Where and Who Is Gog & Magog?

Word-Of-The-Day: ‘(7) When the thousand years are over, Satan will be released from his prison (8) and will go out to deceive the nations in the four corners of the earth—Gog and Magog—and to gather them for battle. In number they are like the sand on the seashore. (9) They marched across the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of God’s people, the city He loves. But fire came down from heaven and devoured them.’ (Revelation 20:7-9)

Magog is the name of a grandson of Noah, from his son Japheth (Genesis 10:2), so he was not a ‘Semite’ (from Shem) but would be considered a ‘Gentile’.  Gog comes later, as a grandson or great-grandson of Reuben through Joel in 1 Chronicles 5:4.  Gog and Magog are several hundred years apart chronologically, so they are not tied together in the sense of knowing each other or in timing.  However, they are mentioned together in Ezekiel 38:2, with Gog being the leader of Magog, a nation to the north of Israel in conjunction with Egypt (Cush), Persia (Iran), and Put (Somalia/Yemen/Saudi Arabia) going to war with Israel throughout Ezekiel 38 and 39.   

Many scholars tie Magog with Russia via the Scythians, a people group identified as coming from Ukraine/Russia, west of the Ural Mountains and into the Caucasus region.  There is no clear tie between Magog the person, Magog the nation, and the Scythians, though we do know the earth was repopulated by the descendants of Noah, and since Magog the person is not mentioned after Genesis 10:2, it is possible his legacy was to go north into the steppes of Eastern Europe/Northwestern Asia and become the ‘patriarch’ of the Scythians.  Gog the person also is not directly tied to Magog the nation but as with Magog the person, could have moved into the region where his descendants became rulers of the Scythians, or Magog the nation. 

This is all speculation, and there has been no battle between Israel and Magog – yet.  However, we do know there will be one based on the accounts of Ezekiel 38-39 and Revelation 20:7-9.  What we do know from the Bible is that Gog and Magog are not friendly to Israel and they seek its destruction, as Revelation 20:9 states Magog, led by Gog, will march onto Israel (the camp of God’s people) and attempt to surround or siege Jerusalem (the city He loves).

How does this tie into the Sino-Russian pact?  While this cannot be substantiated, it seems there is a sphere of influence, led by China, that is tying the ‘four corners of the earth’ together, through it’s ‘Silk Belt and Road Initiative’.  Russia, the consensus of ‘Magog the nation’, is in conflict with Ukraine that they could eventually win (or at least win concessions to hold Crimea and the eastern provinces of Ukraine), to tie at least most of the former territory of Scythians together (along with Belarus to Ukraine’s north). 

The Sino-Russian pact will become militarily aligned (since it’s likely their people will eventually ‘merge’ due to their male/female ratios) and since Iran and the Arab nations (like Yemen and Saudi Arabia, tied to China via ‘the Belt & Road’) are historically ‘anti-Israel’, this could be the setting up of the alliance that becomes ‘Magog’, with literally hundreds of millions of soldiers (‘like sands on the seashore’) at its disposal to attack Israel in the final battle at the plains of Megiddo in Israel, or ‘Armageddon’.  As mentioned, the key word is ‘could’; all we know is Magog will attack Israel.  Who is Magog, only God knows.

Is this what is forming up now?  The best we can do is base what we know with what we see occurring and use the Holy Spirit to give us insight and wisdom.  We know there is no mention of the US in the Bible; though we may be aligned with Israel now in appears our government is becoming more ‘anti-Israel’ and unfortunately closer to a global hegemony that is also anti-Christian.  We have no basis with which to say this is what will happen, or exactly when it will happen, but as always, the Lord wants us to be ready, to ‘BE PREPARED, BE AWARE, & PLAN ACCORDLINGLY’.   Have no fear, though!  What we do not know, the Lord does!