John 19:17-42

By way of reminder, 38 & 39 are some of the most studied portions of scripture in all of Bible prophecy.

The reason is that Bible students see strong evidence that the invaders described in these chapters closely match the current geo-political alliances of our time.

Furthermore, the existence of Israel as a nation with a powerful enemy to her “far north” is unique to the time that we live.

And, there are no historical events like those described in these chapters which indicates that it is a yet future battle.

So, Bible students study these chapters in great detail against the daily news for signs and conclude that these events could come to pass in the very near future.

Might be good to quickly review the identities of the nations involved in this battle…

Ez. 39:1 “And you, son of man, prophesy against Gog, and say, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: “Behold, I am against you, O Gog, the prince of Rosh, Meshech, and Tubal;

Ez. 39:2 and I will turn you around and lead you on, bringing you up from the far north, and bring you against the mountains of Israel.

Ez. 39:3 Then I will knock the bow out of your left hand, and cause the arrows to fall out of your right hand.

Ez. 39:4 You shall fall upon the mountains of Israel, you and all your troops and the peoples who are with you; I will give you to birds of prey of every sort and to the beasts of the field to be devoured.

Ez. 39:5 You shall fall on the open field; for I have spoken,” says the Lord GOD.

Ez. 39:6 “And I will send fire on Magog and on those who live in security in the coastlands. Then they shall know that I am the LORD.

Ez. 39:7 So I will make My holy name known in the midst of My people Israel, and I will not let them profane My holy name anymore. Then the nations shall know that I am the LORD, the Holy One in Israel.

Ez. 39:8 Surely it is coming, and it shall be done,” says the Lord GOD. “This is the day of which I have spoken.

I say “battle”, but it’s not much a conflict as it’s completely one-sided.

God gets in all the punches while Gog and his allies fail to get even a lick on God!

For all of Gog’s military might and massive numbers we find that they are powerless to stand against the works of God.

God also reveals that it is by His sovereign will that the Russians and their Muslim allies are drawn into the conflict, note vs. 2…

“…and I will turn you around and lead you on, bringing you up from the far north, and bring you against the mountains of Israel.”

The point is that God is the One who sets up this battle for the sole purpose of destroying Israel’s enemies and displaying His glory to the nations.

Seems unfair and even cruel on God’s part to manipulate the Russians and her allies to fight against God’s people so that He has an excuse to destroy them!

The solution to that is to look at the record of Scripture and see how God has historically dealt with individuals and nations.

As you study the 10 plagues that God brought against Egypt you’ll find that in the first 5 plagues it was Pharaoh who hardened his own heart.

Ex. 9:7 “Then Pharaoh sent, and indeed, not even one of the livestock of the Israelites was dead. But the heart of Pharaoh became hard, and he did not let the people go.”

But, it was God who then hardened Pharaoh’s heart to resist His will in the last 5 plagues.

Ex. 9:12 But the LORD hardened the heart of Pharaoh; and he did not heed them, just as the LORD had spoken to Moses.

Read in light of the truth revealed in Romans chapter 1 we discover that God has indeed given each person a free will to choose to receive or reject God’s love.

However, when a person like Pharaoh continually rejects God despite the fact that they know He exists…

…I think we can make that assumption based on what we know of God’s character (long suffering and slow to anger).

The ideology of Communism is not only atheistic, it is also antagonistic toward Christianity.

So, though God has made His presence known to the Communist leaders of Russia through His Creation, one’s conscience, His Word, and the witness of His people…

…they continue to reject Him and will one day find that God hardens their heart.

I think that’s what we’re seeing here in Ezekiel 39:2, Gog and his allies have crossed that line of rejection and God simply confirms the decision they’ve made by hardening their hearts.

Some people confuse this battle with the final battle in Man’s history, the battle of Armageddon.

However, there are significant differences between the two conflicts that make it clear they are not the same.

Limited number of allies All nations, most notably

The Kings of the East

Attack from North Attack from everywhere

Come to take spoil Come to kill the Jews

Nations protest invasion No protest

Armies destroyed by Armies destroyed by

Convulsions of nature personal return of Christ

(earthquake, fire, hail)

Destroyed on mountains Destroyed in the Jezreel

Of Israel Valley

Takes place when Israel Takes place when Israel

Is at peace & dwelling is in flight & hiding

In safety

So, while there are some similarities between this battle and the battle of Armageddon they are not the same.

√ Note the destruction

Not only are the invading armies completely destroyed, note that God also brings judgment on the homelands of the invaders, vs. 6…

“And I will send fire on Magog and on those who live in security in the coastlands. Then they shall know that I am the LORD.”

Magog of course would be Russia, the “coastlands” would be a reference to Libya and Turkey primarily who both border the Mediterranean Sea.

Ap. IDF or God?

A literal reading of the text would indicate that God is the One who destroys the invaders and their homelands.

That is, He doesn’t work through the Israeli military.

However, some Bible students suggest that the destruction listed here and in subsequent verses could be a description of a nuclear attack by Israel on Russia and her allies.

