Collierville First Baptist Church

Dr. Chuck Herring | Ezekiel 38:10-23

Before we get into the text tonight, I want to call your attention to the placement of these important prophetic chapters.  For instance, in Ezekiel 37, the vision of the dry bones coming to life pictures the rebirth and reconstitution of the nation of Israel.  In AD 70, they were driven out their land and disbursed throughout the world.  This prophecy about their rebirth as a nation was fulfilled on May 14, 1948.  Here's a fact we can’t overlook or explain away.  The Jews are the indigenous people of this tiny strip of land.  God promised it to Abraham and his descendants…

Genesis 15:18… On that day the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying, “To your descendants I have given this land, From the river of Egypt as far as the great river, the river Euphrates.

Ezekiel 40-48 speaks of the Millennial Kingdom when Jesus shall rule and reign from Jerusalem after His return.

Squeezed in between Ezekiel 37 and Ezekiel 40-48 are these two prophetic chapters (38-39) which depict a massive war that will take place in the last days.  Last week we drilled down into the first part of chapter 38 to identify the nations that will come against Israel before the return of the Lord Jesus Christ.  It seems that the three major players will be Russia, Turkey, and Iran.  The other nations that will join them will be Libya, Sudan (Ethiopia), and possibly Germany (Gomer).  The leader of this coalition of rabid antisemites will be Gog, who will likely be a Russian dictator or czar.  

The nations involved in this end-time drama are moving into place even now.  Furthermore, we are witnessing a global resurgence of antisemitism.  According to University of Massachusetts professor of criminology Arlie Perliger… 

What’s the source of this incessant hatred of the Jewish people?  Ultimately, you can trace it back to Satan himself.  Consider these verses…

Revelation 12:1–6… A great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars; 2 and she was with child; and she cried out, being in labor and in pain to give birth. 3 Then another sign appeared in heaven: and behold, a great red dragon having seven heads and ten horns, and on his heads were seven diadems. 4 And his tail swept away a third of the stars of heaven and threw them to the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman who was about to give birth, so that when she gave birth he might devour her child. 5 And she gave birth to a son, a male child, who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron; and her child was caught up to God and to His throne. 6 Then the woman fled into the wilderness where she had a place prepared by God, so that there she would be nourished for one thousand two hundred and sixty days. 

“The woman” represents the nation of Israel.  This nation has repeatedly failed to honor God through the ages.  However, she belongs to God and through this nation God has provided a Savior for the world.  Jesus was born in Israel to Jewish parents.  He grew up in Israel and his ministry was centered there.  He died on the cross in Jerusalem.  He was buried there, raised from the dead there, and ascended back to heaven from there.  One day He is coming again, and He is coming to Israel and will rule there for 1000 years.

Romans 9:3–5… For I could wish that I myself were accursed, separated from Christ for the sake of my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh, 4 who are Israelites, to whom belongs the adoption as sons, and the glory and the covenants and the giving of the Law and the temple service and the promises, 5 whose are the fathers, and from whom is the Christ according to the flesh, who is over all, God blessed forever. Amen. 

“The dragon” in Revelation 12 is none other than Satan.  His consuming passion is to exterminate the Jews.  This text speaks of the sufferings of the Jewish people.  John Stonestreet and Timothy Padgett observed, “The prince of darkness can never win his fight with heaven, but in defiant desperation, he incites people to commit evil and inflict pain, especially on those through whom God works in redemption.”  John Phillips wrote…

“The Son” is the Lord Jesus Christ.  He will rule the world!

As we approach Christmas, the continued existence of the Jewish people serves as a powerful witness to God’s power and to His faithfulness!

Ezekiel 38:10–12… ‘Thus says the Lord God, “It will come about on that day, that thoughts will come into your mind and you will devise an evil plan, 11 and you will say, ‘I will go up against the land of unwalled villages. I will go against those who are at rest, that live securely, all of them living without walls and having no bars or gates, 12 to capture spoil and to seize plunder, to turn your hand against the waste places which are now inhabited, and against the people who are gathered from the nations, who have acquired cattle and goods, who live at the center of the world.’ 

This section of Ezekiel focuses on the reasons for this invasion.  Given the increasing anti-Semitism in the world today, it is not hard to see these nations wanting to destroy Israel because of pure, demonically inspired hatred. Iran especially is famous for its constant decrees and threats of destroying the Jewish nation and driving them into the sea. 

Another reason is materialism.  That’s what verse 12 emphasizes—to capture spoil and to seize plunder.  The Lord indicates through this Scripture that a prerequisite for the War of Gog & Magog is that Israel will not only be rebuilt but will be thriving economically in the last days.  So, what could these riches possibly be?

