In chapter 38 of his prophecy, Ezekiel is told to prophesy against one called God of the land of Magog.
“So prophesy, son of man, and say to Gog, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord Jehovah says: “On that day when my people Israel are dwelling in security, will you not know it? 15 You will come from your place, from the remotest parts of the north, you and many peoples with you, all of them riding on horses, a great assembly, a vast army. 16 Like clouds covering the land, you will come against my people Israel. In the final part of the days I will bring you against my land so that the nations may know me when I sanctify myself through you before their eyes, O Gog.”’ (Ezekiel 38:14-16)
Who is this Gog of Magog?
For a number of years, the publications of the Watchtower society have explained that Gog of Magog is the name given to Satan the Devil after his being thrown out of heaven. This explanation was based on the fact that he is further shown as waging war with the remaining ones of God’s heavenly woman in Revelation chapter 12. So it was thought that Gog must be another prophetic name for Satan.
However, that explanation raised some important questions. Why so?
A question from readers article in the May 15, 2015 Watchtower explains:
“Consider this: When referring to the time that Gog is defeated, Jehovah says regarding Gog: “I will give you as food to all kinds of birds of prey and the wild beasts of the field.” (Ezek. 39:4) Then Jehovah adds: “On that day I will give Gog a burial place there in Israel . . . That is where they will bury Gog and all his hordes.” (Ezek. 39:11) But how could a spirit creature be eaten by “birds of prey and the wild beasts of the field”? How could Satan be given “a burial place” on earth? The Bible clearly shows that Satan will be abyssed for 1,000 years, not eaten or buried.—Rev. 20:1, 2.
We are told that at the end of the 1,000 years, Satan will be released from the abyss, and “he will go out to mislead those nations in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together for the war.” (Rev. 20:8) But how can Satan mislead Gog if he himself is Gog? Therefore, “Gog” does not refer to Satan in either Ezekiel’s prophecy or the book of Revelation.
Who, then, is Gog of Magog? To answer that question, we need to search the Scriptures to find out who attacks God’s people. The Bible speaks not only of the attack by ‘Gog of Magog’ but also of the attack by “the king of the north” and of the attack by “the kings of the earth.” (Ezek. 38:2, 10-13; Dan. 11:40, 44, 45; Rev. 17:14; 19:19) Do these represent separate attacks? Not likely. The Bible is no doubt referring to the same attack under different names. Why can we draw that conclusion? Because the Scriptures tell us that all the nations of the earth will be involved in this final attack that prompts the war of Armageddon.—Rev. 16:14, 16.”
The article may be helpful in determining the identity of Gog of Magog. But what about the timing of his attack? Does he attack once or twice? While it is true Revelation 16:14 says the kings of the entire inhabited earth are gathered to Armageddon, it is important to point out that in none of the verses cited is there mention of an attack on God’s people. (Rev. 16:14,16; Rev. 17:14; 19:19)
Since Revelation does not mention the king of the north, it is an assumption to say this attack occurs shortly before Armageddon.
The article continues:
“When we compare all these Scriptural references about the final attack on God’s people, it becomes evident that the name Gog of Magog refers, not to Satan, but to a coalition of nations. Will this coalition be led by the figurative “king of the north”? We cannot say with any certainty. But this thought does seem to be in harmony with what Jehovah says about Gog: “You will come from your place, from the remotest parts of the north, you and many peoples with you, all of them riding on horses, a great assembly, a vast army.”—Ezek. 38:6, 15.
Similarly, the prophet Daniel, who was a contemporary of Ezekiel, says of the king of the north: “Reports out of the east and out of the north will disturb him, and he will go out in a great rage to annihilate and to devote many to destruction. And he will plant his royal tents between the grand sea and the holy mountain of Decoration; and he will come all the way to his end, and there will be no helper for him.” (Dan. 11:44, 45) This clearly parallels what the book of Ezekiel says about Gog’s activities.—Ezek. 38:8-12, 16.
What occurs next as a result of this final attack? Daniel tells us: “During that time Michael [Jesus Christ] will stand up [at Armageddon], the great prince who is standing [since 1914] in behalf of your people. And there will occur a time of distress [the great tribulation] such as has not occurred since there came to be a nation until that time. And during that time your people will escape, everyone who is found written down in the book.” (Dan. 12:1) This action on the part of God’s representative Jesus is also described at Revelation 19:11-21.”
