Ewiak
Mar 10th, 2006, 12:38 PM
Some insightful Bible students noticed, the proof lies in the obvious identity that exists between Daniel's "the king of the north" in the last days and Ezekiel's "Gog" of the latter days. By comparing what is said about each of them in the two prophecies, it is manifest that they can only be different titles for the same being.
Ezekiel Chapter 38 and 39 = Daniel 11:45
1. Their geographical position is the same. "Gog's" country is in the north part in relation to the Holy Land; as it is written, "Thou shalt come from thy place out of the north parts". "Gog" is therefore "the king of the north", his place or country being there.
2. Both of them are adversaries of Israel and invaders of the Holy Land. The eleventh chapter of Daniel abundantly proves this in relation to "the king of the north"; and of "Gog", Yahoueh said: "Thou shalt come up against my people Israel, as a cloud to cover the land".
3. The time they invade the land is the same. "The king of the north" invades in the last days. Of "Gog" it is said: "It shall be in the latter days, and I will bring thee against my land".
4. The same peoples are named as components of their armies. The Libyans and Ethiopians are allies with "the king of the north"; and in the enumeration of Gog's forces, it says, "Persia, Ethiopia, and Libya with them".
Who is "Gog"? Which land is the land of "Magog"?
Some people think that "Gog" is the Devil. But does the context support this idea?
Ezekiel wrote that after "Gog's" last attack he will fall and then be buried by the people. (Ez.39:4,11) So there is no need to prove that "Gog" represents the Devil as we know that the devil does not have a body of flesh and bone and has no need for a grave. Thus, in actuality, whom does "Gog" symbolize?
"Gog" is the chief prince of Meschech and Tubal.
"Meshech, the sixth son of Japheth (Genesis 10:2) is the founder of a tribe (1 Chronicles 1:5; Ezekiel 27:13; 38:2,3). They were in all probability the Moschi people, inhabiting the Moschian Mountains, between the Black and the Caspian Seas. In Psalms 120:5 the name occurs simply as a synonym for foreigners or barbarians. "During the ascendency of the Babylonians and Persians in Western Asia, the Moschi were subdued; but it seems probable that a large number of them crossed the Caucasus range and spread over the northern steppes, mingling with the Scythians. There they became known as Muscovs and gave this name to the Russian nation and its ancient capital by which they are still generally known throughout the East" (Easton's Bible Dictionary).
Many ancient sources have clearly identified "Magog" as referring to the "Scythians".
One of the earliest references to Magog was made by Hesiod, "the father of Greek didactic poetry" who identified Magog with the Scythians and southern Russia in the 7th century B.C. Hesiod was a contemporary of Ezekiel.
Josephus Flavius clearly identified Magog. "Magog founded the Magogians, thus named after him, but who were by the Greeks called Scythians". (Josephus, Antiquities, 1.123; Jerome, Commentary on Ezekiel 38:2)
The Greek historian Herodotus wrote that in the fifth century B.C. the Scythians ruled from the Don River, in present southern Russia, to the Carpathian Mountains in central Europe.
Philo, is another historian in the first century A.D. who identified "Magog" with southern Russia.
Ancient authorities clearly identified the Scythians as the ancestors of the present day Russians.
However, even without that information, the identity of "Magog" is not too difficult to figure out. In Ezekiel 38:15, it says: "And thou shalt come from thy place out of the north parts, thou, and many people with thee". The "north parts" is literally the "extreme, or uttermost" parts of the north.
Who are "the kings of the north" and "south"?
Who are the "kings" of this chapter?
Daniel 11:2
Since the Prophecy was given in the third year of Cyrus (Daniel 10:1), the three kings that were to "stand up yet", that is, "after him", were Cambyses II, Smerdis the Magian imposter, Darius I Hystaspes.
The fourth king, Xerxes I, stirred up Persia against Greece, which he invaded in 480 B.C. but failed to conquer. Since prophecy touches only upon important events and characters, the remaining kings of Persia are omitted, and the prophecy jumps over nearly 150 years to the time of Alexander the Great 336-323 B.C.E.
Daniel 11:3,4
"A valiant king", Alexander the Great, whose kingdom after his death was divided into four parts.
