Read Ezekiel 38
The Lord’s Great Victory Over the Nations
38 The word of the Lord came to me: 2 “Son of man, set your face against Gog, of the land of Magog, the chief prince of Meshek and Tubal; prophesy against him 3 and say: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I am against you, Gog, chief prince of Meshek and Tubal. 4 I will turn you around, put hooks in your jaws and bring you out with your whole army—your horses, your horsemen fully armed, and a great horde with large and small shields, all of them brandishing their swords. 5 Persia, Cush and Put will be with them, all with shields and helmets, 6 also Gomer with all its troops, and Beth Togarmah from the far north with all its troops—the many nations with you.
7 “‘Get ready; be prepared, you and all the hordes gathered about you, and take command of them. 8 After many days you will be called to arms. In future years you will invade a land that has recovered from war, whose people were gathered from many nations to the mountains of Israel, which had long been desolate. They had been brought out from the nations, and now all of them live in safety. 9 You and all your troops and the many nations with you will go up, advancing like a storm; you will be like a cloud covering the land.
10 “‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: On that day thoughts will come into your mind and you will devise an evil scheme. 11 You will say, “I will invade a land of unwalled villages; I will attack a peaceful and unsuspecting people—all of them living without walls and without gates and bars. 12 I will plunder and loot and turn my hand against the resettled ruins and the people gathered from the nations, rich in livestock and goods, living at the center of the land.” 13 Sheba and Dedan and the merchants of Tarshish and all her villages will say to you, “Have you come to plunder? Have you gathered your hordes to loot, to carry off silver and gold, to take away livestock and goods and to seize much plunder?”’
14 “Therefore, son of man, prophesy and say to Gog: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: In that day, when my people Israel are living in safety,will you not take notice of it? 15 You will come from your place in the far north, you and many nations with you, all of them riding on horses, a great horde, a mighty army. 16 You will advance against my people Israel like a cloud that covers the land. In days to come, Gog, I will bring you against my land, so that the nations may know me when I am proved holy through you before their eyes.
17 “‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: You are the one I spoke of in former days by my servants the prophets of Israel. At that time they prophesied for years that I would bring you against them. 18 This is what will happen in that day: When Gog attacks the land of Israel, my hot anger will be aroused, declares the Sovereign Lord. 19 In my zeal and fiery wrath I declare that at that time there shall be a great earthquake in the land of Israel. 20 The fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, the beasts of the field, every creature that moves along the ground, and all the people on the face of the earth will tremble at my presence. The mountains will be overturned, the cliffs will crumble and every wall will fall to the ground. 21 I will summon a swordagainst Gog on all my mountains, declares the Sovereign Lord. Every man’s sword will be against his brother. 22 I will execute judgment on him with plague and bloodshed; I will pour down torrents of rain, hailstones and burning sulfur on him and on his troops and on the many nations with him.23 And so I will show my greatness and my holiness, and I will make myself known in the sight of many nations. Then they will know that I am the Lord.’
Go Deeper
Now that we are further into our study of Ezekiel and God’s special call on his life, it’s helpful to think back at his humble beginnings. Recall that he was a priest turned prophet by an unforgettable encounter with God that proved to be a foreshadowing of events to come. He would be hand-picked by God to be on special mission as a watchman over Israel, proclaiming both God’s salvation and judgment, calling for repentance from idolatry, rebellion and indifference. He would declare the faithfulness of God and a future hope to exiles in Babylon. Keep in mind that the people had many chances to repent, but chose willful disobedience resulting in God’s judgment. Even so, they are not forgotten by God, who once again displays his mercy and kindness to his chosen people. We read today of another message from God delivered to Ezekiel.
In Ezekiel 38, we are introduced to Gog, who represented military forces who opposed God, and in turn, God was against this evil band of warriors. Composed of many nations, this collective army led ruthless endeavors against innocent people. V8 and V9 describe the plan Gog would carry out. “After many days you will be called to arms. In future years you will invade a land that has recovered from war, whose people were gathered from many nations to the mountains of Israel, which had long been desolate. They had been brought out from the nations, and now all of them live in safety. You and all your troops and the many nations with you will go up, advancing like a storm; you will be like a cloud covering the land.”
