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Sermon Notes

The Ezekiel War
Part 2
“The War of Gog and Magog”

Introduction:

It’s been rightly said that, if biblical prophecy teaches us anything, it is that God is in complete control of human history and its culmination. One such prophecy is found in Ezekiel 38-39 which concerns what is often called “the War of Gog and Magog.”
A bit of history. The prophet Ezekiel was exiled to Babylon in 597 B.C. While in captivity, God revealed to him that, in His own timing, He would regather the Jewish people out of all the countries of the world where they had been dispersed and bring them into their own land.
Last time we looked at two regatherings–their regathering from Babylonian captivity, and their dramatic regathering in 1948. Their regathering is powerfully illustrated in Ezekiel 36 and 37.
We see in chapter 37 a valley filled with dry bones. As Ezekiel looks, God describes their sense of pre-regathering hopelessness:
Vs. 11-14 “Then he said to me: ‘Son of man, these bones are the people of Israel. They say, ‘Our bones are dried up and our hope is gone; we are cut off.’
But then God gives them a great word of encouragement:
12 Therefore prophesy and say to them: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: My people, I am going to open your graves and bring you up from them; I will bring you back to the land of Israel. 13 Then you, my people, will know that I am the Lord, when I open your graves and bring you up from them. 14 I will put my Spirit in you and you will live, and I will settle you in your own land. Then you will know that I the Lord have spoken, and I have done it, declares the Lord.’”
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Next, God commands Ezekiel to prophesy to the bones:
Ezek 37: 4-8 “Then he said to me, “Prophesy to these bones and say to them, ‘Dry bones, hear the word of the Lord! 5 This is what the Sovereign Lord says to these bones: I will make breath enter you, and you will come to life.6 I will attach tendons to you and make flesh come upon you and cover you with skin; I will put breath in you, and you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the Lord.’”
7 So I prophesied as I was commanded. And as I was prophesying, there was a noise, a rattling sound, and the bones came together, bone to bone. 8 I looked, and tendons and flesh appeared on them and skin covered them, but there was no breath in them.”
The bones coming together is a graphic metaphor of Israel regathering as a nation in 1948.
–But Ezekiel notes that there was yet no breath in them!
” 8 I looked, and tendons and flesh appeared on them and skin covered them, but there was no breath in them.”
Next, God gives the prophet an incredible command:
9 Then he said to me, “Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, son of man, and say to it, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Come, breath, from the four winds and breathe into these slain, that they may live.’”10 So I prophesied as he commanded me, and breath entered them; they came to life and stood up on their feet—a vast army.”
–The breath entering them is not a description of their being converted and filled with the Spirit, but simply their being brought to life as a nation.
So the bones have come together, and the flesh has covered over them, but Ezekiel sees one more event that will lead the Jews to a final reconciliation with God and embrace of Messiah.
He predicts that at some point in the future a massive coalition of nations will come against Israel to attack the people and “Plunder and loot them.” (Ezekiel 38:12-16.)
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God names the leader of this invasion Gog and his land as Magog.
Ezekiel 38:1-2 “Now the word of the Lord came to me, saying, ‘Son of Man, set your face against God, of the land of Magog…”
In the upcoming Gog-Magog war, Russia (we’ll see in a moment why it’s Russia) will lead a coalition of Arab nations to come against Israel, not only to exterminate the Jews but very possibly to capture the newly discovered oil reserves.
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Now, let’s first identify Gog and Magog.
“Gog” – the name of a military and political leader
“Magog” – the land from which the leader originates. Jewish historians identify that land as Russia.
Conclusion – at the end of this age, a Russian dictator will build a diplomatic and military coalition to come against the nation of Israel.
Next, in vs. 2-6 we’re given the cooperating nations.

