Ezekiel 38:1-8
Defeated by God
We continue the study the End Times, presently we are focusing on
End-Time battles. There appear to be several battles, although it is
hard to know how many, exactly when they occur, how long they last,
if some overlap, and even what nations are involved.
One thing is for certain. There are a lot of battles yet to come.
1. Daniel 9 may hint at a war that will start the Tribulation.
2. Revelation 6 tells us of one around the beginning of the
Tribulation.
3. Daniel 11 tells us of one around the middle of the Tribulation.
4. And here, Ezekiel 38-39 devote two chapters of prophecy to an
army that is defeated before it reaches the battlefield.
I must say what I have said before. There is much that we do not know
so that we will have to wait until the prophecy is fulfilled to
understand a lot of what is being said. All our speculation is just
that, speculation. God has written these chapters in such a way that
we just can’t know some things for certain. However, there is a big
picture which is given and that, we should not miss; namely, that
Israel will be at the center of some end-time battles.
Let’s look at the chapter by asking and answering questions.
I. When will this battle take place?
A. God gives us several indicators within this chapter to point
us to when it will be.
1. It will be in the latter days.
Eze 38:8 After many days thou shalt be visited:
in the latter years…
Eze 38:16 And thou shalt come up against my
people of Israel, as a cloud to cover the land;
it shall be in the latter days, and I will bring
thee against my land, that the heathen may know
me, when I shall be sanctified in thee, O Gog,
before their eyes.
2. It will be AFTER Israel’s removal from the Promised Land
and AFTER God had regathered them.
Eze 38:8 After many days thou shalt be visited:
in the latter years thou shalt come into the land
that is brought back from the sword, and is
gathered out of many people, against the
mountains of Israel, which have been always
waste: but it is brought forth out of the
nations, and they shall dwell safely all of them.
a. That could be now.
b. I speak often of Israel being largely a barren, rocky
land today.
c. That is because it has been "laid waste" as God
promised.
d. And the Jews have been "brought forth out of the
nations" to return to it.
e. However, I would NOT say that the prophecy of them
dwelling safely in the land has been fulfilled at
this time.
B. Even the prophecies location within the book of Ezekiel, I
believe, drops a hint.
1. Ezekiel 37 is the vision of the Valley of Dry Bones.
a. Ezekiel saw, in a vision, a valley of dried up human
bones, scattered about.
b. Then God pulled the bones together into complete human
skeletons, as He clothed them with muscles, tendons,
and flesh.
(1) Yet the bodies had no breath in them.
(2) The fulfillment of that part of the vision seems
to have occurred in 1948 when God assembled the
nation of Israel, a nation dead and deceased for
so long that its bones were dried out and
scatter under the sun.
c. But then God caused the wind to enter into the
freshly, fleshed bodies and that which was dead
lived, breathed, and stood upright.
(1) That is God’s promise not only to assemble Israel
but to put spiritual life into them.
(2) That part of the prophecy has not yet occurred,
but it will.
(3) Again, let me say that I am not a
dispensationalist.
(a) I am a Bible believer.
(b) God said Israel will yet be filled with His
Spirit \\#Ez 37:14\\ and you either believe
Him or you do not.
2. Then comes the battle of Ezekiel 38-39.
3. Then in Ezekiel 40, Ezekiel was commanded to measure the
millennial temple.
4. I do not know for sure, but I think God was at least
giving us a general time period for when this battle will
take place.
a. At the least I believe this battle will occur between
the time Israel was gathered into their land (1948)
and the time when the Millennial temple is built.
(1) Of that I would say we can be sure.
(2) Israel is in the land and neither the
Tribulational temple nor the Millennial temple
have been built yet.
(3) And, yes, I do believe they will be two different
temples.
b. It may be that the battle will happen after Israel is
SAVED and before the Millennial temple is built.
(1) However THAT we cannot know for sure.
(2) It is but a possibility.
(3) We will have to wait to see to know for certain.
C. Even with those prophetic indicators, some good people believe
this battle could be in several different places.
1. Some believe it will begin the Tribulation (Daniel 9/
Revelation 6)
a. The one thing that has always made be doubt this
possibility is that the clearly describes Israel
living in safety when this battle begins.
Eze 38:8 …and they shall dwell safely all of
them.
Eze 38:11 And thou shalt say, I will go up to
the land of unwalled villages; I will go to them
that are at rest, that dwell safely, all of them
dwelling without walls, and having neither bars
nor gates,
Eze 38:14 …In that day when my people of
Israel dwelleth safely….
Eze 39:26 …when they dwelt safely in their
land, and none made them afraid.
b. I do not consider Israel living in safety without fear
NOW, and I do not see how they can as long as the
Muslim people and presence around them is as strong
as it is.
c. That makes me think the battle will be AFTER the
anti-Christ makes a treaty with Israel which I think
will be AFTER something happens to remove or at least
reduce the Muslim presence and power.
