Buckle up. It's about to go Gog and Magog.
Chapter 38
My Ryrie Study Bible has a lengthy footnote for Chapters 38 and 39. I'll include some of it here for some context. I don't usually read the footnotes until I have read it for myself; but this was so long and detailed, I took a peek and understood we were heading into the heavy stuff. Ezekiel is known to be mysterious and confusing, so I want to have as much context as possible. Ryrie reads:
- This is about a future attack on Israel at an unknown time.
- God will deliver his people.
- The enemy will come from the remote far north.
- The enemy will be destroyed by a supernatural intervention.
- It will take 7 months to bury the corpses.
- The enemies weapons will fuel Israel for 7 years after the battle.
- It sounds like the time of the battle is unclear. That says something to me because these commentaries can usually trace the coordinating events. If they don't even have an educated guess then the Lord is probably intentional in obscuring the timeline. Just like the mystery of the coming of Jesus. It's good to remember that many of these prophesies have more than on iteration.
- The battle will occur when Israel will be living in security. Ryrie adds—real or imagined security. They also add secure under a treaty with the antichrist.
- Even though the general timeline is history is unclear, Ryrie has theories about the timing in relationship with the Tribulation and the Millennial Kingdom based on clues like the antichrist.
- If Israel still feels secure with the antichrist treaty, then this battle would have to be before the middle of the Tribulation.
- On the other hand, birds and beasts will be dining on the flesh of the warriors, which matches passages about the late Tribulation in other books, such as Revelation.
- Also, the conclusion of the battle is suppose to ring understanding from the nations that the Lord is God and Judge, including the nation of Israel.
- John in Revelations pictures a battle of Gog and Magog at the conclusion of the Millennial Kingdom. In this scenario, the first battle would begin just before the middle of the Tribulation and continuing on until Armageddon.
- It could also be two battles that occurred separately, one mid-Trib and one at the end of the Millennial Kingdom.
- Bible prophesies can have more than one fulfillment- as a reminder to always be ready fro the bridegroom.
Now, onto the actual text.
Verse 1 is the standard announcement of a new word from the Lord.
Verse 2 is the standard language God uses to have Ezekiel prepare for a prophesy against another nation. Face toward Gog, of the land of Magog, and their leader Rosh. Ryrie reports that Josephus, first century Hellenistic Jewish Historian and Roman citizen, identified Magog as the land of the Scythian from the land now know as Russia. Also the prophesy is for Tubal, which is modern day Turkey. The MacArthur Bible Commentary states that the Antichrist will come from Gog.
In verses 3–4, the prophesy is that God is against them. He will turn them around and put hooks in their jaws. The description of them sounds like they are attacking with a big army, including horses, and well dressed and well-equipped horsemen.
Verses 5–6 lists the other nations that will be allied with Gog: Persia (modern Iran), Ethiopia (northern Sudan), Put (Libya), Gomer (parts of Ukraine and Turkey), and Beth-togarmah (parts of Turkey and Syria). That's a lot of help to go up against such a tiny nation of Israel.
Verses 7–8 set the stage for Israel's situation in this conflict. The Lord warns them to be prepared and to be on guard. This time period is one in which the people of Israel have been summoned back to inhabit the land securely and free from the threat of the sword. It specifies that it is all of them. That's very interesting. No one knows the time, but if we're looking for sign, what would drive ALL of the people back to the land? Maybe there is a blessed side of the horrific antisemitism we're seeing lately. get the people home. just a theory that came to mind.
You will go up, you will come like a storm; you will be like a cloud covering the land, you and all your troops, and many peoples with you.” Ezekiel 38:9
What an amazing promise.
Come like a storm. Come like a crashing wave.
Amen.
The chapter seems to have begun with the Lord speaking to Magog and friends; then changes to Israel in verses 7–8, now it seems that He is back to speaking to Gog and friends.
