The Coming Assyrian (Muslim) Antichrist -- Part II -- His Names & Descriptions, Who is Gog?
In this Part II of our study, we examine the Gog of Ez 38,
39 and how Gog is related to the coming Antichrist. We also examine various names given in
scripture to the coming Antichrist which give clues to his character, origin
and other attributes.
In Part III of our study, we examine some
of the activities to be carried out by the coming Antichrist, the extent of his
reign, God’s purpose for him, the timing of events associated with his coming, and
other scriptural references to the coming Antichrist.
Is the Gog of Ez 38, 39
the Coming Assyrian AC?
For reasons I hope to detail in a future blog, I feel
confident to state unequivocally that the battle of Armageddon referenced in Rev
16: 16 and the battle of Gog/Magog referenced in Ez 38, 39 refer to the same battle, which is the last days battle
for Jerusalem. Many teach that these battles are distinct and
that they take place years apart from one another near opposite ends of
Daniel’s 70th week. This
battle will take place in the days leading up to the return of our Lord Jesus
Christ who will return to earth and destroy the invading armies before they
destroy Jerusalem and wipe out His remnant of
the nation of Israel who will
be trapped in Jerusalem
by the invading armies.
In Ez 38, 39 God identifies Gog as being associated with the
invading armies which are coming against the land
of Israel and the city of Jerusalem. In Ez 38: 14, Gog is identified with the coming
AC. Through Ezekiel He poses a
question: “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?” (Emphasis added)
To whom is God referring? He is referring to none
other than the coming AC. But, the question remains - is Gog the coming AC?
The name Gog shows up nowhere in
scripture apart from Ez 38, 39 and Rev 20, unless we consider the Septuagint
(LXX) translation of Amos 7: 1 (discussed in more detail below). Apart from the LXX translation of Amos 7, no other
prophet of God in the Old Testament specifically names this same Gog in any
prophecy. Since God does not lie, His
statement found in Ez 38: 14 that He had already spoken about Gog through His other prophets (plural) must refer to
other descriptions and names used by other prophets which refer to the same person or entity. Ez 38 and 39 tell us that Gog is
a person or entity who comes on the scene during the last days to lead an army to destroy Jerusalem.
Many of God’s other prophets have also
written about the last days and a coming evil person who will persecute
and attempt to destroy the nation of Israel and the city of Jerusalem. The prophets Isaiah, Jeremiah, Daniel, Amos,
Zechariah, and Zephaniah, to name a few, have written about these coming
events and a coming evil leader. We shall investigate the names
and descriptions they have given to this coming evil person.
Throughout the Old Testament we
find various descriptions of evil men who are types and patterns of the coming
AC figure. In Part I of this study we
discussed one of these in our discussion of Dan 9 (i.e., Antiochus Epiphenes IV). As another example of a pattern of the coming
AC, in 2 Kings 18: 13 – 2 Kings 19: 37 and other scripture we find a
description of the intents and actions of King Sennacherib of ancient Assyria (more
on him later) and how he plotted evil against the nation of Israel. He invaded the land of Israel,
then captured and carried away most of the remnant of the 10 northern tribes who
lived there. He then dispersed them
throughout the lands of his Assyrian kingdom to the north and east of Jerusalem.
Below is a non-exhaustive list of various names, titles and descriptions
given by Old Testament prophets and New Testament writers which clearly refer
to the same coming AC giving us clues as to his origin, character, and
activities. Only the prophet Ezekiel
specifically mentions “Gog”, as we discussed above, yet these various
descriptions refer to the same dark entity or individual who will wreck havoc
on the nation of Israel
and the world.
-
The Antichrist: (1 John 2: 18, 22; 2 John 7; Mat
24: 23-24) John is the only writer in the
Bible who uses this exact title for this coming worldwide government leader. The coming AC will likely deny that God
(YHVH) the Father and Jesus the Son are one, and that they are both God
Almighty.
-
The Assyrian:
We learned in Part I of our study that Dan 2, Dan 8, Dan 9, and Micah 5 speak
of the coming AC, and that he will be an “Assyrian.”
