Gog and Magog
by Rev. Paul Howden
March 9, 2008
Fifth Sunday in Lent
Ezekiel 38-39; Ester
The Jews have a feast called Purim that is more like a party. Purim commemorates Queen Ester’s defeat of General Hamon. A skit is put on with Ester, Hamon and Mordecai. Special pastries are prepared called “Hamon Padrasas.” Noise-makers are passed out and buzzed during the skit. People laugh and exchange presents. It is a happy occasion that recalls a bloody chapter in Israel’s history.
On the Fifth Sunday in Lent we will examine one of Ezekiel’s more mysterious writings – Gog and Magog, and we will tie this to the gorgeous Ester. Ezekiel 38-39 portrays a struggle between God’s people and the sinister Gog, ruler of Magog. This passage has long intrigued Bible readers. Who is Gog, where is Magog, and when does this war take place? How does this prophecy find fulfillment? These are some of the questions we will try to answer. Let’s read Ezekiel 38:10-12; 21-22.
Thus saith the Lord GOD; It shall also come to pass, that at the same time shall things come into thy mind, and thou shalt think an evil thought: And thou shalt say, I will go up to the land of unwalled villages; I will go to them that are at rest, that dwell safely, all of them dwelling without walls, and having neither bars nor gates, To take a spoil, and to take a prey; to turn thine hand upon the desolate places that are now inhabited, and upon the people that are gathered out of the nations, which have gotten cattle and goods, that dwell in the midst of the land. And I will call for a sword against him throughout all my mountains, saith the Lord GOD: every man's sword shall be against his brother. And I will plead against him with pestilence and with blood; and I will rain upon him, and upon his bands, and upon the many people that are with him, an overflowing rain, and great hailstones, fire, and brimstone.
As we see from these words, the plan of Gog is to murder the people of Israel, and steal their possessions. What happens when Gog attempts to do this? As soon as Gog tries to annihilate God’s people, the Lord Himself steps in and brings about Gog’s defeat. The Lord Jehovah declares, “And I will bring [Gog] to judgment with pestilence and bloodshed; I will rain down on him, on his troops, and on the many people who are with him, flooding rain, great hailstones, fire, and brimstone.”
What will take place after this judgment of God against Gog and his followers? The Lord states in Ezekiel 39:11, “It will come to pass in that day that I will give Gog a burial place there in Israel…. Therefore they will call it the Valley of Hamon Gog.” In other words, his defeat is total.
So that is a sketch of the judgment against Gog. It was a judgment that couldn’t have come at a better time. The Lord had driven His people out of Jerusalem into Babylonian captivity due to their sin and rebellion. Over time the Israelites had multiplied in Babylon like they did in Egypt. There was another population explosion. They spread out far and wide and prospered. Then the Medes and Persians conquered Babylon, and Israel was under new conquerors. Unarmed and captive, the condition of God’s children was one of vulnerability. This must have been around 450-400 B.C. Like a hungry lion that spies a baby gazelle, Gog sees the utter weakness of the Israelites and moves in for the kill. Gog comes at the Israelites with “bows and arrows, shields and bucklers, javelins and spears.” At the very moment when Gog and his minions are on the verge of annihilating the house of Israel, the Lord intervenes and they themselves end up heaps of corpses, scattered over the earth. The Israelites burn up their weapons, and plunder them (Ez. 39:1-9).
Now we come to a difficult question. When does this battle take place? Is there a historical fulfillment we can point to? Some commentators think not. They hold that Ezekiel’s prophecy is strictly symbolic. It never transpired, never will, and the best we can do is enjoy it as a grisly story of God’s victory over His enemies.
Most other people try to see a literal and historical fulfillment of this battle. However, they mistakenly identify Gog and Magog with whatever enemy they see on the horizon. Ambrose, writing in the late fourth century identified Gog as the Goths. In the seventh century, Gog and Magog were the Arab armies that threatened the Holy Land. Medieval theologians asserted that Gog and Magog must correspond to Attila the Hun and the ravages of the barbarians; or Genghis Khan and the terror of his Mongols. For Martin Luther, Gog and Magog had become the Church’s struggle against the Pope and Islam. Since Gog and Magog are mentioned in Revelation 20, today’s dispensationalists strive to see fulfillment in the imminent Rapture and Tribulation. Gog and Magog are Russia, and Russia is about to invade Israel at any moment. They believe Gog is Russia because Ezekiel calls Gog the “prince of Rosh,” (v. 38:1) which sounds like “Russia,” never mind that the word “Rosh” is a Hebrew word and means “head” as in “Rosh Hashanah.” And the word “Russia” comes from the Viking word, “Rus.” Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins, in their Left Behind series, place the invasion of Gog and Magog prior to the Rapture. The Russians launch an attack in the middle of the night, a sort of Russian Pearl harbor; the rapture hits shortly thereafter. However, other dispensationalists disagree and put the fulfillment of Gog and Magog after the rapture, and at the very beginning of the tribulation; others locate it sometime in the middle of the tribulation; others combine it with the Battle of Armageddon and place it at the end of the tribulation.
