Taught by
Stephen ArmstrongAccess all of our teaching materials through our smartphone apps conveniently and quickly.
Taught by
Stephen ArmstrongLet’s dive back into our study of the section of Ezekiel commonly known as Ezekiel’s war
These chapters are part of a structure I gave us a few weeks back
In that structure I proposed that there was a pattern of revelation built on the promises of the Abrahamic & Davidic Covenants
Those covenants promised Israel a king from the line of David, who shepherded God’s people properly
An eternal inheritance of land that would be free of competing claims and would bless Israel with great fruitfulness
A nation of descendants to fill the land and inhabit it in peace from her enemies
And the Lord dwelling among His people
Chapters 33-48 explain this glorious future in great detail
And in the midst of these chapters we find a fascinating description of a coming war in the land of Israel
That war, commonly called Ezekiel’s War, occurs in Chapters 38-39
According to my structure, Chapter 38 is part of the peaceful inhabitation promise
While Chapter 39 is part of God’s description of His glory dwelling among His people
Last week we looked at the opening verses, including the four competing views of the timing of these events
Once again, I’ll list these four options, but we’re going to allow the text to guide us to a timeline
First, some claim this war never happens – in the sense that it’s not literal but merely symbolic representing God’s ultimate victory over Satan and Israel’s enemies in general
A second view is that the war happens in this age before the start of Tribulation
A third view says it happens in the time of Tribulation and is part of the destruction of that period
A fourth view says it happens near the end of the Kingdom period
And finally, by way of introduction, let’s take a second look at the actors involved in this war
Our first actor in this drama is from the land of Magog
We know from the table of nations, this area is, widely-speaking, Eastern Europe including present day Turkey
Among Noah’s grandsons’ sons to settle in that region north of Israel included men named Magog, Mechech, and Tubal
This land, plus the land of Rosh in the same region, are all collectively ruled by a man called Gog, who is also called the prince of Rosh
The word Gog is a title, not a specific name, similar to Pharaoh or Caesar
So the oracle is spoken against some world leader with the title Gog, who rules a vast land located in the region of present-day Turkey
That includes nations today like Syria, Georgia, Armenia, Russia and perhaps others
This king will be joined by allies from east and south of Israel
Persia is the name for present-day Iran
Ethiopia includes the nation of that name now but historically it also included neighboring Somalia and Eritrea
So altogether, this invading army consists of people from the north, south and east of Israel
Since the Mediterranean Sea sits directly to Israel’s west, this means that nations are coming against Israel on land only
And they are coming from every possible direction surrounding Israel
Next, notice that the Lord causes these peoples to assemble a great army to come up against Israel, yet the army is equipped in a very rudimentary way
First, the army will rely on horses, literally not symbolically
Secondly, the weaponry is very rudimentary by current standards
In Chapter 39 we learn that they carry into battle wooden clubs, wooden spears, wooden shields, wooden helmets, wooden bows and wooden arrows
In fact, everything used in the battle will be made of wood, not metal
And finally, notice that the attack will come against a land that has been restored from the sword
The word for restored is the Hebrew word shuv, which has many shades of interpretation
In this context, the best interpretation would be turned away from or to have put away
In other words, it’s a defenseless land; a land without military weaponry for none was needed
And why was none needed? Because v.8 goes on to say that the inhabitants of the land of Israel are living securely
They had no need for weaponry because they had no expectation of attack
Nothing threatened their security
Furthermore, the inhabitants have been placed in their land from many nations, referring to the regathering of Israel
And they are all living on the mountains of Israel, which is an interesting reference we will come back to later
And before they returned, the land was a continual waste before it was restored to something great and useful for Israel
Finally, notice the small phrase at the very end of v.8…”all of them”
All of Israel is dwelling in this place, not just some Jews but all Jews
Here again, that’s another important clue to the timing of these events
Now let’s move to the invasion itself
In v.9 we read about the movement of a vast army of people so great that it covers the ground like a cloud
But that verse serves as an overview statement or introduction to the details of the invasion
Beginning in v.10 we see how this invasion unfolded in detail
First, as always, a thought enters into the mind of evil men, specifically the mind of Gog
He devises a plan to invade Israel and that plan takes shape based on opportunity and greed
