CFBC Wed Study | 12-13-23 | Israel, Prophecy and the Middle East | Session 7
Dr. Chuck Herring | Ezekiel 39:1-29
The battle of Gog and Magog described in Ezekiel 38 and 39 is one of the most debated events in biblical prophecy…
The battle of Gog and Magog described in Ezekiel 38 and 39 is one of the most debated events in biblical prophecy…
§ Some approach these chapters as non-literal, having only an idealist or figurative meaning, without any historical reality.
§ Others approach these chapters as having a literal fulfillment, being an invasion of some kind, but differ on its participants, location, and timing.
Last week we moved to the deep end of the prophetic pool as we considered the war of Gog and Magog. The Bible predicts an end-time alliance between Russia, Iran and Turkey (along with other countries) that will come against Israel in the last days leading up to the return of Jesus. As they cover the land like a storm it will look like a slam dunk for the invading forces, that is until God steps in!
We saw in last week’s study that God will not allow this invading force to prevail but will supernaturally wipe them out on the mountains of Israel. This turn of events will literally leave an unbelieving world gasping for answers! It will, the Bible says, be an event that will be used by God to make His name known again to both Israel and the nations of the world.
In Hebrew literature, it was common to give an account and then to repeat it to give emphasis and to add a few additional details. Ezekiel 39:1-8 is a summary of what was described in Ezekiel 38.
ÞChapter 38 concentrates on the danger this evil coalition presents to Israel.
ÞChapter 38 concentrates on the defeat of Gog.
ÞChapter 39 concentrates on the disposal of Gog.
ÞChapter 39 concentrates on the deliverance of God’s people.
Ezekiel 39:1–6… “And you, son of man, prophesy against Gog and say, ‘Thus says the Lord God, “Behold, I am against you, O Gog, prince of Rosh, Meshech and Tubal; 2 and I will turn you around, drive you on, take you up from the remotest parts of the north and bring you against the mountains of Israel. 3 “I will strike your bow from your left hand and dash down your arrows from your right hand. 4 “You will fall on the mountains of Israel, you and all your troops and the peoples who are with you; I will give you as food to every kind of predatory bird and beast of the field. 5 “You will fall on the open field; for it is I who have spoken,” declares the Lord God. 6 “And I will send fire upon Magog and those who inhabit the coastlands in safety; and they will know that I am the Lord.
Verse 4 reveals some new information not found in Ezekiel 38. It states that the armies associated with this evil coalition will fall on the Mountains of Israel and their bodies will be given to the birds and to the beasts to eat. This is similar to the events of Armageddon as described in Revelation 19:17-18. Some have suggested that the Gog and Magog invasion is actually describing the war of Armageddon. While there are similarities there are also some major differences. The most notable is that this war of Gog and Magog will come at a time when Israel is living in peace and security, in unwalled villages.
This certainly WILL NOT be the case at the end of
the tribulation as the inhabitants of Israel has to
flee for their lives at the mid-point of the tribulation.
(Matt 24:15-22, Rev 12:6,13-17)
For another new piece of information look at verse 6. This verse speaks of a fire in Magog (Russia) itself. Let’s piece together the scenario we’ve already been presented…
§ This massive army covers the mountains of Israel and bears down on the people of God.
§ God sends an earthquake that wipes out a large segment of the troops.
§ Chaos breaks out within the ranks of the remaining army, and they begin to kill each other.
§ Next, fire and hail are poured out on what remains of the invading army.
This is a picture of the total devastation of a vastly superior army that attacked a noticeably inferior nation. Surely anyone in their right mind would assume that these events have the supernatural fingerprints of God all over them. Well, if that weren’t enough, God unleashes His judgment on Magog (Russia) itself. Fire falls from heaven. All doubt as to the source of this judgment is removed. This is the hand of Almighty God!
“Not only is the Russian and allied army destroyed in Israel, but the land of Russia itself is devastated by the raining of brimstone, causing much destruction to the nation itself. It will cause Russia to cease being a political force in world affairs.” Arnold Fructenbaum, Footsteps of the Messiah, page 115.
I want you to see how verse 6 ends—“…And they will know that I am the Lord, the Holy One of Israel.” Even hard-hearted unbelievers will finally recognize that there is a sovereign, holy, and righteous God to whom everyone must answer to.
Ezekiel 39:7–8… “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.”
