http://orthodoxeschatology.blogspot.com/2010/10/on-gog-and-magog.html

About Gog and Magog, St. Andrew (of Caesarea) says: “Some people think that Gog and Magog are the northern and most remote Scythian peoples or, as we call them, Huns, the most militant and numerous peoples of the earth. They are restrained from taking possession of the whole world only by the Divine right hand until the liberation of the devil. Others, translating from the Hebrew, say that Gog signifies ‘one who gathers’ or ‘a gathering’, and that Magog signifies ‘one who is exalted’ or ‘exaltation’. And so, these names signify either a gathering of peoples or their exaltation. One must suppose that these names are used in a metaphorical sense to denote those fierce hordes who, at the end of the world, will arm themselves under the leadership of Antichrist against the Church of Christ.”

Our Holy Fathers have always been careful in making it clear that the Antichrist shall come to deceive Orthodoxy, for all others would have already been deceived. This is the reason why before the real Antichrist comes, a decoy shall come forth first, in order to deceive, and the world is already at work preparing for this.

In Ezekiel Chapter 38 2-3 we can read:

“Son of man, set your face toward Gog of the land of Magog, the prince of Rosh, Meshech and Tubal, and prophesy against him and say, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD, “Behold, I am against you, O Gog, prince of Rosh, Meshech and Tubal“.

The fact that the Lord considered it was appropriate to say about Gog “prophesy against him and say ‘I am against you'” signifies that Gog and Magog assume that they are the true representatives of God, that they consider themselves to have authority from God, where they clearly do not.

Gog appears to be a prince of a an already established federation (Rosh, Meshech and Tubal) trying to establish a new “land”, metaphorically called “Magog”, a prince that comes to rule this new “kingdom” (unity) at the time spoken of in the Apocalypse. Judging by the interpretation given to us by St Andrew, Gog is someone who gathers, unites peoples into Magog, a place of self-exaltation. It would be unwise not to consider this unity towards “self-exaltation” in the context of Ecumenism and the upcoming “Holy Great Pan-Orthodox Synod” planned for 2016, about which much we have written. What Verse 2 seems to try to suggest by saying “set your face towards Gog” is that everyone’s attention (focus) shall swiftly and quickly be turned towards this prince, quickly rising in the land of Magog. This prince, Gog, shall quickly assemble a large army:

Exekiel 38:4: “And I will turn thee back, and put hooks into thy jaws, and I will bring thee forth, and all thine army, horses and horsemen, all of them clothed with all sorts of armour, even a great company with bucklers and shields, all of them handling swords.”

In the Book of Revelation Chapter 20: 7-8 we can read:

“And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison, and shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog, and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea.” This verse shows that Gog and Magog shall be among the deceived.

Yet God, says “I will turn thee back“, which means Gog and Magog’s plans are not to go as intended. The Lord said, “I shall put hooks into their jaws” and “gather them together to battle“. What this seems to mean is God will bring them to war with others in order to deter their plans. This is further shown how it is to unfold in this verse:

Ezekiel 38:18 – “And it shall come to pass at the same time when Gog shall come against the land of Israel, saith the Lord God, that my fury shall come up in my face.”

The punishment God has prepared for Gog and Magog is terrible. Verses 19-23 say:

¹⁹ For in my jealousy and in the fire of my wrath have I spoken, Surely in that day there shall be a great shaking in the land of Israel (read: in the land Of Orthodoxy);

²⁰ So that the fishes of the sea, and the fowls of the heaven, and the beasts of the field, and all creeping things that creep upon the earth, and all the men that are upon the face of the earth, shall shake at my presence, and the mountains shall be thrown down, and the steep places shall fall, and every wall shall fall to the ground.

²¹ And I will call for a sword against him throughout all my mountains, saith the Lord God: every man’s sword shall be against his brother.

²² And I will plead against him with pestilence and with blood; and I will rain upon him, and upon his bands, and upon the many people that are with him, an overflowing rain, and great hailstones, fire, and brimstone.

²³ Thus will I magnify myself, and sanctify myself; and I will be known in the eyes of many nations, and they shall know that I am the Lord.

Where are Rosh, Meshech and Tubal? For example, early historians say about Tubal to be the region of South Caucasus (today’s Georgia):

“Many authors, following the Jewish historian Josephus (1st century AD), related the name to Iber– Caucasian Iberia. Concerning the question of the ethnic affinity of the population of Tubal, Josephus wrote: “Tobal gave rise to the Thobeles, who are now called Iberes” – Caucasian Iberia. This version was repeated by Patriarch Eustathius of Antioch, Bishop Theodoret, and others“.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tubal