John's apocalyptic visions in Revelation mirror and summarize the visions of Ezekiel in many ways.¹ This is particularly true of Ezekiel's vision of Gog, a prince of Magog in Ezekiel 38 and 39.² Ezekiel 38 describes an ancient conflict between Gog and Israel, which foreshadows³ the post-millennial battle of the great God⁴ described by John in Revelation 20:7-10.⁵ The symbols of war in Ezekiel 39 foreshadow the pre-millennial battle of Armageddon, which means that the chronological order of the two battles is reversed in the Book of Ezekiel. That is, the symbolism in Ezekiel 38 describes the battle of Gog and Magog after the millennium, while the symbolism in Ezekiel 39 describes the battle of Armageddon before the millennium.⁶

Many scholars believe that Ezekiel 39 is a continuation of the vision that begins in Ezekiel 38.⁷ This confusion exists because the two chapters have many common elements and mirror each other.⁸ However, as noted above, Ezekiel 39 is pre-millennium,⁹ and Ezekiel 38 is post-millennium.¹⁰ This is shown in the following comparative analysis of several key verses in chapters 38 and 39.¹¹

Ezekiel 38:4 describes the genocidal battle that the Lord allows Gog and Magog to wage¹² against the saints that live during the little season after the millennium.¹³ This timing at the end of the earth is certain because the Lord will completely destroy the armies of Gog.¹⁴ Ezekiel 39:2, by contrast, describes Armageddon before the millennium when a sixth part of Gog's army will survive.¹⁵ Some manuscripts identify the sixth part as six plagues.¹⁶ The number six (6) is a symbolically evil or imperfect number because it falls one short of the perfect number seven (7).¹⁷ The sixth part or six plagues in Ezekiel 39:2 symbolically show that the destruction of Gog is not complete.¹⁸ This clearly corresponds with Armageddon because Satan's army of unembodied spirit sons of perdition will not be fully defeated, and will fight again when loosed from the bottomless pit during the little season at the end of the millennium.¹⁹

Ezekiel 38:8 states that after "many days ... in the latter years [Gog] shalt come into the land that is brought back from the sword."²⁰ This verse describes Gog's post-millennial battle during the little season since it describes a second attack by Gog after Gog's sword first lays waste to the earth that is then brought back. In other words, after the earth is laid waste by the armies of Armageddon, it will become the land that recovers or is brought back from the sword when the earth is transfigured to its paradisiacal glory at the Second Coming.²¹ After the earth recovers during the millennium, Gog's second sword strikes again in the latter years of the little season as described in Ezekiel 38.

Ezekiel 38:11 states that Gog will enter "the land of unwalled villages ... to them that are at rest, that dwell safely, all of them dwelling without walls, and having neither bars nor gates."²² This clearly describes the peaceful and paradisiacal conditions of the millennium²³ when there is no war because the people beat their swords into plowshares and they have no reason for the defenses symbolized by walled cities.²⁴ Thus, in Ezekiel 38:11, Gog makes war when the millennial earth is at peace.²⁵ This cannot describe an attack by Gog during Armageddon before the millennium because there will be no peace on earth before Armageddon begins.²⁶

Turning now to the pre-millennial war of Armageddon described in Ezekiel 39, verse 4 states that the dead bodies from Gog's army will fall upon the mountains of Israel to be devoured by ravenous birds and beasts of the field.²⁷ This scene from Ezekiel 39 corresponds to the supper of the Great God described by John in Revelation 19:17-18. These verses correspond to the end of Armageddon at the time of the Second Coming.²⁸ Such a supper cannot occur after Gog's battle during the little season because fire from heaven will devour the armies of Gog at the end of the little season,²⁹ leaving nothing for scavengers to feast on. Furthermore, all beasts of prey will become herbivores during the millennium, which means there won't be any flesh-eating scavengers to devour the bodies of the dead at the post-millennial end of the earth.³⁰

Ezekiel 39:9-10 also describes the righteous survivors of Armageddon that will burn their weapons from that war for seven years³¹ and bury the wicked dead for seven months.³² Once again, this cannot describe the battle of the great God after the millennium because the earth will die when that war ends and no mortals will be left alive on earth to bury the dead or their weapons.³³ These verses from the Book of Ezekiel also illustrate the apparent truth that the regeneration of the telestial earth into a terrestrial paradise could takes years after Christ's Second Coming.

Finally, Ezekiel 39:25-29 states that Israel will be gathered to dwell in peace with Christ on earth after Gog's battle against Israel.³⁴ This clearly describes the peaceful conditions of the millennium after the battle of Armageddon.³⁵ By way of contrast, when the post-millennial battle of the great God ends during the little season the entire earth will be consumed and pass away. This precludes the possibility of an era of peace on earth among mortal people after the little season at the end of the earth.³⁶