Ezekiel 38:18-23 is God’s unveiling of Himself to the world in a most dramatic fashion. Hopelessly outnumbered by the combined armies of Russia, Iran, Turkey, Sudan, Lybia and other Muslim nations and led by a demonically driven leader named Gog, Israel has no possible hope of surviving on their own. Then, God steps in. He smashes the armies with supernatural devastations of biblical proportions. The whole world then knows “that I am the LORD.”
What will be the fallout for Gog and what are God’s purposes for such a public display of His power? Ezekiel 39:1-8 describes the tremendous aftermath.
Ezekiel 39:1-6 — Raining Fire
“1Son of man, prophesy against Gog and say: ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: I am against you, O Gog, chief prince of Meshech and Tubal. 2I will turn you around and drag you along. I will bring you from the far north and send you against the mountains of Israel. 3Then I will strike your bow from your left hand and make your arrows drop from your right hand. 4On the mountains of Israel you will fall, you and all your troops and the nations with you. I will give you as food to all kinds of carrion birds and to the wild animals. 5You will fall in the open field, for I have spoken, declares the Sovereign LORD. 6I will send fire on Magog and on those who live in safety in the coastlands, and they will know that I am the LORD.'”
Chapters 38 and 39 combined are unique to the whole Bible because they give the most lengthy and detailed description of any prophetic battle, way moreso even than the Battle of Armageddon.
Ezekiel 39 begins by adding more details to the Gog-Magog Battle and the armies’ subsequent destruction.
How will God drag Gog and his armies down to invade Israel? When God says “drag you along” we refer back to the hooks mentioned in Ezekiel 38:4. The ancient Assyrians used to like to humiliate the peoples they conquered. The Assyrians would put hooks into those they’d conquered’s mouths or through the skin between their shoulder blades on their back. The “hooked” would then in humiliating defeat pull the Assyrian chariots all the way back to their homeland. And so, God is saying here that He is going to humiliate the Gog-Magog coalition.
If you’ve ever seen the Indiana Jones movie where he was being dragged behind a truck or a tank or a plane (Indiana Jones was always being dragged around behind something), it is just like that. God is dragging the armies down so He can decimate them. He drags them down to the “mountains of Israel,” indicating where the battle field will be — on the mountains of Israel.
The Gog-Magog coalition comes with an incredible amount of weapons. But, even though they come bearing a lot of weaponry, those weapons will become useless. Before the armaments are even drawn, before an arrow can be place on a bowstring, before a turret can be aimed, God knocks the weapons from their hands in verse 3.
In verse 4 and 5, God kills the invading armies, leaving their bodies lying in the fields to be eaten by carrion birds and wild animals. They are soldiers who receive no honorable burial, having their bones picked at by animals and spread across the battle field.
In verse 6, God promises to “send fire on Magog and on those who live in safety in the coastlands.” And so, not only does God decimate this international army when it reaches Israel, but He goes back and starts decimating by fire their home countries as well. God starts blowing up Russia and Iran and Turkey and all those nations involved. Joel 2:20 even alludes to the aftermath of God’s victory in the Gog-Magog Battle, resulting in one sixth of the invaders being driven into Siberia, “a land barren and desolate with his face toward the east sea.”
One-sixth of the invaders is all that will survive Gog’s foiled invasion. The Gog-Magog Battle is a very thorough and complete victory for God Almighty!
Ezekiel 39:7-8 — That the Nations Know
“7’I will make known my holy name among my people Israel. I will no longer let my holy name be profaned, and the nations will know that I the LORD am the Holy One in Israel. 8It is coming! It will surely take place, declares the Sovereign LORD. This is the day I have spoken of.”
God’s entire purpose for causing the Gog-Magog Battle is summed up in this key textual passage. The purpose is three-fold:
- Israel will leave its secular humanism and return to God the Father (though not yet to His Son).
- God will no longer tolerate His name being misused as the Third Commandment instructs (Ex. 20:7).
- The world will know that God protects Israel. The end result of God defeating Israel’s enemies is so that He will be glorified, honored and praised.
In all things, to God be the glory!