Historical King Sennacherib was a
type and pattern of the coming AC. Many
passages in scripture refer to this King Sennacherib of ancient Assyria of the early 8th century BC, who was ultimately
defeated by God. (cf; 2 Chron 32; Is 36: 1; Is 37: 8, 17, 21, 36, 37; 2 Kings
18: 13 – 2 Kings 19: 37) King Sennacherib
placed a yoke or heavy burden on the people of the 10 northern tribes of Israel when he
invaded in approximately 701 BC and took most of those 10 tribes away as
captives. He thereafter dispersed them
throughout his Assyrian kingdom.
Meanwhile, King Hezekiah of Judah saw the destruction and evil that King
Sennacherib was imposing on the 10 northern tribes and feared that he might
invade Judah
also and destroy it. Hezekiah prayed to
God for deliverance and protection of Jerusalem
and the people of Judah. God heard his prayer and an angel of the Lord
destroyed the army of Sennacherib in a single night (2 Kings 19: 35-36). After this, Sennacherib returned home to Nineveh, the capitol of Assyria,
and was soon murdered there by two of his sons (2 Kings 19: 37).
God will also destroy the coming
AC, but this time without using human agents.
When Jesus Christ returns, He will defeat the armies of the coming Assyrian
AC and will destroy him in the lake of fire which awaits him. (Rev 19: 20)
There are passages in scripture
which describe an end time Assyrian AC who will invade Israel with the intent to destroy Jerusalem. (cf, Is 10:
12-34; Is 14: 25; Is 30: 30-33; Is 31: 8-9; Is 52: 4; Micah 5: 5-6). The description of how this future Assyrian
AC is destroyed by God on the mountains of Israel (Is 14: 25) closely resemble
the description of God’s destruction of the army of Gog / Magog (Ez 38: 18 - Ez
39: 20).
As the armies of historical King
Seenacherib were destroyed by God, the armies of the coming Assyrian AC will be
destroyed by God on the mountains and the open fields in the land of Israel and
around Jerusalem (Ez 38: 21, 39:5).
-
The Beast: (Rev 13; Rev 17: 3-16; Rev 19: 20; Dan
9: 27) The coming AC who will rule the
coming worldwide government during Daniel’s 70th week.
-
Destroyer of Nations: (Is 10: 7) God will use the coming AC to judge and to
punish and destroy many ungodly nations. (Compare, “Rod of My Anger”, below).
-
Gog: (Ez 38; Ez 39) description of the evil spiritual entity
which will influence the coming AC. He
is the “prince”
of Rosh, Meshech, and Tubal and leads a confederation of armies against the
land of Israel
and Jerusalem. (The LXX translation of Amos 7: 1 mentions Gog
as a “caterpillar” who is king and leader of an army of invading “locusts” which
is to come against the land
of Israel. More on this later.)
-
He of Whom I Have Spoken: (Ez 38: 17) Generic term for the coming AC.
-
King Having Fierce Features: (Dan 8:23; Rev 13:
4) A descriptive name for the “little horn”
of Dan 8: 9 who will arise in the last days from one of the four “notable
horns” (kingdoms) of Alexander’s Empire.
He will stop the daily sacrifices in Jerusalem and will persecute the saints of
God. His power will come from Satan.
-
King of Assyria: (Is 10: 12) The coming AC is the final King of Assyria, who is a very arrogant and prideful man who will come against a "godless nation" (Israel??) and will cause much destruction there, though it is actually God who is using him to do so. (See, Is 10:5-12)
-
King of the North: (Dan 11: 21) The coming AC is the final King of the North
of Daniel 11. Dan 11: 21 tells us that
the coming AC will “seize the kingdom by intrigue” (the kingdom of the north)
and will then act deceitfully while warring against many nations, destroying
and stealing from them, and attacking the people of God inside and outside of
the land of Israel. (More on his exploits later.)
