37 lines
1.8 KiB
Markdown
37 lines
1.8 KiB
Markdown
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title = "Ezekiel 39:17–29"
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date = "2023-06-30"
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### [Read the passage.](https://biblia.com/bible/esv/Ezekiel39.17-29)
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When the Lord wipes out Gog's army, we have learned that it will take Israel
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seven months to bury them all. In the meantime, the Lord will send all of the
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birds and animals of the field to the site to feast upon the fallen warriors.
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While this is gruesome to think about, it is actually a mercy because it will
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prevent disease from spreading and the land from being corrupted with toxins
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from decomposition. The Lord calls this a sacrificial feast, an upending of the
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normal order of things. Normally, humans slaughter animals to burn their blood
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and fat as an offering to the Lord, and eat the roasted meat with the priests.
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Because of what happened to Gog and his army, the Lord's glory will be
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displayed to all the nations of the earth. Though Israel had sinned in the
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past, causing the Lord to send them into exile, He will have mercy on them
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again and restore their fortunes. They dwell in the land securely, and none
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will be left behind among the other nations any more.
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It is because of verse 29 that I don't believe the modern State of Israel is
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the fulfillment of this prophecy or any others talking about the restoration of
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the house of Israel. It may be a precursor to such a fulfillment, or a symbol
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of it, but it's not the final fulfillment. Unless I'm completely out of the
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loop, I don't see a great pouring out of the Lord's Spirit upon the Jewish
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people. Yet. I am sure it will happen some day, though. I know some have tried
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to connect the Arab-Israeli War and the Six Day War with events in Biblical
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prophecy, but you shouldn't have to squint and twist events to make them fit
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the text. Biblical prophecies are _obvious_ after the fact, and completely
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accurate.
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* * *
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Gracious and merciful are all Your ways, O Lord.
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