Expositor's Bible Commentary Commentary Revelation 20:8

"and shall come forth to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to the war: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea." — Revelation 20:8 (ASV)

The fifth last thing is the defeat of Satan. In v.3 the release of Satan after the Millennium was anticipated: “He must [GK 1256] be set free for a short time.” Why “must” he once again be released? The answer is so that he can “deceive the nations” throughout the world and lead them into conflict against “God’s people.” But why should God allow this? Certainly if a human being alone were prophetically writing the history of the world, he or she would not bring the archdeceiver back after the glorious reign of Christ in vv.1–6. But God’s thoughts and ways are not ours (Isaiah 55:8). Ezekiel’s vision of Gog brought out of the land of Magog seems to be clearly in John’s mind (Ezekiel 38–39). Gog refers to the prince of a host of pagan invaders from the North, especially the Scythian hordes from the distant land of Magog. Here in Rev 20, however, the names are symbolic of the final enemies of Christ duped by Satan into attacking the community of the saints. The change in meaning has occurred historically through the frequent use in rabbinic circles of the expression “Gog and Magog” to refer to the rebellious nations spoken of in Ps 2.

If the beast and his armies are already destroyed (19:19ff.), who are these rebellious nations? It may be that the beast and his armies in the earlier context refer to the demonic powers and those in 20:7ff. to human nations in rebellion— not an unlikely solution (see comments on 19:19ff.)—or it may be that not all the people in the world will participate in the beast’s armies and thus those mentioned here in v.8 refer to other people who during the millennial reign defected in their hearts from the Messiah. In any case, this section shows something of the deep, complex nature of evil. The fundamental source of rebellion against God does not lie in our environment or with the devil but springs up from deep within a person’s own heart. The return of Satan will demonstrate this in the most dramatic manner once for all. The temporal reign of Christ will not be fulfilled till this final challenge to his kingdom occurs and he demonstrates the power of his victory at the Cross and puts down all his enemies (1 Corinthians 15:25).

The gathered army, which is extensive and worldwide, advances and in siege fashion encircles the “camp of God’s people, the city he loves.” Most commentators take the expressions “camp” and “city” as different metaphors for God’s people. “Camp” (GK 4213) in the NT refers to either a military camp or the camp of Israel (Acts 21:34, 37; 22:24; Hebrews 11:34; 13:11, 13). It reminds us of the pilgrim character of the people of God even at the end of the Millennium, as long as evil is active in God’s creation. The “city he loves” presents more difficulty. Following standard Jewish eschatology, many understand this as a reference to the physically restored and spiritually renewed city of Jerusalem. On the other hand, John may have intended to refer merely to the community of the redeemed without any specific geographical location in mind. This would be in harmony with his previous references to the city elsewhere in the book (cf. comments on 3:12; 11:2, 8). There are only two cities or kingdoms in the Apocalypse: the city of Satan, where the beast and harlot are central, and the city of God, where God and the Lamb are central. This city, then, is the kingdom of God in its millennial manifestation; it is the same city that appears in its final, most glorious form in the last chapters (21–22). Wherever God dwells among his people, there the city of God is (21:2–3).

The swiftness and finality of the divine judgment (v.9) emphasize the reality of the victory of Christ at the Cross. The fire imagery may reflect Ezekiel’s vision of the destruction of Gog (Ezekiel 38:22; Ezekiel 39:6). It is God, not the saints, who destroys the enemy (cf. comment on 19:19). The devil is now dealt the longawaited final and fatal blow (Genesis 3:15). The “lake of fire” imagery is probably related to the teaching of Jesus about hell (7:19; 10:28; 13:49–50; see comment on Mk 9:48). This figure intensifies the idea of the permanency of judgment (cf. comment on 14:11; 20:11–15; 21:8). That the beast and false prophet are already there does not argue for their individuality, since later “death” and “Hades,” nonpersonal entities, are personified and cast into the same lake of fire (v.14).