Many Bible scholars, both past and present, believe Gog and the Antichrist are one and the same. Likewise, the Gog-Magog war in Ezekiel 38-39 is the same as the Campaign of Armageddon and occurs at the end of Daniel’s 70th ‘week’ (aka the Day of the LORD or the Tribulation) before the Second Coming of Jesus.
I recently wrote a two-part series, “Is the Gog-Magog War Armageddon?” in which I presented multiple reasons why I don’t believe they are the same event or war. In this article, I would like to focus on the main reason I believe Gog and the Antichrist are not the same person: their different fates at the end of these wars.
Ezekiel 39:4 & 11 says Gog and his multitude will be killed and buried in Israel. They will even name the area where he is buried after him. On the other hand, the Antichrist and the false prophet are both captured and “cast alive into the lake of fire burning with brimstone,” according to Revelation 19:20.
There appears to be some consternation regarding the Antichrist being thrown alive into the lake of fire, when there are several passages of scripture (both Old and New Testaments) stipulating the Antichrist will be killed when Christ returns at the end of the Tribulation. Two examples are Daniel 7:11 and 2 Thessalonians 2:8.
“I beheld then because of the voice of the great words which the horn spake: I beheld even till the beast was slain, and his body destroyed, and given to the burning flame” (Daniel 7:11).
“Then the lawless one will be revealed, and the Lord Jesus will slay him by the breath of his mouth and destroy him by the splendor of his coming” (2 Thessalonians 2:8).
We know scripture cannot contradict scripture, so I believe Dr. Arnold Fruchtenbaum has the best explanation for this seeming contradiction. He believes the Antichrist will be resurrected at the time of his death and then be cast alive into the Lake of Fire. I agree with this view, as it is the only one that allows for both of these things to be true.
Hell (Hades, Sheol, or the Pit) is the abode for the souls of those who reject God and His word. These rebellious souls will remain in Hell until the end of the Millennial Kingdom. They will then partake in the Great White Throne Judgment mentioned in Revelation 20:12-13. Afterward, these souls will be joined with their resurrected eternal bodies. This is known as the Second Resurrection. See Resurrection of the Dead and the Book of Life :: By Randy Nettles – Rapture Ready for more information. They will then enter their final abode for all eternity – the Lake of Fire.
Note: “The purpose of the Great White Throne Judgment is not to determine whether they were saved or unsaved; that is determined forever upon death. The purpose of this Great White Throne Judgment is to determine the degree of punishment because some will suffer more severely than others.” {1}
The Antichrist and false prophet will be killed (at the Second Coming) and then resurrected so that they can go straight into the Lake of Fire. Of course, at the moment of resurrection, they will both be alive. They will bypass the grave and Hell and go directly to their eternal destination. They do not even have to go in front of the Great White Throne Judgment, as their judgment will have already been determined, and it will be the most severe of all (for humans).
We know the first resurrection applies to the resurrection of all the righteous, and it comes in different stages. Dr. Fruchtenbaum writes, “The term ‘the second resurrection’ applies to the resurrection of all the damned, and this, too, will come in stages. Jesus was the firstfruits of the first resurrection. The irony to be found here is that he (the A.C.), who would be the counterfeit son, will be allowed to act out the counterfeit role to completion by becoming the firstfruits of the second resurrection. But the result of his resurrection will be the Lake of Fire.” {2}
Fruchtenbaum also says that “it is for this reason (being resurrected) that Isaiah 14:20 declared that the body of the Antichrist will never see burial.” “Thou shalt not be joined with them in burial, because thou hast destroyed thy land, and slain thy people: the seed of evildoers shall never be renowned” (Isaiah 14:20). I agree with Arnold that the Antichrist will never be buried (as Gog is); however, I disagree with his view that the Antichrist is the main focus of Isaiah 14, as the king of Babylon, as we will examine in the rest of this article.