What will it take to clean up after nearly three-quarter million to a billion people die by God’s hand on the mountains of Israel? In the next part of this “Impending Invasion of Israel” series we’ll study Ezekiel 39:9-20 to unearth the gory funeral purification rituals.
"on those who dwell on the coastlands in safety" is coastlans synonomous with continents? some have contended that God will send fire on the nations, not just the coalition. could that be accurate?
hartdawg said…
"on those who dwell on the coastlands in safety"
Hart,
What about this scenario:
In everything that I've seen in, not just here, everywhere, -in prophecy info, Everything is centered around Israel!
But then, y'all knew that already…
Everything that is mentioned always seems to deal with the Asian continent, from the 4 points; from the Brits on the west to "the kings of the East" [China, No. Korea], to Russia and down to Africa, and always specifically the Mediterranean region around Israel.
The "Americas" are separated as non-players because we are! South Am has never amounted to anything, in spite of all the braggadocios & blustering, and the US & Canada will be reduced to same status by the Rapture and maybe a few faked, Orwellian-style "terrorists" dirty, or worse, full nukz…
Actually the reference is dwelling carelessly. How then are the nations dwelling careless? The peace process would cause Israel to commit national suicide, yet after all the Road Map is only a repackaged Final Solution. The dividing of the Land of Israel of which the U.S. is chief will bring fire from heaven upon this nation.
If a Psalm 83 war were to occur, then surely Europe and the United States would position themselves on the doorstep of Israel seeking to capitalize off this new found wealth. Is it not then interesting to note that at the time of the Gog/Magog invasion that the relationship between Israel and the United States, Europe, and Sunni States is at such a dramatic low point, that they only enlist a diplomatic protest to the invasion? Seems to me, this fits the exact scenario we find ourselves witnessing today. Food for thought gentlemen.
dr nofog:your point is well taken. it makes sense but unfortunately we dont have all the details so we can only guess. rodney, i agree with the reference being carelessly and even maybe God raining fire on the u.s for ATTEMPTING to divide jerusalem but i dont think it will be divided.
Nathan
I have no doubts that we are experiencing the ‘birth pangs’of the coming Messianic age and the Gog/Magog war, and others, are a part of this!
Yet to my surprise I read elsewhere that because Matt.24 concerns Israel, not the Church, the birth pangs will not begin until the start of the 7 year Trib? While I agree partly, as the Church was still unknown at the time of the Olivet Discourse, nonetheless the Church AGE, or the Dispensation of Grace, is alluded to, if not the Church specifically.
What I mean is; it is unbalanced to only read Matt.24; by including Mark 13 and Luke 21 as well, gives the full account of the three part question asked by the disciples, and Jesus’ three part answer to the question. For example, Luke is the only Gospel that deals with the first part of the question,about the destruction of the Temple that Jesus warned about.
Hindsight tells us this prophecy was fulfilled in AD70, which included the Roman army surrounding Jerusalem and the escape by the Christians etc. all took place within the dispensation of the Church AGE. It was also the beginning of the signs, but the disciples did not know there was to be a gap of 2000 years, and there would also be a collection of events that were NOT signs, including the persecution of the early Church. The two characteristics of ‘non-signs’ were the deception of false Messiah’s and wars and rumours of wars within the context of the middle east, all of which occurred within the present Church Age.
Then THE signs of the birth pangs continued when the nations and kingdoms of the world would fight one another. No longer was it to be local to Israel, but global. The first war of this kind was World War 1 which had an impact upon Zionism while the continuation of that world war was WW2 when the Jews suffered terribly but ended up back in the land of Israel in 1948. Further birth pangs identifying the end of the Church age, and the coming birth of the Messianic age were famine, disease, deception; in particular the 1Thess record of apostasy like Purpose Driven, and earthquakes in different places!!
Since the two WW’s these prophesied birth pangs have steadily increased in intensity, slowly at first, but gaining momentum. The fearful famines brought us the horrible pictures of Biafra babies with their swollen bellies, and many more since then; an increase in ETHNIC wars globally, the plagues of mice; locust’s, foot and mouth disease, mad cow disease, bird flu, etc etc; now the increase in massive earthquakes including Tsunami’s and erupting volcano’s.
