One reason why I write new articles is so that I do not have to keep repeating myself when the inevitable questions or criticisms on my Bible prophecy views come up over and over again in comments on this blog or in emails to me. I do wish people would use the search box on the homepage of my website or this blog to find out if I already have written about a topic before they ask questions on Bible prophecy, but they usually do not. (The search box on the website homepage also covers the articles on this blog). Even so, if I already wrote an article on the subject I often just give them a link rather than recreate the wheel. So that it one purpose for this article.
Another reason for this article is the other day I was looking for more reasons then I had off the top of my head why the Gog/Magog war of Ezekiel chapter 38 and 39 and Armageddon (Har Megiddo) definitely were not describing the same war but I only could find a few reasons posted here and there. So, I figured an article needed to be written where most of the good arguments can all be found in one place.
First a bit of background on this topic about why it matters to know these things and why some good people think the Gog/Magog war and Armageddon are the same war.
First let me say that Jews and those Christians that are amillennial or preterist get this wrong because much of their eschatology does not agree with what the scriptures plainly teach.
I know some might want to know why knowing that these are two different wars are of importance? It is primarily because the Jews and the Gentiles that are expecting a Messiah after the Ezekiel Gog/Magog campaign will be deceived when a false Christ arrives on the scene. Jesus said, ” I am come in my Father’s name, and ye receive me not: if another shall come in his own name, him ye will receive.” Jesus was talking about the Jews receiving the coming Antichrist as the Messiah. The Jews will receive him because after the Gog war where God destroys Gog’s army to save Israel and also to display to Israel and the world that He exists, they will be set up by religious leaders to believe that they will now enter the promised kingdom restoration. Instead they will enter the false covenant with the Antichrist.
It also could be important because the Rapture might occur very near the time of this war. Some in the world are teaching that God will have to remove the Christian fundamentalists for the world to ever have peace. If the world thinks all the unteachable were removed by God they will not even miss the Church after the Rapture.
The reason the Jews are quite wrong on all this is because even after God supernaturally protects Israel from Gog and they acknowledge that YHWH exists they will still reject Him as the Messiah. The Jews that are now looking for the Ezekiel 38-39 events do not understand the other prophetic passages that clearly talk about a coming chastisement of Israel in the land before the restoration.
They want those passages to be talking about past events or they spirtualize or ignore them like many Christians also do. However, in Daniel those with knowledge of the prophetic scriptures see a seven year period that still remains unfulfilled for Israel until the time of transgression that is appointed for Israel is completed. Only after that do we see that Israel is restored.
That is the time known as Jacob’s trouble (Jer. 30:7). It is the seven year covenant that Israel signs with the Prince of the people that destroyed the second Temple that is spoken about in Daniel. This Prince will become the Beast Antichrist. Therefore, after the Ezekiel Gog war when God starts favoring Israel again for His own name sake, the final seven years will be imminent. The time-clock actually starts with the signing of the seven year covenant spoken about by Daniel.
Therefore, when the time of Jacob’s trouble arrives on Israel most will not understand so God sends His two prophets. Even after their 1260 day testimony in Jerusalem only one third of those living in the land apparently believe their message and flee to the mountains for protection from the Beast before the Armageddon war. The other two thirds will die at the hand of the Beast Antichrist.
Also, those Gentiles left behind after the Rapture will likewise at first be deceived by the Antichrist after the Gog/Magog war. They probably include most that can be identified with Thyatira, Sardis and Laodicea in Revelation. It seems only the faithful Church identified as Philadelphia in Revelation is promised to be kept out of the great trial coming on all who live on the earth.
I think the main problem with some Christians who take Bible prophecy literally but still cannot see this, is because of the wording in Ezekiel chapter 39, and also their inability to correlate prophetic scriptures.
They understand that the latter chapters of Ezekiel are sequential. They see and understand the rebirth of Israel in Ezekiel 37. They correctly see what will be coming next is the Gog/Magog war of chapters 38 and 39. They also see that chapters 40-48 are describing Millennial happenings. They ascertain that the last part of Ezekiel chapter 39 is talking about events after the tribulation and then they put two and two together and incorrectly conclude that the Millennium must immediately follow the Gog/Magog war of chapter 39.
