The shameful burial place of the Antichrist
Another somewhat common idea that I have seen passed around prophecy circles for years is the notion that the “Gog” of Ezekiel 38,39 cannot be the Antichrist because Gog receives a burial and Antichrist does not. This idea comes from a surface reading of the two following passages:
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 carcase trodden under feet. 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 14:19,10
And it shall come to pass in that day, [that] I will give unto Gog a place there of graves in Israel, the valley of the passengers on the east of the sea: and it shall stop the [noses] of the passengers: and there shall they bury Gog and all his multitude: and they shall call [it] The valley of Hamongog. Ezekiel 38:11
So, it is clear that Gog will be buried. But is Isaiah really claiming that the Antichrist will never be buried? Is there really a conflict here? Not at all. In order to understand what this passage is saying, one must simply read the whole context.
So, lets look briefly at Isaiah 17: It is a poetic / prophetic dirge against the King of Babylon / Assyrian / Antichrist.
The Antichrist first claims that he would make his throne on the Mountain of God (Ie. the Temple Mount, where God’s Temple or “seat” was) but instead, God declares that he would find his “seat” on the side of the pit of hell instead:
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… Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit. Isaiah 14:13, 15
This final resting place in hell is then contrasted with his actual physical burial that would be one of utter shame. In ancient times, wealthy families shared a family sepulchre. These were cave-like burial places. Bodies were given their proper place along the sides of the sepulchre. Not entirely unlike a modern mausoleum. In this passage, shame is being cast upon the Antichrist. God informs the Antichrist that unlike the other kings of the earth, the Antichrist will not be buried in his family or royal sepulchre, but will instead be buried in a mere pit and that his only clothing would be other dead bodies. It is not saying that he will never be put into the ground. Instead it is simply showing the nature of his shameful death. He will never experience a proper burial in a family or royal sepulchre. Instead of dying like royalty (as he has said in his heart that he is like the most high), he will be treated like dung with the rest of those who are slain.
All the kings of the nations, [even] all of them, lie in glory, every one in his own house. Isaiah 17:18
But thou art cast out of thy grave like an abominable branch, [and as] the raiment (his clothing will consist) of those that are slain, thrust through with a sword, that go down to the stones of the pit; as a carcase trodden under feet. 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 14:19,10
He is buried, not in a sepulchre, but rather in a common pit along with other bodies in a mass unmarked grave. His only covering (raiment) is other dead bodies that surround him.
In conclusion, any claim that Gog and the Antichrist must be two different individuals based on the above argument is seen to be based on improper exegesis and a surface reading that fails to read th full context of the passage. For further study, I highly recommend Alec Motyer’s commentary on Isaiah.
September 12th, 2009 at 7:37 pm
My favorite verse here is Isaiah 14:16-They that see thee shall narrowly
look upon thee(gaze at),and consider thee,saying,Is this the man that made
the earth to tremble,that did shake kingdoms;
It is clear to see that satan is so jealous of Christ that he is willing to go to
any and all lengths to copy His life.I know it is not supported by scripture,but
I would not be surprised if the ac is thirty three and a half years old at this
time.
The difference will be that the ac will be flashy and flamboyant,most likely
a good looking,”mans’ man”type.
While the Lord according to Isaiah 53:2-For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant,and as a root out of a dry ground:he hath no form nor
comeliness(forsaken by pains);and when we shall see him,there is no beauty that we should desire him.(this literally means there is sickness).
It will be pride that brings down the ac.
As Isaiah 14:16 says-we will see him(the ac).Hamon Gog is the burial place of the multitude of Gog,Ezekiel 39:11 clearly states that it is “there
shall they bury Gog and all his multitude”.
When we see the ac,he will be laying there dead,and he will not look like
much.
Revelation 12:10-11says:And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven,Now
is come salvation,and strength,and the kingdom of our God,and the power of his Christ:for the accuser of our brethren is cast down,which accused
them before our God day and night.
And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb(applied to our lives in waters of baptism in Jesus name),and by the words of their testimony;and they loved not their lives unto the death.
I dare say not many of us have been put into that kind of position as of yet.Thank God for that.We will need all of God we can get,to stand up to the changing tide.Pray for the power of Christ in your life.We each have
a testimony,find someone to share it with.The day is coming like a thief in the night,but the accuser of the brethren will be cast down.Praise the Lord.
Jim.
September 13th, 2009 at 5:34 pm
It further seems to me that it is not souls which are cast into the Lake of Fire, but resurrected, indestructible bodies. While Christians live eternity out in those type bodies, seems the lost do too. I say this b/c there is a resurrection of the lost before the Great White Throne judgment. So far as I have seen, the term resurrection always pertains to a physical resurrection, not some awakening from “soul sleep.” So the AC can be buried, yet cast into the Lake of Fire alive – with a resurrection body. He will be the prototype for the Great White Thrown resurrection.
September 14th, 2009 at 5:08 pm
And if we read the whole chapter in context, we also get that what is said cannot happen until ALL 12 tribes of Israel are back in Israel and living completely safely.
But i do know that Eze 38 can be dual in nature, it must be, for otherwise why would southern States of former Soviet Union and Libya, Ethiopia, Iran, Turkey etc. become allied against Israel when they never were allied before!?
September 18th, 2009 at 6:05 am
El Gallo Says: “…it is not souls which are cast into the Lake of Fire, but resurrected, indestructible bodies. While Christians live eternity out in those type bodies, seems the lost do too. …”
So EVERYBODY’S reward after this life is “eteral life”? How can “the way, the truth and the LIFE” spend eternity in the fires of tartaru, that’s the hell reserved for the devil and his angels?
When Adam (or anyone, for that matter) is proclaimed a “living soul”, all that required was a physical body and a human spirit to animate it. What’s the point of burying somebody in a “pit”, if that pit is the fire of tartaru?
It’s understood by many that, the physical grave is what is being referred to in many of the MISTRANSLATED places that instead read “hell”, in our English translations of the Scriptures.
So what you advocate is eternity of torture for a finite lifetime of ignorance of following the Savior and His Father. Where’s the mercy in that? THE WAGES OF SIN IS DEATH, AND AFTER THAT THE JUDGEMENT is how the Scriptures state it. The judgement only dertermines whether the death should be permanant or not.
Nowhere do the Scriptures indicate that ALL mankind is raised incorruptable; that’s reserved for the Children of the Kingdom of Heaven.