In the book of the prophet Ezekiel it is predicted that the leader Gog from the land of Magog will fight with Israel
We can find a mention of Magog already in the book of Genesis:
"The sons of Japheth: Gomer, Magog, Madai, Javan, Tubal, Meshech and Tiras"
(Gen. 10:2)
And together Gog and Magog first meet in chapters 38 and 39 of the book of the prophet Ezekiel. Actually, both of these chapters are devoted to a detailed clash between Israel and the army of Gog.
About Gog himself, we can immediately recognize some of his titles:
“And the word of the Lord came to me: Son of man! Turn your face to Gog in the land of Magog, the prince of Rosha, Meshech and Tubal, and prophesy against him and say: Thus says the Lord God: Behold, I am against you, Gog, prince of Rosha, Meshech and Tubal!
(Eze 38:1–3)
Statues of Gog and Magog from Guildhall. Photo: ic.pics.livejournal.com
And he leads a great army:
“And I will turn you around and put the bit in your jaws, and I will bring you out and all your army, horses and horsemen, all in full armor, a large army, in armor and with shields, all armed with swords, Persians, Ethiopians and Libyans with them, all with shields and helmets, Gomer with all his troops, the house of Togarm, from the borders of the north, with all his troops, many nations with you."
(Eze 38:4–6)
At the same time, it is interesting that God in this prophecy allegedly calls Gog Himself to undertake this military campaign:
“Get ready and equip yourself, you and all your hordes gathered to you, and be their leader. After many days you will be needed; in the last years you will come to a land delivered from the sword, gathered from many nations, to the mountains of Israel, which were constantly desolate, but now its inhabitants will be brought back from the nations, and they will all live in safety.”
(Eze 38:7–8)
And this has been said several times:
“And I will turn you, and lead you, and bring you out from the ends of the north, and bring you to the mountains of Israel.”
(Eze 39:2)
God predicted punishment for Gog and Magog after the invasion of Israel
At the same time, God further condemns the actions of Gog and reports that all who accompany him will find their destruction in the lands of Israel. And this will not be just a military defeat. God promises severe punishment to the inhabitants of the land of Magog:
“And I will judge him with pestilence and bloodshed, and I will rain on him and on his armies and on the many nations that are with him, flooding rain and hailstones, fire and brimstone; And I will show My greatness and My holiness, and I will manifest Myself in the sight of many nations, and they will know that I am the Lord.”
(38:22–23)
Vision of the Prophet Ezekiel
The Prophet, together with his people, is in Babylonian captivity. The temple has already been destroyed and the nation is practically dead. The Lord shows Ezekiel a vision: in a large valley there are many dry bones (Israel). The Lord commands Ezekiel to begin to prophesy and speak to the bones. When Ezekiel speaks to the bones, those bones begin to come to life, take on flesh and the nation is reborn. The Lord gives through Ezekiel a wonderful prophecy that the nation will live again on the land that was once given to them.
(Eze 37:24)
And My servant David will be King over them and Shepherd of them all, and they will walk in My commandments, and they will keep My statutes and do them.
(Eze 37:26-27)
And I will make a covenant of peace with them, an everlasting covenant will be with them. I will establish them, and multiply them, and set up my sanctuary among them forever. And they will have My dwelling place, and I will be their God, and they will be My people.
According to Matthew Henry, Gog and Magog were needed to glorify the name of God
Bible interpreter Matthew Henry also cannot identify this people with someone specific and even directly states that the discovery of the country of Magog is an unsolved problem for specialists:
“Discerning interpreters will have to work hard to figure out who Gog and Magog are. We should not pretend that we can add anything to their observations or resolve their contradictions.
Most likely, Gog is the king, and Magog is the kingdom, and therefore Gog and Magog should be perceived in the same way as the Pharaoh and the Egyptians. Some believe that here we are talking about such distant countries as Scythia, Tartary and Russia, others - that they are located closer to the land of Israel, in Syria, Asia and Asia Minor.”
Matthew Henry
bible interpreter
[/aside]
Gog - in some interpretations - the ruler, in others - the people
Matthew Henry believes that Gog and Magog were needed so that through victory over them God would glorify His name:
“Note, God not only sees those who are now enemies of his church and fights against it, but he also foreknows those who will be so, and warns them by word that he is against them; yet He is pleased to use them for the attainment of His own purposes and for the glory of His name; surely the wrath of man will be turned to His glory.”
Matthew Henry
bible interpreter
[/aside]
Descendant of Noah
Gog of Magog was the king of a country that was located in the far north of Israel, probably in Europe and northern Asia (Ezekiel 38:2). Magog appears to be used to refer to "northern barbarians" in general, but probably also has a connection with Magog. The people of Magog are described as skilled warriors (Ezekiel 38:15, 39:3-9).
Gogi Magogs in the Bible are mentioned in Ezekiel 38-39 and Revelation 20:7-8. Although these two instances have the same name, a careful study of Scripture clearly shows that they do not refer to the same people and events.
In Revelation, Gog and Magog probably symbolize the deceived nations
The author of the Revelation of John the Theologian uses the words “Gog and Magog” in an unusual way. One gets the impression that he is not familiar with the Old Testament text, or knows some other version of it.
The point is that he is clearly talking about some other peoples:
“When the thousand years are ended, Satan will be released from his prison and will come out to deceive the nations that are at the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, and gather them for battle; their number is like the sand of the sea."
(Rev. 20:7)
Why does he write like this? After all, these peoples did not live at the four corners of the world and it is unlikely that it will be possible to talk about them at all in the era after the thousand-year kingdom.
