1 AND the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,

2 son of man, set thy face against Gog, [ We have an idea where we line up in this battle. If the Lords prophet sets himself against Gog then we should as well. ] the land of Magog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal, and prophesy against him,

3 And say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against thee, O Gog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal:

4 And I will turn thee back, [ In Hebrew it reads "Thy enterprise shall fail". ] and put hooks into thy jaws, [ Assyria was among the cruelest Old Testament nations in the ways that they would torture their prisioners. They delighted in the ways that they could tourture people. When they captured someone they would put a big ring through the lip around the jawbone. At that point there was nothing that a person could do to escape and there was not even a way to buck against the captors. Why is it important to know this? Because those that are alive when this happens again will need to know that God is in charge as it will be such a terrible event. ] and I will bring thee forth, [ (Rev 11:8) see also Mormon 4:4. Where the wicked punish the wicked. ] and all thine army, horses [ The symbol for warfare. The weapon of the day. ] and horsemen, all of them clothed with all sorts of armour, [ Or they will come to battle very well armed. ] , even a great company with bucklers and shields, all of them handling swords:

5  Persia, [ Iraq and Iran. ] Ethiopia, and Libya [ Africa. ] with them; all of them with shield and helmet:

6 Gomer, and all his bands; the house of Togarmah of the north quarters, and all his bands: and many people with thee. [ More on these individuals can be found in (Gen 10:2). The Seven Japhetic Nations as defined in the notes above from Bruce R. McConkie. Are essentially the Baltic nations including Russia. ]

7 Be thou prepared, and prepare for thyself, thou, and all thy company that are assembled unto thee, and be thou a guard unto them.

8 ¶ After many days thou shalt be visited: [ Footnoted as Mustered. ] in the latter years thou shalt come into the land that is brought back from the sword, and is gathered out of many people, [ Apocalyptic elements are readily apparent in this vision, suggesting that it is an apocalyptic scene and not a transcript of one specific future event. The latter-day setting of the prophecy seems clear. The Lord's people are called "Israel," and they have been "gathered out of many people" and "brought forth out of the nations" Israel here seems to represent neither a political entity nor a geographical location but the Lord's people wherever they may be. Israel, after all, is the family name of the Lord's Saints, the members of his Church who have gathered to the covenants of his gospel throughout the earth. In the symbolic vision, Gog, coming with vast armies from distant unknown lands, sets as his goal the devastation and plunder of the Lord's people. In apocalyptic fashion, the figure "Gog" here probably does not represent a real person or nation who will attack the Saints with military force but the powers of evil that are arrayed against the Saints, manifested in many ways, many places, and many times. Satan is the very embodiment of this evil and the archenemy of the Lord and his followers. As the vision depicts, the forces of evil will not be allowed to prevail. With a mighty act so characteristic of apocalyptic scenes, the Lord himself will intervene to put an end to evil and its consequences. ] , against the mountains of Israel, [ Israel has always been a land bridge. When Syria goes against Egypt they move through Israel. ] which have been always waste: but it is brought forth out of the nations, and they shall dwell safely all of them. [ After this conflict is over, but not before. There will never be a time of peace in this land. Until after the battle of Gog and Magog. ]

9 Thou shalt ascend and come like a storm, thou shalt be like a cloud to cover the land, [ (Rev 9:16) gives us the details of what this imagery means. This suggests that no matter where you looked this was all that you could see. ] thou, and all thy bands, and many people with thee. [ Joel 2:1-11 refers to the army this way. ]

10 Thus saith the Lord GOD; It shall also come to pass, that at the same time shall things come into thy mind, and thou shalt think an evil thought:

11 And thou shalt say, I will go up to the land of unwalled villages; [ The world is expressing the thought that they can take Israel once and for all without any problem. ] I will go to them that are at rest, that dwell safely, all of them dwelling without walls, and having neither bars nor gates,

12 To take a spoil, and to take a prey; to turn thine hand upon the desolate places that are now inhabited, and upon the people [ Israel. ] that are gathered out of the nations, which have gotten cattle and goods, [ They have prospered. ] that dwell in the midst of the land.

13 Sheba, and Dedan, and the merchants of Tarshish, [ Spain. ] with all the young lions [ The young men - the strength of the nation. ] thereof, shall say unto thee, Art thou come to take a spoil? hast thou gathered thy company to take a prey? to carry away silver and gold, to take away cattle and goods, to take a great spoil?

14 ¶ Therefore, son of man, prophesy and say unto Gog, Thus saith the Lord GOD; In that day when my people of Israel dwelleth safely, shalt thou not know it?

15 And thou shalt come from thy place out of the north parts, [ Where did the ten tribes get led away too? The North, suggesting they are the ones who will return from the north. The Hebrew word for north is tsafon (צָפוֹן). Tsafon is a feminine noun that means "hidden" or "dark". In the Bible, it's used to refer to the north as a quarter, which is considered gloomy and unknown. In the Bible, the words for left and right are used to refer to the south and north, respectively. This is because the Bible assumes that east is the frame of reference, as Adam was created facing east. In modern Israel, tsafon is also used to refer to the Galilee. ] thou, and many people with thee, all of them riding upon horses, [ Ready for war. ] , a great company, [ 200 million strong to be exact. ] and a mighty army:

16 And thou shalt come up against my people of Israel, as a cloud to cover the land; [ (Rev. 16:16; 9:16) They are so many that this is all that you will see. ] it shall be in the latter days, and I will bring thee against my land, [ God will do this because of their wickedness, God will use or allow the wicked to punish the wicked. ] that the heathen [ The Gentiles. ] may know me, when I shall be sanctified in thee, O Gog, before their eyes.

17 Thus saith the Lord GOD; Art thou he of whom I have spoken in old time by my servants the prophets of Israel, which prophesied in those days many years that I would bring thee against them?

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.

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; [ This will be a great earth quake. ]

20  So that the fishes of the sea, [ The earthquake is so bad that it disrupts the fishes in the sea. ] and the fowls of the heaven, [ Even the fowls in the air are affected by the earthquake. ] 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, [ Gives an idea of the intensity. To move a mountain all at once is a tremendous force. The earthquakes that we often see today do not usually level mountains. ] and the steep places shall fall, and every wall shall fall to the ground. [ Pretty much no structures are left standing. Every wall is "city". Doctrines of Salvation Vol 1 Pg 84-85; Vol 2 pg 316-318. Here it is suggested that this is the great earthquake in which God moves the land masses back together again. (D&C 49:23; 133:22-24 ) ]

21 And I will call for a sword against him [ Gog. ] throughout all my mountains, saith the Lord GOD: every man’s sword shall be against his brother. [ No other context here other than the army will turn on each other. Maybe as things get closer to looking like a victory for the army the individual nations will turn on each other with each looking to be the next ruler of the world, or for power and greed. ]

22 And I will plead against him [ Gog. ] with pestilence and with blood; and I will rain upon him, and upon his bands, and upon the many people that are with him, [ (Rev 11:1-13 ) ] 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.