint). Ezekiel's prophecy of Gog and Magog (Ezekiel 38:1-39:29') refers to the attack made by Antichrist on Israel before the millennium: but this attack is made after the millennium, so that "Gog and Magog" are mystical names representing the final adversaries led by Satan in person. Ezekiel's Gog and Magog come from the north, but those here come "from the four corners of the earth." Gog is by some connected with a Hebrew root, "covered."
from God--so B, Vulgate, Syriac, Coptic, and ANDREAS. But A omits the words. Even during the millennium there is a separation between heaven and earth, transfigured humanity and humanity in the flesh. Hence it is possible that an apostasy should take place at its close. In the judgment on this apostasy the world of nature is destroyed and renewed, as the world of history was before the millennial kingdom; it is only then that the new heaven and new earth are realized in final perfection. The millennial new heaven and earth are but a foretaste of this everlasting state when the upper and lower congregations shall be no longer separate, though connected as in the millennium, and when new Jerusalem shall descend from God out of heaven. The inherited sinfulness of our nature shall be the only influence during the millennium to prevent the power of the transfigured Church saving all souls. When this time of grace shall end, no other shall succeed. For what can move him in whom the visible glory of the Church, while the influence of evil is restrained, evokes no longing for communion with the Church's King? As the history of the world of nations ended with the manifestation of the Church in visible glory, so that of mankind in general shall end with the great separation of the just from the wicked ( Revelation 20:12 ) [AUBERLEN].
There is the possibility that Gog and Magog are names that are merely symbolic of all and any enemy of Yahuwah’s people.
The only individual mention of Magog is found in:
Gen. 10:1 - Now these are the generations of the sons of Noah, Shem, Ham, and Japheth: and unto them were sons born after the flood.
2 - The sons of Japheth; Gomer, and Magog, and Madai, and Javan, and Tubal, and Meshech, and Tiras.
I believe that this passage proves that Magog is a people and not the name of a land or country.
Possible Present Day Identities of Gog and Magog
While it may be impossible to precisely identify any particular nation today as being Gog or Magog; if we view them simply as enemies of Yahuwah’s people, we can have our pick of almost any nation on the globe; as many are sworn enemies of Israel. The most obvious are those surrounding Israel, especially Iran. Curiously, some previous enemies have suddenly allied themselves with Israel against the proxy groups fighting for Iran. Saudi Arabia has recently invaded the nation of Yemen to take out Iran’s proxy warriors in that nation. Egypt and Jordan also seem to be cozying up to Israel recently. They are obviously concerned that Iran’s proxy fighters are soon going to invade their nations and are leaning on the one nation in the region that possesses nuclear weapons, as Iran races to obtain their own. Russia, too, can be counted as an enemy of Israel as they are the ones arming the enemies of Yahuwah’s people.
A number of European countries and even America seem to be turning against Israel also. The recent nuclear deal Obama made with Iran (in secret) has not yet been signed, but Obama acts like it has. So far, only bits and pieces of the deal have been leaked. Part of the deal would be to allow UN inspectors to monitor nuclear sites and military bases, which the Iranians afterword said they would not allow. I do not believe that the deal will ever be signed.
The present president of Turkey, Recep Tavyip Erdogan, has been moving steadily in the direction of becoming Turkey’s dictator, rather than its democratically elected president. He has a vision of resurrecting the Ottoman Empire that comprised all of the Middle East and extended to parts of Eastern and Southern Europe and North Africa. He has talked of obtaining nuclear weapons and has hinted at an alliance with Iran. Of course, Iran is already on its way to gaining nuclear technology, making it an essential ally within Erdogan’s dream.
Saudi Arabia is also talking of obtaining nukes. In a deal they made with Pakistan, in aiding them in obtaining nukes, there was a clause that if Saudi Arabia ever needed them, Pakistan would supply them with nuclear weapons. Well, Saudi Arabia now feels that they need nukes. This is largely in response to America’s secret deal with Iran.
Everyone knows that all h-e-double hockey sticks is about to break out in the Middle East. In fact, it is a tossup as to whether WW3 will start in the Middle East or in the Ukraine. It might also start in the South China Sea, for that matter. Or it can start in all 3 areas rather simultaneously. It doesn’t really matter where it starts, it will be the most terrifying time in all of human history since the flood. If Yahuwah saved only one family during the flood, how many will be saved this time? That s anyone’s guess! If WW3 turns full nuclear, the earth could be incapable of supporting life for as long as 100,000 years, due to the radiation left behind. The last report on the Chernobyl accident, stated that there is still no change in the radiation levels there in the 29 years since it happened..
In Europe, we have the Ukrainian Crisis. While most of the world is blaming it all on Russia, the real culprits are America and its CIA agency, which instigated and backed the political coup that ousted the democratically elected government and put a sworn enemy of Russia in its place. Of course, Russia became fearful of their biggest naval base, in Crimea, being compromised by this bold (US) move and annexed Crimea to protect their interests. It also obviously makes sense that they would want a land corridor for easier access to that base. Although the world media says Russia annexed that region, the truth is that the people living there overwhelmingly supported the move.