Rosh–Russia
Meshech/Tubal–Moscow and Tobolsk
Persia–Iran
Cush–Ethiopia, Sudan
Put–Libya, Tunisia, Algeria, and Morocco
Gomer–Turkey
Beth Togarman–Armenia
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And interestingly, there appear to be nations taken by surprise at “Gog’s” action against Israel:
Vs. 13 “Sheba, Dedan, the merchants of Tarshish, and all their young lions will say to you, ‘Have your come to take plunder? Have your gathered your army to loot, to carry away silver and gold, to take away livestock and goods, to take great plunder?”
• “Sheba and Dedan” – Saudi Arabia
• “Merchants of Tarshish” – Great Britain
• “Young Lions” – America, Australia, Canada
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In vs 3 God lays it on the line with Gog, “I am against you, O Gog…”
Then in vs. 4 God informs him what He’s going to do: “I will turn you around, put hooks into your jaws, and lead you out, with all your army, horses, and horsemen…a great company…”
–So God Himself is orchestrating this invasion for reasons we will see in a moment.
Then in vs 8 God gives the time period when this will happen:
“After many days you will be visited. In the latter years you will come into the land of those brought back from the sword, and gathered from many people on the mountains of Israel, which had long been desolate; they were brought out of the nations, and now all of them dwell safely.”
Next in vs 11-12 describes what their thinking and motive will be:
“You will say, ‘I will go up against a land of unwalled villages; I will go to a peaceful people, who dwell safely, all of them dwelling without walls, and having neither bars nor gates’–to take plunder and to loot, to stretch out your hand against the waste places that are again inhabited, and against a people gathered from many nations.”
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However, while it appears to the invading nations that Israel is vulnerable and unprotected, once they set their foot on Israeli soil, God will release His fury and destroy them:
38:22 “And I will bring him to judgment with pestilence and bloodshed; I will rain down on him, on his troops, and on the many peoples who are with him, flooding rain, greagt hailstones, fire, and brimstone.”
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Next we are given the divine purpose for all of this:
“Thus I will magnify Myself and sanctify Myself, [so that] I will be known in the eyes of many nations. Then they shall know that I am the LORD.” (Ezekiel 38:23 NKJV).
This invasion of Israel with God’s ultimate intervention on her behalf will speak to the entire world that He is the true and living God, and will result in massive conversions.
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The fact that we are seeing the alignment of these very nations against Israel today is convincing many prophecy watchers that the Gog-Magog war is about to begin.
So in summary, Ezekiel tells us when this will happen:
• 16 – “It shall be in the latter days” – the last days of this age, but before the Second Coming of Jesus Christ.
• 8 – when the Jews are “gathered from many nations to the mountains of Israel, which had long been desolate!” Israel lay desolate from AD 70 to 1948. Since then, more than 3 million Jews have returned to Israel.
• Vs 8. – when Israel has been “brought back from the sword” and “dwells in safety!”
• Vs 11. – when Israel is a “land of unwalled villages” simply meaning when they feel secure.
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The purpose of the Gog-Magog War is simply this:
• The greatest contemporary threat against Israel today is Russia
• They have either overtly or covertly funded every war against Israel since 1948
• They have supplied weapons for Israel’s enemies
• They helped load Iran’s nuclear reactors and have drastically modernized their weapons of war.
• The “Russians” descended from the tribe of Magog through the Scythians –who have always been against Israel.
• God is going to allow “Gog” to come against Israel, but in reality, “Gog” will be facing “God” in judgment!
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Israel doesn’t win the Gog-Magog War, God does! Ezek 38:18-22 reveals:
• An earthquake will occur so strong that “all the men who are on the face of the earth will shake at My presence!”
• An “overflowing rain” of hailstones will fall, followed by balls of fire – burning sulfur and brimstone.
• Great Confusion will fall upon Israel’s enemies, so much so that they will turn upon themselves or run from the battle.
• God will send the same fires upon “Magog,” – meaning the home nations where the armies came from.

The dramatic result will be:
39:21-22 “I will set My glory among the nations; all the nations shall see My judgment which I have executed, and My hand which I have laid on them. 22 So the house of Israel shall know that I am the Lord their God from that day forward.”
Ezekiel repeats the phrase – “Then they will know that I am the Lord,” 6 times!
On that day, when God pours out His Spirit on the people of Israel, the surviving millions will be “saved in one day”!
—-As an aside, for me it is clear that Ezekiel 38-39 describes the end of Radical Islam.
Millions of Muslims will abandon the religion of Islam and express their faith in Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord.
• Many believe that the “Gog-Magog” War launches the Time of Tribulation and triggers the arrival of the Antichrist.