The prophet Ezekiel records the heartbeat of God. First, that the nations of the world will know that HE IS THE LORD. Second, in verse 7, the prophet reveals God’s desire for the nation of Israel—"MY HOLY NAME I WILL MAKE KNOWN IN THE MIDST OF MY PEOPLE ISRAEL.” This is the first time that it specifically says that God will make His holy name known to the nation of Israel and it will not be profaned anymore.
When the reality of this invasion and God’s supernatural deliverance is witnessed, it will jolt Israel out of its current spiritual slumber. Though Israel was gathered to the land and lived in relative safety and prosperity, a true relationship with Yahweh had not yet been restored. It will be after this battle. They will know, once and for all, that they are the Lord's people and they need to repent, uphold His name, and believe in their Lord God once again. In verse 8, the living God solemnly affirmed this powerful prophecy that Ezekiel recorded. Revival will one day come to Israel!
Ezekiel 39:9–10… “Then those who inhabit the cities of Israel will go out and make fires with the weapons and burn them, both shields and bucklers, bows and arrows, war clubs and spears, and for seven years they will make fires of them. 10 “They will not take wood from the field or gather firewood from the forests, for they will make fires with the weapons; and they will take the spoil of those who despoiled them and seize the plunder of those who plundered them,” declares the Lord God.
The new information revealed here concerns the use of the army’s equipment. Israel will “take the spoil of those who despoiled them and seize the plunder of those who plundered them.” They will also burn the invading army’s weapons as fuel for seven years!
We should also note the weapons mentioned such as shields, bucklers, bows and arrows, spears, etc. Previously in chapter 38:4 it also spoke about horses. Should this be taken literally? Or are they symbolic of more modern-day weaponry and methods? Wiersbe suggested that Ezekiel used language the people could understand.
Ezekiel 39:11–16… “On that day I will give Gog a burial ground there in Israel, the valley of those who pass by east of the sea, and it will block off those who would pass by. So they will bury Gog there with all his horde, and they will call it the valley of Hamon-gog. 12 “For seven months the house of Israel will be burying them in order to cleanse the land. 13 “Even all the people of the land will bury them; and it will be to their renown on the day that I glorify Myself,” declares the Lord God. 14 “They will set apart men who will constantly pass through the land, burying those who were passing through, even those left on the surface of the ground, in order to cleanse it. At the end of seven months they will make a search. 15 “As those who pass through the land pass through and anyone sees a man’s bone, then he will set up a marker by it until the buriers have buried it in the valley of Hamon-gog. 16 “And even the name of the city will be Hamonah. So they will cleanse the land.” ’
The effort to find and bury the remains of Gog’s army would be organized and thorough. Along with the 7 years of burning weapons for fuel, there will also be a thorough 7-month period where the dead are searched for and buried. H.A Ironside observed…
So suddenly will death claim the myriads who formed these armies that there will be no opportunity to bury their own dead. The blow will come as it were in a moment: the dead bodies will be strewn everywhere in the valley of Hamon-gog... These decayed corpses will poison the very air, and would be a source of grievous pestilence to the whole land if steps were not taken almost immediately to properly inter them: therefore, a great squad of grave-diggers will be formed whose business it will be to go throughout the entire section where Gog's army has been destroyed, and bury the bodies in order to cleanse the land. For seven months this work will continue before the last bodies will have been covered from human sight. Anyone passing through this region beholding bones or corpses will be required to set up a sign in order that the buriers may see it and so inter the body as soon as possible. In this way the land will be cleansed from its defilement and the air purified. In the meantime, birds and beasts that feed upon carrion will assist in the work of clearing away the rotting corpses.
With the land needing to be totally cleansed from this event, a special burial place will be established for this purpose. The name of this cemetery will be Hamon-gog which means “the multitude or hordes of Gog.”
This will not just be the task of the government or military. The number of dead bodies and the corresponding devastation demands that all the people of the land must play a role in this ritual cleansing (vs. 13). There will be certain men set apart whose job it is to continually search for any remaining body or bone so that the whole land can be cleansed.
The city that is adjacent to the burial valley will be renamed as Hamonah meaning “his multitude.” It’s likely that this city will be established as a headquarters for this massive operation designed to cleanse the land. It will stand as a continual reminder of the fate of those that oppose the living God.