Obviously, the bracketed words have to be added since they are not contained in the scripture. So much for not going beyond the things that have been written.
Since reference is made to Daniel chapter 11 and Revelation chapters 17 and 19 we need to look carefully at these scriptures to see if they speak of the king of the north and the kings of the earth making an attack on God’s people:
40 “In the time of the end the king of the south will engage with him in a pushing, and against him the king of the north will storm with chariots and horsemen and many ships; and he will enter into the lands and sweep through like a flood. (Daniel 11:40)
44 “But reports out of the east and out of the north will disturb him, and he will go out in a great rage to annihilate and to devote many to destruction. 45 And he will plant his royal tents between the grand sea and the holy mountain of Decoration; and he will come all the way to his end, and there will be no helper for him. (Daniel 11:44, 45)
14 These will battle with the Lamb, but because he is Lord of lords and King of kings, the Lamb will conquer them. Also, those with him who are called and chosen and faithful will do so.” (Revelation 17:14)
19 And I saw the wild beast and the kings of the earth and their armies gathered together to wage war against the one seated on the horse and against his army. (Revelation 19:19)
Daniel mentions a struggle between the king of the north and the king of the south but not against God’s people. Even if it did it is important to note that Daniel was given information about what would happen to his people. Yes Daniels prophecy was about what would happen to the Jews at the time of the end for the Jewish system of worship, not Christians.
“There are 70 weeks that have been determined for your people and your holy city, in order to terminate the transgression, to finish off sin, to make atonement for error, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up the vision and the prophecy, and to anoint the Holy of Holies. (Daniel 9:24)
I have come to make you understand what will befall your people in the final part of the days, because it is a vision yet for the days to come.” (Daniel 10:14)
In those times many will stand up against the king of the south. “And the violent ones among your people will be carried along to try making a vision come true; but they will stumble. (Daniel 11:14)
The reports out of the east and out of the north cause the king of the south to go out in a great rage to devote many to destruction but it does not identify the object of his rage. It further states that he plants his tent between the grand sea and the holy mountain of Decoration which might be a reference to Mount Zion in Jerusalem.[1] However, there is no mention of an attack on that holy mountain. Revelation clearly states that the kings of the earth battle with the Lamb not God’s people. Hence there does not appear to be strong scriptural support for saying: “the Bible is no doubt referring to the same attack under different names.” There is one other Bible account that the society claims is support for an attack against God’s people prior to Armageddon:
“The Bible also speaks of an attack by the modern-day “Assyrian,” who will seek to wipe out God’s people. (Mic. 5:5) The four attacks foretold to come upon God’s people—by Gog of Magog, by the king of the north, by the kings of the earth, and by the Assyrian—may refer to the same attack under different names. (Pure Worship book pg. 183)
The fact that the book says this “may refer to the same attack” should alert the reader that there is no conclusive proof in support of the assertion. The Bible does not mention a “modern-day Assyrian”. These are the Watchtower society’s words. Micah’s prophecy was fulfilled when Assyria attacked Jerusalem in Hezekiah’s day:
“Hezekiah reminded the people that Jehovah would fight for them. This helped them to have faith in God and to be brave. Hezekiah and his princes and mighty men, as well as the prophets Micah and Isaiah, showed that they were good shepherds, just as Jehovah had promised through his prophet.—2 Chronicles 32:7, 8; read Micah 5:5, 6. (The Watchtower November 15, 2013 pg. 19 par. 13)
According to the Watchtower society, in fulfillment of Ezekiel chapter 38 there will be two attacks of Gog of Magog. One shortly before Armageddon and another at the end of the 1,000 years. The attack shortly before Armageddon is also understood to be the antitypical fulfillment of the account in the Bible of the Assyrian attack against Judah in the days of Hezekiah.
According to David Splane it would be wrong to say Jehovah’s Witnesses do not believe in types and antitypes anymore:
“We do! We certainly do. Where the scriptures identify them as such, we embrace them. But where the Bible is silent, we must be silent.” (David Splane Annual Meeting October 2014)
We must ask then, where does the Bible say the attack of Assyria during the reign of king Hezekiah has a greater fulfillment? Why is the Pure Worship book, published in 2019, continuing to make a type-antitype application of a Bible account where the scriptures do not identify it as such?
