In The Word
Read: Ezekiel 38
Prophecy about Gog and Future Invasion of Israel
38 Now the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 2 “Son of man, set your face toward Gog of the land of Magog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal, and prophesy against him, 3 and say, ‘This is what the Lord God says: “Behold, I am against you, Gog, chief prince of Meshech and Tubal. 4 So I will turn you around and put hooks into your jaws, and I will bring you out, and all your army, horses and horsemen, all of them magnificently dressed, a great contingent with shield and buckler, all of them wielding swords; 5 Persia, Cush, and Put with them, all of them with buckler and helmet; 6 Gomer with all its troops; Beth-togarmah from the remote parts of the north with all its troops—many peoples with you.
7 “Be ready, and be prepared, you and all your contingents that are assembled around you, and be a guard for them. 8 After many days you will be summoned; in the latter years you will come into the land that is restored from the sword, whose inhabitants have been gathered from many nations to the mountains of Israel which had been a continual place of ruins; but its people were brought out from the nations, and they are living securely, all of them. 9 And you will go up, you will come like a storm; you will be like a cloud covering the land, you and all your troops, and many peoples with you.”
10 ‘This is what the Lord God says: “It will come about on that day, that thoughts will come into your mind and you will devise an evil plan, 11 and you will say, ‘I will go up against the land of unwalled villages. I will go against those who are at rest, who live securely, all of them living without walls and having no bars or gates, 12 to capture spoils and to seize plunder, to turn your hand against the ruins that are now inhabited, and against the people who are gathered from the nations, who have acquired livestock and goods, who live at the center of the world.’ 13 Sheba and Dedan and the merchants of Tarshish with all its villages will say to you, ‘Have you come to capture spoils? Have you assembled your contingent to seize plunder, to carry away silver and gold, to take away livestock and goods, to capture great spoils?’”’
14 “Therefore prophesy, son of man, and say to Gog, ‘This is what the Lord Godsays: “On that day when My people Israel are living securely, will you not know it?15 You will come from your place out of the remote parts of the north, you and many peoples with you, all of them riding horses, a large assembly and a mighty army; 16 and you will come up against My people Israel like a cloud to cover the land. It shall come about in the last days that I will bring you against My land, so that the nations may know Me when I show Myself holy through you before their eyes, Gog.”
17 ‘This is what the Lord God says: “Are you the one of whom I spoke in former days through My servants the prophets of Israel, who prophesied in those days for many years that I would bring you against them? 18 It will come about on that day, when Gog comes against the land of Israel,” declares the Lord God, “that My fury will mount up in My anger. 19 In My zeal and in My blazing wrath I declare that on that day there will certainly be a great earthquake in the land of Israel. 20 The fish of the sea, the birds of the sky, the animals of the field, all the crawling things that crawl on the earth, and all mankind who are on the face of the earth will shake at My presence; and the mountains will be thrown down, the steep pathways will collapse, and every wall will fall to the ground. 21 And I will call for a sword against him on all My mountains,” declares the Lord God. “Every man’s sword will be against his brother. 22 With plague and with blood I will enter into judgment with him; and I will rain on him and on his troops, and on the many peoples who are with him, a torrential rain, hailstones, fire, and brimstone. 23 So I will prove Myself great, show Myself holy, and make Myself known in the sight of many nations; and they will know that I am the Lord.”’
New American Standard Bible (NASB) Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation
Walking In The Word
The word of the Lord came to Ezekiel regarding the future. He was told about a future prince: Gog. We see the Lord also tell John of this prince in Revelation 20:3. God was against this prince but used him to do the Lord’s will. A future land was described concerning the mountains of Israel. That land sounds a lot like our land. The inhabitants of the land had been gathered from many nations; there, the people lived securely. The people of this land lived without walls or bars or gates. They lived securely at rest. They had acquired cattle and goods and lived at the center of the world. God will send this future prince like a storm and like a cloud to cover the land. In the last days, every man will shake at the Lord’s presence and every wall will fall to the ground as the Lord magnifies Himself. He will make Himself known in the sight of many nations. All the nations will know that He is the Lord.
The Lord knows the present, the past, and the future. He knows our needs. He knows our hearts. He knows what will happen in the last days. He even uses those who don’t believe or submit to Him to accomplish His will. These verses should remind us not to rest in the security of the nation, but to rest in Him. He is Lord of all, and He is in control. Today, rest in Him. He is the One True Living Almighty God, and He knows all things.