Gog sees opportunity because he notes that the land of Israel is entirely unguarded
Gog notes that the land is at rest, which means quiet, unsuspecting
The land is also unwalled; no bars, no gates
By their nature, walls are the most basic of protective measures intended to defend against an enemy attack
So unwalled villages indicates a complete lack of concern over enemies
It would be like building a house without a front door
It says you have no concerns about someone taking your possessions
So Gog sees opportunity to invade unchallenged against an unsuspecting people
Secondly, Gog’s greed gives him reason to seize upon that opportunity
In v.12 Gog notices the abundance of the land, the cattle and goods amassed in the land
This chapter comes immediately after a series of chapters describing the abundance of the land in the Kingdom
If we allow that context to inform our thinking, we can make better sense out of these nations’ interests
The abundance of Israel in the Kingdom will be second to none, the Bible says
The land will produce without equal and the people of Israel will be blessed above all other nations in that time period
So in that context, Gog’s desire for the spoil makes good sense
Furthermore, the text notes that Israel was previously a waste place and that it was inhabited by people taken from all the other nations
Some would argue that is an accurate description of present day Israel, and it is to a degree
For many years, Israel was largely wilderness and today it is flourishing
And the nation has been repopulated by Jews coming from around the world to settle back in the land
But it’s that question of degree that drives our interpretation in a different direction
Yes some of Israel live in the land today
But in this chapter we’re told at the time of the evasion that all of Israel is living in the land (v.8)
Yes, the land of Israel is prosperous today
But in this chapter we’re told that Gog is so attracted by Israel’s wealth that it causes him to invade
The wealth of Israel today is substantial, but it’s not so substantial that it compels nations like Russia or Turkey or Iran to invade
In fact those nations collectively possess far more wealth than Israel today
An invasion by six nations to split up the limited resources of modern day Israel simply doesn’t make strategic sense
Beyond these issues, there are other details that tell us this can’t be a war of our age and time
First, there’s the issue of Israel being completely unguarded, without walls and without any defenses
This is completely opposite of the truth in present-day Israel
First, they have walls…massive walls running miles
If anything, Israel is famous for its walls
Secondly, Israel’s defense forces are the envy of the world
No nation would dare invade Israel in our current day for fear of the reprisals, up to and including nuclear retaliation
In short, Israel is one of the most defensively fortified nations on earth
Thirdly, Israel of today is not dwelling in quiet and peace in their land as described in this passage
Yes, they have established a degree of security but it’s certainly not a peaceful, quiet existence in the land
The people of Israel are conspicuously aware of how tenuous their security is
And that tension and worry over security is exactly the opposite of the situation described in this chapter
So in terms of timing, all indications are pointing to a time in history very different to the one we are in now…to the time of the Kingdom
Fourthly, we’re told that Israel is considered the center of the world in v.12
Certainly Israel lies at the center of the Bible’s geography
And it’s also the focus of the Christian’s world
Nevertheless we can hardly say Israel is the center of the world today by most measures
Today, we would say China or the U.S. or maybe the E.U. lies at the center of the world in terms of power, wealth, or attention
But in the Kingdom, the Bible says Israel is by all definitions the center of the world
This is a picture of Israel atop the world and without peer, but that is not the case today
Finally, it’s worth noting that not one of the nations invading with Gog is Arab
If an alliance formed in our day to invade Israel, we should expect Arabs to readily join in the battle, yet none are mentioned
On the other hand, their absence makes perfect sense if the context of the invasion is the Kingdom period
Ezekiel has already promised Israel that in the Kingdom Arab nations will never again threaten or harm Israel
Back to the passage, in v.13 we’re told that other nations will inquire of the invaders as they gather on Israel’s border
Sheba and Dedan describe northern Arabia, directly to the east of Israel
While the merchants of Tarshish probably refers to ships sailing across the Med from Spain
We can’t tell the exact reason they ask the question except perhaps out of surprise and disbelief at the unfolding events
If so, then v.13 indicates to us how out of the ordinary this action is given the circumstances of that day
Then in v.14, we hear the Lord’s challenge to Gog, and that challenge lies at the heart of my interpretation
The Lord asks rhetorically, will Gog disrupt the peace that God has given to His people Israel?