Look at verses 17-20…
Ezekiel 39:17–20… “As for you, son of man, thus says the Lord God, ‘Speak to every kind of bird and to every beast of the field, “Assemble and come, gather from every side to My sacrifice which I am going to sacrifice for you, as a great sacrifice on the mountains of Israel, that you may eat flesh and drink blood. 18 “You will eat the flesh of mighty men and drink the blood of the princes of the earth, as though they were rams, lambs, goats and bulls, all of them fatlings of Bashan. 19 “So you will eat fat until you are glutted, and drink blood until you are drunk, from My sacrifice which I have sacrificed for you. 20 “You will be glutted at My table with horses and charioteers, with mighty men and all the men of war,” declares the Lord God.”
The section dealing directly with Gog and his allies ends with this strange picture of scavenger birds and scavenger beasts gorging themselves with the corpses of the defeated enemy. Vawter and Hoppe viewed this as somewhat of a reverse sacrifice…
“Their corpses will be a sacrificial meal that birds and animals will consume. It is a stunning reversal. Instead of human
beings consuming the animals of sacrifice, it is the animals who consume the human beings sacrificed for Yahweh’s honor.”
The amazing restoration described in Ezekiel 36-39 was focused on Israel, but never limited to them. It was God’s intention all along to set His glory among the nations. He would do this through the execution of His sovereign judgment.
Ezekiel 39:21–24… “And I will set My glory among the nations; and all the nations will see My judgment which I have executed and My hand which I have laid on them. 22 “And the house of Israel will know that I am the Lord their God from that day onward. 23 “The nations will know that the house of Israel went into exile for their iniquity because they acted treacherously against Me, and I hid My face from them; so I gave them into the hand of their adversaries, and all of them fell by the sword. 24 “According to their uncleanness and according to their transgressions I dealt with them, and I hid My face from them.” ’ ”
The house of Israel shall know that I am the LORD their God from that day forward: This restoration would bring Israel permanently into a new relationship with God. This looks to the ultimate restoration described by the prophet Zechariah and the apostles Paul and John...
Zechariah 12:10… “I will pour out on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the Spirit of grace and of supplication, so that they will look on Me whom they have pierced; and they will mourn for Him, as one mourns for an only son, and they will weep bitterly over Him like the bitter weeping over a firstborn.”
Zechariah 13:1… “In that day a fountain will be opened for the house of David and for the inhabitants of Jerusalem, for sin and for impurity.”
Romans 11:25–32… For I do not want you, brethren, to be uninformed of this mystery—so that you will not be wise in your own estimation—that a partial hardening has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in; 26 and so all Israel will be saved; just as it is written, “The Deliverer will come from Zion, He will remove ungodliness from Jacob.” 27 “This is My covenant with them, When I take away their sins.” 28 From the standpoint of the gospel they are enemies for your sake, but from the standpoint of God’s choice they are beloved for the sake of the fathers; 29 for the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable. 30 For just as you once were disobedient to God, but now have been shown mercy because of their disobedience, 31 so these also now have been disobedient, that because of the mercy shown to you they also may now be shown mercy. 32 For God has shut up all in disobedience so that He may show mercy to all.
Revelation 1:7… Behold, He is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him; and all the tribes of the earth will mourn over Him. So it is to be. Amen.
Look back at Ezekiel 39:23-24… The nations will know that Israel’s suffering was because of their sin and unfaithfulness, not because God was weak or unconcerned about them.
Ezekiel 39:25–29… 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.
F.B. Meyer observed…
“We must never overlook the literal significance of this promise. All Israel, insists the apostle of the Gentiles, who never lost his love for his own people, shall be saved. The blindness which has happened to them is only till the fullness of the Gentile contingent to the one Church has been brought in.”
If you need proof that God is faithful, I don’t think you need to search any longer. Just feast your eyes on the nation of Israel and you will see the single most important example of God’s faithfulness in the entire history of the world. Keep this in mind. God’s faithfulness is set against the backdrop of Israel’s lack of faithfulness to Him. Obviously, the height of their unfaithfulness reached its apex when they called for the crucifixion of Jesus the Messiah. One day in the future the nation of Israel will see their Messiah and turn to Him in saving faith!
G. Campbell Morgan wrote…
In that day of restoration, dwelling securely in their land, they would still bear their shame, that is to say, repentance for past failure would be profound, even in the day of restoration. By that attitude of mind Jehovah would be sanctified among them in the sight of the nations, but they would have the infinite healing of His unveiled face, and the abiding energy of His outpoured Spirit.
With God’s Spirit poured out upon Israel, they would have a relationship with God based on the work and merits of the Messiah, not their own work and merits. It will be a day of “Amazing Grace!”