To put it bluntly, Gog was synonymous with cruelty. It’s difficult to read and comprehend that Gog was being used for divine purposes to display God’s holiness, and so all nations would know without a doubt that he is Lord. However, the moment the attack is released, God intervenes in defense of his people as he unleashes natural disasters on the invaders, causing them to turn on each other in confusion and panic. No enemy can stand against his power. Further proof that when we don’t understand God’s plan we can always trust his heart. His ways are far higher and above our limited understanding.
What we can be sure of is this: if things are not good God is not done. He can be completely trusted to right every wrong and has the final say over events in history. Because of Jesus, the church will prevail. Matthew 16:18 reminds us that “Upon this rock (Jesus) I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” Whatever sorrow or suffering experienced has an expiration date and can’t compare with what is coming for those who love Christ and his kingdom. In the meantime, we are compelled to surrender our will to his way and expectantly hope in his ultimate deliverance.
Questions
- Who do you know that is experiencing suffering? How could you encourage them with the truth and hope found in scripture?
- Where has idolatry, rebellion or indifference crept into your life? How are you like the exiles in Babylon?
- Understanding that biblical faith is always linked to action, what habits are you implementing to strengthen your faith and relationship with Christ as living not for this world but as a citizen of heaven?
By the Way
As we read through the Old Testament and wonder how it connects to the present day, be encouraged by Romans 15:4 which reminds us that “Such things were written in the scriptures long ago to teach us. And the scriptures give us hope and encouragement as we wait patiently for God’s promises to be fulfilled.”
4 thoughts on “Ezekiel 38”
In Ezekiel’s message from the Sovereign Lord today, we read such phrases such as “in many days” and “in future years” and “in days to come” giving us an idea of when these events will happen. Exiles will have returned home, recovered from war, rebuilt their lives, prospering and living peacefully. V16 reveals, “You will advance against my people Israel like a cloud that covers the land. In days to come, Gog, I will bring you against my land, so that the nations may know me when I am proved holy through you before their eyes.” What happens then to Gog is brutal as they experience earthquakes, disease, floods, hailstones, fire and burning sulfur! Whoever opposes God’s people opposes God himself. God will deliver his people, and no enemy can stand against his power.
God is great. God is Holy. God is victorious. The events happening today are interesting but I sure am not going to speculate about is this coinciding with end times? Sure, maybe but for certain is one thing, God knows. Our job, mission is to make sure that we speak to others about where they will spend all eternity. Do they know Jesus? Then discipleship for them to understand His Word and His love so that they can make sure their people or those around know Jesus. Ezekiel 38: 23 “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.”‘
“Many things are possible for the person who has hope. Even more is possible for the person who has faith. And still more is possible for the person who knows how to love. But everything is possible for the person who practices all three virtues.” Brother Lawrence.
We have the hope of Jesus Christ return. We can have faith in this through God and His Holy Word. God is love. Put these things into our daily lives and truly live them to let your light so shine to others.
God, I Bless You Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, I bless Your holy name! I Bless You Lord, O my soul help me not forget not all Your benefits, I praise You who forgives all my iniquity, and who heals all my diseases, who redeemed my life from the pit, who crowned me with steadfast love and mercy, who satisfied me with good so that my youth is renewed like the eagle. Thank You Lord for being merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. Thank You that You will not always chide, nor will keep Your anger forever. God I am so thankful You do not deal with me according to my sins, nor repay me according to my iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his steadfast love toward to me because I fear him. God I am thankful that as far as the east is from the west, so far do You remove my transgressions from me. As a father shows compassion to his children, so the Lord shows compassion to those who fear him. For he knows my frame; and He remembers that I am dust. (Psalm 103) Bless the Lord O my soul. Thank You for all the blessings that I can understand and look to in Your Word in Jesus name amen.
WOOHOO!!!
https://youtu.be/RohnVU8duCM?si=FeKss0-_W4BvGTCD
This was produced in May 2023 before the current attacks in Israel.