The logical thing to them is that the Ezekiel Gog/Magog also must be Armageddon. For they think if Armageddon were a later war the detail would be described in Ezekiel before the millennial events that are described in chapters 40-48 take place. What they do not consider is that God may have left out the details about Armageddon in Ezekiel for His own purpose.
Be aware that the chapters and verses in the Bible are not inspired, they are of recent origin and some chapter breaks were just put in the wrong place. I think Ezekiel as the chapters are now assigned, retains the proper sequence from the rebirth of Israel until the restored kingdom, but I think they should have broken Ezekiel chapter 39 into two chapters. Chapter 39a goes up to verse 16 and it is still talking about the Gog/Magog war but in Chapter 39b from verse 17 onward where God says, “thus son of man” it is another prophecy and it talking about the aftermath of the Armageddon war.
Nevertheless, I am not dogmatic that this has to be true. That is just one possible explanation why Armageddon details are not in Ezekiel. But, I do think it is by design that God left out the details about Armageddon in Ezekiel. The Jews are quite aware of the Ezekiel passage they read it all the time. They dream about God once again fighting their battles for them like days of old. But, since they reject passages elsewhere that talk about a chastisement for Israel just before their restoration and because they reject Jesus as there Messiah they will be blinded to proper discernment of certain prophetic passages.
The Jews and most of the world first must experience the wickedness of the Antichrist for them to understand. The Beast Antichrist represents what the world will be like without Jesus. He also represents what eternity will be like without God. If some people were not shown pure evil they would never come to Jesus Christ for salvation.
So, after laying that background let me point out the clear differences between the wars and why the Ezekiel Gog/Magog war and the battle of Armageddon cannot be the same war.
Differences between the Gog/Magog war of Ezekiel 38 and 39 and the battle of Armageddon (Har Megiddo):
1. Ezekiel 38-39 – God puts hooks in the jaws of Gog (probably a demon king possessing a Russian leader) to bring him down from the North against the land of Israel to take a spoil.—–Armageddon – Demons come out of the mouth of the Dragon, the Beast and the False Prophet and they deceive the kings of the earth and lead all nations to come against Jerusalem to kill all Jews and oppose Jesus at his coming (Zec 12 – 14; Rev 16:14 ; Joel 3:1) .
The nations of Ezekiel 38:1-6 are:
| The Nations of Ezekiel 38: 1 6 | |
| The Ancient Nations | The Modern Nations |
| The land of Magog Meshech and Tubal Persia Ethiopia Libya Ashkenaz Gomer Togarmah “Many peoples with thee” |
Russia Somewhere in Russia Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan Ethiopia and Sudan Libya Austria and Germany Eastern Europe Southeastern Europe – Turkey Various other nations allied to Russia |
2. Ezekiel 38-39 – Fire and earthquakes fall on the army. The weapons are knocked out of their hands. The bones of the army are buried after 7 months at a specific location by trained professionals (perhaps because their bones are radioactive). —–Armageddon – The flesh of the armies that come against Israel are dissolved and slain from the sword of the mouth of Jesus. There is no mention of any burial of the bones.
3. Ezekiel 38-39 – The army falls on the northern mountains of Israel they never reach Jerusalem.—–Armageddon – The army falls in the valley of Jehoshaphat (Joel 3:2) and blood runs up to the horses bridles the length of Israel (Rev 14:20).
4. Ezekiel 38-39 – Occurs when Israel is living securely in peace and safety with none to make them afraid.—–Armageddon – Occurs at the end of the tribulation when Israel has already fled to the mountains of Jordan for protection from the Antichrist.
5. Ezekiel 38-39 – Some nations aligned with the West protest the invasion and obviously are not involved.—–Armageddon – All nations are involved.
6. Ezekiel 38-39 – No mention of a religious or spiritual figures it just mentions Gog, men and nations.—–Armageddon – Occurs after Satan is cast out of heaven unto the earth and the incarnated Beast Antichrist and his False prophet visibly reign upon earth.