None of these theories make sense to those who hold to the eschatology of historic orthodoxy, the mainstream Reformed position. If dispensationalists are going to insist on a literal contemporary fulfillment, then they have to decide how the bows and arrows and spears are going to get burned up in Magog. Do Russian soldiers carry javelins today? No. The Russians stopped using wooden bows and arrows, spears and javelins centuries ago. A wooden literalism requires wooden Russian weapons. Moreover, Jesus is coming again at the end of time as the creeds state, and this is called the Second Coming; there will be no secret rapture. Furthermore, the Great Tribulation already took place in the 3 ½ year siege of Jerusalem around A.D. 70. The Beast, 666, the battle of Armageddon, the abomination of desolation all transpired in those 3 ½ years leading up to A.D. 70. That stuff lies in the past, and so is the Gog and Magog battle. How is that possible? When did it happen? The Gog and Magog prophecy was fulfilled at the time of Ester.
Let’s consider that. (This is a theory popularized by James Jordan.) How do Gog and Magog fit with the story line of Ester? If you are unfamiliar with Ester, Mordecai, and Hamon, you can either read the book or watch the movie, the Veggie Tale movie. Ester is the beautiful niece of Mordecai. She marries King Ahasuerus, the Persian King also known as Xerxes. When does this take place? It transpires around 400 B.C., many years after the Israelites had been led away captive by the Babylonians in 586 B.C. The Persians eventually conquered the Babylonians and started treating the Jews much better. They allowed the Jews to return to the Promised Land, but only a portion had gone to Jerusalem (among them Joshua the High Priest and King Zerubbabel). They had just begun rebuilding the Temple. Ezra had not yet arrived, and Nehemiah would soon set off to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem. At this moment in history Ester became queen in Persia.
Then the book of Ester tells us about Haman, the number two man in the Persian Empire. Haman hatches a plot to annihilate every Israelite, and plunder their possessions (Ester 3:13). Some Jews had returned to Jerusalem, but most were still scattered over the 127 provinces of Persia ranging from India to Ethiopia and everywhere else. Let’s read Ester 3:10-11; 13-14. Keep in mind that chronologically Ester comes after Ezekiel, even thought Ezekiel comes later in the Bible.
And the king took his ring from his hand, and gave it unto Haman the son of Hammedatha the Agagite, the Jews' enemy. And the king said unto Haman, The silver is given to thee, the people also, to do with them as it seemeth good to thee. And the letters were sent by posts into all the king's provinces, to destroy, to kill, and to cause to perish, all Jews, both young and old, little children and women, in one day, even upon the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, which is the month Adar, and to take the spoil of them for a prey. The copy of the writing for a commandment to be given in every province was published unto all people, that they should be ready against that day.
Haman’s plan was first to hang Queen Ester’s uncle Mordecai on a gallows fifty cubits high. Second, he would organize his armies to slaughter the Israelites; and third, to plunder all their property and belongings. The man was greedy and ruthless. He even got the King to sign a decree giving his raid a stamp of approval. However, Mordecai found out about Haman’s plot and notified his niece. The day of extermination drew near, the Jews trembled in fear, fasting and praying. Then Ester stepped to the plate. She had the courage to confront King Ahasueras and convince him that Haman’s scheme was evil. What happened? The entire conspiracy unraveled. The fortunes reversed. Instead of Mordecai, it was Haman who got hanged on the gallows. The Jews were given permission to destroy their enemies, the very people who were on the verge of murdering them. The result was the death of 75,000 of Haman’s allies. Let’s read Ester 8:15-17; 9:16, 19.
And Mordecai went out from the presence of the king in royal apparel of blue and white, and with a great crown of gold, and with a garment of fine linen and purple: and the city of Shushan rejoiced and was glad. The Jews had light, and gladness, and joy, and honour. And in every province, and in every city, whithersoever the king's commandment and his decree came, the Jews had joy and gladness, a feast and a good day. And many of the people of the land became Jews; for the fear of the Jews fell upon them. But the other Jews that were in the king's provinces gathered themselves together, and stood for their lives, and had rest from their enemies, and slew of their foes seventy and five thousand, but they laid not their hands on the prey, Therefore the Jews of the villages, that dwelt in the unwalled towns, made the fourteenth day of the month Adar a day of gladness and feasting, and a good day, and of sending portions one to another.
