Ezekiel Chapter 39 Verses 1 – 2
• Think of chapter 39 really as a more detailed chapter 38 and specifically, while I do believe contextually and practically that Gog, the prince of Magog, can make a move against Israel anytime, this could kickoff truly any time, the timing of these things coming to completion is perhaps brought better into focus with this chapter. (After studying through it however, you may disagree) The fact is that there are very smart and very good Bible studiers that offer three different timing perspectives relevant to the Gog/Magog war in accordance with the scriptures. We will talk through them a bit tonight but the three offerings are 1) that it begins before the Great Tribulation; 2) that it occurs at the end of the Great Tribulation; and 3) that it happens at the end of the Millennial Reign of Jesus Christ.
• Interesting and consistent throughout scripture, it says here that Gog will be, “coming up from the north,” which sounds quite backwards. If you are heading south then you are heading “down,” but consistent in scripture, whenever anyone approaches Israel or Jerusalem, they are always going up. Why? Not only because it is a city on a hill but because Israel as a people and a nation have been chosen and hallowed by God.
• Deuteronomy 7:6 says, “For you are a holy people to the Lord your God; the Lord your God has chosen you to be a people for Himself, a special treasure above all the peoples on the face of the earth.” And so, to go to Jerusalem is to go up to Jerusalem no matter from what direction you are coming.
• The same, in a way can and should be applied to the born-again Christian. 1 Peter 2:9-10, speaking to the church of Jews and gentiles, Peter writes, “But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy.”
• This is an encouragement for sure but let me also propose this fact as an exhortation. When people come to you, are they going up…or are they going down? Do you build them up, lift them up, hold them up…uphold them, or are you one who tears down? To build someone up or lift someone up or hold someone up…that means from where they are coming, you are…well…up! This ought to be a characteristic of all of the people of God, as Peter writes, “Chosen to be the cause of praise of Him who has chosen you.”
• One more thing on this…this is also why we have to be careful in terms of our personal, emotional and even professional alignments. We are most certainly to befriend the lost and seek to be near to those who need the Lord, but we have to be careful who we yoke to…who we attach ourselves to, remembering to Whom we belong.
• Chuck Smith used to say that if you take a pack of wolves and introduce a domesticated dog to that pack, the wolves won’t become domesticated. Before long, the dog will become wild. And so, remember the mission, remember the calling, remember that you are chosen and be in the business of having folks travel up to arrive at you. Not in a way that you are superior, but in a way of love, joy, peace, kindness, faithfulness, longsuffering, goodness, gentleness and self-control.
Ezekiel Chapter 39 Verses 3 – 5
• Here is where perhaps we have a bit of focus into timing. Turn over to Revelation Chapter 19. Look specifically at verses 17-18. “Then I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the birds that fly in the midst of heaven, “Come and gather together for the supper of the great God, that you may eat the flesh of kings, the flesh of captains, the flesh of mighty men, the flesh of horses and of those who sit on them, and the flesh of all people, free and slave, both small and great.”
• Where are they gathered? This scene is first described for in terms of location in Revelation 16:16, “And they gathered them together to the place called in Hebrew, Armageddon.” When are they gathered? Revelation 16 and Revelation 19 are prior to the Millennial Reign of Christ, which doesn’t come into play until Revelation 20…and so, the timing of the defeat of Gog and Magog, some offer that it is at the end of the Great Tribulation, before the 1,000 year (millennial) reign of Christ and at the time of Jesus’ second coming.
• Now, others offer the perspective that the Ezekiel 38 and 39 battle take place after the Millennial Reign of Christ as we read in Revelation 20:7, “Now when the thousand years have expired, Satan will be released from his prison and will go out to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle, whose number is as the sand of the sea.”
• So, with that being said, there are scholastic camps within Christianity that place Ezekiel 38 and 39 at the end of the Great Tribulation and yet there are others that place Ezekiel 38 and 39 at the end of the Millennial Reign. In my opinion, both camps are entirely acceptable in accordance with scripture.
