AM. The Young Bear with an Old Face. I. The Battle of Ezekiel A. The Nations who attack Israel (38:1-6) 1. Gog (v. 2) perhaps a title

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1 AM Ezekiel 39:1-8 NASB And you, son of man, prophesy against Gog and say, Thus says the Lord GOD, Behold, I am against you, O Gog, prince of Rosh, Meshech and Tubal; 2 and I will turn you around, drive you on, take you up from the remotest parts of the north and bring you against the mountains of Israel. 3 I will strike your bow from your left hand and dash down your arrows from your right hand. 4 You will fall on the mountains of Israel, you and all your troops and the peoples who are with you; I will give you as food to every kind of predatory bird and beast of the field. 5 You will fall on the open field; for it is I who have spoken, declares the Lord GOD. 6 And I will send fire upon Magog and those who inhabit the coastlands in safety; and they will know that I am the LORD. 7 My holy name I will make known in the midst of My people Israel; and I will not let My holy name be profaned anymore. And the nations will know that I am the LORD, the Holy One in Israel. 8 Behold, it is coming and it shall be done, declares the Lord GOD. That is the day of which I have spoken. The Young Bear with an Old Face I. The Battle of Ezekiel A. The Nations who attack Israel (38:1-6) 1. Gog (v. 2) perhaps a title 2. Magog (v. 2) lands of former Soviet Empire 3. Rosh (v. 2) Perhaps an alliance 4. Meshech (v. 2) 5. Tubal (v. 2) Either Moscow or the Region of Turkey 6. Persia (v. 5) Iran 7. Ethiopia (v. 5) Sudan 8. Libya (v. 5) Libya Page1

2 9. Gomer (v. 6) 10. Togarmah (v. 6) Uncertain; Perhaps Germany or European Confederation B. Why Russia Rosh (38:2; 38:3; 39:1) Wilhelm Gesenius Russians are identified in the 10 th Century under the name of Ros. Jerusalem as the center of the earth The King of the North o Attacks Israel in the Latter Days (Daniel 11:5-35) o From the Far North (Ezekiel 38:6, 15) (extreme North uttermost part of the North) C. The man who leads the attack Gog from the land of Magog, Prince of Rosh, Meshech and Tubal (v. 3) II. The Motive for the Invasion A. From the perspective of Israel s enemies 1. To seize Israel s Land (38:11-12) 2. To steal Israel s Wealth (38:12-13) 3. To eliminate the people of Israel (38:11-16) B. From the perspective of God Ezekiel 39:7-8 NASB My holy name I will make known in the midst of My people Israel; and I will not let My holy name be profaned anymore. And the nations will know that I am the LORD, the Holy One in Israel. 8 Behold, it is coming and it shall be done, declares the Lord GOD. That is the day of which I have spoken. Page2

3 III. The Timing of the Attack A. Three conditions will exist: 1. Israel must be returned to the Land. a. See 38:8, 12 and 39: 25, 27, 28 b. Ezekiel 36:24 ESV I will take you from the nations and gather you from all the countries and bring you into your own land. 2. Israel will be in a state of prosperity. a. Ezekiel 36:11 ESV And I will multiply on you man and beast, and they shall multiply and be fruitful. And I will cause you to be inhabited as in your former times, and will do more good to you than ever before. Then you will know that I am the LORD. b. Ezekiel 38:12 ESV to seize spoil and carry off plunder, to turn your hand against the waste places that are now inhabited, and the people who were gathered from the nations, who have acquired livestock and goods, who dwell at the center of the earth. 3. Israel will dwell in the Land with security and peace. a. Ezekiel 38:11 ESV and say, I will go up against the land of unwalled villages. I will fall upon the quiet people who dwell securely, all of them dwelling without walls, and having no bars or gates, b. Ezekiel 38:8, 14 ESV After many days you will be mustered. In the latter years you will go against the land that is restored from war, the land whose people were gathered from many peoples upon the mountains of Israel, which had been a continual waste. Its people were brought out from the peoples and now dwell securely, all of them. 14 Therefore, son of man, prophesy, and say to Gog, Thus says the Lord GOD: On that day when my people Israel are dwelling securely, will you not know it? c. Consider the one week (7 year) covenant with Antichrist (Daniel 9:27). IV. The Outcome of the Attack Ezekiel 38:18-19 ESV But on that day, the day that Gog shall come against the land of Israel, declares the Lord GOD, my wrath will be roused in my anger. 19 For in my jealousy and Page3

4 in my blazing wrath I declare, On that day there shall be a great earthquake in the land of Israel. A. Immediate Results 1. There will be a mighty earthquake. Ezekiel 38:19-20 ESV For in my jealousy and in my blazing wrath I declare, On that day there shall be a great earthquake in the land of Israel. 20 The fish of the sea and the birds of the heavens and the beasts of the field and all creeping things that creep on the ground, and all the people who are on the face of the earth, shall quake at my presence. And the mountains shall be thrown down, and the cliffs shall fall, and every wall shall tumble to the ground. 2. There will be confusion on the battlefield. Ezekiel 38:21 ESV I will summon a sword against Gog on all my mountains, declares the Lord GOD. Every man's sword will be against his brother. (See 2 Chronicles 20:22-25.) 3. The loss of life will result in plague. Ezekiel 38:22 ESV With pestilence and bloodshed I will enter into judgment with him, and I will rain upon him and his hordes and the many peoples who are with him torrential rains and hailstones, fire and sulfur. 4. There will be some form of fire that will visit the enemies of Israel. Ezekiel 39:6 ESV I will send fire on Magog and on those who dwell securely in the coastlands, and they shall know that I am the LORD. B. The Aftermath (Ezekiel 39) 1. Scavengers and the loss of life (39:17-20) 2. Seven years of disposing the debris of war (39:9-10) 3. Seven months of burials (39:11-12) CHRISTIAN LIFE LESSONS Page4

5 1. God is in control. 2. The Return of The Lord should generate hope for God s child, not fear. It is a Blessed Hope. Romans 8:1 ESV There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. 1 Thessalonians 5:8-9 ESV But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation. 9 For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, It is a Visible Hope. 1 John 3:1-3 ESV See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him. 2 Beloved, we are God's children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. 3 And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure. It is a Glorious Hope. Titus 2:13 ESV waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, It is a Rewarding Hope. 2 Timothy 4:8 ESV Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing. Our hope and joy should not be based on our escape, but upon His arrival! Page5