Just as the AD70 prophecy was fulfilled within the Church AGE, so too were the prophesied NON signs also within the Church AGE, so why not the continuation of the ‘birth pangs’ also within the Church AGE?
Does Dr.Reagan have anything to say on the timing of the 'birth pangs'?
Sorry about the length, I tried to make it compact?
EI
Here you go EI:
http://www.lamblion.com/articles/articles_signs.php
It's a lot to try to absorb, I know, but these articles may answer your questions.
Son of Thunder
You darling! For some reason these 'Lamplighter' articles had escaped me? It’s just what I need, so many thanks from a daft old biddy. I haven't read them properly as yet, but THINK I am on the same wave length as Dr. Reagan?
He says these NEGATIVE signs began in the mid 19 century around 1920; this would coincide with WW1 beginning in 1914 which fits the Scripture of nation against nation, kingdom against kingdom. Although I thought the positive signs; like the kingdom of God preached to the whole world, was a job for the 144,000 during the 7 yr trib?
Cut to the chase S of Th; please put me out of my misery, what say you, are the ‘birth pangs’ happening NOW, and not as some say when the 7 year trib starts? If this is true, it makes more logical sense, and a lot of ‘things’ easier to bear. Gotta dash, going to a funeral!!!
EI
What say I?
I do think that we are in the "birth-pangs" era, which, according to Hal Lindsey, began in 1948. In 1948. Israel was reborn on May 14. The Benelux Treaty in force in 1948 paving the way for the EU.
In fact, a lot of prophetically important things happened in in 1948, but the rebirth of Israel is the so-called "supersign".
Oh no, Rodney, Great Britian and the US are very interested in the natural gas Israel discovered via Noble Energy (founded by an American) in the Levant Basin Province in the eastern Mediterranean region.
Check out "US Expert Predicts 'Oil and Gas Rush' to Israel".
Love the vulture picture.
Lesson: Don't act like a vulture.
Vultures are magnificient flyers that can spot the dead from high up in the sky. They are very big birds, about 30 lbs, and huge wing spand, around 6 feet. They can glide on the air currents…like Eagles…CHRIST FOLLOWERS SHOULD BE EAGLES! or a dove! Of course look at the context in each story of the Bible.
Vultures gulp down flesh with their sharp beaks very quickly. They don't sing like most birds…they "hiss, wheeze, and cackle"…and stick their long necks into bodies to devour the flesh and with in minutes nothing is left but bones.
Not trying to gross anyone out…just those vulture images are put in the Book of books for a reason.
Gross…is a lot like vulgar…a lot like vulture????
Take care,
Jill
Dead bodies…
The sons of Jacob came upon the dead bodies and looted the city where their sister had been defiled. (Gen 34:27)
In this desert your bodies will fall–every one of you twenty years old or more who was counted in the census and who has grumbled against me. (Num 14:29)
That night the angel of the Lord went out and put to death a hundred and eighty-five thousand men in the Assyrian camp. When the people got up the next morning–there were all the dead bodies! (2Ki 19:35)
Just a few "dead bodies" to think about for starters…quite a minor them running through out the Story of stories!
Take care,
Jill
oops…"quite a minor theme running through out the Bible"
take care,
Jill
Eagles catch their prey with their FEET. Eagles approach their victims by approaching "low, fast, and silent" and then rise at the last moment before dropping onto their victim.
Jhn 13:5 After that, he(JESUS) poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples' FEET, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him.
Jhn 13:6 He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, "Lord, are you going to wash my FEET?"
Jhn 13:7 Jesus replied, "You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand."
Jhn 13:8 "No," said Peter, "you shall never wash my FEET." Jesus answered, "Unless I wash you, you have no part with me."
Jhn 13:9 "Then, Lord," Simon Peter replied, "not just my FEET but my hands and my head as well!"
Jhn 13:10 Jesus answered, "A person who has had a bath needs only to wash his FEET; his whole body is clean. And you are clean, though not every one of you."
