Gog

Gog appears in two distinct biblical contexts. (1.) A Reubenite, the son of Shemaiah and father of Shimei, mentioned in the genealogy of 1 Chronicles 5:4. (2.) The central figure of Ezekiel's eschatological prophecy (Ezek. 38–39): the prince of Meshech and Tubal, from the "land of Magog," who leads a great multinational coalition against restored Israel in the latter days. God brings Gog against Israel to defeat him utterly and demonstrate his holiness before the nations, with the aftermath involving seven months of burying the dead (Ezek. 39:12). The name Gog and Magog reappear in Revelation 20:8 as symbolic names for the nations Satan gathers for the final rebellion at the end of the millennium. Attempts to identify the historical Gog with specific nations (Scythians, Russians, etc.) remain speculative.