1986-November-7

Muslim Journal

Gog And Magog: Part 2

Imam W. Deen Muhammad

(Editor's Note: The following is from a lecture delivered October 5, 1986 at Masjid Honorable Elijah Muhammad.)

Let's look at what the Bible has to say about Gog and Magog. Revelations 20, verses 7 and 8 says: "Satan (the devil and chief enemy of the human family on earth) shall be loosed out of prison. and shall be out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth: Gog and Magog." So, according to Revelation, Gog and Magog shall be all over the earth at the time of this great trouble, decision and conclusion of things.

Why is Satan going out now? To gather them together to do battle. He will go out from prison and into the four corners of the world. This simply means that he will go all over the world.

"And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and they compas­sed the camp of the saints about.."
Now Satan went out to deceive the nations, according to Revela­tion of the Bible. And in carrying out his plan to deceive the nations, he had to gather Gog and Magog people to do battle. It doesn't say here plainly what he was going to do battle with. Nevertheless it is said, when it says: "and they went upon the breadth of the earth. and compassed (encircled, surrounded) the camp of the saints."

So it would appear to me that they were gathered together to do battle with the saints. That's in accord with Scripture.
They encompassed the camp of the saints and the beloved city. What is the beloved city? Those who know the Bible know the beloved city is Jerusalem or Al-Quds or the Holy Place to the Muslim.
Now it's very plain, — and I don't think we need Herbert Arm­strong to explain it to us— that at this particular time in our lives on this earth, there's more corruption, tax upon the innocent, and helplessness in society. And at the same time, Jerusalem is sur­rounded. And if you can understand it, the attacks and the battle being waged is directed at the best of the people: the saints, the right-minded, the good people.
Just looking at things one would think that the evil that's going on in the world is aimed at the common. foolish and worldly people. because they are the ones that we see with problem. But the drunks are not the target of alcoholism. The dope fiends are not the target of or the dope traffickers. No! The good people are the targets.

Do Muslim believe that Satan is behind alcoholism and drugs? Allah instructs us in our holy book, the Qur'an, to stay away from such, for it is the work of Satan and his hope is to make hatred and enmity between men and women: .
So don't think the drunkards are the targets of alcoholism. Don't think the people who party are the targets Of that wasteful life. They. are not the targets. The righteous are always -the targets. of Satan's aggression.

How does he hurt the righteous? Satan can't hurt the righteous directly. He said, "I will go to them from before them, from behind them, from the left and from their right." This means that he will use deceptive strategies and tactics and will not always come openly with his wrongdoing. He will not always meet you face to face. He will attack you from the rear.

When he attacks a weak member of my. family by selling that family member narcotics, he's attacking me from the rear. .
So who are the Gog and Magog people? They are the easy victims. Those who have no order and control in their lives are easy prey for the invitation to do wrong, be a drunkard, murderer, vandal, prosti­tute, dope pusher or whatever. Those people have no discipline that they obey. They only want to survive and succeed in the worldly life. They are easy prey for Satan.