As a result of this crisis, Russia has turned to China for an ally. Presently China is well on its way to replacing the US as the chief global economic power. China may not have as many nukes as the US, but it does boast a very substantial military; and, along with Russia’s nukes, will be even more powerful than the US.
China has been very active in the South China Sea, provoking its neighbours and America. They have been spending huge to form islands out of the sea on which to establish military bases. They have expanded their boundaries and their air space. They have been threatening American aircrafts flying over the area. It’s only a matter of time before the wrong line is crossed and war breaks out between China and America. Some news items in the Chinese media have even posted a map of America with a huge mushroom cloud over it. The intimidation is obvious.
The truth behind all of these conflicts is that America wants no competition in its headlong race to dominate the entire globe. Russia and China (along with several other nations) have been making plans to counter America’s version of a New World Order, by challenging the supremacy of the American Petro Dollar. They desire to be the ones in control and will soon form an Asian union of their own expressly for that purpose.
The Chinese have already formed the Chinese Development Bank to counter the World Bank in controlling global economics. As many as 40 or more countries have all signed on to be part of that banking system; much to the chagrin of America. In the face of such a huge rebellion, which even included their closest ally (Great Brittan), the US had no choice but to acknowledge this new banking system as their chief competitor. However, at the same time, I am sure that the US is going to do everything in its power to destabilize and destroy these two great nations who are challenging her seat at the head of the table.
Then, there is also the wild card – North Korea. I call North Korea the wild card because no one knows what to expect next from the mad man that runs that country - Kim Jong-il. They too are allied with China. Combining their forces would produce a 4 million man army – by far the largest military force on the planet.
And what if India and Pakistan join the melee on the side of Russia and China? Then we are talking of an approximate 8 million man force. Such a force would obliterate everything before it. Such a force is precisely the sort we think of when picturing the Battle of Armageddon.
What America lacks in manpower, they make up for in technology. But, is that going to be enough to win them this victory? 300,000 against 8 million! Hmmm! I think not. They will be utterly overwhelmed by the sheer numbers. It would be like a swarm of bees attacking you all at once making any attempt at self defense impossible.
There is the very distinct possibility that this is all going to turn thermo-nuclear. If all the nations now in possession of nuclear weapons were to release all of them at the same time, it would destroy all life on the surface of the planet twenty times over. In other words, it would destroy all of mankind. Whatever would be left would be uninhabitable for a minimum of 100,000 years.
Matt. 24:20 - But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the Sabbath day:
21 - For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.
22 - And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened.
Yahushua promised that before the final destruction of man came, He would intervene. I believe in each and every promise that Yahushua made; therefore, I cannot believe that a total annihilation of mankind is going to occur. However, that does not rule out the possibility of a limited nuclear war.
We might wonder what method Yahushua will use to stop what seems to be the inevitable conclusion of mankind.
Rev. 16:13 - And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet.
14 - For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of Elohim Almighty.
15 - Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watches, and keeps his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame.
16 - And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon.
The Valley of Megiddo lies not too far outside of Jerusalem. It will likely be both the pre and post millennial final battle ground. Indications are that the armies of men opposing Yahushua will be destroyed in a single day by some form of plague. The blood will run so deep; it will reach the bridles of the horses. As powerful as any of the weapons of man seem to us, Yahuwah is always the grand master of warfare. Man’s weapons are no match for His. At His disposal are all the elements of the universe; of which He is in total control. No one can hide from Yahuwah. His spirit is in us all and through it, Yahuwah can locate us any time He wishes.
This is where the armies of Gog and Magog are going to gather to fight Yahushua when he returns. Like I said before, I believe (from the way things are shaping up) that this is going to be a grand alliance of all the enemies of Israel (a Eurasian Union). Gog (Russia) and Magog (China) are certainly going to be the prime players; but there will be a multi-national force allied with them. Their numbers are indeed going to be as the sands of the sea.
However, before that happens, the holy land is going to occupied by Western powers – the remnant of the Roman Empire, complete with the office of the Pope; which I believe was the plan of the Vatican all along when promoting the return of Israel to the Jews.
The Vatican has long held plans to move their headquarters to Jerusalem. They recently purchased land in Jerusalem to build their new Vatican City upon. There can be no doubt that the office of the False Prophet and the office of the Pope are one and the same.
Predicting who the Beast will be is a tougher call. I have heard predictions from Obama to Prince Charles. However, I believe the Beast will come out of the European Union – perhaps Germany (again). In fact, I don’t even see America remaining a global superpower for much longer.
Of course, all of these things may be a ways off yet, but we should be making our preparations now, both physically and spiritually. Remember, we only have till the end of our physical existence to get it right. No matter what is coming our way, the best defense is a close relationship with Yahuwah.
Trying to reveal the modern day identities of Gog and Magog may be an interesting pursuit, but in the end it really won’t matter. Whatever alliance comes against Israel from the north and the east will be considered Gog and Magog.
Yahuwah Bless
G.P.