This victory is observed by Judaism to this day in a Feast called Purim; with the skit, noise-makers, pastries, gifts and laughter. What are the connections between Gog and Magog of Ezekiel, and the events of Ester? There are several. The regions involved in both passages encompass the extensive boundaries of the Persian Empire. So there is a geographical similarity. Then, the plunder idea is analogous: in both texts evil tyrants try to plunder the Church. What’s more, the quantity of soldiers killed is commensurate; a huge number expires in both accounts. Furthermore, both Ezekiel and Ester highlight the burial of the dead. Ezekiel 39:11 tells us that Gog and his followers were buried in the Valley of “Hamon Gog.” That is interesting. Maybe that is the Holy Spirit’s way of uniting Haman with Gog. Thus, Haman is Gog, Gog is Haman, and Ezekiel’s portrayal of Gog and Magog is a prophecy of what would happen after Ester became queen, a prophecy that has already been fulfilled.
A striking passage of Ezekiel has to do with the valley of bones (Ez. 37). Ezekiel was given a vision of bleached bones scattered over the land. While Ezekiel watched, the bones gradually took on flesh, then life and breath, and the bodies stood up and walked. It was a picture of the outpouring of God’s Spirit, along with the resurrection of the dead. In the battle of Gog and Magog, the opposite happens. The flesh of the enemy troops is devoured by hyenas, coyotes, vultures, and rats. The flesh disappears and nothing is left but dry bones. It is a vivid contrast. The bones in Ezekiel 37 take on flesh and blood and a spirit; whereas the flesh and blood and spirit of Ezekiel 39 gets devoured until there is nothing left but a valley of bones.
The Gog, Magog story by Ezekiel, fulfilled in Ester, points to God’s sovereignty. God declares in Ezekiel 39:23: “The Gentiles shall know that the house of Israel went into captivity for their iniquity; because they were unfaithful to Me, therefore I hid my face from them. I gave them into the hand of their enemies, and they all fell by the sword.” [The following quotes from Iain M. Duguid’s Ezekiel. pp. 459, 461.] Before God saved Israel, He punished then with the sword. Before He saved you, did He punish you?
“Although this world is a place of tribulation, God is in control. Gog has his own evil reasons for acting, but his plans can achieve nothing other than what God purposes (Ez. 38:10, 4). Gog’s free will is the free will of a shackled lion. … the shackled lion only gets to eat raw meat when his keeper chooses to allow him to…. Satan and Gog are bound. We tend to assume that martyrdom is an unfortunate but necessary by-product to human free will, a sad fact of life in some parts of the world, but a sign that the world is out of order. Our problem is that we live in a dangerous world populated by lions roaming on the loose, so we tend to think. Not so. The Bible tells us that the lions are real, (Hitler, Stalin, Pol Pot, Ahmadinejad are real monsters) but they are shackled, or rather, to change the image slightly, they are leashed. They can assault Christians only whenever and wherever God allows them. ‘I gave them into the hand of their enemies,’ God states. What this means is that martyrdom is not merely an occasional abnormality in the church’s existence, nothing less then the will of God for his church.”
In other words, God himself may bring tribulation on his people, just as He brings Gog. The reason for that apparently strange fact is that the blood of the martyrs is not merely the seed of the church, but is a sign of the kingdom. It is not merely by our love that the world will know that Christians are Christ’s disciples, but by our blood (as in Sudan, Nigeria, Indonesia, and Pakistan). The disciples are not greater than their master, who was brutally beaten and savagely murdered on a cruel cross. Jesus Himself said: “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it” (Mark 8:34-35). The Lord’s will is that you carry the cross, and be willing to die.
God’s will for you is not always peace and prosperity, happiness and comfort. He may want to toughen and improve you with trials and tribulation, even death and torture. Through it all, in your darkest hour, you must cling to Him. Such trust in the midst of pain is one of the ways that God sets forth His glory.
The drama of Gog and Magog was first fulfilled during the reign of Queen Ester. But Genesis 10 tells about Magog, and St. John’s mention of Gog and Magog in Revelation 20 suggests that Gog is a permanent threat (Rev. 20:8). Haman Gog is a symbol of those who would destroy the Church. It is like Sauron and Mordor in the Lord of the Rings. Sam and Frodo can’t just stay in the shire and lay back smoking their pipes. They have to suffer and fight. The forces of evil will always attempt to crush the peace of God’s people.
Yet, God is going to win. No matter how big the opposition, how well organized they are, how powerful their weaponry, or how paltry the resources of God’s people, ultimately the plans of God’s enemies will come to nothing. The Church is indestructible; you are too. If Gog kills you, you will live on with the Lord.
Ezekiel is a word of hope to you today. Ester is a word of hope for you today. What is your Gog and Magog today? No matter what the forces of evil may do, God’s purpose and victory stand secure. The Church’s conquest and yours is based on the Cross of Christ and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. You can be sure that the Holy Almighty will vanquish His enemies and get the glory. If God can defeat Gog and Magog, how much more can He take care of you? Jesus Christ has given you His Holy Spirit. He rules His kingdom now! Place your anxiety and despair in the Lord’s all-controlling hands. Put your trials and fears in the radiance of His glory. Rest in His sovereignty. Rejoice in His victory! Seek Him; and you will find Him. Cling to Him through it all, to the end, and forever.