7. Ezekiel 38-39 – 1/6 of the army survives and is driven north into Russia.——Armageddon – The whole army is destroyed. (I am now aware that the 1/6th is only found in KJ version and it is not supported by the Greek)
8. Ezekiel 38-39 – The nations immediately surrounding Israel are not included (perhaps they were defeated in the Psalm 83 war and are occupied)—–Armageddon – The nations around Israel are said to be included.
9. Ezekiel 38-39 – The world acknowledges that the God of Israel destroyed the invaders and God of Israel is magnified in the eyes of the nations.—–Armageddon – The world thinks the Antichrist is God and dares to come to battle against the God of Israel and His coming King that everyone on the earth has have been clearly told is coming at this point.
10. Ezekiel 38-39 – The purpose is to bring Israel to repentance so that they acknowledge their God and so God can display and magnify Himself in the eyes of all the nations.—–Armageddon – The purpose is to deliver Israel from the Beast, bring judgment on the Beast and the False Prophet and all the Gentiles armies that follow them. They will not have Jesus reign as King on earth so they will be destroyed by Jesus at His coming.
11. Ezekiel 38-39 – No prior signs are mentioned Israel is living securely.——Armageddon – Occurs after wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke. The moon is turned blood red and the sun is darkened and people fear what they see coming upon the earth.
12. Ezekiel 38-39 – the leader of the armies name is Gog, the name adds up to 12 in Hebrew —–Armageddon – The Beast is the leader his name adds up to 666.
Hi Don,
Your article has motivated me to read and study Ezequiel chapters 38 and 39–a very interesting part of prophesy. Personally, I had never seen before any resemblanse between this battle and Armagedon. The enemies are very different in both battles, although in both God delivers Israel.
(Reading your differences, I could not find number 7 where 1/6 of the army goes North.)
I understand that for this battle to take place all Israel has to be back on the land (39:29) and they have to be living securely but with no defenses (38:8,11,14). Because of this I have wondered if Israel is living securely because of the treaty with the Antichrist or because the battle of Psalm 83 has finished with all their neighbors. Also, at this moment, Israel has all its weapons pointing out–they do nat have a wall but they have a defense system on place. This has to be out for this battleto happen.
What also intrigues me are the activities of Israel after the war. They take 7 years to burn all what is left for fuel. This makes me think that it is not the same battle as in Revelations 20:8, although the same wording, Gog and Magog, is used.
Thank you for your article–one of the best!
Hi Eduardo,
I guess you have to correlate two prophecies to come to this conclusion. Ezekiel 39:2 says that God will turn the Northern army back and leave a sixth part and Joel 2:20 gives the location where the northern army will be driven.
Israel might not have walls but it also say they will not bars and gates. There are bars and gates because of the fence. So since Ezekiel’s prophecy says no bars and gates I would think that Israel will no longer have this fence at the time that Gog comes down.
I certainly do not see Israel getting the peace,prosperity and security described in Ezekiel in the first 42 months of the covenant with the future Antichrist. So I lean toward Israel destroying its nearby enemies in the war of Psalm 83 and then becoming part of the revived Roman Empire.
That seven years of burning of the weapons of war leads me to believe that the end of Gog war is 10.5 years before Armageddon. They must stop the burning at exactly seven years because they flee to the mountains for 3 1/2 years for protection.
The gathering for destruction in Revelation 20:8 is not any war within this dispensation. It occurs after the millennial reign of Christ. There are different views on why Gog and Magog are again mentioned there, but this is not any war before the thousand year reign. It also is not the war that Ezekiel describes in chapters 38 and 39.
Hi Don,
Sorry for missing the “1/6” in the KJV but as you may already know, I do not use the King James Version (KJV) for study the Bible. (Since my first language is Spanish, for Bible studies I use, at least, the Reina Valera de 1960 (RV60), La Biblia de las Américas (LBLA) and Dios Habla Hoy (DHH). These three are very well known and the Reina Valera was published first in 1569 by an ex-catholic monk converted to Christ during the Reformation period.) So sorry for not reading the “1/6” in Ezequiel 39:2. But let me tell you that I’ve found an interesting issue regarding this passage.