Be and EAGLE! We are in a battle don't ya' know it! The battle is right here my friends! Jesus will wash your EAGLE FEET. 🙂
Take care,
Jill
Eagles are 'raptors', they suddenly swoop down and snatch up (rapture) their prey into the air then back to their eerie high on a cliff top.:)
EI
Son of Thunder
After reading the articles you put me on to by Dr.Reagan; I did a Google to see what others were saying. As a result I read a discussion where all but one person said the birth pangs were for the Tribulation, along with ‘As it was in the days of Noah’. It was really helpful to read why it is interpreted that way. As a result, I discovered the person opposing that view has his own blog, it is ‘Prophecy Update’ by Scott ?.
Since then I have written on his blog and have learned about ‘paralambano’ meaning ‘to take to oneself’. Although I had been taught the Noah context was the tribulation; reading it literally and adding or taking nothing, I am totally confident that this does indeed refer to the Rapture. People living a normal life, then around the world believers are ‘paralambano’ taken to oneself = Jesus while unbelievers are left for the judgment. The luxury of a ‘normal’ life swept away by the trib judgments upon the earth.
That the first birth pang was the AD70 destruction of the Temple; then nearly 2000 years passed and the second birth pang burst onto the scene with the 1&2 World Wars which spawned terror for the Jews and the rebirth of Israel as prophesied in e.g. Ezekiel.
The non signs Jesus spoke about were already operating at the time of the disciples ministry. False Christ’s, wars and rumours of wars, NOT evidence of the signs of Jesus near return. Since the WW, just like birth pains, the signs Jesus gave us have been steadily increasing. Today they are only days or hours apart. After the Rapture (the breaking of the waters?) the massive pangs of the Tribulation will take hold with no respite until the 2nd Coming brings in the birth of the Messianic Age.
EI
That the Rapture is the water breaking causing the intense birth pains of the Tribulation to occur. I've never thought of it that way. Wonderful analogy!
Nathan
It makes a lot of sense doesn't it!
I will try to make this short? Last night I was dreaming about my eldest son. I was afraid he wasn't really saved and I became fearful. The word 'paralambano' came into my mind so strongly it woke me. (I didn't know what it meant then).
Got up, booted my pc then checked my Strongs and found the number and it meant 'to take'. Then went into the Blueletterbible site and was thrilled by the definition which shouted 'rapture' to me.
You know some of the upsets I have had, and I am certain The Lord quickened this to me to stop me fretting, My son, ALL my son's will be raptured because they DO rightfully belong to Him from childhood, regardless of their prodigal attitude at present(by the worlds standards, they are saints)
Isn't The Lord precious! He has also refreshed my Rapture expectancy tenfold.
Maranatha!
EI
Dear Nathan, you said: (Hopelessly outnumbered by the combined armies of Russia, Iran, Turkey, Sudan, Lybia and other Muslim nations and led by a demonically driven leader named Gog … )
Kindly, its not true that Muslim countries are belong to Gog & Magog because these tribes (Gog & Magog)will appear at the time of Jesus and Dajjal (Anti-Christ) , and we look at them as enemies.
Prohet Mohammed said: "Every day, Gog and Magog are trying to dig a way out through the barrier. When they begin to see sunlight through it, the one who is in charge of them says, 'Go back; you can carry on digging tomorrow,' and when they come back, the barrier is stronger than it was before. This will continue until their time comes and Allah wishes to send them forth. They will dig until they begin to see sunlight, then the one who is in charge of them will say, 'Go back; you can carry on digging tomorrow, in shaa'Allah.' In this case he will make an exception by saying in shaa'Allah, thus relating the matter to the Will of Allah. They will return on the following day, and find the hole as they left it. They will carry on digging and come out against the people. They will drink all the water, and find the hole as they left it, and the people will entrench themselves in their fortresses. Gog and Magog will fire their arrows into the sky, and they will fall back to earth with something like blood on them. Gog and Magog will say, 'We have defeated the people of earth, and overcome the people of heaven.' Then Allah will send a kind of worm in the napes of their nacks, and they will be killed by it…'By Him a in Whose hand is the soul of Muhammad, the beasts of the earth will become fat.
Regards,
ST, Saudi Arabia
I've read this account of the coming war. In chapter 39 vs. 2 it says that God will turn them back and leave a 6th part of this confederation. This appears to happen prior to the actual attack on Isreal. Does this mean that the confederation that is doing the actual attacking is only comprised of a 6th part of the whole army. I don't believe that this refers to what is left of that army after the dust settles.