Remember last week I told you that the Lord promised that Israel would have peace in the land as part of His covenant with them
In fact, the Lord establishes a peace covenant with His people Israel to inaugurate the Kingdom period
But I also told you that if God is to be understood to be faithful to that promise, then there must be an enemy or threat to Israel
Without a threat to Israel’s peace, there is no way for God to demonstrate His faithfulness to that peace covenant
It’s like God promising He will cure you of cancer – but until you contract cancer, God can’t show Himself faithful to that promise
Likewise, God has said He will protect Israel from her enemies, but to show Himself faithful, Israel needs an enemy to invade
So the Lord said He will call Gog to invade, and now in v.14 the Lord says to Gog will you, indeed, disturb the peace of my people Israel?
And of course, the answer to Gog and to Israel is no
The Lord will ensure that His people will be preserved and saved just as the Lord promised
So here again, the invasion serves an important purpose in the Kingdom
It gives opportunity for the Lord to show Himself faithful to the peace covenant
As He says at the end of v.14, will Gog (and Israel) not know that they are living securely in the land?
By how the Lord defends Israel against Gog’s invasion, everyone will come to see just how securely the people are dwelling in the land
Next, look at the nature of warfare in this coming day
In v.15 the Lord describes the invasion as many peoples all riding horses
The Hebrew word translated as horse means…horse
There is nothing in the text to indicate this is a symbolic reference to something else
The text is speaking plainly and literally
Which means we must imagine a day of warfare in which the horse has once again become a chief means of transportation
Once more, if we suppose this battle happens in the present day, then we have a very difficult time explaining this reference
Certainly, the modern nations mentioned in this prophecy could not possibly expect to prevail against Israel riding horses
The Israeli Defense Forces are among the most modern and sophisticated in the world
Moreover, the armies of Russia, Turkey, Iran, Libya, and even Ethiopia possess tanks, armored vehicles, aircraft, etc.
It’s foolish to assume they would abandon all these tools in favor of horses
So either our interpretation must retreat far back in time to pre-industrial revolution times, or advance far forward into the Kingdom age
First, the Kingdom age seems to be marked by a simpler life
Notice again the mention of some of the same nations as we’ve seen mentioned in Ezekiel, and these nations will know the Lord’s glory
And they will come to the holy mountain of God in horse-drawn chariots
Animals will be the mode of transportation in the Kingdom
Secondly, Isaiah confirms that the Kingdom age will not possess technology for warfare whatsoever
In this age, the people will be guided by the Lord’s rule, which is so perfect and absolute that sin will not be able to run far
The Lord will render decisions in such a way that conflict never goes far enough to invite physical violence
Therefore, there is no need to prepare for war, and all creative energy will be spent elsewhere
The people will turn swords into farming equipment and no one will train for war
This detail helps explain better a couple of things we’ve already heard so far
First, it explains the defenselessness of Israel in this day
There would be no reason for Israel to take defensive measures in a day when no warfare takes place or is even planned
Secondly, it explains the curiosity of the other nations as they ponder over Gog’s invading army
Truly, such an invasion would be unprecedented and altogether unfamiliar to the people of the Kingdom
No one has even contemplated such a thing during this period, according to Isaiah…no one even trains for war
So it makes more sense that these other nations would marvel at Gog’s audacity
But if the Lord’s rule prevents such uprisings, how is this war even possible?
Remember how the chapter started?
In v.4 the Lord said this was His war…He is starting it by bringing these armies out to attack Israel
He instigates it so that He can defeat the invasion and thereby demonstrate His faithfulness to protect Israel’s peace
But the Bible also tells us that the Lord never tempts anyone to sin
The Lord has taken credit for instigating Gog to undertake a sinful act, but we know the Lord does not tempt us into sin
So the Lord is saying He appointed these events by His sovereign will and set the timing of their occurrence
But then how did the Lord bring them to pass without being the direct cause of Gog’s sin?
