| Scripture |
Expanded Comments |
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| 1 And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, |
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| 2 Son of man, set thy face against Gog, the land of Magog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal, and prophesy against him, |
Gog – The merciless plunderers of regathered Israel. D554[D554:2]
Representing the "all nations" of Zech. 14:2. D555[D555:1]
Magog...Meshech...Tubal – Descendants of Japheth, Europeans. D556[D556:1]
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| 3 And say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against thee, O Gog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal: |
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| 4 And I will turn thee back, and put hooks into thy jaws, and I will bring thee forth, and all thine army, horses and horsemen, all of them clothed with all sorts of armour, even a great company with bucklers and shields, all of them handling swords: |
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| 5 Persia, Ethiopia, and Libya with them; all of them with shield and helmet: |
Persia, Ethiopia, and Libya – The very ones now occupying Egypt, Palestine and the east--and all these nations are Mohammedans. HG89:4[HG89:4]
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| 6 Gomer, and all his bands; the house of Togarmah of the north quarters, and all his bands: and many people with thee. |
Gomer...Togarmah – Descendants of Japheth, Europeans. D556[D556:1]
Of the north quarters – Possibly Russia. HG89:5[HG89:4]
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| 7 Be thou prepared, and prepare for thyself, thou, and all thy company that are assembled unto thee, and be thou a guard unto them. |
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| 8 After many days thou shalt be visited: in the latter years thou shalt come into the land that is brought back from the sword, and is gathered out of many people, against the mountains of Israel, which have been always waste: but it is brought forth out of the nations, and they shall dwell safely all of them. |
After many days – Gathering of Israel to Palestine within this Harvest period. D553[D552:2]
Gathered out – Indicating that Palestine would be released from Turkish oppression, and the Jews persecuted and driven out of various countries, before the great climax of trouble. R2056:1
During the Day of the Lord when the first return of the Israelites to Palestine shall have taken place (a second and greater returning evidently will not take place until after the time of trouble). R286:3[R286:21]
Dwell safely – At the time when the rest of the world is in its wildest confusion. D553[D552:2]
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| 9 Thou shalt ascend and come like a storm, thou shalt be like a cloud to cover the land, thou, and all thy bands, and many people with thee. |
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| 10 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: |
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| 11 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, |
And thou – Gog--Europeans, with Asiatic and African allies. D555, D556
Unwalled villages – An open, defenseless condition. D554
That are at rest – Regathered Israel during the time of trouble. D553
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| 12 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. |
To take a spoil – Toward, or at the close of the time of trouble. R148:4, R410:1
For "the day of the Lord cometh, when thy spoil shall be divided in the midst of thee." (Zech. 14:1) R148:4
Many Jews have doubtless gone to Palestine, not out of respect to God's promises, but, realizing the dangers to which property will be exposed, have chosen to be far away from the strongholds of communism. R26:5, R410:1, R593:1
Their wealth and prosperity excite the cupidity of the nations. R286:3, R2056:1
To pillage and rob the wealthy Jews. R26:4, R410:1
Palestine must become wealthy to permit fulfilment. R1846:4
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| 13 Sheba, and Dedan, and the merchants of Tarshish, with all the young lions thereof, shall say unto thee, Art thou come to take a spoil? hast thou gathered thy company to take a prey? to carry away silver and gold, to take away cattle and goods, to take a great spoil? |
Sheba and Dedan – Descendants of Ham, North Africans. D556
Tarshish – Descendants of Japheth, Europeans. D556
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| 14 Therefore, son of man, prophesy and say unto Gog, Thus saith the Lord GOD; In that day when my people of Israel dwelleth safely, shalt thou not know it? |
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| 15 And thou shalt come from thy place out of the north parts, thou, and many people with thee, all of them riding upon horses, a great company, and a mighty army: |
The north parts – Europe and Asia. D555
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| 16 And thou shalt come up against my people of Israel, as a cloud to cover the land; it shall be in the latter days, and I will bring thee against my land, that the heathen may know me, when I shall be sanctified in thee, O Gog, before their eyes. |
In the latter days – Literally, the last of the days. D555
The closing scenes of the day of trouble. D555
Sanctified in thee – Set apart, distinguished as thy conqueror. D555
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| 17 Thus saith the Lord GOD; Art thou he of whom I have spoken in old time by my servants the prophets of Israel, which prophesied in those days many years that I would bring thee against them? |
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| 18 And it shall come to pass at the same time when Gog shall come against the land of Israel, saith the Lord GOD, that my fury shall come up in my face. |
My fury shall come up – The destruction of Israel's enemies can only be compared to the terrible overthrow of Pharoah and his hosts when seeking to repossess themselves of Israel whom God was delivering. D556
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| 19 For in my jealousy and in the fire of my wrath have I spoken, Surely in that day there shall be a great shaking in the land of Israel; |
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| 20 So that the fishes of the sea, and the fowls of the heaven, and the beasts of the field, and all creeping things that creep upon the earth, and all the men that are upon the face of the earth, shall shake at my presence, and the mountains shall be thrown down, and the steep places shall fall, and every wall shall fall to the ground. |
The fishes – The men. C214
Of the sea – Masses of mankind not under religious restraint. R333:1
Fowls of the heaven – Satan and his agents. R2634:6, R817:3; C162
Beasts of the field – Symbol of Gentile governments. A261
The mountains – Kingdoms. A318; R5992:1
And every wall – Civil power. D40
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| 21 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. |
I will call – The Lord shall again fight for Israel. R1747:1
Every man's sword – National animosities will become personal animosities. R5852:5
The disconcerted hosts will effect the complete disruption of the present order of things. R5604:5, R5790:6
Against his brother – An outbreak of jealousy, revolution and anarchy amongst the various elements composing the mixed army, which will complete the universal insurrection and anarchy--the great earthquake of Rev. 16:18-21. D557
The spirit of anarchy will spread from nations to individuals. OV419:4
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| 22 And I will enter into judgment with 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.
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| 23 Thus will I magnify myself, and sanctify myself; and I will be known in the eyes of many nations, and they shall know that I am the LORD. |
They shall know – The miraculous overthrow of Gog will demonstrate to the world that Christ's Kingdom has come. R4751:3*
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