1) Seleucus I - who began the Seleucid (Syrian) empire, from Turkey to India.
2) Cassander - who took over Macedonia (Greece).
3) Lysimachus - who took Thracia (between Greece and Turkey).
4) Ptolemy I - who ruled over Egypt.
Daniel 11:5
After the death of Alexander the Great in 323 B.C., the throne of Egypt fell to Ptolemy I Soter, the son of Lagus, the king of the south.
"One of his princes", Seleucus I, Nicator ["the king of the north"] also rose to power, and took over the region of Syria. He eventually became more powerful than his former Egyptian ruler.
Daniel 11:6
"The daughter of the king of the south" = Berenice II, daughter of Ptolemy II Philadelphus.
"The king of the north" = Antiochus II Theos.
Two years after the marriage, Berenice's father (Ptolemy Philadelphus) died.
Antiochus restored Laodice and put away Berenice.
He was then poisoned by Laodice.
Berenice fled with her children to Daphne where she was killed.
Daniel 11:7-9
A "branch of her roots" will come with an army. This was Berenice's brother, Ptolemy III Euregetes, "the king of the south".
"The king of the north" is Seleucus II Kallinikos, son of Laodice who was defeated in a later invasion of Egypt. He lost most of Asia Minor along with losing to the military expansion of Ptolemy III who put his mother, Laodice, to death.
Verse 9: "And [the king of the north] will enter into the kingdom of the king of the south, but will return to his own land". (literal translation)
Seleucus II, son of the deceased Laodice, sought revenge for the vengeance taken by Ptolemy III. "Justin says that he fitted out a great fleet, which was destroyed by a violent storm; and after this he raised a great army to recover his dominion, but was defeated by Ptolemy, and fled in great terror and trembling to Antioch" (Gill's Commentary).
Daniel 11:10-12
His ["the king of the north"] sons = Seleucus III Ceraunus and Antiochus III the Great.
"The king of the north" = Antiochus III, the Great.
"The king of the south" = Ptolemy IV Philopator.
Ptolemy IV defeated the much larger army of Antiochus III at the Battle of Raphia in 217.
Daniel 11:13-17
"The king of the south" = Ptolemy V Epiphanes.
"The king of the north" = Antiochus III.
Antiochus III gives his daughter Cleopatra I to Ptolemy V, in hopes of permanent influence in Egypt.
Verse 14a: "And in those times many will rise against the king of the south".
At this time, many of the Egyptians began rebelling against the ruling Grecian family and began rioting and defying them.
Verse 14b: "And the sons of the violent ones of your people shall rise up to establish the vision, but they shall stumble". (LIT)
This verse speaks of the violent sons of Daniel's nation. Many commentators suggest that these people will stand up against the king of the south, but this text foretells that these people will lift themselves up to establish the vision. They were called a violent people by Ezekiel who in this way described them as shedders of blood. (18:10a) The word vision [in Aramaic chezev; in Hebrew chazown] is used in the Book of Daniel e.g. in: 7:1,2,7,13,15; 8:1,2,13,15,17,26; 9:24; 10:14; 11:14. All of these visions prophecy of the future persecution of God's nation, that would be fulfilled in the distant future. (Daniel 8:17; 10:14)
What kind of violent people would lift themselves in the ancient time, to fulfill the inspired visions and prophecies before their time? The First Book of the Maccabees clearly indicates the Maccabees as being these violent people. (1:54; 6:7) Until now, many commentators believe that the Maccabees fulfilled the prophecies of the Book of Daniel. But Jesus said that the vision which concerns the abomination of desolation and the persecutions of God's nation will be fulfilled in the future. (Compare Matthew 24:15; Revelation 13:1-8)
Verse 11:16b "and he standeth in the desirable land, and it is wholly in his hand". (YLT)
After one hundred years, Palestine again changed hands. The Seleucid king, Antiochus III, took control of Palestine c. 200 B.C.E.
Daniel 11:18
Antioch III against the Roman Empire.
"Ruler" = Lucius Cornelius, the Roman general.
The Romans humbled him (191) at Thermopylae and again at Magnesia (190).
Daniel 11:19a
Subsequently, Antiochus was forced to campaign within his own lands to stop his satraps from declaring themselves independent rulers.