In modern culture, Gog and Magog is often portrayed as an evil demon. Photo: oboihd-plus.ucoz.ru
In all likelihood, the author of this book is not talking about any specific people. Gog and Magog here symbolize people who are deceived and have wandered away from God. This version is adhered to by Lopukhin’s Explanatory Bible:
“In 7th Art. the deceived nations are called Gog and Magog. We also meet the names of Gog and Magog in St. Scripture, and in the Holy. Scriptures of the Old Testament. Magog is the name of one of the sons of Japheth (Gen. 10:2) and the country (Ezek. 39:6) of which Gog was king (Ezek. 38:15-16).
The names of Gog and Magog should be considered as an indication of representatives of the peoples who were the instrument of God. executions, and should tell us about the belligerence and cruelty of these peoples. They are depicted as being at the four corners of the earth; this means all the peoples of the universe that the devil will use through the Antichrist in his hostile activities against God.
The wicked peoples of the last time, excited by the devil and led by the Antichrist, will gather to fight against the saints (camp) and against the beloved city. The camp of saints is the Church of Christ, the society of true believing Christians of the last time in their opposition to the followers of the Antichrist. In the same way, the beloved city is the same Church, a society of believers, persecuted, but steadfast and glorious by God. help, faith in God, who dwells among them as if in his beloved city.”
"Lopukhin's Explanatory Bible"
That is, this is a collective image. The author of Revelation does not prophesy anything good to them. These apostates are promised that they will be destroyed by fire from heaven.
News of the Flood
So Noah did what Jehovah told him: he warned as many people as possible. He was called a "preacher of righteousness" because he made every effort to tell people what was about to happen. But they didn't seem to listen.
In addition, God told him to build a huge ark from special wood to accommodate two wild animals and seven animals that were supposed to be domesticated, such as cows, sheep. They all had to be taken in pairs so that the animals could produce offspring and populate the earth after everything was destroyed by the waters of the global flood.
Of course, Noah had his own family to help in this task. He had his wife, his sons, and his son's wives—eight people—to help him complete the ark. His sons were Ham, Shem and Japheth. His whole family was happy to work very hard building the ark because they knew that Noah was close in spirit to the Creator, and they believed that Noah was telling them the truth about God's message.
Building the ark was quite difficult. It had to be waterproof due to worldwide flooding. Noah's relatives knew, as did he himself, that it was not like a boat and that he would likely drown if he was in deep water. It had no sails, rudder, engine, or keel. They knew it. But Jehovah gave clear instructions on how to build this giant ark. Under Noah's direction, they followed instructions exactly, knowing that Jehovah would not force them to do anything that would not benefit them. The family had great faith in the Creator and wanted to please him, believing that He would save all people who believe in the Lord. Noah escaped with his family and began a new life.
Jews believe that a clash with Gog and Magog will occur before the coming of the Messiah
The Jews do not consider Jesus the Messiah and are still waiting for their Savior. Gog and Magog are mentioned in the Talmud and Madrash. These are evil and bloodthirsty tribes. The wars with them will stop only when the Messiah comes.
As for identification, the Jewish authors are also not sure who they are talking about. There are the following versions:
- Lydians;
- Medes;
- Parthians;
- Scythians;
- Napoleon's Army;
- Soviet Union.
Some interpreters believed that Gog and Magog was the name of Napoleon's army. Photo: thiswas.ru
Muslims consider Gog and Magog to be bloodthirsty tribes or giants
The Koran also mentions Gog and Magog, but they are called Yajuj and Majuj. They oppressed some other people, for whom the righteous Dhul-Qarnain decided to intercede.
He came up with the idea of building an iron wall around the habitat of Yajuj and Majuj, thereby leaving these people in captivity. Until now, these people are digging a tunnel to break out and bring a lot of misfortune to the world.
. “When these people discovered the strength and power of Dhu-l-Qarnain, they asked him to establish a barrier between them and Yajuj and Majuj (Gog and Magog), who often raided them and devastated their land.
These people offered to pay him tribute. He answered them: “Allah has given me power and authority. This is the best payment for me." He began to erect a barrier, demanding that they help him with people and tools in order to fulfill their request.
He asked to collect pieces of iron for him, from which he built a high barrier, connecting two steep slopes with it. Then he ordered the people to light a fire and fan it until the iron was hot.
Then he poured molten copper on it, and the result was a strong solid wall - a barrier. And the tribes of Yajuja and Majuja could neither climb the barrier, for it was very high, nor break through it, for it was very strong.”
(18:94–97)
This makes Yajuj and Majuj very similar to Gog and Magog and actually explains the contradictions in the Bible. It turns out that these are really some tribes that once lived on the planet. They are isolated now, but in the last times they will break out and make life miserable for the righteous. Another question is that no one saw the wall itself, but probably these images should not be taken literally.
There is also a later Islamic tradition that believes that Yajuj and Majuj are a race of giants.
Gog and Magog can be used as common nouns
Often the question of who Goga is may arise among readers of Gogol:
“Just give him a knife and let him out onto the main road, he’ll kill you, he’ll kill you for a penny! He and the vice-governor are Goga and Magog.”
("Dead Souls")
Here the word is somewhat distorted, apparently intentionally. But the meaning is clear. Gog and Magog in the minds of a believer are associated with evil, so they can well be used as a characteristic for a bad person.
Well, modern culture loves to turn Gog and Magog into demons, for example, this is typical for the computer games industry.
By leaving a comment, you accept the user agreement