ISAIAH 14 – THE KING OF BABYLON
Let’s examine the order of events in Isaiah 13-14. Isaiah 13 is a prophecy about the end-times Babylonian system that will occur during the Day of the Lord (Daniel’s 70th week, or the seven-year Tribulation). Isaiah 14:1-3 describes Israel in the millennial kingdom.
Isaiah 14:4 mentions a “king of Babylon” and his demise. “That thou shalt take up this proverb against the king of Babylon, and say, ‘How hath the oppressor ceased! The golden city ceased!’” Verses 9-11 describe his entrance into hell and being greeted by other kings who had previously reigned on the earth and were now in hell.
“Hell from beneath is moved for thee to meet thee at thy coming: it stirreth up the dead for thee, even all the chief ones of the earth; it hath raised up from their thrones all the kings of the nations. All they shall speak and say unto thee, Art thou also become weak as we? Art thou become like unto us? Thy pomp is brought down to the grave, and the noise of thy viols: the worm is spread under thee, and the worms cover thee” (Isaiah 14:9-11).
Isaiah 14:12-17 then describes Lucifer’s (Satan, the Devil) fall from heaven. “How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north:
I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the Most High. Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit. They that see thee shall narrowly look upon thee, and consider thee, saying, Is this the man that made the earth to tremble, that did shake kingdoms. That made the world as a wilderness, and destroyed the cities thereof; that opened not the house of his prisoners?” (Isaiah 14:12-17).
There have been many views among scholars over the centuries regarding who the “king of Babylon” is in Isaiah 14. Many believe it is Satan himself. Others see him as the future Antichrist. Still others see him as a past king of Babylon, such as Nebuchadnezzar or Belshazzar.
I think GotQuestions.org, in one of its articles, has the correct interpretation of who the “king of Babylon” is in Isaiah 14. “We believe the best way to look at Isaiah 14 is as a dual condemnation against both the human king of Babylon and the spiritual force behind him (Satan). They are both facing God’s judgment for their pride and wickedness. The human king had occupied a glorious throne in this world—he was a “star” among rulers—and the spiritual entity had occupied a glorious position in the heavenlies—a true “Lucifer,” or “star of the morning.” {3}
SATAN – THE SPIRITUAL KING OF BABYLON.
With this interpretation, Isaiah 14:4-17 describes Lucifer’s entrance into Hell after Christ’s Second Coming, when he is cast into the bottomless pit (Hell) for a thousand years, according to Revelation 20:1-3. Isaiah 12-17 tells exactly who this true King of Babylon is …and it’s not the Antichrist. It is his master, Satan (or Lucifer). He is the true king of Babylon. Babylon embodies human ambition, defiance, and rebellion against God (beginning with the Tower of Babel), which is instigated by Satan.
Even though verse 16 refers to Satan as a ‘man,’ the Hebrew word (transliteration) ‘ish’ (G376) can also be translated as ‘champion’ or ‘one.’ So that verse could say “Is this the one that made the earth to tremble…” This Hebrew word is translated as ‘one’ 188 times in the KJV.
Satan definitely “made the world as a wilderness” as mentioned in verse 17a. He also “opened not the House of his prisoners,” as mentioned in verse 17b. These prisoners are the unrighteous who have listened to Satan’s lies and are stuck in prison, hell, awaiting their final judgment.
THE HUMAN KING OF BABYLON
Starting with verse 18 (and ending in v. 27), Isaiah’s prophecy, which had focused upon Satan in hell, now focuses on a human king of Babylon and his reception by other kings who have ‘passed’ as they greet him in hell (Sheol, the great pit at the center of the earth). There are many theories by many scholars about this king’s identity (besides the A.C.). The one whom I believe is the best choice for the human “king of Babylon” is well known in academic circles as a possible candidate.
In this article, I merely expound upon reasons why I think this individual fulfills several of the remaining verses in Isaiah 14, but first, let’s examine the history and timeline of the events of Isaiah’s book.