Daniel 11:19b
"He shall stumble and fall, and shall not be found" = end of the period of greatness for the Seleucid Empire. (Compare Revelation 18:21; Jeremiah 51:64)
Ezekiel Chapter 38 and 39 = Daniel 11:45
1. Their geographical position is the same. "Gog's" country is in the north part in relation to the Holy Land; as it is written, "Thou shalt come from thy place out of the north parts". "Gog" is therefore "the king of the north", his place or country being there.
2. Both of them are adversaries of Israel and invaders of the Holy Land. The eleventh chapter of Daniel abundantly proves this in relation to "the king of the north"; and of "Gog", Yahoueh said: "Thou shalt come up against my people Israel, as a cloud to cover the land".
3. The time they invade the land is the same. "The king of the north" invades in the last days. Of "Gog" it is said: "It shall be in the latter days, and I will bring thee against my land".
4. The same peoples are named as components of their armies. The Libyans and Ethiopians are allies with "the king of the north"; and in the enumeration of Gog's forces, it says, "Persia, Ethiopia, and Libya with them".
Who is "Gog"? Which land is the land of "Magog"?
Some people think that "Gog" is the Devil. But does the context support this idea?
Ezekiel wrote that after "Gog's" last attack he will fall and then be buried by the people. (Ez.39:4,11) So there is no need to prove that "Gog" represents the Devil as we know that the devil does not have a body of flesh and bone and has no need for a grave. Thus, in actuality, whom does "Gog" symbolize?
"Gog" is the chief prince of Meschech and Tubal.
"Meshech, the sixth son of Japheth (Genesis 10:2) is the founder of a tribe (1 Chronicles 1:5; Ezekiel 27:13; 38:2,3). They were in all probability the Moschi people, inhabiting the Moschian Mountains, between the Black and the Caspian Seas. In Psalms 120:5 the name occurs simply as a synonym for foreigners or barbarians. "During the ascendency of the Babylonians and Persians in Western Asia, the Moschi were subdued; but it seems probable that a large number of them crossed the Caucasus range and spread over the northern steppes, mingling with the Scythians. There they became known as Muscovs and gave this name to the Russian nation and its ancient capital by which they are still generally known throughout the East" (Easton's Bible Dictionary).
Many ancient sources have clearly identified "Magog" as referring to the "Scythians".
One of the earliest references to Magog was made by Hesiod, "the father of Greek didactic poetry" who identified Magog with the Scythians and southern Russia in the 7th century B.C. Hesiod was a contemporary of Ezekiel.
Josephus Flavius clearly identified Magog. "Magog founded the Magogians, thus named after him, but who were by the Greeks called Scythians". (Josephus, Antiquities, 1.123; Jerome, Commentary on Ezekiel 38:2)
The Greek historian Herodotus wrote that in the fifth century B.C. the Scythians ruled from the Don River, in present southern Russia, to the Carpathian Mountains in central Europe.
Philo, is another historian in the first century A.D. who identified "Magog" with southern Russia.
Ancient authorities clearly identified the Scythians as the ancestors of the present day Russians.
However, even without that information, the identity of "Magog" is not too difficult to figure out. In Ezekiel 38:15, it says: "And thou shalt come from thy place out of the north parts, thou, and many people with thee". The "north parts" is literally the "extreme, or uttermost" parts of the north.
Who are "the kings of the north" and "south"?
Who are the "kings" of this chapter?
Daniel 11:2
Since the Prophecy was given in the third year of Cyrus (Daniel 10:1), the three kings that were to "stand up yet", that is, "after him", were Cambyses II, Smerdis the Magian imposter, Darius I Hystaspes.
The fourth king, Xerxes I, stirred up Persia against Greece, which he invaded in 480 B.C. but failed to conquer. Since prophecy touches only upon important events and characters, the remaining kings of Persia are omitted, and the prophecy jumps over nearly 150 years to the time of Alexander the Great 336-323 B.C.E.
Daniel 11:3,4
"A valiant king", Alexander the Great, whose kingdom after his death was divided into four parts.
1) Seleucus I - who began the Seleucid (Syrian) empire, from Turkey to India.
2) Cassander - who took over Macedonia (Greece).
3) Lysimachus - who took Thracia (between Greece and Turkey).