On all the following translations, except for the KJV, Ezequiel 39:2 is translated as if God is drag, leading or pushing Gog out.
(ASV) and I will turn thee about, and will lead thee on, and will cause thee to come up from the uttermost parts of the north; and I will bring thee upon the mountains of Israel;
(CEV) I will turn you around and drag you from the north until you reach the mountains of Israel.
(GNB) I will turn him in a new direction and lead him out of the far north until he comes to the mountains of Israel.
(GW) I will turn you around and lead you. I will bring you from the far north and have you attack the mountains of Israel.
(JPS) and I will turn thee about and lead thee on, and will cause thee to come up from the uttermost parts of the north; and I will bring thee upon the mountains of Israel;
(KJV) 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:
(KJV+) And I will turn thee back,H7725 and leave but the sixth partH8338 of thee, and will cause thee to come upH5927 from the northH6828 parts,H4480 H3411 and will bringH935 thee uponH5921 the mountainsH2022 of Israel:H3478
(LBLA) ‘Te haré dar vuelta y te empujaré, te recogeré de las partes remotas del norte y te traeré contra los montes de Israel.
On the KJV with Strong numbers you can see that the phrase “and leave but the sixth part” is but one Word in Hebrew and it is the H338 in Strong’s classification.
Now when we go to Strong’s definition of the word, it says:
H8338
?????
shâshâ’
shaw-shaw’
A primitive root; apparently to annihilate. (Translated by confusion with H8341.): – leave but the sixth part [by confusion with H8341].
So I believe there is a wrong translation of this part of the verse 39:2 in the KJV.
What do you know about this?
You are correct. I have not noticed that there is nothing about a sixth being left in other versions or in any realistic understanding of the Greek. The Septuagint also does not mention any sixth. It is only on some translations based on the KJ version. So I would have to say that the King James version has it wrong and that all the army is destroyed. Therefore, I will have to change my thinking on this issue and take that out as being one of the reasons why they are different wars. I wonder why popular Bible prophecy teachers where I got this information from seem to have never reviewed the Greek or other versions? Thanks for the correction.
On the second point about God bringing Gog down there is no conflict in the versions. KJ and all the major versions in Ezek 38:4 say God will put a hook in Gog’s jaw and bring him down. That hook could be a defense alliance,the spoils or something else.
Begginers luck!
(I am so excited I have contributed to your escathology because I respect you a lot.)
Ezequiel 38:4 says that all the army of Gog is going to war.
“And I will turn thee back, and put hooks into thy jaws, and I will bring thee forth, and ALL thine 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:”
Thanks for your insights in prophesy.
Nice catch Eduardo. As I read over all your text references, I couldn’t help but think, Gog doesn’t have much free-will in it’s decision. 😉
It almost seems that Gog’s army was initially heading elsewhere, like maybe eastern or even western Europe, and God puts that hook in the Jaw and brings them down against Israel for their destruction. Perhaps they were running out of supplies so they decided to take that direction and rape Israel first.
Yes Don, that would seem to be the inference with the word “turn”. It would seem that they have their sights set on a different object.
Interestingly Don, I just read this piece from a Jack Kelley article that parallels what you just said. Funny how that works, isn’t it?
“Soon after taking power, on his way to invade Egypt, Antiochus attacked Israel, stealing all the gold and silver furnishings from the Temple. He had Israel’s last legitimate High Priest, Onias III, murdered and from then on the office was sold to the highest bidder, with the money going to Antiochus.”
The Feast of Hanukkah… by Jack Kelley
The article is here, http://www.bibleprophecyblog.com/
Good article, that uses history to put future events in the proper perspective.
My understanding of the Gog and Magag war is as follows:
Gog is mentioned in nine verses of the King James Bible, seven of which are in the book of Ezekiel, chapters 38 and 39 (the other verses are 1 Chronicles and Revelation). Magog is mentioned in five verses of the Bible, twice in Ezekiel (once in chapter 38 and once in chapter 39) and once in Genesis, 1 Chronicles and Revelation. Gog and Magog combined are mentioned in only two Bible verses: Ezekiel 38:2 and Revelation 20:8. In Revelation 20:8, Gog and Magog are mentioned in the same sentence as “the thousand years” expiring, when “Satan shall be loosed out of his prison, and shall go out to deceive the nations.”
