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The Post-Millennial Test of All MankindGod’s Kingdom of a Thousand Years Has Approached
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and he will go out to mislead those nations in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together for the war. The number of these is as the sand of the sea.
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The Post-Millennial Test of All MankindGod’s Kingdom of a Thousand Years Has Approached
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By making war upon this “beloved city” Satan the Devil aims at undoing all this good that the New Jerusalem has wrought. He does not want these benefits to remain with mankind forever. Being restrained to the earth’s vicinity, with no place for him any longer up in heaven out of which he and his demons have been cast, he cannot get directly at the “beloved city” up there. So he wars against it to the extent of trying to bring to nothing all the righteousness that it has established on the earth.
11. (a) How will the “war” then be carried on? (b) How is, not God’s almightiness, but the rightness of his universal sovereignty, shown to be the issue?
11 It is hardly to be expected that this “war” will be carried on with the scientific weapons such as the nuclear bombs and other implements of warfare of this twentieth century. The inhabitants of the earth during the millennium will not have stockpiled such weapons or have learned such war anymore. (Isaiah 2:2-4) It will not be a warfare of military might of that sort. Deceit, misleading propaganda, appeals to selfishness in disloyalty to the Universal Sovereign could be mighty weapons with which to overcome people. That the issue will be over the rightfulness of Jehovah’s universal sovereignty rather than God’s almightiness is shown in that Satan’s being imprisoned a thousand years in the abyss and now being released proves God’s superior might in comparison with the power of Satan the Devil. Still a rebel himself against Jehovah’s sovereignty, he is intent on making mankind rebels likewise.
EXTENT OF THE POST-MILLENNIAL REBELLION
12. What is indicated by the fact that those whom Satan misleads are said to be “as the sand of the sea”?
12 The number of those whom Satan and his demons succeed in misleading on the prime issue is said to be “as the sand of the sea,” that is to say, appearing to be numberless. (Revelation 20:8) This by no means signifies the vast majority of mankind. For instance, the combined armies that warred against Judge Joshua were said to be as numerous as the grains of sand of the seashore. (Joshua 11:4) The camels of the enemies who invaded the land of Israel in the days of Gideon the son of Joash were said to be “without number, as numerous as the grains of sand that are on the seashore.” (Judges 7:12) So, too, those who will be misled by Satan are an indefinite number, how many of them not being foretold, but enough of them to make an impression as of a large crowd. So Satan the Devil has only limited success.
13. Is the appearing on the Paradise earth of “those nations in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog,” by a resurrection?
13 Those whom Satan succeeds in misleading are spoken of as “those nations in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog.” Their appearing on the Paradise earth is not by a resurrection of the dead including the “unrighteous” ones, but is as a result of Satan’s misleading an unpredicted number of restored mankind.
14. In what sense, then, can they be called “nations,” and in what way can they be said to be “in the four corners of the earth”?
14 During the millennial Judgment Day there have been no national divisions of mankind, nor has the judgment of the people been influenced by any national extractions. The fact that these who are misled by the loosed Satan are called “nations” indicates that, like Satan, they refuse to recognize Jehovah’s universal sovereignty and that they choose to establish an earthly sovereignty of their own, like a national sovereignty. They may not have a united sovereignty over them, but, because of division among themselves, they may have group sovereignties. However that may be, they are all united in being against Jehovah’s sovereignty. Their being called “those nations in the four corners of the earth” suggests that they are far away from the “beloved city.” Hence, in their attitude toward sovereignty, the misled ones have moved far away from sovereignty by Jehovah God. Jehovah God does not become “all things to everyone” in their case.
15, 16. (a) In what ways are those misled nationalistic ones like “Gog and Magog” as respects timing of matters and the object of attack? (b) How are those misled ones also like Gog in being maneuvered by Jehovah into making their attack?
15 These misled nationalistic ones are called “Gog and Magog” quite appropriately. In the case of the original “Gog of the land of Magog,” as foretold in Ezekiel’s prophecy, he made a final attack upon the worshipers of Jehovah God. He did so after these worshipers had been restored to their proper earthly estate and their land had become like the “garden of Eden.” (Ezekiel 36:35) They were dwelling as in “open rural country” and “having no disturbance, dwelling in security, all of them dwelling without wall” and not having “even bar and doors.” (Ezekiel 38:11) Also, the people of the “land of Magog” backed their head chieftain in making this attack upon the seemingly defenseless worshipers of Jehovah. But Gog comes to the attack from far off really because, as Jehovah says: “I shall certainly turn you around and put hooks in your jaws and bring you forth with all your military force, . . . In the final part of the years you will come to the land of people brought back.”—Ezekiel 38:4-8.
16 Those misled by Satan the Devil after the millennial Judgment Day is over will follow this invisible chieftain who has just been released by Jehovah God from the abyss for the very purpose of letting him make an attack upon restored mankind. In being let loose from the abyss Satan the Devil and his demons are allowed to invade the vicinity of the earth again and be in close contact with mankind on the Paradise earth now like the Garden of Eden. So in making his attack, the released Satan the Devil is as if being led along by hooks in his jaws under the maneuvering of Jehovah. And the ones on earth who are now misled by Satan the Devil are, like him, led along as by hooks in their jaws to make this attack upon the “camp of the holy ones and the beloved city.” (Revelation 20:7-9) So the names of Gog and Magog can fittingly be appropriated and applied to these misled nationalistic ones of mankind who assail and try to despoil those who loyally adhere to the universal sovereignty of Jehovah God.
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