Magog

## About

Magog is a nation referenced several times in the Bible, both in the New and Old Testament. References to Magog are found in the Quran as well, and London has its own legend referring to Magog. Revelation discusses Magog as taking part in the final assault against God right before the Final Judgement, however prophecies by Ezekiel suggest that Magog will attack Israel before the Tribulation starts. Due to the variety of possible interpretations of the Gog and Magog event, it is one of the most hotly debated topics in Bible prophecy.

## Historical Magog

In the ancient days, Magog was actually a real, physical location. Like Babylon, Magog existed as a real place and eventually became used symbolically in prophecy. The location of Magog is found in modern day Turkey, however its exact position is debated. There are two sites that are attributed to Magog; one being found south of the Black Sea, and the other being found to the north.

Josephus, a 1st century Jewish historian, believed that Magog referred to the Scythians, which were found north of the Black Sea and in the territory depicted on the map to the right. Other scholars believe that Magog refers to Lydia (also near Magog on the map to the right), and that Gog was King Gyges.

A less popular belief is that the Huns were Magog, running rampant and destroying the world. The Romans applied the label of Magog to the tribes of savage barbarians, and a legend persists about Alexander's Gate which claims it was built to imprison these savages until the end of time.

## Symbolic Usage

Like Babylon, Magog was applied symbolically for the purposes of prophecy. Prophecy uses known entities to prophesize future events, and Babylon is a good example of this. Babylon was a real-life location, synonymous with sin and depravity. Babylon is references several times prophetically in Revelation, but it becomes clear that this is merely the *spirit* of Babylon, a Neo-Babylon so to speak. The Whore of Babylon represents all of that depravity found in the Babylon of old, and it is prophesied that society in the future will become just as morally corrupt as Babylon, stepping up to "become" Babylon.

Magog is used in the same way, and it appears in two different contexts. The first is the Magog that appears at the end of the Millennium Kingdom, which is the title given to the army of the world led by Satan to destroy New Jerusalem. The second reference of Magog is one of Ezekiel's prophecies, in which he prophesies Gog will lead the forces of Magog against Israel.

Prophetically, Magog symbolizes a gathering of enemies of God. Like Babylon symbolizes immorality, Magog symbolizes this coalition of evil. The armies likely won't refer to themselves as Magog, but they embody the spirit of Magog by being a force against God.

## Modern Interpretations of Ezekiel's Prophecy

While the final rise of Magog spoken of in Revelation is not debated, as its position in the timeline is made clear, the timing of Ezekiel's Gog and Magog battle is one of the most fiercely debated topics of Bible prophecy. The following are the dominant theories regarding this battle with Magog.

### The Battle Already Happened

There are some who believe that the battle of Gog and Magog has already happened, sometime back in the past of Israel. While this could be applied to any of the invasions of Israel, many specifically tie it to the 473 BC invasion of Israel by Queen Esther of Persia. Persia's territory encompasses historical Magog, and so proponents of this view hold that this invasion was the battle and that Queen Esther was Gog.

One issue with this theory is that the prophecy describes divine intervention saving Israel and destroying the army of Magog so completely that it takes 7 years to break-down all the weapons from the slain, and there is no evidence of this intervention occurring during this invasion.

### The Battle Occurs Before the Rapture

Assuming a pre-Tribulation Rapture, many believe that the battle of Gog and Magog will take place right before it. The main reason for this position is that it accounts for the 7 years described in Ezekiel 39:9.

### After the Rapture but Before the Tribulation

This position is the most popular one, and it also accounts for the 7 years described in Ezekiel 39:9. This view holds that a pre-Tribulation Rapture serves as the catalyst that spurs the invasion of Israel. We know that tensions in the Middle East regarding potential Magog territories are high, however the watchful eye of the global community prevents countries like Iran or Syria from invading Israel; they know the US will get involved. Many think the distraction of the disappearance of millions of people globally, especially if blamed on UAPs, will provide a chance for an invasion to take place. This would also start the global war described at the beginning of the Tribulation, which is why many hold this view.

Another reason scholars hold this view is because it sets the stage for a Euro-centered one world government to rise, as it is these governments that have the most infrastructure in place that matches the One World Government described in Revelation, as well as prophecies regarding old territories of the Roman Empire. Magog is believed to encompass Russia and Middle Eastern countries, and a failed invasion and global war would remove most of their global influence, which sets the stage for the Antichrist.

### Mid-Tribulation

The most common view among prophecy scholars, while not as popular as the above theory, is that the battle takes place in the middle of the Tribulation. Proponents of this belief cite Ezekiel 38:8, where it states Israel will be living in peace when suddenly Magog descends. Israel certainly isn't in peace right now, and many believe this refers to the peace covenant backed by the Antichrist.