- evil thoughts will come into their minds
- they will devise an evil plan
- They would be inspired to attack the secure Israelites
- unwalled villages
- those at rest
- people living securely with no walls, bars, or gates
- The plan was to
- capture spoil
- seize plunder
- attack the places that had been waste land and are now restored and inhabited
- against those who came back from being scattered in the nations
- who have cattle and goods
- who live at the center of the world (the navel of the world)
That last one is worth meditating on. Many, many time, in this day and age, maps center on the US. We even use terms like far east, middle east, etc. But the true thing is that Israel is the center of the world. Makes sense. Mount Zion will be my home.
Israel will be seen as a wealthy prize for the invaders to plunder. In verse 13, even the local Arab nations comment on the big prize of Israel.
Verse 14 reiterates that Ezekiel is prophesying to Gog. On a specific day they will come with a mighty army from the north to attack the secure nation of Israel. They will descend like a cloud cover.
. . . and you will come up against My people Israel like a cloud to cover the land. It shall come about in the last days that I will bring you against My land, so that the nations may know Me when I am sanctified through you before their eyes, O Gog.” Ezekiel 38:16
Once again, the Lord is inspiring an enemy to attack His people, His land. Why? ...so that the nations will know Me. That was the assignment all along. From the beginning they were His priests, His messengers. Then we (Christians) joined in as a priestly nation to spread the Word.
I don't know the meaning of this phrase, when I am sanctified through you before their eyes, O Gog. I think I'll check the commentaries on this. I see a few heretical readings of it; but can't decide what the real interpretation is.
Starting in verse 17, we learn about the Lord's victory over Gog. It starts with a mysterious reference to ancient days:
‘Thus says the Lord God, “Are you the one of whom I spoke in former days through My servants the prophets of Israel, who prophesied in those days for many years that I would bring you against them? Ezekiel 38:17
I'll see what the commentaries say, but this feels like when John references Babylon as a person that also symbolizes the spiritual war going on around us all of the time; and now, these specific people of Gog are carrying out the evil plan that has been in the works for centuries or millennia.
The day of the attack will stir up God's anger. He will bring zeal and a blazing wrath against them and an earthquake will hit Israel.
- everyone and everything on earth will shake (birds and fish included)
- we will all be in His presence
- mountains thrown down
- steep pathways collapse
- every wall will fall to the ground.
I think that puts to rest anyone claiming to be Jesus in his return. Everything know at the time will change.
It's going to be much worse before it gets better:
I will call for a sword against him on all My mountains,” declares the Lord God. “Every man’s sword will be against his brother. 22 With pestilence and with blood I will enter into judgment with him; and I will rain on him and on his troops, and on the many peoples who are with him, a torrential rain, with hailstones, fire and brimstone. Ezekiel 38: 21–22
I see why this is established to be a future date and related to the Tribulation. I also see where the framework for John's dreams in Revelation stem. It is firmly rooted in the Old Testament.
I have to let God speak for Himself here. No summary would do it justice:
I will magnify Myself, sanctify Myself, and make Myself known in the sight of many nations; and they will know that I am the Lord.”’ Ezekiel 38:23
Chapter 39
A new call to prophesy against Gog from God to Ezekiel starts the chapter. It reiterates that God is against them and their leaders. He also reiterates that it's the Lord who is driving Gog from Russia to the mountains of Israel.
But it is also God who will strip them of their weapons and ammo. Gog and all of their allies will fall in the mountains of Israel and in open fields and be eaten by the birds and wild animals.
And for those back home in Magog, safely inhabiting their coastland, the Lord will send fire upon them so that they know He is God.
“My holy name I will make known in the midst of My people Israel; and I will not let My holy name be profaned anymore. And the nations will know that I am the Lord, the Holy One in Israel. 8 Behold, it is coming and it shall be done,” declares the Lord God. “That is the day of which I have spoken. Ezekiel 39: 7–8
Come, Lord Jesus, come!
He would have it that none be lost, so neither do I. however, some will not choose Him and He knows the time and place He assigned to them. He knows the date that is written on all of our hearts. He knows the day when things will come to an end so we can restart new.
The day is coming when everyone will know His Name and it will never be profaned again.
After all of this occurs, the people in Israel's cities will go out and use the offensive and defensive weapons of the enemy as fuel, enough for seven years. They won't need to go get wood for fire that whole time. They'll just use the enemy's dropped weapons. They'll also collect the spoils and plunder dropped by the enemy. (Reminds me of God blessing the Israelites on the way out of Egypt.)