“And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, ‘Son of man, set thy face against Gog, the land of Magog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal, and prophesy against him’.” (Ezekiel 38:2)
“And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison, 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.” (Revelation 20:7-8)
When reading these verses, it is obvious that the battle of Armageddon is the Gog and Magog war, which is fought after the thousand years are expired. It is the final war, and as such is mentioned in Revelation chapter 20, just before the final two chapters which describe the destruction of the death (the devil is cast into the lake of fire, where the beast and the false prophet are), the final judgment, and inauguration of eternity.
That view makes absolutely no sense if you actually read what it says in Ezekiel chapters 38 and 39. Here are just a few reasons off the top of my head why this Ezekiel war cannot be after the thousand year reign.
At the end of the thousand year reign the people come from the four quarters of the Earth. In the Gog war of Ezekiel they come from the uttermost North.
Why would Israel be burying the dead after the thousand year reign of Jesus when death has already been defeated in the thousand year reign?
They would have to come to take a spoil after the earth has already become a paradise after the thousand year reign of Jesus? That makes no sense.
How can Israel burn the weapons of war for seven years when the world has reached the time of the Great white throne judgment and a new heaven and earth?
God becomes known to the nations through this war, so then how then can it be after the thousand year reign of the Son of God?
At the end of chapter 39 Israel comes to know God. How then can Jesus reigned on earth from Jerusalem for a thousand year prior to this?
It conflicts with the passage that says man will learn to build weapons of war no more after Jesus returns. What is mentioned in Revelation chapter twenty is not a war with weapons of war. It is a rebellion against the ruling Saints in Jerusalem and fire comes down from heaven and consumes them all. There is no war and there are no bodies to bury.
I don’t see the “thousand year” reign as a paradise on this present earth over which Jesus will physically reign from a temple in Jerusalem, during which time Israel will finally come to know God. And when I read Ezekiel 38 and 39, I don’t interpret it to mean that man will no longer learn to build weapons of war and that Israel will burn weapons of war for seven years.
Although I can see why many would like to believe that God will give “Israel” an additional thousand years to accept Christ as their Savior, I don’t think they should expect Jesus to return and reign as the kings of the old dispensation did. This reminds me of Israel constantly begging God to appoint an earthly king over them in the old dispensation, even though God was their King, reigning from His heavenly throne. Just like the Jews of the old dispensation, the Jews of the first century expected God to give them an earthly kingdom, which is why they rejected Christ as their Messiah, since he didn’t bring them a physical kingdom when He dwelled among them.
When I read Ezekiel 38 and 39, in light of Revelation, it is describing the wrath of God upon the earth after the Church has been delivered up to heaven.
In Ezekiel chapter 38, God says the mountains shall be thrown down and there will be an overflowing rain upon the people, and great hailstones and fire and brimstone. And, in Ezekiel chapter 39, God says, “The heathen shall know that I am the LORD, the Holy One of Israel, Behold, it is come, and IT IS DONE, this is the day whereof I have spoken” (the Lord’s Day, that great day of God Almighty, the great day of His wrath, the last day, the judgment of the great day, the final judgment and the inauguration of eternity). In Ezekiel chapter 29, God says, “I will set my glory among the heathen, and all the heathen shall see my judgment that I have executed, and my hand that I have laid upon them” (the seven vials of His wrath).
The words in Ezekiel chapters 39 and 29 match those in Revelation 20-22, which describe the destruction of the earth by great hailstones and fire and brimstone; the casting of the beast, false prophet and devil in the lake of fire along with those they deceived; and the creation of the new heaven and new earth.