### Armageddon

Some believe that the battle of Gog and Magog is the battle of Armageddon, which takes place during the Second Coming at the end of the Tribulation. Since the OWG's forces will all be gathered to attack Israel, proponents of this belief hold that they are representative of Magog.

### One in the Same

Finally, some believe that the battle of Gog and Magog is the same battle that Revelation describes, where Satan gathers up Magog to launch one final assault after the Millennium Kingdom. Proponents of this belief link the two together because Revelation specifically refers to Magog by name, and thus the two forces are concluded to be the same.

## Modern Magog

Entities resembling the prophesied Magog have sprung up in the past and in the modern day, however until it is due time they will not fulfil prophecy. Many believed that the Soviet Union was Magog, as it incorporated the territories described in Ezekiel and Daniel. The collapse of the Soviet Union made many people believe the prophecy might never be fulfilled, but as Russia solidifies its alliance with Iran and Syria many people are seeing a potential Magog rise again.

Ukraine is one of the territories believed to be encompassed by the prophesied Magog, and Russia has begun its invasion. With Ukraine, Russia and its allies will officially encompass all the prophesied territories of Magog by Ezekiel and Daniel. While many of Russia's allies would love nothing more than to invade and destroy Israel, Russia itself has not traditionally been an advocate of an Israel invasion. Though they despise Israel because of its US support, invading it never provided a direct benefit to Russia. Despite this, Russia has directly threatened to invade Israel if they delivered weapons to Ukraine, so many believe the keg is lit for a Magog invasion.

The idea of Magog being tied to Russia comes from the prophecies of Daniel and Ezekiel, describing the threat coming from the far north of Israel. Beyond that, many scholars refer back to the identity of ancient Magog. Many ancient historians, including Josephus, Hesiod, Philo, and Herodotus, point to the Scythians inhabiting the land of Magog. Josephus writes "Magog founded the Magogians, thus named after him but who by the Greeks are called Scythians.” Magog is listed as one of the sons of Japheth in Genesis 10, which is who Josephus and the other historians refer to in regards to the Scythians.

The Scythians can be divided into two groups; those that congregated in Scythia (north of the Black Sea), and those found throughout Asia and Europe. The label of Scythian can even refer to many of the tribes of people stretching through Ukraine all the way to Siberia, which is why many prophecy scholars focus in on Russia in regards to the Magog prophecy.

A third reason scholars focus on Russia is because of the word *rosh* used in Ezekiel's prophecy. Now, in Hebrew the word *rosh* can be used as either as noun, in reference to a geographic location, or as a word roughly translating to "chief" or "head" or "top." It's a fairly common word that is used hundreds of times in the Old Testament, however in Ezekiel it appears to be used as a noun. This theory is backed by many Hebrew scholars, including Wilhelm Gesenius, who is considered to be one of the greatest scholars of the Hebrew language.

Gesenius believes that in Ezekiel 38:2,3; 39:1, *rosh* is “proper noun of a northern nation, mentioned with Meshech and Tubal; undoubtedly the Russians, who are mentioned by the Byzantine writers of the tenth century, under the name the Ros, dwelling to the north of Taurus . . . as dwelling on the river Rha (Wolga).” Gesenius also points out that since *rosh* is being used in the same context as Meshech and Tubal, the most natural way to read the passage is to use it in the same context as a location.

If you use *rosh* as a proper noun, you get a translation of Ezekiel 38:2 that reads that Gog is the "prince of Rosh, Meshech, and Tubal.” When using it as an adjective, you get that Gog is the "chief prince of Meshech and Tubal." Because the people of Russia were referred to as the Rosh in the time of Ezekiel, many scholars believe that *rosh* should be translated as a proper noun. If taken as a proper noun, it implies that Gog, the leader of the Magog coalition, is going to be the prince of Russia.

## In Popular Culture

Magog was referenced in the genesis (Peter Gabriel Era) song "Supper's Ready" In the song's section VI: "Apocalypse in 9/8 (Co-Starring the Delicious Talents of Gabble Ratchet)" (15:36 – 20:50) the lyrics read: "With the guards of Magog, swarming around, The Pied Piper takes his children underground."

The section contains other references to the book of revelation as well, such as

* "Dragons coming out of the sea". A reference to Revelation 13:1 “Then the dragon took his stand on the sand of the seashore. And I saw a beast rising out of the sea, having ten horns and seven heads…” (Revelations 13:1)

* "He brings down the fire from the skies". A reference to the same chapter of book of revelation, 13:13 “It performs great signs, even making fire come down from heaven to earth in the sight of all…” (Revelations 13:13)