God commissioned Isaiah as a prophet in 740 BC, in the year that King Uzziah died, as recorded in Isaiah 6. It had been over two centuries since Israel split up into two kingdoms (the tribes of Judah and Benjamin became the southern kingdom of Judah, and the remaining ten tribes became the northern kingdom of Israel). Most scholars believe Isaiah wrote the book of Isaiah between 700 and 681 BC, when Assyria (not Babylon) was the dominant world power. Isaiah began his prophetic ministry over 100 years before Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Daniel became prophets. They mostly prophesied about the coming judgments against Judah and the surrounding nations.
Isaiah 14 through 23 refer to God’s judgment against the heathen nations that surrounded Israel and Judah. God used Assyria as a weapon to accomplish his judgment on these heathen nations (and also Israel, and to a smaller degree Judah). He would later use Babylon to carry out his judgment against the nations and Judah, as recorded by Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Daniel.
Isaiah used the term ‘Assyrian’ or ‘the Assyrian’ nine times in the book of Isaiah to refer to the Assyrian king, or the people or army of Assyria. In my opinion, it is never used to refer to the Antichrist.
“O Assyrian, the rod of mine anger, and the staff in their hand is mine indignation. I will send him against a hypocritical nation, and against the people of my wrath will I give him a charge, to take the spoil, and to take the prey, and to tread them down like the mire of the streets. Howbeit he meaneth not so, neither doth his heart think so; but it is in his heart to destroy and cut off nations not a few” (Isaiah 10:5-7).
The three-year siege and subsequent conquest of Samaria (the capital of Israel) and the kingdom of Israel by Assyria are described in 2 Kings 17. “Then the king of Assyria (Shalmaneser V) came up throughout all the land, and went up to Samaria, and besieged it three years. In the ninth year of Hoshea, the king of Assyria took Samaria, and carried Israel away into Assyria, and placed them in Halah and in Habor by the river of Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes. For so it was that the children of Israel had sinned against the LORD their God” (2 Kings 17:5-7).
The ten tribes of Israel were then exiled to various parts of the Assyrian Empire. The siege began in 725 BC and ended in 722 BC. Babylon was under Assyrian control at this time. Judah, the Southern Kingdom, remained independent but was under constant threat from Assyrian expansion.
Shalmaneser V, King of Assyria, was deposed or assassinated in 722 BC and replaced as king by Sargon II. “In 705 BC, Sargon II led the Assyrian army on a campaign against King Gurdî of Tabal in central Anatolia. The campaign was disastrous, resulting in the defeat of the Assyrian army and the death of Sargon II, whose corpse the Anatolians carried off. In Mesopotamian mythology, the afterlife suffered by those who died in battle and were not buried was a curse, being doomed to suffer like beggars for eternity.
In 704 BC, Sargon’s son, Sennacherib, became king of Assyria. The reaction to his father’s fate was to distance himself from Sargon. Frahm characterized Sennacherib’s reaction as “one of almost complete denial,” writing that Sennacherib “apparently felt unable to acknowledge and mentally deal with what had happened to Sargon.” Sennacherib immediately abandoned Sargon’s great new capital city, Dur-Sharrukin, and moved the capital to Nineveh instead. Sennacherib spent much time and effort to rid the empire of Sargon’s imagery.” {4}
Sennacherib’s invasion of Judah in 701 BC is found in Isaiah 36-37. “Now it came to pass in the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah, that Sennacherib, king of Assyria, came up against all the fortified cities of Judah, and took them” (Isaiah 36:1).
The fate of Sennacherib’s siege of Jerusalem is found in Isaiah 37. “For I will defend this city to save it for mine own sake, and for my servant David’s sake. Then the angel of the Lord went forth, and smote in the camp of the Assyrians a hundred and fourscore and five thousand: and when they arose early in the morning, behold, they were all corpses.
The ultimate fate of Sennacherib is also found in Isaiah 37. So Sennacherib, king of Assyria, departed and went and returned, and dwelt at Nineveh. And it came to pass, as he was worshipping in the house of Nisroch his god, that Adrammelech and Sharezer his sons smote him with the sword; and they escaped into the land of Armenia: and Esarhaddon his son reigned in his stead” (Isaiah 37:35-38).
