When is Gog Magog war?

[bornagain2011]

I have been studying my Bible lately and I can't seem to figure out when the battle of Gog and Magog is, in revelations they put it after the 1,000 year reign when Satan is let loose again for a short time...

“And when the thousand years are finished, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison, and shall come forth to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to the war: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea. And they went up over the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down out of heaven, and devoured them” (Revelation 20:7-9 — ASV).

But in Ezekiel 38 it looks as if it is before the 1,000 year reign. They talk about burying the bodies for 7 months...how could that be if it is AFTER the 1,000 reign and the new heaven and new earth are suppose to immediately follow??

38 Now the word of the Lord came to me, saying, ² “Son of man, set your face against Gog, of the land of Magog, the prince of Rosh,^[a] Meshech, and Tubal, and prophesy against him, ³ and say, ‘Thus says the Lord God: Behold, I am against you, O Gog, the prince of Rosh, Meshech, and Tubal. ⁴ I will turn you around, put hooks into your jaws, and lead you out, with all your army, horses, and horsemen, all splendidly clothed, a great company with bucklers and shields, all of them handling swords. ⁵ Persia, Ethiopia,^[b] and Libya^[c] are with them, all of them with shield and helmet; ⁶ Gomer and all its troops; the house of Togarmah from the far north and all its troops—many people are with you.

⁷ “Prepare yourself and be ready, you and all your companies that are gathered about you; and be a guard for them. ⁸ After many days you will be visited. In the latter years you will come into the land of those brought back from the sword and gathered from many people on the mountains of Israel, which had long been desolate; they were brought out of the nations, and now all of them dwell safely. ⁹ You will ascend, coming like a storm, covering the land like a cloud, you and all your troops and many peoples with you.”

¹⁰ ‘Thus says the Lord God: “On that day it shall come to pass that thoughts will arise in your mind, and you will make an evil plan: ¹¹ You will say, ‘I will go up against a land of unwalled villages; I will go to a peaceful people, who dwell safely, all of them dwelling without walls, and having neither bars nor gates’— ¹² to take plunder and to take booty, to stretch out your hand against the waste places that are again inhabited, and against a people gathered from the nations, who have acquired livestock and goods, who dwell in the midst of the land. ¹³ Sheba, Dedan, the merchants of Tarshish, and all their young lions will say to you, ‘Have you come to take plunder? Have you gathered your army to take booty, to carry away silver and gold, to take away livestock and goods, to take great plunder?’”’

¹⁴ “Therefore, son of man, prophesy and say to Gog, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “On that day when My people Israel dwell safely, will you not know it? ¹⁵ Then you will come from your place out of the far north, you and many peoples with you, all of them riding on horses, a great company and a mighty army. ¹⁶ You will come up against My people Israel like a cloud, to cover the land. It will be in the latter days that I will bring you against My land, so that the nations may know Me, when I am hallowed in you, O Gog, before their eyes.” ¹⁷ Thus says the Lord God: “Are you he of whom I have spoken in former days by My servants the prophets of Israel, who prophesied for years in those days that I would bring you against them?

Judgment on Gog

¹⁸ “And it will come to pass at the same time, when Gog comes against the land of Israel,” says the Lord God, “that My fury will show in My face. ¹⁹ For in My jealousy and in the fire of My wrath I have spoken: ‘Surely in that day there shall be a great earthquake in the land of Israel, ²⁰ so that the fish of the sea, the birds of the heavens, the beasts of the field, all creeping things that creep on the earth, and all men who are on the face of the earth shall shake at My presence. The mountains shall be thrown down, the steep places shall fall, and every wall shall fall to the ground.’ ²¹ I will call for a sword against Gog throughout all My mountains,” says the Lord God. “Every man’s sword will be against his brother. ²² And I will bring him to judgment with pestilence and bloodshed; I will rain down on him, on his troops, and on the many peoples who are with him, flooding rain, great hailstones, fire, and brimstone. ²³ Thus I will magnify Myself and sanctify Myself, and I will be known in the eyes of many nations. Then they shall know that I am the Lord.”’