ÞIsrael has discovered two massive gas fields in the last 10 years called 'Leviathan' and 'Tamar' that are worth billions of dollars.  Further gas and energy finds within Israel could be a major incentive for Russia to exert its power and control once again to remain the major player in this area.

ÞSitting fairly and squarely within Israel’s territorial waters – although spilling out somewhat to the North and East – and encompassing about 83,000 square miles, is the so-called “Levant basin.” In April 2010, the US Geological Survey estimated that no less than 1.7 billion barrels of oil and 122 trillion cubic feet of gas were recoverable from this vast and long unsuspected energy reserve. A year later, In the light of subsequent discoveries, their estimate was upped to 200 trillion cubic feet of gas. (Jerusalem Post)

ÞThe political implications of Israel joining the gas and oil exporting nations is less easy to assess. Oil certainly means power, but power – especially attached to the Jewish nation – is a two-edged sword. In a world in which global anti-Semitism is on the increase, as Daniel Goldlhagen recently pointed out: “Nothing incites anti-Semites more than the specter of Jews being powerful.” (Jerusalem Post)

Let me insert an important truth here.  Joel Rosenberg wrote…

Let’s move to the next section of our study…

Ezekiel 38:13–16… “Sheba and Dedan and the merchants of Tarshish with all its villages will say to you, ‘Have you come to capture spoil? Have you assembled your company to seize plunder, to carry away silver and gold, to take away cattle and goods, to capture great spoil?’ ” ’ 14 “Therefore prophesy, son of man, and say to Gog, ‘Thus says the Lord God, “On that day when My people Israel are living securely, will you not know it?15 “You will come from your place out of the remote parts of the north, you and many peoples with you, all of them riding on horses, a great assembly and a mighty army; 16 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.” 

Sheba is the ancient name for Arabia, which is currently known as Saudi Arabia. 

Dedan is the ancient name for the region of the Persian Gulf, what we currently call the “emirates” (such as the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, etc). 

Tarshish is the ancient name for the “Gold Coast” of Spain. Thus, “the merchants of Tarshish with all its villages” is generally thought of as the business and political leaders of Europe and the West. 

The prophecy indicates that the Saudis, the Gulf states, Europe and the Western powers are not in a coalition against Israel but are worried by this powerful coalition because it seems destined to capture the enormous wealth of the Jewish people in the rebuilt and thriving land of Israel.  These nations want to cash in on some of the wealth also!

Look at verses 15-16.  Just as the Lord raised up Pharoah to demonstrate His almighty, sovereign power to the people of Israel, so the Lord will use Gog to show the nations that the Lord is God, and He is sovereign over all the earth. 

Ezekiel 38:17–19… ‘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? 18 “It will come about on that day, when Gog comes against the land of Israel,” declares the Lord God, “that My fury will mount up in My anger. 19 “In My zeal and in My blazing wrath I declare that on that day there will surely be a great earthquake in the land of Israel. 

Notice that twice it is stated (Ezekiel 38:17; 39:8) that former prophets foretold this invasion (Isaiah 29:1-8; Joel 2:20; 3:9-21; Zechariah 12:1 ff.; Zechariah 14:2-3).

Note how furious God gets.  The picture is of the breath which an angry man inhales and exhales through his nose. God’s patience will be exhausted with the repeated attempts of Israel’s enemies to annihilate her.” (Feinberg)

God, who is sovereign over all, will unleash a powerful earthquake in the land of Israel!

Ezekiel 38:20–22… “The fish of the sea, the birds of the heavens, the beasts of the field, all the creeping things that creep on the earth, and all the men who are on the face of the earth will shake at My presence; the mountains also will be thrown down, the steep pathways will collapse and every wall will fall to the ground. 21 “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.” 

One way that God will defend Israel and come against Gog will be to send a great earthquake.  It isn’t immediately apparent how this earthquake will harm only the hostile attacking armies, but that is apparently the case.  Everyone will know that the hand of Almighty God is at work!

With Gog’s enormous coalition outnumbering the Jewish people and the outlook appearing to be so bleak, verses 21-22 reveal that the God of Israel will demonstrate HIs power and act on behalf of the Jews in four specific ways…

ÞA huge earthquake

ÞGog’s army will panic and turn on each other (2 Chronicles 20:1-23)

ÞPestilence will break out among the invading armies

ÞGod will unleash fire, brimstone, hail, and torrential rain

This is no coincidence.  Here is the sovereign, holy, and just God bringing His judgment upon these ungodly, demon-inspired people.

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.” 

Due to modern technology, I’m sure the whole world will watch this take place.  These are obvious signs of a supernatural divine judgment.  This demonstration of divine power will result in two things…

Þthe deliverance of Israel from the invading forces of Gog