God's Vengeance, Ezekiel 38-39
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Idea for the Bible teacher or discussion leader: Have a discussion with your class about situations in people's lives where they might desire God to intervene to protect them and take vengeance upon their enemies. Today's lesson in Ezekiel 38-39 may provide some comfort for those who desire this.
Review
The prophecies of Ezekiel 33-48 provide hope for Israel.
In 585 B.C., months after the fall of Jerusalem in 586 B.C., the exiles received word that their beloved city had fallen to the Babylonians (they used runners to transmit messages).
The destruction of Jerusalem was the lowest point in Jewish history, so they needed hope. God first provides hope for the nation of Israel by saying he is replacing the bad shepherds of Israel (meaning the leaders or kings) and accepting the responsibility himself. He will be the good shepherd. He will feed and heal the flock, search for the scattered sheep and bring them back to safe pasture (the protected land of Israel).
Then God gives hope to the Israelites by prophesying that He will turn the tables on their enemies, who rejoiced and sought to profit from her demise.
In our last lesson, God gave hope to the Jewish exiles by showing them he will resurrect the nation of Israel and reunify her tribes. In a vision Ezekiel is taken to a valley of dry skeleton bones. At the LORD's direction, the bones and sinews come together and are given the breath of life, a mighty army.
Later Ezekiel is told to join two sticks together, symbolizing the reunification of their two nations, Israel (or Ephraim) and Judah. But what protection will Israel have? Will she again be subject to mockings and attack? Will she again be destroyed and pilfered?
The Battle of Gog and Magog
Today's reading has many details about battles with some foreign nations. Please read through them and just give a general summary of the events, and what God is going to do and why (Ezekiel 38-39). We will go through the text with more detail later.
Read Ezekiel 38:1-6 and study this map. Where are the places of these nations with their ancient names located?
Referring to the same Scriptures, who is against Gog? What strange weapons will they use in that day? Ezekiel 38:1-6.
Ezekiel's prophecy is that this will happen in future years, and it has not happened yet. What will be the state of Israel according to Ezekiel 38:8,11
In Ezekiel 38:7-16 what will these gathered nations do? What will be their thinking?
Though the nations will seek to profit from Israel's weakness, in reality who is in control and what will he do? Ezekiel 38:16-23
There are two popular views held by theologians as to when this battle might happen. It might refer to the seven year tribulation time that Daniel prophesies in Daniel 9:26c-27 or it might be the time John prophesies in Revelation 20:1-10. Compare Ezekiel 38 and 39 with Revelation 20:1-10 and note the similarities and differences. Is it the same battle? Why or why not?
Chapter 39 deals with the results of the invasion and God's defense of Israel. Briefly summarize what will happen.
Lessons to Live by: (ask for members' input first)
Today's Focus Verses:
Ezekiel 38:21-23, NIV
"I will summon a sword against Gog on all my mountains, declares the Sovereign LORD. Every man's sword will be against his brother.
22 I will execute judgment upon 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."
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A1: When Israel is at peace and physically unprotected, God will turn Gog against the land of Israel. Many nations will join Gog and gather for war against Israel to annihilate and plunder her. However, God will bring a great earthquake and other natural forces to destroy them. They will be so frightened that those who remain will destroy each other, and Israel will bury their bodies for seven months. Their bodies will be food for the birds and the animals on which to feast. He will do this to show Israel and the nations his greatness and holiness so they will not profane his name. Furthermore, he will do this for Israel so that they will know he is their God. Afterwards, God will gather all the remaining Israelites from the nations where they are exiled, bring them to Israel and put his Spirit in them. These events are future, in as much as they have not happened yet.
A2: Gog refers to the area of Russia. Magog refers to the whole region of the former Soviet Union. Meshech, Tubal, Gomer, and Beth Togarmah refer to the area of modern Turkey. Persia is the area of Iran. Cush is the area of Sudan and northern Ethiopia. Put is the area of Libya.
A3: The Sovereign LORD is against Gog, chief of these other nations. In future days God will put his hook in them and turn them around to the land of Israel.