2. Some believe it ends the Tribulation.
a. One of the things that makes me doubt this is the last
Bible battle is that it takes place in the wrong
location and the army is defeated in the wrong way.
b. It takes places on the "mountains of Israel,"
\\#Eze 38:8, 20, 21, 39:2, 4, 17\\ and the army
destroys itself \\#Eze 38:21\\ while the final battle
ends at Jerusalem with Jesus destroying the army.
3. And some believe the battle happens at the middle of the
Tribulation (Daniel 11) or sometime after the middle.
a. I do not know whether this is the same battle
described in Daniel 11, or the battle of Daniel 11
opens the door for this battle.
b. However, I do believe this battle will take place
during the last half of the Tribulation.
II. Who will be in this battle?
A. Many nations.
B. They are described as coming from the north but they also come
from other directions.
1. The Attacking Nations.
a. \\#2-3\\ The nations leading the army:
(1) Magog (Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan,
Tajikistan (taa-jee-kuh-staan), Kyrgyzstan
(keer-guh-staan), and maybe Afghanistan and some
of south Russia)
(2) Meshech (Western Turkey)
(3) Tubal (Eastern Turkey)
(4) Some say the phrase "the chief prince" should be
translated "the chief of Rosh" and that Rosh is
short for Russia.
(a) Since the split of the Soviet Union, the
"stan" countries are no longer part of
Russia, but independent countries.
(b) Yet maps do show some of the extreme
southern parts of Russia being Magog and
Gomer, so it is hard to imagine this army
forming without Russia.
b. The nations in the army:
(1) \\#Eze 38:5-6\\ Persian (Iran)
(2) Ethiopia (and Sudan)- Mentioned in \\#Dan 11:43\\
and coming from the west and south.
(3) Libya - Also mentioned in \\#Dan 11:43\\ and also
coming from the west and south.
(4) Gomer & Togarmah (Central Turkeu. Gomer seems to
be the extreme south of Russia)
2. Will any nations be against the attack?
a. Perhaps
Ez 38:13 Sheba, and Dedan, and the merchants of
Tarshish, with all the young lions thereof, shall
say unto thee, Art thou come to take a spoil?
hast thou gathered thy company to take a prey? to
carry away silver and gold, to take away cattle
and goods, to take a great spoil?
b. \\#Eze 38:13\\ Sheba (Southern Saudi Arabia), Dedan
Western Saudi Arabia), Tarshish (Spain or England)
"with all her young lions," (If Tarshish is England,
maybe America, Canada, South America, Australia, New
Zealand.)
c. Yet, there is no indication from this text that any
nation actually moves to HELP Israel.
(1) The text only says they QUESTION the armies of
the north.
(2) It does not say they attempt to STOP the armies
of the north.
III. Who are these nations attacking?
A. It should be obvious, but we should find a verse that
specifically tells us.
B. And there is one:
Eze 38:16 And thou shalt come up against my
people of Israel, as a cloud to cover the land;
it shall be in the latter days, and I will bring
thee against my land, that the heathen may know
me, when I shall be sanctified in thee, O Gog,
before their eyes.
IV. What shall be the goal of this attacking force?
A. It looks like some might just be greedy (again).
Eze 38:8 After many days thou shalt be visited:
in the latter years thou shalt come into the
land that is brought back from the sword, and is
gathered out of many people, against the
mountains of Israel, which have been always
waste: but it is brought forth out of the
nations, and they shall dwell safely all of them.
9 Thou shalt ascend and come like a storm, thou
shalt be like a cloud to cover the land, thou,
and all thy bands, and many people with thee.
10 Thus saith the Lord GOD; It shall also come
to pass, that at the same time shall things come
into thy mind, and thou shalt think an evil
thought:
11 And thou shalt say, I will go up to the land
of unwalled villages; I will go to them that are
at rest, that dwell safely, all of them dwelling
without walls, and having neither bars nor gates,
12 To take a spoil, and to take a prey; to turn
thine hand upon the desolate places that are now
inhabited, and upon the people that are gathered
out of the nations, which have gotten cattle and
goods, that dwell in the midst of the land.
13 Sheba, and Dedan, and the merchants of
Tarshish, with all the young lions thereof, shall
say unto thee, Art thou come to take a spoil?
hast thou gathered thy company to take a prey? to
carry away silver and gold, to take away cattle
and goods, to take a great spoil?
1. Some have speculated they will come to claim Israel’s
oil.
2. Others just to push Israel into the sea, but the text
indicates they want anything and everything they can
gather: silver, gold, cattle, and goods.
B. Some thought the Russian bear and her neighbors had been
neutered with the fall of the Iron Curtain in 1989, but
socialism and Communism go hand in hand.
1. They must.
a. Socialism is a government that steals and abuses its
people.
b. It does not produce, and it cannot sustain itself.
2. To continue, it must ever increase its number of subjects
so that it can ever increase its sources of thief.
We must stop. There is just too much information given, but even so,
many questions remain. We will come back to see one more thing about
this battle, i.e. WHAT will happen.
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