Most importantly, God says in Ezekiel chapter 39 that “IT IS DONE” (the exact phrase He uses in Revelation 16:17, when He pours out the seven vials upon the unjust on earth, and in Revelation 21:6, right after He says “Behold, I make all things new”. In chapter 39, He also says “neither will I hide my face any more from them,” which means it is the inauguration of eternity, when God will dwell among us in the new heaven and new earth, the new Jerusalem which comes down from God out of heaven.
“And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I [John] heard a great voice out of heaven saying, ‘Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself shall be with them, and be their God. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.’ And He that sat upon the throne said, ‘Behold, I make all things new…’ And He said unto me, ‘IT IS DONE. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely. He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son’… And I [John] saw no temple therein: for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it… And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb’s book of life… And there shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and His servants shall serve Him; and they shall see His face; and His name shall be in their foreheads. And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever.”
That is because you do not take Bible prophecy literally and because you do not know or correlate passages in the Bible that refer to the time before and after the literal thousand year reign of Jesus. Isa. and Mic. clearly says that man will learn war no more during the restored kingdom.
Isa 2:4 And Mic 3:4 says that Jesus shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people: and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.
Ezekiel 39:9 clearly says that they will burn the weapons for seven years so it does not matter what you don’t see it is in the prophecy so deal with it.
God did not want to give Israel a king because He already had a King for Israel. That King is Jesus. Jesus is king of the Jews and for acknowledging that He was crucified.
If you make suppositions that are not based on what the scriptures say they are worthless. The Bible speaks in scores of places about a literal reign of Israel led by Jesus on the Earth.
If you cannot see that it is because you do not know the prophetic scriptures and/or are blinded by man-made theology. There is absolutely no way that any Christian with an open mind that reads these many passage can miss a restoration on earth for Israel.
You also have it backward. They rejected Jesus and that is why they did not receive their earthy kingdom yet. Had they accepted Him they would have received there earthly kingdom. In fact they still will. When Israel acknowledges Jesus they will receive the promise.
When His disciples asked Jesus if this would be the time that he would restore the Israelite kingdom he did not contradict their view. He said the time and season was not for them to know. He did not deny that there would be a earthly kingdom. Scripture says otherwise.
You say, “the words of Ezekiel chapters 38 and 39 match those in Revelation 20-22, which describe the destruction of the earth by great hailstones and fire and brimstone”. They do nothing of the sort as I already pointed out to you in my prior comment. If the earth was destroyed there is no way that Ezekiel 39 could be literally fulfilled. You are just reading anything you want into those passages, the passage does not say almost everything that you claim it says.
There is no “it is done” in Ezekiel 39 like you claim, and even if there were you cannot just take three words and read into meanings out of context. Many things are done. But you have to know what was done.
To say that this judgment starts eternity not only denies the sequence of events in Ezekiel 37 through 48 it denies every prophet in the Bible that speaks of a restored kingdom after tribulation.
Revelation six times tells about a thousand year reign after these judgments and your last paragraph is specifically talking about after that reign. Then after that comes the final rebellion the great white throne judgment and the new heaven and earth. Furthermore, what you quoted in that last paragraph is talking about the Holy City in heaven where the Lamb’s wife will dwell. Not all will be married to Jesus and dwell in the Holy City for eternity.
Obviously you have learned bad eschatology and are probably a victim of amillennial theology. I suggest you read my article on that.
http://www.thepropheticyears.com/comments/amillennial.HTM
Then read my commentary on Revelation and get things into their proper perspective.
http://www.thepropheticyears.com/The%20book%20of%20Revelation/index.htm
I do not have time to keep rehashing errant views of others on the comments sections of my Blog. Misinformation without apparent due study becomes nothing but a distraction and a waste of my time. So that is the end of your comments on this post.
Don, I think James makes a good point about the War of Gog and Magog occurring after the 1000 year reign of Jesus. I think the answer to some of your questions on your December 14th post are as follows:
1. The chapters in Ezekiel only concentrate on the attack from the north. The attack could take place on other fronts as well.
2. Yes, death has been defeated during the 1000 years. However, when Satan is let out of prison he ruins everything just like he did in the Garden of Eden. He tricks a bunch of people into a war against the saints. Satan and his armies will lose this war which will cause the death of a bunch of bad guys. Therefore, there will be many dead to bury.