-
Leader of the Northern Army: (Joel 2: 20) God’s destruction of this Northern Army
closely parallels the description of God’s destruction of the army of Gog found
in Ez 39: 11, where God drives that army into the area of land near the Dead
Sea where He destroys it and it is buried there. Dan 11: 38-39 and Rev 13:4 tell us that the
coming AC, as the King of the North, has great military might and uses it
against other nations and their strong military defenses.
-
Leviathan: (Job 41; Is 27: 1; Ps 74: 14; Ps 104:
26) Chapter 41 of the Book of Job speaks
about a beast in the sea (Rev 13: 1) called Leviathan which is an allegorical
description of the coming AC and many of his characteristics, attitudes and activities
which echo descriptions found elsewhere in scripture which pertain to the
coming AC.
Below are representative verses of chapter 41 of the Book of Job which pertain to the coming AC. Under each relevant verse is one or more verses of scripture found elsewhere in
the Bible which have a description very similar to that being described in Job 41.
In reference to the “Leviathan” of
Job 41, God asks Job the following questions:
o Can
you pierce his jaw with a hook? (v. 2)
§
I will turn you around, put hooks in your jaw,
and lead you out (Ez 38: 4)
o Will
he make supplications to you? Will he
speak softly to you? (v. 3)
§
He shall come
in peaceably, and seize the kingdom by intrigue. (Dan 11: 21)
§
He has put forth his hands against those who were at peace with
him. He has broken his covenant. The words of his
mouth were smoother than butter, but war was in his heart. His words were softer than oil, yet they were
drawn swords. (Ps 55: 20-21)
o Will
he make a covenant with you? (v. 4)
§
He shall confirm a
covenant with many for one week (Dan 9: 27)
o
Will you leash
him for your maidens? (v. 5)
§
The city shall be
taken, the houses rifled and the women ravished. (Zech 14: 2)
o
Will your companions make a banquet of him? (v. 6)
§
Speak to every
sort of bird and to every beast of the field:
“Assemble yourselves and come gather together from all sides to My sacrificial meal which I am
sacrificing for you.
A great sacrificial meal on the mountains of Israel,
that you may eat flesh and drink blood.
You shall eat the flesh of the mighty,
drink the blood of the princes of the earth, of rams and lambs, of goats and
bulls, all of them fatlings of Bashan.
You shall eat fat till you are full, and drink blood
till you are drunk at My sacrificial
meal which I am sacrificing for you.
You shall be filled at My table with
horses and riders, with mighty men and with all the men of war,” says the Lord God. (Ez 39: 17-20)
§
I saw an angel
standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the birds
that fly in the midst of heaven, “Come and gather together for the supper of the great God, that you may eat the flesh of kings, the flesh of captains,
the flesh of mighty men, the flesh of horses and of those who sit on them, and
the flesh of all people, free
and slave, both small and great.” (Rev 19: 17-18)
§
Be silent in the
presence of the Lord God, for the day of the Lord is at
hand. For the Lord has prepared a
sacrifice, He has invited His guests.
And it shall be in the day of the Lord’s sacrifice that I will punish the princes and the king’s
children, and all such as are clothed with foreign apparel. (Zeph 1: 7-8)
§
For God is my King from of old … You broke the heads
of Leviathan in pieces, and gave
him as food to the people
inhabiting the wilderness (Ps 74: 12, 14)
o
Can you fill his
skin with harpoons, or his head with fishing spears? Lay your hand
on him, remember the battle. Never do it
again. Indeed,
any hope of overcoming him is false. Shall one
not be overwhelmed at the sight of him?
No one is so fierce that he would dare stir him up… I will not
conceal his limbs, his mighty power, or his graceful proportions. Who can
remove his outer coat? Who can approach him with a double bridle? Who can open
the doors of his face with his
terrible teeth all around? His rows of
scales are his pride, shut up
tightly as with a seal… On earth there is nothing like him which is
made without fear. (vv. 7-10, 12-15, 33)
§
And they
worshiped the beast, saying, “Who is
like the beast? Who is able to make war
with him?” (Rev 13:4)
§
Nimrod, a type
of AC, began to become a mighty hunter on the earth. (Gen 10: 8-9) He challenged God by gathering all men to
exalt and make a name for themselves by building a large tower to glorify not
God, but themselves. The name Nimrod
comes from a Hebrew word meaning rebel or rebellious. Nimrod was the first Assyrian world leader. The coming AC will be the final Assyrian
world leader.