4) Ptolemy I - who ruled over Egypt.
Daniel 11:5
After the death of Alexander the Great in 323 B.C., the throne of Egypt fell to Ptolemy I Soter, the son of Lagus, the king of the south.
"One of his princes", Seleucus I, Nicator ["the king of the north"] also rose to power, and took over the region of Syria. He eventually became more powerful than his former Egyptian ruler.
Daniel 11:6
"The daughter of the king of the south" = Berenice II, daughter of Ptolemy II Philadelphus.
"The king of the north" = Antiochus II Theos.
Two years after the marriage, Berenice's father (Ptolemy Philadelphus) died.
Antiochus restored Laodice and put away Berenice.
He was then poisoned by Laodice.
Berenice fled with her children to Daphne where she was killed.
Daniel 11:7-9
A "branch of her roots" will come with an army. This was Berenice's brother, Ptolemy III Euregetes, "the king of the south".
"The king of the north" is Seleucus II Kallinikos, son of Laodice who was defeated in a later invasion of Egypt. He lost most of Asia Minor along with losing to the military expansion of Ptolemy III who put his mother, Laodice, to death.
Verse 9: "And [the king of the north] will enter into the kingdom of the king of the south, but will return to his own land". (literal translation)
Seleucus II, son of the deceased Laodice, sought revenge for the vengeance taken by Ptolemy III. "Justin says that he fitted out a great fleet, which was destroyed by a violent storm; and after this he raised a great army to recover his dominion, but was defeated by Ptolemy, and fled in great terror and trembling to Antioch" (Gill's Commentary).
Daniel 11:10-12
His ["the king of the north"] sons = Seleucus III Ceraunus and Antiochus III the Great.
"The king of the north" = Antiochus III, the Great.
"The king of the south" = Ptolemy IV Philopator.
Ptolemy IV defeated the much larger army of Antiochus III at the Battle of Raphia in 217.
Daniel 11:13-17
"The king of the south" = Ptolemy V Epiphanes.
"The king of the north" = Antiochus III.
Antiochus III gives his daughter Cleopatra I to Ptolemy V, in hopes of permanent influence in Egypt.
Verse 14a: "And in those times many will rise against the king of the south".
At this time, many of the Egyptians began rebelling against the ruling Grecian family and began rioting and defying them.
Verse 14b: "And the sons of the violent ones of your people shall rise up to establish the vision, but they shall stumble". (LIT)
This verse speaks of the violent sons of Daniel's nation. Many commentators suggest that these people will stand up against the king of the south, but this text foretells that these people will lift themselves up to establish the vision. They were called a violent people by Ezekiel who in this way described them as shedders of blood. (18:10a) The word vision [in Aramaic chezev; in Hebrew chazown] is used in the Book of Daniel e.g. in: 7:1,2,7,13,15; 8:1,2,13,15,17,26; 9:24; 10:14; 11:14. All of these visions prophecy of the future persecution of God's nation, that would be fulfilled in the distant future. (Daniel 8:17; 10:14)
What kind of violent people would lift themselves in the ancient time, to fulfill the inspired visions and prophecies before their time? The First Book of the Maccabees clearly indicates the Maccabees as being these violent people. (1:54; 6:7) Until now, many commentators believe that the Maccabees fulfilled the prophecies of the Book of Daniel. But Jesus said that the vision which concerns the abomination of desolation and the persecutions of God's nation will be fulfilled in the future. (Compare Matthew 24:15; Revelation 13:1-8)
Verse 11:16b "and he standeth in the desirable land, and it is wholly in his hand". (YLT)
After one hundred years, Palestine again changed hands. The Seleucid king, Antiochus III, took control of Palestine c. 200 B.C.E.
Daniel 11:18
Antioch III against the Roman Empire.
"Ruler" = Lucius Cornelius, the Roman general.
The Romans humbled him (191) at Thermopylae and again at Magnesia (190).
Daniel 11:19a
Subsequently, Antiochus was forced to campaign within his own lands to stop his satraps from declaring themselves independent rulers.
Daniel 11:19b
"He shall stumble and fall, and shall not be found" = end of the period of greatness for the Seleucid Empire. (Compare Revelation 18:21; Jeremiah 51:64)