How do you know that Gog and the Antichrist will not be the same person?

Ted’s Response:

As I describe in my Final Battles commentary, I absolutely do not believe that Gog and the Antichrist will be the same person. For one thing, Gog will be buried in Israel (Ezekiel 39:11). However, the beast (Antichrist) will be tossed alive into the fiery lake of burning sulphur (Revelation 19:20). Furthermore, it generally is accepted that Daniel 11:36-45 is talking about the Antichrist. In verse 40, it speaks of the "king of the North" storming out against him. I am inclined to believe that this king is Gog.

Also, Gog and his armies will come against Israel (Ezekiel 38:14-17). However, the beast and his armies will gather together, preparing to come specifically against the Lamb (Revelation 17:12-14)—the Anointed One, Who will be sitting as King in Jerusalem at that time, which is what Psalm 2:1-6 describes. The massive bloodbath, in which the Lord Jesus will trample the armies of Gog/Magog in the “winepress of God’s wrath” (Revelation 14:19,20, 19:15), will not be the same as the Battle of Armageddon, in which the beast (Antichrist) and the kings of the earth gather at Armageddon, to come against Jesus and His armies, but are destroyed (16:16, 19:19,20).

When Gog attacks Israel, Jesus will still be in heaven. He will return to save Israel and Jerusalem from those attackers. But when the Antichrist plans to attack Jesus, it is because Jesus already will have returned to earth, having arrived at the blowing of the Seventh Trumpet) and sitting on His throne in Jerusalem, ruling and reigning. Jesus will be directing angels to be pouring out the bowl judgments upon the kingdom of the beast (Revelation 16:10). As a result, the beast and his followers will gather together at Armageddon (16:16), planning to come against Jesus, in an effort to make Him stop punishing them.

Jesus will return 1,260 days (Revelation 11:3, 12:6) following the midpoint of the 70th Week (when the abomination that causes desolation will be set up). Then, He will pour out the bowl judgments for 30 days. That will be a total of 1,290 days, at the end of which the Battle of Armageddon will take place. This will be the "time of the end" (Daniel 12:4). It is at that point that Daniel 12:11 will be fulfilled.

When Jesus is coming on His white horse, it shows His garments stained with blood, because He already will have been treading the winepress of God's wrath (Revelation 19:11,13,15; Isaiah 63:1-3). This does not depict the Battle of Armageddon; this is the winepress of Gog/Magog, and the birds will eat the flesh of all the attackers (Ezekiel 39:17,18,20; Revelation 19:17,18). After all of that is completed, then the beast and his armies will gather to make war against Jesus (the Rider on a white horse), 30 days later, and their flesh will be eaten by the same birds (Revelation 19:19,21).

More about the distinction between Gog and the Antichrist can be found in the Assyrian section of my Beasts commentary and in the Gog vs. Antichrist section of my Final Battles commentary. Also, you can read my email response to Is "the Assyrian," mentioned by Isaiah and Micah, the Antichrist?