Are there 2 Gog and Magog wars? I don't understand. What do you guys think?

[missmuffet]

http://www.gotquestions.org/Gog-Magog.html

[bornagain2011]

Thank you for the article! That was kind of what I was starting to think, two different wars. That really makes sense now!

[OakWood]

I have always believed it to be two different wars. The details just don't match up otherwise. It says in Ezekiel 39:9 that the people of Israel will use the weapons of the defeated armies as fuel for seven years. This seven years may well be the seven years of the tribulation, but even if not then it makes no sense to be seven years after the millennial reign of Christ.

The Gog and Magog of Ezekial appear to be Iran, Libya, Ethiopia (which traditionally was geographically more akin to modern Sudan than to present day Ethiopia) and possibly Turkey, some of the 'Stans' (Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan and so on..) and maybe Syria. Rosh is seen by many as being Russia, but this may not be the case.

All of these countries are predominantly Islamic. Even Russia which although it is not ruled by Muslims at the moment could well be in the near future as it is said that over 50% of current Russian Army recruits are Muslim. Whoever controls the armed forces could very well end up controlling the country!

I'm guessing that seeing as the Iranian regime recently wanted to wipe Israel 'off the map' and seeing as fundamentalist Muslims want to destroy Israel and reclaim Jerusalem then they are good candidates for being the invaders of Ezekiel's Gog, Magog war.

Edited February 18, 2013 by WillowWood

[rjp34652]

I tend to agree with the opinions expressed here. Two wars separated by time, but fought in the same space or approximate geographic area.

If scripture is taken literally both campaigns are limited in scope albeit of horrendous loss and effect. The great wars of the twentieth century were fought on every continent of the globe, hence 'world' wars. Since 1945, most wars have been limited in area and number of combatants. The same is true for the spiritual wars described in the Bible; the end time conflicts.

With the exception of the effect of pollution (the fall of wormwood, dimming of the stars of heaven, redness of the moon, dimming of the sun at midday, death of 1/3 of fishes, etc.) in end times prophecy, the battles of man seem to be localized to the middle east. Hopefully this limitation also includes the release of -> A <- nuclear device or a very few such weapons in that area.

Not only is the geographic area limited, but the combatants also seem to be limited. Scores of books and commentaries have been written describing and detailing the identification of alliances. Oddly, there is little divergence between them. The Japanese, for example, do not seem to be involved nor are the people of polynesia. China may be part of the carnage, but is India or the nations of central or southern Africa? How about Scandinavia or the nations of central and South America? Nope.

Finally, despite the wish of some that America have its finger in every pie in the world, forces are at work that seem to be forcing the US into a limited role, if there is one at all. Growing domestic problems increasingly demand the attention of American leadership. In fact, I submit that when push comes to shove America will be almost completely evicted from middle east politics and conflagrations. Consider that at the time of this writing, America remains a restraining force in matters there. If American restraint were removed as result of economic pressure (or another crash) or military defeat/reversal what would happen then?

All the political alignments against Israel predicted in scripture are in place NOW. Only the American superpower restrains them. If American influence were removed or if it became impotent somehow, all those people aligned against Israel would feel free (if not absolutely joyful and celebratory) to execute their mischievous plans.

And then the end will come.

but that's just me, hollering from the choir loft...

Edited February 18, 2013 by rjp34652

[OneLight]

There are two battles mentioned in Revelation. One before His return and one after the 1000 year reign. Yet, Gog-Magog is mentioned only once in Revelation. Does it matter if it is not mentioned in the battle before His return in Revelation?

Another thing to understand is that there is no timeline of events after the Gog-Magog war. When John was given the Revelation of Jesus Christ, he moved from one event to another, as if it happened the very next moment. This doe snot mean it is how this will unfold. We live in a time sensitive world, measured by seconds, minuets, hours, days, weeks, months, years ... God does not. An example is when we are told that Satan will be loosed for a short time. How long is that? Scripture does not mention a time. Yet, in one chapter, Revelation 20, we have Satan being bound, Christ reigning for 1000 years, Satan loosed for a little while to gather another army for the Gog-Magog battle, and the Great White Throne Judgment. These events are written one after another, yet it spans over a 1000 year period.