The problem with that interpretation is two-fold…

God specifically says that He’s going to fight for Israel and that the result of His involvement in the conflict will be so clear to the nations of the world that they will…

“Then the nations shall know that I am the LORD, the Holy One in Israel.” ~ vs. 7

Secondly it seems odd that if this is in fact a military action by Israel, launching nuclear weapons, that the Russians wouldn’t fire back with their own nuclear weapons?

Whichever scenario plays out the indisputable truth is that this attempted invasion of Israel by Russia and her Muslim allies is a complete failure.

The Spoil (vs. 9-10)

Ez. 39:9 “Then those who dwell in the cities of Israel will go out and set on fire and burn the weapons, both the shields and bucklers, the bows and arrows, the javelins and spears; and they will make fires with them for seven years.

Ez. 39:10 They will not take wood from the field nor cut down any from the forests, because they will make fires with the weapons; and they will plunder those who plundered them, and pillage those who pillaged them,” says the Lord GOD.

√ The Spoil

In a God only kind of way Ezekiel tells us that in this future battle those who sought to spoil Israel…

…become spoil for Israel!

We’re told here that Israel will collect the weapons left by the destroyed armies of Gog and use them to fuel.

That there would be such an abundance of weapons that Israel will be have fuel enough for seven years!

The question that people often raise is with regard to the weapons.

“Will Gog and his allies actually use the ancient weapons described here, swords, spears and the like?”

Or, are the description of the weapons Ezekiel’s attempt to describe 21^st weapons from a 5^th Century BC perspective?

Seems unlikely that the armies of Russia and her allies would return to the use of ancient weapons.

But some people have said that it seems unlikely that the weapons of modern armies would be made of wood.

Or it is?!

Ex. Wood

Turns out that wood has played an important role the manufacture of weapons in many modern armies.

WWII the British built Mosquito fighter-bomber body was made of wood.

Many of the landing craft on D-Day were made of wood.

More recently an article in the Portland Press-Herald, dated March 19, 2007 tells how the US Army is now manufacturing portable “tents” for it’s troops made from a wood composite because it is light and resistant to shrapnel and small arms fire.

More specifically as it relates to our text the standard assault rifle used by Russia and her allies is the AK-47 which is still made with a wooden stock.

Finally there is currently renewed interest and research to manufacture amour plate for tanks, personal carriers, and even body amour out of wood composites.

So, it could be that Ezekiel’s prophecy that Israel will burn the weapons left by Gog and his allies are literally spears and shields…

…or it may be that Ezekiel is describing modern weapons from a 5^th Century BD perspective that are actually made of wood.

The Burial (vs. 11-16)

Ez. 39:11 “It will come to pass in that day that I will give Gog a burial place there in Israel, the valley of those who pass by east of the sea; and it will obstruct travelers, because there they will bury Gog and all his multitude. Therefore they will call it the Valley of Hamon Gog.

Ez. 39:12 For seven months the house of Israel will be burying them, in order to cleanse the land.

Ez. 39:13 Indeed all the people of the land will be burying, and they will gain renown for it on the day that I am glorified,” says the Lord GOD.

Ez. 39:14 “They will set apart men regularly employed, with the help of a search party, to pass through the land and bury those bodies remaining on the ground, in order to cleanse it. At the end of seven months they will make a search.

Ez. 39:15 The search party will pass through the land; and when anyone sees a man’s bone, he shall set up a marker by it, till the buriers have buried it in the Valley of Hamon Gog.

Ez. 39:16 The name of the city will also be Hamonah. Thus they shall cleanse the land.” ’

√ The Burial

This is an interesting section because it describes in great detail how the people of Israel will go about burying the massive armies of Gog and his allies.

First of all there are so many dead bodies that it takes 7 months just to bury them all!

That’s a huge amount of people!

Secondly we see that there is a special group of trained technicians who are employed to bury the dead.

Finally we’re told that the remains to the dead are handled in a very meticulous way so as to “cleanse” the land.

What’s it all mean!? There are two popular interpretations.

The first is that many Bible students see this as evidence of a nuclear exchange.

That is, the dead bodies are contaminated by nuclear fallout and thus the need to employ specially trained men to find, mark, and dispose of the bodies.

The second possibility is that what we’re reading here is simply a description of how Orthodox Jews handle the burial of the dead.

Ex. Terrorist attacks in Israel

The next time you watch the news of a terrorist attack in Israel pay attention to the people cleaning up the site.

The Orthodox are very careful to pick up every piece of flesh and bone of the victims because their theology places great importance on the future Resurrection…

…which they believe is only possible if you have the whole body.

In the case of their enemies it’s not the resurrection they’re concerned about, rather they’re concerned about being ceremonially clean and that means they need to pick up all the dead and put them in a well marked grave.

So, what Ezekiel is describing could be the careful handling of bodies contaminated by nuclear fall out…

…or just the careful process of cleansing the land so that the Jewish people could walk in the land again without being made ceremonially unclean.