Furthermore, instead of an attack on God’s people that precedes Armageddon, Revelation speaks of an attack on Babylon the Great:
“And the ten horns that you saw and the wild beast, these will hate the prostitute and will make her devastated and naked and they will eat up her flesh and completely burn her with fire. (Rev. 17:16)
“And I saw the wild beast and the kings of the earth and their armies gathered together to wage war against the one seated on the horse and against his army. (Rev. 19:19)
Between these two verses in Revelation there is no mention of an attack on God’s people. On the other hand, neither Ezekiel nor Daniel mention anything about an attack on Babylon the Great. Strange if this is the same attack by different names.
The Question From Readers article concludes with this thought:
“But who is referred to as “Gog and Magog” at Revelation 20:8? During the final test at the end of the 1,000 years, those who rebel against Jehovah will manifest the same murderous attitude as ‘Gog of Magog,’ those nations that attack God’s people at the end of the great tribulation. And the outcome for both groups will be exactly the same—everlasting death! (Rev. 19:20, 21; 20:9) It seems fitting, then, that all those rebels at the end of the Millennium be called “Gog and Magog.” (The Watchtower May 15, 2015 pg. 30 par. 4)
Revelation 20:8 is the only place in Revelation where Gog of Magog is mentioned and yet the article makes it seem as if those rebels at the end of the thousand years deserve to have the term applied only because of being similar to an earlier occasion where Gog of Magog is not mentioned and there appears no similar situation at all. Amazingly, the Pure Worship book spends an entire chapter convincing the reader that Ezekiel’s prophecy applies to a time period in Revelation where Gog of Magog is not even mentioned and only one sentence (page 232 par. 24) where it is, identifying it as those that “exhibit traits similar to those shown by the rebels who Ezekiel prophesied would attack God’s people during the great tribulation”. This is backwards reasoning. First of all, Ezekiel says nothing about a great Tribulation. Secondly, according to Revelation it is Babylon the Great that comes under attack.
The Watchtower society does not consider this an attack upon God’s organization. They interpret Babylon the Great to be the world empire of false religion. In a future post I will examine the validity of this claim. In any event, next in the chain of events, John describes the kings of the earth fighting against and being destroyed by the Lamb Christ Jesus. To claim anything beyond this would be to go beyond what is written.
Of course, any organization claiming to be the earthly part of God’s universal organization could not possibly imagine God not protecting them at such a time. But that depends on the Bible saying that God would indeed have one organization representing him on earth shortly before Armageddon. Nowhere is such a statement to be found. Jesus promised to be with his disciples:
(Matthew 28:19, 20) Go, therefore, and make disciples of people of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the holy spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all the things I have commanded you. And look! I am with you all the days until the conclusion of the system of things.”
The governing body has argued that for 1900 years there was no one true Christian organization on earth, which is their interpretation of Jesus illustration of the faithful and discreet slave (Matt. 24:45-47) For an in depth analysis of Jesus parable see the series of articles “A Simpler Approach to the Faithful and Discreet Slave“.
An excellent analysis of this talk can be found on Bereoan Pickets. Contrary to Watchtower teaching, Jesus did not promise to set up an earthly channel in 1919. Rather, at the time of his arrival he would send his angels to remove from his kingdom all those causing stumbling (weeds, goats) and gather his chosen ones (wheat, sheep). (Matt. 13:41-43; 25:31-46)
Clearly, the illustration of the sheep and goats and the wheat and weeds is describing a separating of individuals. Just as during the time period David Splane refers to as the dark ages or time of the apostasy Jesus knew who his individual sheep were. The same will be the case when he finally arrives. Hence, shortly before Armageddon, there will be no earthly organization for Gog of Magog to attack.
[1] Pure Worship of Jehovah-Restored At Last chap. 17 p. 183 states:
Daniel 11:45 indicates that the king of the north will target God’s people, for it says that this king “will plant his royal tents between the grand sea [Mediterranean] and the holy mountain of Decoration [where God’s temple once stood and where God’s people worshipped].”