I believe Revelation 20 gives us the answer:
The Lord determines the manner and timing of this war by deciding the timing of Satan’s release
Satan is bound for 1,000 years in the abyss during the Kingdom
His absence make possible the peaceful existence of Israel and all nations in this age
But at the end of the age, the Lord releases Satan for a time
Have you ever wondered why the Lord lets him go to start a war?
Now we see why…Ezekiel tells us that the Lord is using Satan to accomplish His purpose in displaying His faithfulness to Israel
And to reveal His glory to the other nations who watch how the Lord defends Israel and glory Him for it
It’s also worth noting that the only two places in the Bible where the leader Gog of Magog is mentioned is in Ezekiel 38 and Revelation 20
That connection all by itself demands our attention and an explanation
Those who say this battle happens in our age rather than in the Kingdom believe the connection is a foreshadowing
The Gog of Ezekiel foreshadows the Gog of the Kingdom, but there is nothing in the text to suggest that connection
On the contrary, given the similarities of the situation, the more obvious and logical connection would be these are the same individual
In fact, John mentions the name Gog with no explanation as if to refer to the earlier prophecy
He seems to expect his readers to know who Gog is
Which brings us to the second major purpose the Lord has in bringing this war to pass
Notice in v.16 the Lord says that through His defense of Israel from Gog’s attack, the nations may know the Lord
The Lord will be sanctified, or set apart as holy, by the other nations when they witness how the Lord defends Israel
Taking another look at our chart, notice that Chapter 39 shows how the Lord will be gloried among the nations
That chapter leads us into Chapters 40 and beyond, which show how the Lord is gloried in Israel
So now we know how the Lord intends to be glorified among the nation in the Kingdom
He will orchestrate this conflict so that as the nations ponder over Gog’s invasion, much as Dedan and others did, they will sanctify the Lord
His response will remind the nations of God’s power and His faithfulness to His people Israel
So all signs (in my estimation) point to this invasion happening during the Kingdom, which brings us to the Lord’s response
The Lord reminds Gog that the Jewish prophets predicted his destruction for many years, so that causes us to ask which prophets?
We could says that these words were being spoken as if during the Kingdom
In which case, then we would say that “the prophets” refers to Ezekiel himself
But that conclusion seems recursive in a way we rarely see in prophetic Scripture
So a better conclusion is that other prophets prior to Ezekiel predicted this same calamity
And if we look for parallels we do find some examples
Psalm 110 seems to describe a war in the time of Christ’s rule over the nations
If so, then it would be a prophet speaking of Gog’s destruction
There are other examples we could find, but the point is made…
The Lord has been indicating there would be a battle at the end of the Kingdom period
So then the Lord displays His might in defeating Gog
His wrath begins with an earthquake in the land of Israel
The earthquake will be so severe that the entire earth will shake
Every living thing on the earth will be shaken
Mountains will fall to the ground the world over
Every wall (presumably referring to the structures of homes and the like) will fall down too
This is truly a calamity of biblical proportions (by definition)
Some see the scale of these events as evidence that this battle takes place during the Tribulation period
Obviously, we do see similar catastrophes in that time of history
So the connection seems plausible, but we will look at the question of that theory in Chapter 39
The earthquake is planet-shaking, but it’s just a prelude to the army’s destruction
The Lord then turns the swords of the invading army against themselves
Remember, these invaders are the only ones on the planet with swords
So when swords are met by swords, we’re talking about the army being confused by God so that they attack one another
We’ve seen the Lord do similar things in defense of Israel during the time prior to kings
Finally, the Lord settles the matter entirely by bringing hailstones and fire from heaven to destroy the entire army
The Lord fights this battle on behalf of Israel
The people of Israel are defended and do nothing of their own to defeat their enemy
The Lord supernaturally does all the fighting for Israel
For the first time in the entire 1,000 years of the Kingdom, warfare and bloodshed has come to pass
It will no doubt be stunning to the Kingdom inhabitants to watch unfold
The effect of this move is that the Lord magnifies Himself and sanctifies Himself and makes Himself known to all nations
All the world now knows the Lord is the only one
Now if this is the Kingdom, why would the Lord need to make this known?
