Anyone who tries to interpret apocalyptic prophecies can easily get tangled up in a web of dubious theories, lured on by a certain obsession with sensationalism.

The name Gog means roof dweller, derived from the Hebrew word for roof, gog. The name Magog thus means Great Gog, which refers to a great dictatorial empire that will rule over other empires as an umbrella organization or, literally, “great roof.”

This is also how Gog and Magog are described in Revelation 20:8. We read that after the 1,000- year kingdom of peace, Satan will once again deceive all the nations of the earth and unite them under the leadership of Gog and Magog for a final battle against the saints of God.

It remains to be seen whether, and to what extent, the name Magog, mentioned in the list of nations in Genesis 10, has something to do with the apocalyptic pronouncements regarding Gog and Magog in Ezekiel 38 and 39 and Revelation 20:8. As the sons of Japheth (Noah’s third son) are listed among the nations as the Japhethites, beginning with Gomer and Magog, some interpreters believe that Gomer is a term for the Germanic peoples as they see in Gomer the linguistic root for Germania. This view is supported by the fact that the son of Gomer is called “Ashkenaz”—a modern day name for people of German origin. The Jews from a German-speaking background are also known as Ashkenazim.

Gog is also equated with the Cimmerians, an equestrian people that in 1600 BC advanced from the Ukraine via Macedonia, Northern Italy and Bavaria into the Rhine valley. In 600 BC they ceased to exist as an independent nation, so the Nazis concluded that the Cimmerians, as the descendants of Gomer, are the ancestors of the pure-blooded Germans.

The Jewish historian Flavius Josephus (37-105 AD) believed that Magog is the Scythians, who lived in the Caucasus. In Josephus’ day they were called Ashkenaz, which, as we said, refers to the son of Gomer. However, the Syrians referred to India as Magog in ancient times.