Journal Through the Bible: Week 85 Tuesday

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Ezekiel chapter 38

Does God issue any commands?

• God told Ezekiel to turn his face against Gog, the land of Magog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal. (verses 2 and 14)

Does God make any promises?

• God promises the defeat of the Gog-Magog confederation against Israel. Then everyone will know that He is the LORD.
• God promised earthquakes and universal fear at the time of His judgment. (See also Revelation 11:13, Revelation 20:9-10)
• God promised fire from Heaven as well as great hailstones and brimstone.

Does this chapter teach anything about Jesus?

• Jesus is the Captain that leads the saints against Gog and Magog who are led by Satan. At that time the 1,000 years of the peaceful reign of Jesus upon the earth will have ended and Satan will be loosed for one last uprising. He raises his army from the north, Gog and Magog, to fight against Israel and those confederated with her, the saints of God. They are not successful. Fire will come down from heaven and destroy the attackers. Satan will then be cast into the Lake of Fire. (Read Revelation chapter 20 and compare it to Ezekiel 38:17-23.) This is not hard to believe! If Bible scholars are correct about the identification of the people comprising Gog, Magog, Persia, Ethiopia, and Libya then we know that these groups are even now the adversaries of Israel. It surely makes sense that Satan would be able to build a rebel army from the offspring of people who have traditionally been jealous of Israel and covetous of her resources.

Does this chapter teach anything about yet-future events?

• Although there may have been more immediate fulfillment of some of the prophecies concerning Gog and Magog Revelation 20:8 seems to connect to this passage, especially when compared to Ezekiel 38:8, 16. This would indicate that the attack upon Israel by Gog, Magog, and its confederation with Persia (now Iran), Ethiopia, and Libya with the resulting mass destruction of Israel's attackers as being yet future.