[Bold Believer]

Two wars: the first physical and the second spiritual in nature, but physical in scope. Historicists believe the first war was the Scythian invasion of Israel.

One Light: yes it matters. Revelation 20, like other parts of the Revelation is filled with contrasts. Christ has thousands of years to reign, a very LONG time. When the reign is finished, Satan gets a short time. So short, that it is not even defined in terms of time because the reign of Christ is so superior. There are also differences between the first Gog-Magog war and the second, which I have outlined in other discussions on the matter, the most significant of which is: In the 2nd Gog-Magog war, there are no survivors!

[OneLight]

Two wars: the first physical and the second spiritual in nature, but physical in scope. Historicists believe the first war was the Scythian invasion of Israel.

One Light: yes it matters. Revelation 20, like other parts of the Revelation is filled with contrasts. Christ has thousands of years to reign, a very LONG time. When the reign is finished, Satan gets a short time. So short, that it is not even defined in terms of time because the reign of Christ is so superior. There are also differences between the first Gog-Magog war and the second, which I have outlined in other discussions on the matter, the most significant of which is: In the 2nd Gog-Magog war, there are no survivors!

Scripture mentions a specific time of one thousand years, and it means one thousand years. To say that the one thousand years really means thousands of years is misleading and incorrect.

What is not known, as in the amount of time , is the definition of "a little while", "a little time", or "a little season", pertaining to Satan's release. To say it is short or long is imparting ones own understanding or rational in place of scripture.

Yes, I have read you outlines of past and have disagreed with them, and still do. The first war against Christ, that ushers in His return for the 1000 year reign, has not happened, no matter how you portray your ides.

As for your statement that nobody will survive the second war, that is also incorrect. The scripture below shows that those who come against the camp of the saints are the ones who die, not everyone, as in the saints.

Revelation 20:7-10

Now when the thousand years have expired, Satan will be released from his prison and will go out to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle, whose number is as the sand of the sea. They went up on the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city. And fire came down from God out of heaven and devoured them. The devil, who deceived them, was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and the false prophet are. And they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.

There is no timeline given between verses 10 and 11, that is between the second war and the Great White Throne Judgment, so if anyone were to insist that it happens right away would be incorrect.

[Bold Believer]

So you understand Greek then, One Light? Tell me then what is the difference between chilios and chilioi? Because there IS a difference. Chilioi as used in Rev 20 is not the same as chilios. One means one thousand (the number) and the other is a plural of uncertain affinity, meaning it could be one thousand or more. Since chilioi rather than chilios is used in Rev 20, my assertion that more than exactly 1000 is very possible.

[loveincarnate]

According to prechristian celtic legend, Gog and Magog are GIANTS that are the traditional gaurdians of London, A statue of this pagan god, GogMagog stands in the financial district of London.

Gog

Description: Consort of Magog.

Rules Over: Fertility.

Magog

Description: Mountain Deity of which her consort was Gog. She was the more important. Britain's Megg's Hills are named for her, and several hillside chalk effigies portray her. She is usually depicted as a four-breasted woman astride a horse. It is thought her name may mean "mother deity," and that she was once a fertility and motehr Goddess. In patriarchal times she became England's St. Margaret.

Rules over: Fertility, couples, earth spells.

http://www.scns.com/earthen/other/seanachaidh/godcelt.html

You see Gog and Magog are 2 ancient gods who have been invokedby Britain to stand guard over London's financial district.

Guildhall, London.

Two new giant figures of Gog and Magog, made by sculptor D. Evans, replace those destroyed when London's Guildhall was blitzed in the World War Two.

S. Mr. D. Evans waxing Magog and Gog is alongside. (1st 7 ft for super) & CU, LV Gog and Magog with models in front