Wouldn’t the entire world know that the Lord is the only One?
Remember, in earlier nights we learned that this age will include unbelief
While there will be those glorified citizens (like the Church) who know the Lord and others who come to faith in the Kingdom
There will also be some (many?) who do not believe that Jesus is Lord
And that unbelief is possible for the same reason it’s always been possible
Jesus won’t be personally visible…as we learn later in Ezekiel, He dwells in the temple out of sight
Secondly, faith is still required – and faith is confidence in things unseen
So though the world will operate differently, to someone born into that world these differences will seem “normal” to them
And so once again they must put their trust in the word of God
The only difference between unbelievers in the Kingdom day verses unbelievers today is where we are in the program of God
Today, we show unbelievers the word of God and tell them they sit between Christ’s first coming and second coming
But we have no proof we can offer of either event outside the testimony of the word of God itself
In the Kingdom, we will tell unbelievers that they sit after Christ’s first and second comings
But again, we will have no proof to offer them apart from the testimony of the word of God
The only difference is that in their day we will sit further along the path of God’s plan than we do today
So in Chapter 38 the Lord brings the war to an end abruptly and dramatically
It serves His purposes to show the people His power and to demonstrate to Israel His faithfulness
It also brings the entire Kingdom period to an end in dramatic fashion
The events that end the Kingdom serve a greater purpose in the narrative of God’s plan for the earth
The final event of this earth before the heavens and earth are destroyed is the conquering of Satan
And with Satan’s end comes the end of death
And the end of judgment for sin, which is personalized by Hades – the holding place for the dead sinner
Paul explains the purpose in these events in 1 Corinthians
In this passage, Paul has been explaining the order of resurrections in the land of God, and at v.24 Paul says “then comes the end”
In my English translation, we also see the word “comes” inserted in the text, but in the original Greek that word is not there
The actual phrase in Greek is “then the end”
Paul is brushing over some details in this discussion for the sake of brevity
But elsewhere in Revelation 20 we learned what specifically happens “at the end”
According to Revelation 20, the Kingdom of Christ will last on Earth for 1,000 years, but it must come to an end
Then in v.24 Paul says the end of the Kingdom means Christ handing all authority back to the Father
The Father abolishes all power and authority in His Creation apart from His own
This is a fascinating insight into the distant prophetic plan for Creation
After Christ’s Second Coming to earth, He sets us a kingdom to rule over humanity on earth
Christ presides over a world that still exists in sin, though resurrected saints will not possess sin
Yet natural men and women in the kingdom will still have sin, necessitating Christ’s judgment and our ruling with Him
The final and greatest enemy of God is death itself, and the author of death who is Satan
So Christ must rule until that final enemy is conquered
The moment Satan and death are conquered comes at the very end of the Kingdom
For if it came any sooner, then the Kingdom would end at that point
Once death and the source of death has been judged, there is no longer a point in Christ ruling in any capacity
The need for “rule” ends when opposition to God ceases
Once the victory is won, the purpose of the Kingdom has been fulfilled
And at that point Jesus hands back authority to the Father
In v.27 Paul quotes from Psalm 8
The pronouns cause some confusion at first, but if we replace them with proper nouns, it makes easier reading
Paul says that the goal of the Kingdom is to put everything under Christ’s rule
But of course, the Father Himself is not to be subjected to Christ’s rule
Therefore, once the final enemy is gone, the Son obediently returns all authority to the Father
At that point, v.28 says the Son obediently subjects Himself to the Father once again, and Paul says God returns to being “all in all”
It’s not clear what this moment means for the Godhead
But the simplest explanation is that the manifestation of the Godhead into the Creation becomes a singular expression
The Three Persons of the Godhead still exist, of course, as they always have existed
But they no longer express themselves into Creation separately
Instead, the Godhead expresses itself as One, in a manner similar to the way God existed at the beginning of Creation
When the Godhead said “Let Us make man in Our image”
In other words, Christ came to earth as a man to die and resurrect and rule so that as a man, He could conquer all the enemies of God in Creation
And once He completes this mission, His purpose to exist in the form of man is met
And then He will return to the Oneness with the Father that He has enjoyed since before the beginning