§
He shall honor a god of fortresses, and
a god his fathers did not know he shall honor with gold and silver, with
precious stones and pleasant things. Thus he shall act against the strongest fortresses with a
foreign god, which he shall acknowledge, and
advance its glory (Dan 11:
38-39)
§
In that day the Lord with His severe
sword, great and strong, will punish Leviathan the fleeing serpent; Leviathan
that twisted serpent. And He will slay
the reptile that is in the sea.
(Is 27: 1)
o
He beholds every
high thing. He is king over all the children of pride. (v. 34)
§
How you are
fallen from heaven O Lucifer, son of the morning. How you are cut down to the ground, you who
weakened the nations. For you have said in
your heart:
I will ascend into heaven,
I will exalt
my throne above the stars of God;
I will also sit on the mount of the congregation on
the farthest sides of the north;
I will ascend above the heights of the clouds,
I will be like
the Most High.
Yet you shall be brought down to Sheol, to the lowest
depths of the Pit. (Is 14: 12-15)
§
I was considering
the horns, and there was another horn, a little one, coming up among them,
before whom three of the first horns were plucked out by the roots. And there,
in this horn, were eyes like
the eyes of a man, and a mouth speaking pompous
words… He
shall speak pompous words against the Most High, shall persecute the
saints of the Most High, and shall intend to change times and law. Then the
saints shall be given into his hand for a time and times and half a
time. (Dan 7: 7, 25)
§
And out of one of
them came a little horn which grew exceedingly great toward the south, toward
the east, and toward the Glorious
Land. It grew up to
the host of heaven; and it cast down some
of the host and some of the
stars to the ground, and trampled them. He even exalted himself as high as the Prince of the host … he shall exalt himself in his heart. He shall destroy many in their prosperity. He shall even rise against the Prince of
princes, but he shall be broken without human
means. (Dan 8: 9-11, 25)
§
Then the king
shall do according to his own will. He
shall exalt and magnify himself above
every god, shall speak blasphemies against the God of gods, and shall prosper
till the wrath has been accomplished.
For what has been determined shall be done. He shall regard
neither the God of his fathers nor the desire of women, nor regard any god, for
he shall exalt himself above them
all. (Dan 11: 36-37)
§
In that day you
shall not be shamed for any of your deeds in which you transgress against
Me. For then I will take away from your
midst those who rejoice in your pride,
and you shall no longer be haughty in My holy mountain. I will leave
in your midst a meek and humble people, and they shall trust in the name of the
Lord. The remnant of Israel shall do no unrighteousness
and speak no lies, nor shall a deceitful tongue be found in their mouth. (Zeph 3: 11-13)
§
For from within, out of the
heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, … wickedness, deceit, … blasphemy, pride, ... . All these evil things come from within and defile
a man. (Mark 7: 21-23)
-
Little Horn: (Dan 7: 8, 20; Dan 8: 9, 21-23) In
Dan 7, we see a “little horn” which arises up among 10 existing horns (kings)
on the head of a terrible end time beast (kingdom) which arises upon the earth. It describes how three of those 10 horns fall
because of the “little horn.” The “little
horn” of Dan 8 arises out of one of four existing “notable horns” (kingdoms)
which existed after the fall of Alexander’s Greek Empire and is itself representative
of a “king having fierce features”, discussed above.
-
Man of Sin / Man of Lawlessness: (2 Thes 2: 3-4) the lawless one; the Satan-possessed coming AC
who will exalt himself to be equal to God.
-
One of Whom I Have Spoken in Former Days: (Ez
38: 17) As we discussed above, Israel’s prophets of old prophesied about a last
days coming AC who would come against Jerusalem
and the land of Israel seeking destruction.
-
Prince Who is to Come: (Dan 9: 26) We examined this topic in Part I of our
study. This verse is helpful to discern the
ethnic origin of this coming AC.