Ezekiel Chapter 39 Verses 6 – 7
• These two verses seem to support the pre-millennial position as God says, “Then the nations shall know that I am the Lord…” When? After He does these things. Well, if He has returned and reigned for a thousand years, it is quite obvious to expect that the nations already know Him…
• What’s interesting to note here is that there is no evidence in this chapter, scenario, war, scene…no evidence at all that the Israelite forces ever engaged in any confrontation. God brings weapons that no earthly general could command. Raining hailstones and such. Listen, when you are in the battle with the flesh or with the boss or with the co-worker or with the spouse or with whomever or the whatever, remember, the Lord’s arsenal is much more potent than your own. Seek His ways. I often say, if you want Godly results, do things God’s ways.
Ezekiel Chapter 39 Verses 8 – 16
• Truly a mysterious set of verses. Apparently, there will be such a loss in terms of lives that it will take an entire nation 7 months to bury the bodies of their enemies! The national vocation of Israel will be undertaking! Crazy! It appears that the carnage is widespread, not localized and its also odd that a single bone would be located. Why is the bone not with the rest of the remains? And where’s the beef! HA! It takes quite a while to reduce a corpse to bones…has some sort of weapon been used that perhaps makes that process instantaneous?
Ezekiel Chapter 39 Verses 17 – 20
• Again, a scene very similar to the scene in Revelation 19 and this time we read, “All the men of war,” which seems to fit the description of the Battle of Armageddon.
Ezekiel Chapter 39 Verses 21 – 22
• What we just read certainly fits the return of the Lord, post Tribulation, at the onset of the Millennial Reign time period as Israel now recognizes Jesus as the Messiah. What we just read also fits our time very well, better than any other time in the past, technologically as it says here, “All the nations shall see.” That has only become possible in our time and with satellite enabled television broadcasting, there is literally no place on earth that won’t have access to see the return of the Lord.
Ezekiel Chapter 39 Verses 23 – 29
• And so, if we put the entire timeline together, we arrive at an order of events yet ahead for the nation of Israel and for us. Chuck Smith offers the perspective that the Gog/Magog-led invasion/war with Israel could be the catalyst even for the rapture itself. Many nations will join and be involved and that invasion will kick off, be a catalyst for the final moments before the return of the Lord. The invasion and aggression against Israel will be followed shortly by the rapture of the church, the revelation or the coming forth of the Anti-Christ and the beginning of the Great Tribulation.
• There is peace for 3.5 years but then at the mid-way point of the Great Tribulation, the Anti-Christ goes into the rebuilt temple there in Jerusalem and proclaims himself divine which the Bible describes as the Abomination that causes Desolation. The Jews flee and for 3.5 years there is literally hell on earth as God pours out His judgement on a man-exalting, Christ-rejecting earth.
• At the end of the seven years, the armies of the world gather together at the Valley of Megiddo, there in Israel to come against all that is of God Most High…and then the heavens open and Jesus returns (Revelation 19) riding a horse named “Faithful and True” and with Him the armies of heaven, those that have been clothed and cleaned (us!), to judge the earth and to make war. But before the battle even begins it is over and great is the bloodshed amongst the nations, kings and armies of the world. So much so that the birds and beasts fill themselves for months and for months as bodies are being buried.
• Then Jesus sets up His earthly Kingdom, (the one that He established thousands of years ago) and He rules and reigns for a thousand years with Satan bound and unable to meddle in the business of men. After that, Satan is released and again goes to Gog and Magog and stirs them up to lead yet another (some say the first) rebellion against God and His people. They gather against God and are this time entirely devoured in battle.
• Then Satan, is cast into the Lake of Fire where the beast and the false prophet already are. Then comes the Great White Throne Judgment where the books are opened and especially the Book of Life. Any anyone not found in the Lambs Book of Life were cast into outer darkness, the Lake of Fire, and removed from the script and record of creation. Then, God creates a new heaven and a new earth where there is no sin, flesh or death…no interest rates, no mortgage payments, no deadlines, no traffic, no republicans or democrats, no family problems, no church division, no anger, regret, remorse, offense…all and everything are made clean and the devil is no more…and there we dwell alongside of our God and Father for all of eternity.
• We all fit, we are all complete, everything finally makes sense…and we are alive forevermore…all of this enabled by and because of God’s great love for us and forgiveness/removal/payment of our sin through the blood of Jesus.