Gog Will Be Defeated by Jesus: The Bible’s First Prophecy of Gog

Is Putin Gog? Is Russia Magog? Or is Russia Rosh? Is Ezekiel 38 and 39 being fulfilled before our eyes with the Russian invasion? In Cold War days the view that Russia and a Russian led coalition fit the bill was popular with many prophecy teachers and now that Russia has invaded Ukraine it’s gained steam again. A couple of high-profile Christian teachers have made comments that mainstream news outlets picked up. The question of the identity and timing of this coalition in Ezekiel can be easily identified by an unbiased reading of the chapters. Grammatical and historical evidence further solidifies the identity intended. Greater evidence is found when comparing the two chapters with other Biblical prophecies, but there’s a dead ringer clue to the identity of Gog in the Bible. In the passage there’s proof that Gog is the Antichrist and Gog will be defeated by Jesus. The Bible’s first prophecy of Gog isn’t in Ezekiel.

Yes, you read that correct—Gog is mentioned before Ezekiel 38 and 39.

Gog is first mentioned in Numbers 24. Unfortunately, you will not see it in any English Bible translation, and only in the Holman Christian Standard Bible will you see it as a footnote as an alternative reading based on earlier manuscripts.

And yes, you read that correct—older manuscripts have Gog in the text, but yet English translations have not adapted their interpretations.

I have spent years studying Scripture. Did my Bachelors and Masters degrees in Bible interpretation. Studied and taught prophecy for the past ten years—much of that time Ezekiel 38 and 39 was in the forefront. Yet, in all this time and effort I had never heard that the name Gog was mentioned earlier in the Bible.

Now, Ezekiel 38:17 makes the claim that Gog had been spoken of by prophets in the past, but I had concluded that this must have been prophets without book deals!

Here’s that claim from God through Ezekiel,

This is what the Sovereign Lord says: You are the one I spoke of in former days by my servants the prophets of Israel. At that time they prophesied for years that I would bring you against them.- Ezekiel 38:17 (NIV)

I only know about this pre-Ezekiel mention of Gog because of friend Nelson Walters sharing from Travis Snow’s book The Passover King. Much of the information below is from Travis’ book.

One would expect since God guided Ezekiel to say that Gog had been spoken of prior that it certainly would have been true and there would be evidence in earlier Scripture, and it was. Now as mentioned above, it was a prophet without a solo book deal who spoke of Gog first, but his words did make it into a compilation.

I don’t believe the written mention of Gog is the only time the name was spoken before Ezekiel’s time, but it is incredible that it’s found in the Word. As written earlier, unfortunately, this statement of Gog isn’t in English translations—none of them. Yet, ancient manuscripts do contain Gog.

This Scriptural reality is huge in helping there be accuracy in interpreting Bible prophecy—not just Ezekiel, but all Biblical prophecy.

The first recorded mention of Gog is found in Balaam’s third prophetic oracle, recorded in Numbers 24,

Water will flow from their buckets; their seed will have abundant water. “Their king will be greater than Agag;* their kingdom will be exalted.  – Numbers 24:7 (NIV)

Notice you didn’t read Gog—that’s because I quoted a direct English translation and again there’s no English version that states Gog, rather they state Agag.

The textual evidence is overwhelming that Gog should be the correct rendering. What I mean by textual evidence is that our English translations are translated from Hebrew and Greek manuscripts. The King James and earlier English translations relied heavily on an ancient manuscript referred to as the Masoretic text whether directly or via the Latin Vulgate. This is a Hebrew copy of the Old Testament Scriptures that began to be compiled at the end of the second century AD. The oldest existing full copy today dates back to the 11^th century.

Though the Masoretic manuscripts are reliable, archaeology has unearthed even older manuscripts. Newer English translations have leaned into these older manuscripts.

It’s in these older manuscripts that Gog is found in Numbers 24:7.

It’s found in:

• The Greek Septuagint from 200’s BC
• The Samaritan Pentateuch from 100’s BC
• Greek Theodotion Manuscript from 100’s AD
• Greek Symmachus from 100’s AD
• Old Latin from 100’s AD and predated the Latin Vulgate

For scholars this is a dead ringer for accepting Gog over Agag, but publishers work differently than scholars.

English Bible translations aren’t the only ones who fail when it comes to examining the far more ancient translations. Most all leading commentaries follow suit with the English translations.

Thankfully, a translator for the HCSB lobbied to have the change and at least was given a footnote. This translator Dr. Michael Rydelnik is quoted by Snow as having gained evidence to support the translation to include Gog, but the publisher did not want to take a stance so radically different from how it had always been understood.

Snow did quote one Hebrew scholar, William A. Tooman, who had written that not only did Gog have the manuscript support, but also made more sense in the context, as Agag does not fit the Messianic context of the prophecy.

The purpose of this article is to show the earlier manuscript support for Gog in Numbers 24:7, and there’s not room to show how this is a Messianic, end of the age prophecy.

The context of this prophecy is the nation of Israel being established and blessed forever—something that didn’t happen in David’s day and is associated with the age to come. Also, the word “seed” appears, connecting the prophecy to the conflict first prophesied in the Garden found in Genesis 3:15, as well as the promise of a seed being a blessing to the world in Genesis 12.

With that context in mind reexamine this foundational prophecy.

“Their [Israel’s] king [the Promised Messiah] will be greater than Gog; their [Israel] kingdom will be exalted.”

This points to a showdown with Israel’s Messiah—Jesus—with Gog.

Yes, you read that correct! In the Book of Numbers, we have a prophecy that John describes in detail in Revelation 19 and 20.

Therefore, early in Scripture, in the Bible’s First Prophecy of Gog, we find that Gog Will Be Defeated by Jesus.

Jake McCandless

Executive Director of Stand Firm and lead pastor of Epic Church NWA in Springdale, AR and multiple award-winning author, Jake has a B.A. in Bible and Pastoral Studies from Central Baptist College, and an Advanced Masters of Divinity from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. Former regular contributor to the Baptist Press and WND News with popular conservative voices such as Pat Buchanan, Ann Coulter, Ben Carson, Chuck Norris, Greg Laurie, Ben Schapiro, Joel Richardson, and others. He now is a weekly contributor for Israel, Islam, and the End Times and Armageddon News. He has authored books such as the, award-winning Spiritual Prepper from WND Books. Award-winning devotional books, Invincibleand For Uncertain Times, he authored the ground-breaking children’s book, Jesus and His White Horse from CrossLink Publishing. He is also a regular guest on national and international radio and streaming web shows, along with hosting his weekly live streaming program Talking Stand Firm and weekly podcast Stand Firm Parents.