-
Rod of My Anger: (Is 10: 5) The coming AC will be used by God to punish and
to destroy the ungodly on earth. (Compare,
“Destroyer of Nations”, above).
-
Son of Perdition / Son of Destruction: (2 Thes 2: 3) The
Greek word translated perdition or destruction is the word "Apollyon” which means
destroyer. In this verse it is used in
a context which refers to a state of eternal damnation.
-
The Spoiler: (Is 16: 4) Describes a time when
refugees from the land of Israel will be sheltered in the land of Moab
to escape the “Spoiler.” Dan 11: 41
describes how the land
of Moab will escape his hand and not be under the control of the coming AC, the final King of the North of
the last days.
-
Vile / Despicable Person: (Dan 11: 21; Nahum 1:
14) The Hebrew word used in these verses
denotes an unpleasant person who is morally corrupt in a context of an end time
coming AC.
-
Wicked Counselor / Wicked One: (Nahum 1: 11,
15) This prophecy was written in about
615 BC. It is not, as some argue, a mere
historical description of what the Assyrian Empire did to the 10 northern
tribes of Israel
in the early 8th century BC.
Rather, this is an end time prophecy which refers to a future wicked
person to be from and ancient land of Assyria who will place bonds and a yoke upon
God’s people, which yoke will be destroyed and bonds will be broken when Jesus
returns to earth (v. 13).
-
Yoke Giver: (Jer 30: 7-8; Nahum 1: 13; Is 14:
25; Is 47: 6) A phrase which describes
the coming AC who will place a yoke, a heavy burden, on the people in the land
of Israel, as did King Sennacherib, the historical King of Assyria. This yoke will be destroyed by Jesus at His
coming.
Ezekiel 38, 39 Analysis
Let us now examine Ez 38, 39 to
determine the nations and/or groups of peoples who will come with the AC
against the land
of Israel.
Ez 38: 3 and Ez 39: 1 is often translated such that Gog is the
“prince of Rosh,
Meshech, and Tubal.” Other translations
have Gog as: “chief prince of Meshech and Tubal.”
After studying a very detailed analysis of Hebrew words and Hebrew
grammar specific to these very verses, in a 2003 book by Dr. Jon Mark Ruthven
entitled, “The Prophecy That is Shaping History – New Research on Ezekiel’s
Vision of the End”, I am convinced that the correct translation of these verses
should be: “prince of Rosh, Meshech and Tubal”, and not “chief prince of Meshech and Tubal”.
Some today associate “Rosh” of Ez
38: 2 with the people and the nation of Russia
and “Meshech” with the people who once lived in the land around the modern
Russian city of Moscow. Furthermore, they associate “Tubal” with a
geographic region which ranges from the southern end of the Ural Mountains in
south central Russia and projects
northward into north central Russia.
The people groups who are Rosh,
Meshech and Tubal are thought to be those which have migrated to locations in Russia today from lands within what is now Turkey, Georgia,
Armenia, and Azerbaijan. In ancient times, these lands were within the
bounds of the fullest extent of the ancient Assyrian Empire (see map below), which is
consistent with our hypothesis that the coming AC will be an Assyrian.
The maps above indicate possible land areas where those
three people groups lived in ancient times. Today, these land areas are within modern Turkey, and in Georgia and Azerbaijan (those areas just south of the Caucasus Mountains, an east-west
range of steep mountains which separate Georgia and Azerbaijan to the south
from Russia to the north). Other than Russia (except for the province
of Chechnya in southern Russia), all of
these countries today have mostly Muslim populations who practice Islam.
It is unclear whether the people groups mentioned in Ez 38:
2 as being associated with Gog (prince of Rosh, Meshech, Tubal) represent modern
Russia or Turkey, but it
seems very likely since these nations have legitimate military forces. These people groups may otherwise or represent
people of the modern nations located northeast of Turkey
and south of the Caucasus Mountains, which are Georgia,
and Armenia. This scenario seems unlikely since these
small nations are not very wealthy nor do they have much in the way of a
standing military.
