Ezekiel 38:1-16

content/bible_journal/ezekiel_38:1-16.md

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+title = "Ezekiel 38:1–16"
+date = "2023-06-24"
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+
+### [Read the passage.](https://biblia.com/bible/esv/Ezekiel38.1-16)
+
+Things are going to start getting weird now, as if they haven't been weird in
+Ezekiel already. The word of the Lord to Ezekiel concerns a prophecy against
+Gog, the prince of Magog, Meshech, and Tubal. Unfortunately, no one can really
+figure out who Gog is or where Magog is. Meshech and Tubal are tribes of
+Anatolia, located in modern-day Turkey, but that doesn't help much either.
+
+What we can tell from this prophecy about Gog is that he is an enemy of the
+Lord. He leads a tremendously large army; a coalition of several nations:
+Persia, Cush, Put, Gomer, and Beth-togarmah. Why has the Lord said He is
+against Gog and his army? Because they are marching against Israel, after the
+Lord had restored the people to their land. They come as an innumerable horde,
+overshadowing the land with their multitude.
+
+When does this happen? The clue we are given is in verse 8: "after many
+days" and "in the latter years". There are also similarities in chapter 39
+to events John describes in Revelation, not just the names Gog and Magog,
+but we'll discuss those when we get there. Based on this, we can expect these
+events to happen in the end times, even after the millenial reign of Christ
+and His saints. I think this might explain, from our modern perspective, why
+this great army is equipped with primitive weapons like swords and shields,
+riding horses instead of automobiles. Not only would Ezekiel not have words
+to describe a modern soldier, but after 1,000 years of world-wide peace, all
+of the infrastructure to produce modern weapons would have been repurposed or
+just never rebuilt after the judgements inflicted on the earth through most
+of Revelation.
+
+The Lord tells us that there will come a day when Gog will devise an evil scheme
+to go against the peaceful land of Israel to carry off plunder because they do
+not have defensive walls. Sheba, Dedan, and Tarshish were famous merchants and
+traders of Ezekiel's day, and they are used to show that the nations that aren't
+part of the evil coalition directly are hoping to profit from the ill-gotten
+gains that Gog hopes to acquire.
+
+However, Gog's plan is also part of the Lord's plan to vindicate His holy name,
+and Gog will not accomplish anything but his own destruction.
+
+* * *
+
+You know all the thoughts of man and are sovereign over them.