There is no direct Assyrian literary record describing Sennacherib’s burial, unlike his accomplishments. It could be that since his two sons assassinated him, he suffered the same ignominious fate as his father and was not buried in a royal tomb or grave. This would fulfill the prophecy of Isaiah 14:19-20, “But thou art cast out of thy grave like an abominable branch, and as the raiment of those that are slain, thrust through with a sword, that go down to the stones of the pit; as a carcass trodden under feet.
The terminology, “But thou art cast out of thy grave,” could mean that he was not suffered to be put into it, or to have a burial, at least not to be laid in the grave designed for him.
ISAIAH 14:19-27
Many scholars believe that Isaiah 14 does not refer to a Babylonian king but rather to an Assyrian king (more specifically, Sargon II or Sennacherib) who also ruled in Babylon, died in war or by assassination, and never received a proper burial meant for a king.
John Walvoord believed that the King of Babylon in Isaiah 14:4 refers to Sennacherib. I agree with Mr. Walvoord’s assessment. “He was actually the king of Assyria, but when he conquered Babylon, he effectively became the king of Babylon as well.” {5}
However, some believe Sargon II is the one called the “king of Babylon” in v. 4, because from 710–707 BCE, he ruled from Babylon and even reckoned his ‘regnal year’ accordingly. Sargon was definitely not properly buried, befitting a King. Sargon is mentioned in Isaiah 20:1. Personally, I believe Sennacherib is a better candidate for the human king of ‘Babylon’ in Isaiah 14.
THE DESTRUCTION OF BABYLON BY THE ASSYRIANS IN 689 BC
The fifteen-month siege and subsequent destruction of Babylon in 689 BC by the Assyrian king Sennacherib are mentioned in Isaiah 14:22-24. Verse 22 says, “For I will rise up against them, saith the Lord of hosts, and cut off from Babylon the name, and remnant, and son, and nephew, saith the Lord.” Part of Sennacherib’s own account of the destruction reads, “Into my land I carried off alive Mušēzib-Marduk, king of Babylonia, together with his family and officials.” {6}
Isaiah 14:23 says, “I will also make it a possession for the bittern, and pools of water: and I will sweep it with the besom of destruction, saith the Lord of hosts.” Again, part of Sennacherib’s own account of the destruction reads, “I dug canals through the midst of that city, I overwhelmed it with water, I made its very foundations disappear, and I destroyed it more completely than a devastating flood. So that it might be impossible in future days to recognize the site of that city and its temples, I utterly dissolved it with water and made it like an inundated land.” {7}
I believe Isaiah 14:25 identifies the human king of Babylon in the preceding verses (18-24). He is also the king of Assyria. “That I will break the Assyrian in my land, and upon my mountains tread him under foot: then shall his yoke depart from off them, and his burden depart from off their shoulders.” These words found their fulfillment in the destruction of Sennacherib’s army, as recorded in Isaiah 37:36. The ‘mountains’ are the hills around Jerusalem on which the army of the Assyrians was encamped and destroyed by the angel of the Lord.
Isaiah 21 records Babylon’s fall in 689 BC. “Babylon is fallen, is fallen; and all the graven images of her gods he hath broken unto the ground” (Isaiah 21:9). Once again, in Sennacherib’s own words, “The hands of my people laid hold of the gods dwelling there and smashed them; they took their property and goods.” {8}
Revelation 14:8 and 18:2 describe the future end-time destruction of Babylon. “And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird” (Revelation 18:2).
Perhaps the reason the repetitive phrase “Babylon is fallen, is fallen” is worded as it is (in both the Old and New Testaments) is that Babylon is destined to be destroyed twice in history.
THE CONQUEST OF BABYLON IN 539 BC BY THE MEDO-PERSIAN EMPIRE
Eventually, the Babylonian Empire conquered the Assyrian Empire, and by 609 BC, the Assyrian state ended and has never been restored (unlike Israel). Babylon was, in turn, eventually conquered (but not destroyed) by the Medes and Persians in 539 BC. According to historical accounts, Cyrus’s army diverted the Euphrates River, allowing his soldiers to enter the city through the dried-up riverbed. They captured Babylon and killed King Belshazzar that night before his defenders knew what had happened. This historical and biblical event is recorded in Daniel 5.
