Dave Burnette's Commentary

Ezekiel Chapter 38

Written By: God through Inspiration
Penned By: Ezekiel
Date Penned: BC 571
Overview: Messages of Hope (c 33-48)
Theme: Restoring the People (c 33-39)
Message: A Prophecy against Gog (v 1-23) 
 
Ezekiel: Chapter 38 Commentary
 

(38:1) In chapter 37, Ezekiel revealed how Israel, God's people, would be restored to their land from many parts of the world. Once Israel became strong, a confederacy of nations from the north would attack led by Gog, see revelations chapter 20. Their purpose would be to destroy God’s people. Gog’s allies came from the mountainous area southeast of the black sea and south west of the Caspian Sea in the area that is current day central turkey, Iran, Ethiopia, Libya, and part of Russia. Gog could be a person, but from the context Gog could be a symbol of all evil in the world. Whether symbolic or literal, he represents the aggregate military might of all the forces that oppose God. Many say that the battle of Ezekiel described will occur at the end of humanity, but there are many differences between the events described here and those in Revelation chapter 20. Regardless, God will deliver his people. No enemy can stand against his mighty power.


(38:13) Sheba and Dedan, great training centers in Arabia, would say to God, “who are you to assert our position as the world's trade leaders?” Sheba and Dedan would then join this confederacy. Tarshish was the leading trade center in the west, many believe it was modern day Spain.

(38:21) God will directly intervene in the defense of Israel, unleashing several natural disasters on the invaders from the north. In the end the stricken heathen nations will turn upon themselves in confusion and panic. All those who set themselves against God will be destroyed.

 


Dave Burnette's Life Application


Living in the Last Days

 

Each day we walk through the Bible chapter by chapter making an application of our text to help us grow in the Lord. Many applications can be made from each day's text. Today we continue the Book of Ezekiel with Chapter 38. In our text today we see the prophecy against Gog who is a person or people of evil that will attack Israel once the restored Israel has became a strong nation. In making application we see how close we are to the rapture due to chapter of time we are live in today. These last days should motivate us to reach the lost around us. How about you? Do you see the time in history in which we live? Let us learn from our text today and prophecy of Gog to realize that we are living in the last days and we should busy to be about the Lords business of reaching the world with the Gospel.

 

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Ezekiel 38

Ezekiel 38

 1And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,

 2Son of man, set thy face against Gog, the land of Magog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal, and prophesy against him,

 3And say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against thee, O Gog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal:

 4And I will turn thee back, and put hooks into thy jaws, and I will bring thee forth, and all thine army, horses and horsemen, all of them clothed with all sorts of armour, even a great company with bucklers and shields, all of them handling swords:

 5Persia, Ethiopia, and Libya with them; all of them with shield and helmet:

 6Gomer, and all his bands; the house of Togarmah of the north quarters, and all his bands: and many people with thee.

 7Be thou prepared, and prepare for thyself, thou, and all thy company that are assembled unto thee, and be thou a guard unto them.

 8After 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.

 9Thou 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.

 10Thus 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:

 11And 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,

 12To 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.

 13Sheba, 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?

 14Therefore, son of man, prophesy and say unto Gog, Thus saith the Lord GOD; In that day when my people of Israel dwelleth safely, shalt thou not know it?

 15And thou shalt come from thy place out of the north parts, thou, and many people with thee, all of them riding upon horses, a great company, and a mighty army:

 16And 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.

 17Thus saith the Lord GOD; Art thou he of whom I have spoken in old time by my servants the prophets of Israel, which prophesied in those days many years that I would bring thee against them?

 18And it shall come to pass at the same time when Gog shall come against the land of Israel, saith the Lord GOD, that my fury shall come up in my face.

 19For in my jealousy and in the fire of my wrath have I spoken, Surely in that day there shall be a great shaking in the land of Israel;

 20So that the fishes of the sea, and the fowls of the heaven, and the beasts of the field, and all creeping things that creep upon the earth, and all the men that are upon the face of the earth, shall shake at my presence, and the mountains shall be thrown down, and the steep places shall fall, and every wall shall fall to the ground.

 21And I will call for a sword against him throughout all my mountains, saith the Lord GOD: every man's sword shall be against his brother.

 22And I will plead against him with pestilence and with blood; and I will rain upon him, and upon his bands, and upon the many people that are with him, an overflowing rain, and great hailstones, fire, and brimstone.

 23Thus will I magnify myself, and sanctify myself; and I will be known in the eyes of many nations, and they shall know that I am the LORD.