Bible Studies
In the first study of Ezekiel, we looked at who Gog is, what nations will be under his military control, and how and when they will attack. This next part is a study of the actual battle that is to take place. Text is taken from the NIV
translation of the Bible.
9 You and all your troops and the many nations with you will go up, advancing like a storm; you will be like a cloud covering the land.
Gog's army will be like a cloud covering the land. Imagine a dry dusty road that you drive down and picture the dust cloud behind your vehicle. Now, picture an army of nations driving their vehicles and war machines. There will be so many army movements that a cloud of dust will cover the land. The imagery may also point to massive air forces.
10 " 'This is what the Sovereign LORD says: On that day thoughts will come into your mind and you will devise an evil scheme. 11 You will say, "I will invade a land of unwalled villages; I will attack a peaceful and unsuspecting people—all of them living without walls and without gates and bars
Gog will plan this attack. It will not be a spur of the moment type attack. It's possible that it may be a retaliatory or a preemptive strike against Israel. In either case it will be premeditated. We also learn that Israel will be a land of security and peace. Israel will not be suspecting an attack from anyone, which leads me to believe that it will come after the peace treaty is signed with the Arab nations, facilitated by Antichrist.
12 I will plunder and loot and turn my hand against the resettled ruins and the people gathered from the nations, rich in livestock and goods, living at the center of the land." 13 Sheba and Dedan and the merchants of Tarshish and all her villages d]">[d] will say to you, "Have you come to plunder? Have you gathered your hordes to loot, to carry off silver and gold, to take away livestock and goods and to seize much plunder?" '
The attack will come at a time when Israel is resettled, rebuilt, and wealthy. If you look at the map of Israel, the city in the center of the land is Jerusalem. In verse 13 it would appear that Gog has come to pillage and plunder the wealth of Jerusalem. Perhaps this is the reason for the attack: Greed.
The physical location of Sheba is disputed, however modern evidence points towards Yeman in Southern Arabia (wiki). Dardan is now known as a city of Arabia, modern Al-'Ula (wiki). Tarshish is the name of a village in Lebanon. The village is located in the Baabda Kadaa at an elevation of 1400m and is 50 km away from Beirut. It is also a province of Jerusalem. It's interesting to not that even the Arabs are threatened by Gog (Dedan and Sheba both located in Saudi Arabia), however in Genesis 15:18, God makes a covenant with Abraham that God will give him the lands between the river in Egypt (the Nile river) and the Euphrates.
14 "Therefore, son of man, prophesy and say to Gog: 'This is what the Sovereign LORD says: In that day, when my people Israel are living in safety, will you not take notice of it? 15 You will come from your place in the far north, you and many nations with you, all of them riding on horses, a great horde, a mighty army. 16 You will advance against my people Israel like a cloud that covers the land. In days to come, O Gog, I will bring you against my land, so that the nations may know me when I show myself holy through you before their eyes.
The attack will come from the far North. Where is a good question, and I have no good answer to that, other than to wait and see. We can only watch and be ready. The army will largely be mechanized and machinery, and will be a massive horde. In verse 16 we see God's purpose. God has allowed this massive attack on Israel so that He will in the end be glorified through the battle, and so that Gog will understand the power and glory that is God. This is how God operates, by the way, if you do not know. Everything that has happened and will happen, does so according to God's thoughts - Isaiah 14:24: The LORD Almighty has sworn, "Surely, as I have planned, so it will be, and as I have purposed, so it will stand'; and it does so for the Glory of God.
17 " 'This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Are you not the one I spoke of in former days by my servants the prophets of Israel? At that time they prophesied for years that I would bring you against them.
God tells Gog that this is not news. God's prophets have been prophesying against Gog for a long time.
18 This is what will happen in that day: When Gog attacks the land of Israel, my hot anger will be aroused, declares the Sovereign LORD. 19 In my zeal and fiery wrath I declare that at that time there shall be a great earthquake in the land of Israel. 20 The fish of the sea, the birds of the air, the beasts of the field, every creature that moves along the ground, and all the people on the face of the earth will tremble at my presence. The mountains will be overturned, the cliffs will crumble and every wall will fall to the ground.21 I will summon a sword against Gog on all my mountains, declares the Sovereign LORD. Every man's sword will be against his brother. 22 I will execute judgment upon him with plague and bloodshed; I will pour down torrents of rain, hailstones and burning sulfur on him and on his troops and on the many nations with him. 23 And so I will show my greatness and my holiness, and I will make myself known in the sight of many nations. Then they will know that I am the LORD.'
Verses 19-23 depict God's retaliation to Gog's attack. It begins with a massive earthquake, so great that everything will be affected, even the birds and fish. Mountains and cliffs will be flattened. People will be terrified and there will be mass confusion and terror. The armies of Gog will be so terrified that they will turn on each other. Gog's army will suffer plagues and massive loss of life. There will be torrents of rain and hailstone and burning sulfur, which could be in the form of a volcanic eruption. There are scientific reports of burning embers being in-cased in ice during volcanic eruptions from the blast shooting embers high into the atmosphere, giving one the impression of hail and fire falling from the sky, and many time massive earthquakes are contributed to volcanic eruptions. The acidic plume of smoke that will cover the area is also known to cause skin sores, boils, and even death. Strangely enough, the nearest active volcanos are located around Madagascar, and South America.
As always, I would remind you that no one knows the hour nor the day. We can only watch and prepare.
God, open our eyes so that we may see the truth, and grant us wisdom to understand. Amen.
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