3. I’m sure that Satan will use a lot of propaganda to convince the nations to go to war against the saints. He may claim that the saints have a bunch of good stuff (spoils) to steal.
4. Whatever weapons that these armies use will be burned.
5. Again, Satan is the ultimate liar and trickster. For instance, how could the Israelites not have trusted in God after they were freed from the slavery of Egypt and they crossed the Red Sea? Because Satan lied to them.
6.. Now they know God better.
7. They won’t learn about weapons during the 1000 years. But then Satan will somehow ruin everything. Maybe he gives them weapons or teaches tells them to get some clubs. The battle will be very short, though. The bad guys who are dead might be only partially consumed as opposed to being totally consumed. The greek word for consume provides a little bit of wiggle room.
I don’t want to be dogmatic about this, but it makes sense to me and note that Gog and Magog is mentioned in Rev 20;8.
Thanks for listening. Let me know what you think.
Eric, did you even read the post about the differences between the wars?
I simply do not know how you read Ezekiel 38 and 39 and think that what is said is fulfilled after the Lords reign when the war and hundreds of parallel passages in the Bible makes the judgment of the nations before the restoration all premillennial.
How anyone can get Ezekiel chapters 38 and 39 after Ezekiel chapters 40-48 is beyond me.
Your arguments are so nonsensical that I am not going to waste my time answering your points. Do a little study on Bible prophecy and make arguments from learning and correlating the prophetic scriptures instead of not well thought out conjecture. I do not know why you even want to defend a position that cannot be defended from scripture or even from logic?
Yeah, Rev 20:8 also mentions Gog Magog but so what? They are just regions of the earth. At that point since the world will probably be one land mass again it might be the same as saying they come from the North and the South or the East and the West. That hardly makes the two events the same.
Look, if your going to take positions on Bible prophecy found it on something in the scriptures. Your really not contributing to this subject by offering illogical conjectures.
Don, I couldn’t agree more with everything you said. And also everyone should read scripture with an open mind.
My understanding is:1 the battle of Gog and Magog :2 The battle of Armageddon :3 The second battle of Gog and Magog after the 1000 yr reign. Then the new Heaven and Earth
I just came across this blog over the past couple of weeks as I’ve been studying the differences/similarities between the war of Gog/Magog in Ezekiel 38-39 and the battle of Armageddon described in Revelation 16 – 19. There hasn’t been a new post in more than a year so not sure anyone is watching/monitoring anymore. I hope there is because I have some questions:
I see some of the differences discussed, but don’t see the similarities discussed in the context of these being separate/same battles:
* Both Gog/Magog and Armageddon involve a great earthquake (Eze 38:19-20; Rev 16:18-20)
* Both Gog/Magog and Armageddon experience great hailstones (Eze 38:22, Rev 16:16-21)
* Both Gog/Magog and Armageddon are followed by “The Feast Of God” (Eze 39:4,17-20; Rev 19:17)
I really haven’t formed an opinion on this either way, just seeking truth. I see strong arguments for both separate and same wars. One thing that is hard to ignore are these significant similarities. It’s hard to imagine these exact same set of events in two separate wars. At the same time, great points are made as to how these wars are separate. Thoughts on the similarities?
Hi Scot,
There are going to be some similarities if means of mass destruction are used to kill people in both wars. Even so, there are differences in the events that you point out. There is a shaking in in the land in the Gog war but the earthquakes in Revelation shake the whole earth and every Island is moved out of its place.
The Hailstones in Revelation destroy Babylon and all world cities also fall, they do not just occur in the land near Israel.
The bodies in the Gog war that come against the Land of Israel are killed in an entirely different location than the bodies of the armies of the Beast that come against the Lord. The fact that birds feed on the flesh of the dead in both wars does not make it the same battle.
We have to read these things in the full context of the scriptures before and after and correlate them with other prophecies in the Bible. If you do that, it becomes obvious that the Gog war cannot be the same war as Armageddon. That does not totally rule out that the time periods of these battles are fairly close together.