A calvary will fight this war with old weapons of swords and shields. Even though this may sound improbable, consider what would happen if this war against Israel happens, not in the middle of the Tribulation or the end of the Tribulation but at the end of the millennium. For 1,000 years there will be an enforced peace. No armies or training for war. Modern weapons of warfare, after 1,000 years, would be useless and no one would know how to operate them. Perhaps they would even be destroyed at the beginning of the Millenial reign of Christ. Israel along with the rest of the world would be defenseless with no walls.
When the devil is loosed, he deceives the nations, and the favored nation of Israel is wealthy but undefended, a tempting target.
A4: In future years a calvary of these nations will swarm over the un- walled, repatriated, wealthy land of Israel. They will think Israel is unprotected, peaceful, unsuspecting, and easy to plunder and loot of all its treasures. The text says this will be a time when Jerusalem is living in peace and safety. To be defenseless and unwalled suggests a longer period of peace than the seven-year Tribulation.
A5: The Sovereign LORD is in control, and events will happen against Gog as he prophesied through the prophets before Ezekiel. What follows seems to be a summary of them (though Gog is not mentioned by name in any other place in the Old Testaments, some of the judgments are mentioned, cf. Joel 3:9-17, Zephaniah 3:15-20). There will be a great earthquake in Israel, many of the nation of Gog will die by the sword and there will be fire and brimstone raining from heaven on his nation and others following him.
A6: God is in control; he will bring Gog and other nations to Palestine. When they invade the land he will cause a great earthquake, and the invaders will be killed with sword, and fire and brimstone from heaven. All this is to show God's greatness and holiness and to make himself known (which implies they do not know him).
A7: A complete answer can be found at gotquestions.org
Similarities:
- The names Gog and Magog are the same in Ezekiel 38-39 and Revelation 20:7-8
- Nations are gathered for war against Israel in both passages of Scripture
- Israel is at peace in both passages
- Invading nations are destroyed by fire in both instances, but Ezekiel also mentions destruction from earthquakes and hail and the sword (killing each other in their terror).
Differences:
- In Ezekiel 38-39 nations are gathered against Israel from the areas of Russia (Gog), the former Soviet Union (Magog), Iran (Persia), eastern Europe, Turkey (Beth Torgama, Meshech, and Tubal), Libya (Put), Sudan and Ethiopia (Cush). In summary, these armies are led by nations from the far north. In Revelation 20:1-10 nations are gathered from the four corners of the earth (if not hyperbole, this means from all over the globe). Of course Gog may have led the efforts of the other nations
- In Ezekiel 38-39 God punishes the nations that attack Israel, but it is to show he is holy and to redeem Israel. In Revelation 20:1-10 the battle is Satanic in origin, not redemptive. Could it not be both? Furthermore, Israel has been in the land and at peace for 1,000 years when she receives this Satanic attack. She is not being regathered from all the nations into the land as in Ezekiel 39. But perhaps not all were regathered
- As was mentioned before, in Ezekiel 38 and 39 primitive weapons of warfare are used and destroyed, but this is not mentioned in Revelation 20. Just because there is no mention of it, doesn't mean it didn't exist. Modern implements of war were also not mentioned in Revelation 20
- In Ezekiel 39 there is a great blood bath from the destruction of Gog and Magog and their allies, which requires seven months to clean it up. None of this is mentioned in Revelation 20, but again this doesn't mean it didn't happen.
- In Ezekiel 39 war implements are burned for fuel by the Israelites for seven years (this fact seems to smack in the face the theory that this war happens in the middle of the Tribulation). Again, this is not mentioned in Revelation 20, but again, it doesn't mean it didn't happen.
- The intruding nations are destroyed on the mountains of Israel. Again this is not mentioned in Revelation 20. And, again, this doesn't mean it didn't happen.
My conclusion is that Ezekiel 38-39 and Revelation 20 are the same war fought after the millennium
A8: The results of the invasion is that God will destroy Gog and the nations with them on the mountains of Israel, and Magog in their own country and the coast. The destruction of the invading armies will be so great that the Israelites will burn their weapons for fuel for seven years. The slaughter of the soldiers will be so great that birds and wild animals will eat their flesh and it will take seven months to bury all the dead bodies and clean up the land. The purpose of this destruction is to glorify the LORD when the nations realize his holiness and might; for it is because of his holiness that he
- defends Israel and the land
- he expelled Israel from it
- will bring them back to the land to dwell in safety both soon after the exile and in the future. Then the people of Israel will know that God is their God and works on their behalf.
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