CHAPTER S 38-39 THE ORACLE OF GOG AND MAGOG. This oracle may have been originally placed here at what was the end of Ezekiel's first book, for Josephus tells us ‘Ezekiel left behind him in writing two books concerning these events', and many think that the second book was 40-48. It is a dark cloud... [ Continue Reading ]
THE WAR OF GOG AGAINST GOD'S PEOPLE. The identity of ‘Gog of Magog' is crucial to the interpretation of what follows, for it determines who it will be who will lead these accumulation of nations against Israel. And yet it would appear that Ezekiel has deliberately left the question open (although t... [ Continue Reading ]
“And I will turn you about, and put hooks in your jaws, and I will bring you forth, and all you army, horses and horsemen, all of them clothed in full armour, a great company with buckler and shield, all of them handling swords. Persia, Cush and Put with them, all of them with shield and helmet, Gom... [ Continue Reading ]
“In the latter days you will come to the land that is brought back from the sword, that is gathered out of many peoples on the mountains of Israel, which have been a continual waste, but it (Israel) is brought forth from the peoples, and they will dwell securely, all of them.” ‘In the latter days' s... [ Continue Reading ]
“Be prepared, yes, prepare yourselves, you and all your companies who are gathered to you, and you be a sentinel for them. After many days you will be mustered.” Gog is told to put his armies on the alert and act as their sentinel so that they will know when to act. He is to wait for the call of Go... [ Continue Reading ]
“And you will ascend, you will come like a storm, you will be like a cloud to cover the land, you and all your hordes and many people with you (compare Joel 2:1).” The description is not one of warfare but of taking over the country. There is no mention of warfare. This could well indicate a show o... [ Continue Reading ]
“Thus says the Lord Yahweh, It will come about in that day that things will come to your mind, and you will devise an evil device, and you will say, ‘I will go up to the land of unwalled villages, I will go to those who are at rest (quiet), who dwell securely all of them, all of them dwelling withou... [ Continue Reading ]
“Sheba and Dedan and the merchants of Tarshish, with all their young lions (or ‘all its villages'), will say to you, ‘Are you come to take the spoil? Have you gathered your company to take the prey? To carry away silver and gold, to take away cattle and goods, to take great spoil?' These merchants o... [ Continue Reading ]
FURTHER WORDS TO GOG. God now, through Ezekiel, addresses further words to Gog. Gog is greedy for what he can extract from God's people. But he has reckoned without God. “Therefore, son of man, prophesy and say to Gog, Thus says the Lord Yahweh, In that day when my people Israel dwell securely, wi... [ Continue Reading ]
“Thus says the Lord Yahweh, Are you he of whom I spoke in old time by my servants the prophets of Israel, who prophesied in those days for years that I would bring you against them?” This question brings home that we are dealing here with something very unusual. God does not usually so speak to His... [ Continue Reading ]
GOD'S FINAL JUDGMENTS. “And it will come about in that day when Gog comes against the land of Israel,” says the Lord Yahweh, “that my fury will come up into my nostrils, for I have spoken, in my jealousy and in my wrath. Surely in that day there will be a great shaking in the land of Israel, so tha... [ Continue Reading ]
“And I will magnify myself and sanctify myself, and I will make myself known in the eyes of many nations, and they will know that I am Yahweh.” God will ‘magnify Himself, sanctify Himself and make Himself known', not by some great bombastic, pretentious show, but by His actions in bringing about Hi... [ Continue Reading ]