Congregation Bible Study (30 min.): Rr ch. 17 paras. 9-14.
9. What similarities are there between what happens to Gog of Magog and what happens to “the kings of all the inhabited earth”?
"The kings of all the inhabited earth" (read Revelation 16:14, 16; 17:14; 19:19, 20). In the book of Revelation the attack of "the kings of the earth" is predicted against the "King of kings", Jesus in his heavenly position. But, as they cannot reach the heavens, the rebels attack the human beings who support the Kingdom. Then "the kings of the earth" are defeated in the battle of Armageddon. So they come to an end after attacking Jehovah's people. And this is similar to what happens to Gog de Magog. *
10. What conclusions can we reach about the identity of Gog de Magog?
In light of all the above, what conclusions can we reach about Gog's identity? First of all, that Gog is not a spirit. And secondly, that Gog represents the nations that will attack God's people shortly.Undoubtedly, these nations will form a coalition, that is, they will somehow become allies. Why? Because, since God's people are all over the world, the nations will have to agree to attack it together (Matt. 24: 9). But remember that the mastermind behind this evil attack will actually be Satan. He has been influencing nations for many years to oppose true worship (1 John 5:19; Rev 12:17). Now, Ezekiel's prophecy about Gog of Magog focuses on the role that the nations of the earth will play in attacking Jehovah's people. *
What does “the earth” represent?
11. How does Ezekiel's prophecy describe “the land” that Gog will invade?
As we saw in paragraph 3, Gog de Magog will provoke Jehovah's great fury when he invades a “land” that is very valuable to God. What land is he referring to? Let's go back to Ezekiel's prophecy (read Ezekiel 38: 8-12). There it says that Gog will invade "the land of a people that has been restored" and "gathered from among the nations . " Notice that it also speaks of the inhabitants of that land, those who worship Jehovah. He says that "they live safely [...] in defenseless populations, without walls or bars or doors" and that they are a people "that is accumulating wealth . " This is the land on which those who give pure worship to Jehovah live all over the planet. How can we know what this "land" represents?
12. What restoration took place in the land of Israel in Biblical times?
Consider the restoration that took place in ancient Israel, the land where God's chosen people lived, worked, and worshiped Jehovah for centuries. When the Israelites were unfaithful, Jehovah predicted through Ezekiel that their land would be laid waste and desolate (Ezek. 33: 27-29). But he also predicted that a group of repentant Jews would return from exile in Babylon and restore pure worship in that land. Thanks to Jehovah's blessing, the land of Israel would be transformed and flourished “like the garden of Eden” (Ezek. 36: 34-36). That process began in 537 BC, when a group of exiled Jews returned to Jerusalem to restore true worship in their beloved land.
13, 14. a) What is the spiritual land? b) Why is this land so valuable to Jehovah?
Today, God's servants are witnessing a much similar restoration. As we saw in chapter 9, God's people were freed in 1919 from a long captivity in Babylon the Great. That year, Jehovah led his worshipers to a spiritual land. What do we mean? To spiritual paradise: a spiritually prosperous and secure situation, an environment where we worship the true God by performing various spiritual activities. On this "land" we live together in safety and enjoy peace and harmony (Prov. 1:33). We receive a lot of spiritual food and we have a job that we love: proclaiming the Kingdom of God. The words of this proverb come true in us: “Jehovah's blessing is what makes rich, and with it he brings no pain” (Prov. 10:22). No matter where we live on the planet, we will be on this earth — the spiritual paradise — as long as we wholeheartedly support pure worship, both by word and deed.
This spiritual land is worth a lot to Jehovah. Why? Because he sees its inhabitants as "the valuable things of all nations"; are the people he has brought to pure worship (Haggai 2: 7; John 6:44). They do their best to put on the new personality, the personality that reflects the high qualities of God (Eph. 4:23, 24; 5: 1, 2). They give pure worship to God and give themselves completely to his service; They do it in ways that honor you and show their love for you (Rom. 12: 1, 2; 1 John 5: 3). Can we imagine how happy Jehovah must be to see his servants working hard to beautify the spiritual land? What a privilege we have! By prioritizing pure worship in our lives, we not only beautify the spiritual paradise, but we also make Jehovah's heart glad. --Prov. 27:11.
ILLUSTRATION:
Images of Jehovah's servants: 1. Witnesses conversing in a Kingdom Hall. 2. Witnesses working on the maintenance of a Kingdom Hall. 3. A Witness praying in a prison cell. 4. A married couple visiting a very ill Witness in the hospital.
No matter where we live, we will be on spiritual land as long as we wholeheartedly support pure worship. (See paragraphs 13 and 14.)
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