Book of Ezekiel: Chapter 38
Now that Ezekiel has spoken about how Israel will be ultimately unified under God’s help, we now hear about how God will protect that unity. In this chapter of Ezekiel, we begin a two-part prophecy against Israel’s future enemies. These prophecies will tell of how God will destroy the enemies of His chosen people, ultimately showing that no enemy can stand before God.
In this prophecy, God speaks about a leader named Gog from the land of Magog. This leader will come, with many allies from around Israel, and try to take over the nation. But God has different plans for this evil. God proclaims that this leader and his allies will be struck down when they try to overtake Israel.
It is said that this leader, known as Gog, could be one of two possibilities. Gog may represent an actual person, or it may generically represent the evil of the world. This evil will try to overtake God’s chosen people. But we must be headstrong and know that God will prevent any such evil from taking over. Many scholars believe that this battle, which begins in Ezekiel 38 will be one that takes place at the end of time. No matter what time it takes place, we can always remember that God will strike down the enemies of His people.
Key Verses:
“You will come from your homeland in the distant north with your vast cavalry and your mighty army, and you will attack my people Israel, covering their land like a cloud. At that time in the distant future, I will bring you against my land as everyone watches, and my holiness will be displayed by what happens to you, Gog. Then all the nations will know that I am the Lord.” ~ Ezekiel 38:15-16 NLT
Questions to ponder:
- Compare this prophecy to that which takes place in Revelation 20. What are the similarities?
- Is there significance that the last major evil God destroys is named “Gog”?