A review of numerous texts,
writings and maps on the subject convinces me that the exact location of the
three people groups of Ez 38: 2 is not possible today. I have no doubt, however, that once events in
the world take shape and line up more and more with the descriptions found in
Ez 38, we will know the exact identity of these people groups. Their exact identity today is still clouded
and confused through many migrations of peoples having similarly sounding names
throughout history throughout the Mideast and central Asia.
In any case, Ez 38: 2-6 makes clear that Gog will lead a
group of people (Rosh, Meshech, Tubal, together with
Togarmah and Gomer) from somewhere north of Israel against the land of Israel in the last days. This group will be joined by Persia (Iran;
Ez 38: 5) to come against the land
of Israel.
Let us examine Ez 38, 39 to determine whether the Gog described
therein refers to the coming AC or to someone or something else. Ez 38: 1 and Ez 39: 1 record God telling Ezekiel
to prophecy (speak) against Gog for various reasons. I have uncovered the following slightly
differing translations of the Hebrew words which follow the word “Gog” in those
verses to help understand better what God is saying.
We have the following translations:
"Gog and the land
of Magog" (Greek LXX Septuagint);
"Gog (toward the) land
of Magog" (Masoretic text);
and
"Gog from the land of Magog" (NKJV).
Gog is associated with the land
of Magog. Whether or not Gog is a ruler from the land
of Magog is unclear. But, it is clear that Gog and the people of the land of Magog will join forces and come down against the land of Israel, led by Gog.
We look to Rev 20: 8 for additional help. That verse tells us that both Gog and Magog will come again against Jerusalem after the 1,000
year earthly reign of Christ. In the
Greek, in Rev 20: 8 the definite article “the” precedes “Gog” and “Magog,” which
yields: the Gog and the
Magog. Therefore, to be consistent with
what Rev 20: 8 is telling us in the Greek, I believe the thrust of the Hebrew
of Ez 38: 1 refers to two specific individuals
or specific people groups. Gog may
indeed be confederated or otherwise associated with the land of Magog,
but Gog is not the same “person” or “people group” as Magog. Magog is the origin of the people of Magog.
In any case, Gog will align with a confederation of groups
of northern peoples, whether or not they dwell in the same land or nation
today, to come up against Israel
for the purpose of attacking and taking its spoils in the last days.
We need to examine whether this Gog is the same person who
is the coming AC.
I suggest that Gog is not
the actual AC, but is a malevolent non-human spirit entity which will influence
and control the actions and intents of the coming human AC. This conclusion is consistent with Rev 20: 8
which requires Gog to appear on the scene again after the 1,000 year reign of
Christ, which is 1,000 years after the human AC has been tossed alive into the
lake of fire and destroyed (Rev 19: 20).
It appears likely that Gog is the evil spiritual
force behind the coming invasion of Israel
which will bring armies from parts of the world north of Israel. Gog is not a flesh and blood human being. Perhaps Gog is none other than Satan himself
or one of his high ranking fallen angles or demon spirits.
As further evidence of Gog being a spirit being, the name Gog
also appears in the Greek LXX Septuagint translation of the Book of Amos (Amos
7: 1). This version of the Old Testament
existed at the time Jesus walked the earth with His disciples and was used by
Jewish leaders of the time. I found
nothing to indicate that Jesus ever commented on that verse to correct it or
ever mentioned that it was incorrect. In
Amos 7: 1 of the LXX, Gog is named as a caterpillar king over a swarm of
"locusts” which come from the east to invade the land of Israel. Prov 30: 27 tells us that “the locusts have
no king.” So if natural locusts have no
king then Ezekiel 38, 39; Rev 20: 8; and Amos 7: 1 (LXX) must be describing a non-human spirit “king” named Gog.
Does this sound absurd?
The apostle Paul tells us in Eph 6: 12 that we do not struggle “against
flesh and blood, but against principalities, against
powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.” (Emphasis added)
There is precedent in the Bible for a specific description of a non-human spiritual
evil leader which is referred to as a king or prince.