Gog will basically be buried in Israel. It will take seven months to get all of the bodies buried to cleanse the land. At the end of 7 months, everyone will join in the search for bones and such to cleanse the land.
That's interesting. There are such specific instructions for this one thing. I think it is symbolic about the need for everyone to be involved in cleansing the land once it has been spoiled by the blood of men; even evil men. This time period is the slow-rolling end of the era of sin and there will be a cleansing in the transition.
Starting in verse 17, the Lord is back to speaking directly to Ezekiel. It's a bit bizarre to my ear. Ezekiel is supposed to speak to the birds and beasts and let them know that this feast of dead bodies is a sacrifice to them, so they can eat on God's sacrifice as if it were the sacrificial animals previously sacrificed at the Temple to the Lord. I am definitely interested in reading what the commentaries say about this. there is something in there that makes me think this is some sort of version of communion for the non-human portion of the planet—as God's plan is to restore the whole earth who suffered under human's sin. And birds and animals suffered the most as our food and clothing during those years.
Starting in verse 21, God summarizes this outcome of this event: God's glory. All nations will know His glory by the judgment they see. They will understand that Israel will, once again, be under complete assault; but this time God will defend them in front of the whole world—and Israel will finally know God after the years of Him hiding His face from them for their iniquity.
Things will be different this time (than it ended for Israel in Ezekiel's time). I know I say this in almost all posts in Ezekiel, but Ezekiel's immediate audience were the captives in Babylon. Giving them the long vision was, most likely, to be an inspiration to do a better job with how they trained their future generations. Hopefully all generations, including ours, takes that same inspiration.
He is coming back again. And the whole world will know Him and His Holy Name.
Here's God's summary of the whole transition between this world, the tribulation, and return of Jesus:
Therefore thus says the Lord God, “Now I will restore the fortunes of Jacob and have mercy on the whole house of Israel; and I will be jealous for My holy name. 26 They will forget their disgrace and all their treachery which they perpetrated against Me, when they live securely on their own land with no one to make them afraid. 27 When I bring them back from the peoples and gather them from the lands of their enemies, then I shall be sanctified through them in the sight of the many nations. 28 Then they will know that I am the Lord their God because I made them go into exile among the nations, and then gathered them again to their own land; and I will leave none of them there any longer. 29 I will not hide My face from them any longer, for I will have poured out My Spirit on the house of Israel,” declares the Lord God.
Glory to God. I am so anticipating this season.
I couple of thoughts.
The first one is from the final verse, the pouring out of His Spirit. I think that's when Israelite Jews will come full circle back to the Triune God.
Also, this last passage seems to me like irrefutable evidence against the replacement theory. We (the converted gentile Church) never replace God's people—we are grafted in to the original vine.
And finally, I'm going to tread lightly here, because I think it could easily slide into heresy, but God used the word "sanctified" in regards to Himself. It makes me uncomfortable every time. But because it says it more than once, I want to take a stab here before reading the commentaries.
- First and foremost, I want to say clearly that I know God does not need to be forgiven, corrected, or any other connotation of the world "sanctified" that applies to humans.
- I'm guessing that this is in reference to people who want to accuse God of some sort of failure because He had to disciple Israel and Judah so severely.
- This is what Moses brought up when God was going to destroy them in the wilderness.
- God also brought this up several times with the prophets during God's judgment in this period near the end of their time in the Promise Land. They fully earned this, despite God's many, many, many offers of disciple and correction.
- This time, in the end, God's name will never again be able to accused of failing—even though He never should of been accused of anything.
Gog is the last nation to receive the prophesy. This is the end of the section, according to outline.
From here on out for the book is related to Millennial Kingdom. I'm so excited.
This is how Warren Wiersbe ends this era in His Ezekiel commentary, Be Reverent:
The last Temple the Jews ever built [number 3] will be defiled by Antichrist and ultimately destroyed. But God has promised His people a new land and a new temple, and Ezekiel will describe these to us in the closing chapters of the book. [page 211]