√ The graveyard

Vs. 11 tells us where the armies of God will be buried…

“It will come to pass in that day that I will give Gog a burial place there in Israel, the valley of those who pass by east of the sea; and it will obstruct travelers, because there they will bury Gog and all his multitude. Therefore they will call it the Valley of Hamon Gog. “

Specifically the valley described is on the east side of the Dead Sea in what is modern day Jordan.

The Sacrifice (vs. 17-21)

Ez. 39:17 “And as for you, son of man, thus says the Lord GOD, “Speak to every sort of bird and to every beast of the field:

‘Assemble yourselves and come;

Gather together from all sides to My sacrificial meal

Which I am sacrificing for you,

A great sacrificial meal on the mountains of Israel,

That you may eat flesh and drink blood.

Ez. 39:18 You shall eat the flesh of the mighty,

Drink the blood of the princes of the earth,

Of rams and lambs,

Of goats and bulls,

All of them fatlings of Bashan.

Ez. 39:19 You shall eat fat till you are full,

And drink blood till you are drunk,

At My sacrificial meal

Which I am sacrificing for you.

Ez. 39:20 You shall be filled at My table

With horses and riders,

With mighty men

And with all the men of war,” says the Lord GOD.

Ez. 39:21 “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.

√ The Sacrifice

Another result of Gog’s destruction is seen here in a really strange twist on the normal order of things! That is, here we find God communicating that He is going to provide a sacrificial meal…

…to the animals!

“Gather together from all sides to My sacrificial meal

Which I am sacrificing for you,

A great sacrificial meal on the mountains of Israel,

That you may eat flesh and drink blood.” ~ vs. 17

Normally we find in the Old Testament that animals are sacrificed and eaten by people…

…but here we find that people are sacrificed and eaten by animals!

As gross as it all sounds the idea that God is communicating here is that in His estimation Gog and his allies are so wicked that they don’t even deserve a decent burial.

Rather, their flesh will be eaten by carrion and animals as a sign of God’s judgment upon them.

Ex. David and Goliath

1Sa. 17:45 Then David said to the Philistine, “You come to me with a sword, with a spear, and with a javelin. But I come to you in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.

1Sa. 17:46 This day the LORD will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you and take your head from you. And this day I will give the carcasses of the camp of the Philistines to the birds of the air and the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel.

Note the familiar words used by David to describe the fate of the enemies of Israel who sought to invade the Promised Land!

Eaten by birds and wild beasts!

So in Ezekiel we find that same judgment upon the enemies of God who like the Philistines attempted to take the land promised by God to the Jewish people.

The Glory (vs. 22-29)

Ez. 39:22 So the house of Israel shall know that I am the LORD their God from that day forward.

Ez. 39:23 The Gentiles shall know that the house of Israel went into captivity for their iniquity; because they were unfaithful to Me, therefore I hid My face from them. I gave them into the hand of their enemies, and they all fell by the sword.

Ez. 39:24 According to their uncleanness and according to their transgressions I have dealt with them, and hidden My face from them.” ’

Ez. 39:25 “Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: ‘Now I will bring back the captives of Jacob, and have mercy on the whole house of Israel; and I will be jealous for My holy name—

Ez. 39:26 after they have borne their shame, and all their unfaithfulness in which they were unfaithful to Me, when they dwelt safely in their own land and no one made them afraid.

Ez. 39:27 When I have brought them back from the peoples and gathered them out of their enemies’ lands, and I am hallowed in them in the sight of many nations,

Ez. 39:28 then they shall know that I am the LORD their God, who sent them into captivity among the nations, but also brought them back to their land, and left none of them captive any longer.

Ez. 39:29 And I will not hide My face from them anymore; for I shall have poured out My Spirit on the house of Israel,’ says the Lord GOD.”

√ The Glory (vs. 22-29)

The final result of God’s intervention on behalf of Israel is that all the world…

…Jews and Gentiles will acknowledge God.

Leading to a national revival in Israel.

The return of many more Jews to Israel prior to the Tribulation.

And, the clearing of God’s Name and character in the minds of the Gentile nations who have previously held God in contempt because of the sinful behavior of the Jewish people.

Ap. Last Days Revival

It seems from the reaction of the people, both Jews and Gentiles, to the awesome display of God’s power over the armies of Gog…

…that there will be a great openness to the Gospel message after the battle.

Ex. 144,000

If as we suspect this attempted invasion takes place immediately before, or shortly before, the beginning of the Tribulation (but after the Rapture)…

…then this event may be what prepares the 144,000 Jewish evangelists for their calling.

Close

√ The winds of war are blowing

That is, as we studied last week all the principle players in the invasion described in these two chapters are already in place.

The treaties are signed.

The armies are being supplied.

The motive for invasion exists.

All that’s required to push this attack from the pages of scripture to the front page of our newspapers is one “hook” to start it rolling.

Could happen any time.

We can’t tell from the prophetic calendar whether or not we’ll be here to see it play out…

…or if we’ll have already been taken to heaven at the Rapture of the Church.

This much we can be sure of…

…time is short so let’s be busy about the Lord’s business!