Please note that
Dan
10: 13 reveals the “prince” of Persia that prevented an angel sent from God
from coming directly to Daniel to deliver God’s answer to Daniel’s prayer.
The angel had been delayed for three weeks by
this “prince” who thwarted his efforts.
From
the context of the verse, it is clear that the “prince” who interfered with the
angel sent by God to Daniel was not a human being, but a demonic spiritual
force which no doubt controlled, or at least highly influenced, the activities
of the actual flesh and blood King Cyrus who was at that time the king of
Persia (Dan 10: 1).
Dan 10: 13 tells us plainly that the angel sent by God to speak with Daniel
could not get past the “prince” of Persia until “
Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help him.” The angel further explains in verse 13 that
he (the angle) had difficulty until Michael (a more powerful archangel) showed
up to help him and that he had been “left alone there with the kings of Persia.” (Emphasis added)
The Hebrew word for “kings” is pronounced meh'·lek
and
denotes a single
king and not plural kings. In any case,
the context of Dan 10: 13 demonstrates that the spirit “kings of Persia” which
thwarted the angel are not flesh and blood kings, but is likely they are demonic
spirits which are more powerful than the “prince” who also withstood the angel.
Another example in the Bible of a non-human ruler
is found in Ez 28: 11-19, where a lamentation against the “king” of Tyre refers to Satan himself and not to an earthly flesh
and blood king of Tyre.
Similarly, in Is 14: 12-21 in the midst of a
discourse about the actual flesh and blood “king” of Babylon these verses suddenly begin to
describe the fall of Satan. The verses
also describe how God will destroy those earthly humans who are following Satan
at Christ’s coming, and how God will eventually destroy Satan also.
From this Biblical analysis, it seems conclusive that Gog is indeed a
non-human malevolent spiritual force behind the invading troops which will come
against Israel from the north (Ez 38: 2-4, 6) and from Persia (the locusts of Iran)
in the east (Ez 38: 5). Gog will be
destroyed at the end of the 1,000 year reign of Christ. (Rev 20)
As an interesting side note, Abul A’la Mawdudi, one of
Islam’s most prominent scholars of the 20th century, used the word “abyss” in
his book written for non-Islamic people concerning the beginnings of Islam.
(“Towards Understanding Islam”, 8th ed. Riyadh,
Saudi Arabia:
National Offset Printing Press, 1986) The
book was written to introduce English-speaking people to the basics of
Islam. Therein, Mawdudi informs his
readers that Mohamed and his message came out of “Arabia
– the Abyss of Darkness.” These words appear in bold print as a
sub-heading under the title page of the book.
One could argue that Mawdudi unwittingly identified the
religion of Islam as “the Abyss of Darkness.”
In Rev 9: 1 the word “abyss” appears in relation to the sounding of the
5th trumpet. Many English versions
of the Bible instead use the phrase “bottomless pit”, but the Greek word used
actually means “abyss.” This non-Biblical
source may indeed be evidence to corroborate our hypothesis that the coming AC
will likely be an “Assyrian” which indicates he is from lands where Islam is
practiced today.
In various writings of Islam praise is given to the locust
for being able to destroy the enemies of Islam, but not vegetation. This also lines up with the sounding of the 5th
trumpet, where in Rev 9: 4 the “locusts” are commanded to not harm the
vegetation (the grass, trees, or any green thing). Could this Rev 9 Islamic invasion be the same
as the invasion of Iran (Persia)
forecast in Ez 38: 5? It appears most
likely.
Further, there is Islamic lore that Mohamed had a dream
where locusts came to rest on his shoulder.
On the wings of the locusts was written, “we are the army of the most
high God …”.
Is this a somewhat strange
corroboration that the “locusts from the east” described in the LXX version of Amos
7: 1 are the “locusts” of Rev 9 and the invasion of Islamic troops of Iran of
Ez 38: 5?
Is this all a
coincidence?
Time will tell.
In Part III of this study we will examine the activities, timing, extent of reign, and purpose of the coming
AC and other attributes in greater detail.
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