The conquest of Babylon by the Medes in 539 BC is also recorded in Jeremiah 51. “Babylon is suddenly fallen and destroyed: howl for her; take balm for her pain, if so be she may be healed. We would have healed Babylon, but she is not healed”(Jeremiah 51:8). The city of Babylon was not destroyed at this time, as it was in 689 BC by the Assyrians, but the Babylonian Empire was effectively ‘destroyed’ at this time as a world power.
CONCLUSION
So, to recap, Gog and the Antichrist cannot be the same person, as they have two different fates. Gog and his multitudes shall be killed and buried in graves in Israel, according to Ezekiel 39:4, 11. Gog’s body will be buried in a grave, and his soul will go to Hell, where he awaits his judgment at the Great White Throne Judgment.
The Antichrist will be killed by Jesus when He returns to the Earth (Second Coming), according to 2 Thessalonians 2:8 and other scriptures. “Then the lawless one will be revealed, and the Lord Jesus will slay him by the breath of his mouth and destroy him by the splendor of his coming.” The Greek word (transliteration) katargeó (translated as ‘destroy’ in this version) can also be translated as “to be severed from, separated from, pass away, or to be deprived of force or influence.”
This verse indicates Christ will kill the Antichrist, and then he will be ‘destroyed’ or will ‘pass away’ (from his earthly existence) by being cast alive into the Lake of Fire.
Remember our earlier discussion regarding the seeming contradiction of the Antichrist (and the false prophet) being killed or being cast alive into the Lake of Fire. Revelation 19:19-21 says, “And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse, and against his army. And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image.
These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone. And the remnant were slain with the sword of him that sat upon the horse, which sword proceeded out of his mouth: and all the fowls were filled with their flesh” (Revelation 19:19-21).
Since scripture cannot contradict scripture, it is apparent that the Antichrist (and the false prophet) will be killed. However, they will both be resurrected (the Second Resurrection) with new eternal bodies, and then they will be cast alive into the Lake of Fire (the Second Death). They are the only two human unbelievers in the history of mankind who will enter the Lake of Fire without being judged at the Great White Throne Judgment.
The Antichrist and the false prophet, unlike Gog, will not be buried in a grave or see Hell. After death, they will bypass these two abodes (one for the body and one for the soul) and go straight to the Lake of Fire.
The next event recorded in the Bible is Satan’s incarceration in Hell. “And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years, and cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled” (Revelation 20:1-3).
Satan’s entrance into Hell is also recorded in Isaiah 14:9-15. “Hell from beneath is moved for thee to meet thee at thy coming: it stirreth up the dead for thee, even all the chief ones of the earth; it hath raised up from their thrones all the kings of the nations. [Satan said] I will be like the Most High. Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit” (Isaiah 9,15).
Sargon II, Sennacherib, Nebuchadnezzar, Belshazzar, and even Gog (all believers in Satan’s lies that they could be as God) will be there to meet Satan, but not the Antichrist and the false prophet, for they will be in the Lake of Fire awaiting his arrival there. They have a long wait, for he will not get there for a thousand years (plus a little season). Of course, when compared to eternity, what is a thousand years?
Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
Randy Nettles
You searched for randy nettles – Rapture Ready – archived articles
***
Endnotes:
{1} The Footsteps of the Messiah by Dr. Arnold Fruchtenbaum – pg. 756
{2} Ibid – pg. 363
{3} Is Lucifer Satan? Does the fall of Lucifer describe Satan? | GotQuestions.org
{5} Every Prophecy In The Bible, by John Walvoord
{7} Ibid
{8} Journal of Cuneiform Studies (referenced from Brinkman, J. A. (1973). “Sennacherib’s Babylonian Problem: An Interpretation”