Today, I am reading and commenting on  Ezekiel 39-40.

Every time I read today’s passage I cannot help but think about the idea I heard as a child that Ezekiel’s description of the aftermath of an attack on Israel by the hordes of God sounds like nuclear weapons were used.  I am not sure what to make of it, but Ezekiel writes that fire would come down on Magog and “the coastlands” (it is unclear to what coastlands Ezekiel is referring, since none of the lands he describes as part of the alliance are ones we associate with being coastal) sounds a lot like it might indicate the use of nuclear weapons.  Then, the idea that teams of people would be employed to travel the land and bury the bodies sounds like perhaps the bodies have either been exposed to high levels of radiation or biological weapons which might still be contagious.  Finally that after seven months, anyone who came across a human bone would leave a marker and wait for the teams specially employed to come and bury the remains further suggests that.  I really struggle with how to interpret this passage, but then I come to something that has stood out to me about many of Ezekiel’s prophecies this year.  First, Ezekiel writes about the fire falling upon Magog and God says through him, “…and they will know that I am the Lord.”  Then later in that same prophecy, God says to Ezekiel that He will restore the fortunes of Jacob and “Then they will know that I am the Lord their God,…”  Again and again throughout the Book of Ezekiel, God gave Ezekiel prophecies which included some variation of “This or that will happen and then they will know that  I am the Lord.”  Which leads me to conclude that if we look at what is going on throughout the world, we WILL know that God is the Lord, that He is our Lord.

I use the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on  Ezekiel 39-40.

Many people have spent a lot of time identifying who Gog was, is, or will be, as well as trying to determine what nations the prophecy concerning Meshek and Tubal reference.  While I do not think there is much value in that, I do think Christians today need to spend more time thinking about the end times.  We should look at the world around us and see that the Day of God’s judgement is near.  We need to remember that for each and every one of us, the Day of God’s judgement is indeed near and we need to teach those around us that it is near for them as well.  Or, perhaps a better way to put it is that we need to have a sense of urgency for those around us to come to know the Lord.   We need to reach out to them now before their, or our, time runs out.

I use the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on  Ezekiel 39-40.

My lovely wife married me 22 years ago on the 23rd of this month.  So I am going to wish her Happy Anniversary every day from now until then.

Happy Anniversary, Darling!

The description Ezekiel gives here about the war against Gog, ruler of Magog, is difficult to interpret.  First we need to understand what purpose God intended this prophecy to serve.  It seems to me that God intended this prophecy to inspire hope among the people of Israel when they faced the prospect of being wiped out.  But God also intended to remind its readers that He has, and will again, displayed His power in this world in ways which make it hard for people of good faith to deny Him.  And perhaps that is where I am meant to go with this today.  In the passage we are told that after this battle the Israelites will spend seven months cleaning up the bodies of Gog’s army and that the arms and armaments of God’s army will provide them with fuel for seven years.  In the same way we may experience times in our life where God displays His power to us in such a way that from that time forward we will know God and understand His power.  We may spend months cleaning up the debris of our “enemies” who God destroyed when we thought all was lost, and then years living off of the “loot” they left behind.  I use quotes around enemies and loot here because I am using those words very figuratively here.  In this context, “enemies” may be people, groups, or, perhaps just situations, which interfere with us living as God intended: things which attempt to destroy us and/or our faith.  And, also in this context, “loot” can be anything which provides us with energy and/or motivation to do God’s good work.

Do I believe the above has anything to do with what Ezekiel was getting at?  Not really, but I do believe that things like what I wrote will happen in the lives of those who trust in God, and it was this passage in Ezekiel which inspired me to think about that.

I use the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on  Ezekiel 39-40.

Starting in Chapter 38, which I read yesterday, Ezekiel prophesies that Gog, prince of Magog, Meschech, Tubal, and perhaps Rosh (there is some debate as to whether the last is the name of a country or an adjective meaning “chief”).   We do not know exactly where Ezekiel would have believed those lands to be located, but everything we know says that they would have been in the lands around the Black Sea, most likely in areas which are now part of Turkey.  Ezekiel tells us that a day will come when the ruler of those lands will decide to attack what he perceives to be a defenseless Israel.  Ezekiel then prophesies that God will draw the armies of these nations to attack Israel.  But when they do, He will utterly destroy them, revealing His glory to the entire world.  Ezekiel prophesies that the force which will attack Israel and be defeated will be so large that the people of Israel will use their weapons to fuel their fires for seven years and it will take seven months to bury the bodies.

This prophecy of Gog attacking Israel and being defeated has long been considered a prophecy of the end times.  In the 1970s, those seeking to interpret the prophecies about the end times from the Bible looked at this passage and concluded that the lands to which it referred were the lands of the Soviet Union.  Some of the arguments used to make that case seemed fanciful to me.  Based on what I know today, those fanciful arguments were not necessary.  However, when I look at the world today, it seems to me that if God were to fulfill this prophecy right now, the attack would be led by Turkey.  However, the most important aspect of this prophecy is God’s promise that when it comes to pass He will pour out His Spirit on the people of Israel and they will know that He is the Lord their God.  We can look at this prophecy from many directions, but let us never forget that God will fulfill this prophecy in a way which shows the entire world that He alone is God.

I use the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

In the year 2000, on the 23rd day of this month, my wife married me.  So here we are on day 7 of the 20 days that I am going to wish her Happy Anniversary for 20 years of marriage.  Happy Anniversary Darling!

Today, I am reading and commenting on Ezekiel 39-40.

Today’s continuation of Ezekiel’s prophecy against Gog and Magog contains an element which has always led me to think it was figurative.  He speaks of the people of Israel using the weapons of the defeated army as fuel for seven years.  I cannot imagine modern weapons carried by an army which could be used in that manner.  This is really the only part of Ezekiel’s description of the aftermath of the battle which I cannot see how it would potentially describe the aftermath of a modern battle.  If Israel was attacked by a force such as that described here by Ezekiel, it would not be out of the question for Israel to use nuclear weapons to stop them.  It would also not be out of the question for such an army to be carrying biological agents with them.  Both of those things would explain the description of special groups being designated for cleanup of the battlefield.  Ultimately, I pray that the fulfillment of this prophecy is not ordained to happen in my lifetime.