EZEKIEL 39
<Vs. 1-7>
[4/17/11]
Review:
Ezekiel 38:21-23 {GW} I will declare war against Gog on all my mountains, declares the Almighty LORD. Each person will use his sword against his relative.
22 {GW} I will punish Gog with plagues and death. I will send rainstorms, large hailstones, fire, and burning sulfur on his troops and on the many armies with him.
23 {GW} I will show my greatness and my holiness. I will reveal myself to many nations. Then they will know that I am the LORD.’”
QUESTION: What will happen next:
ANSWER: Gog had declared war on Israel! God will declare war on Gog!
QUESTION: What will happen to Gog’s army at this time?
ANSWER: 1) God will confuse them, and they will begin to turn their weapons on one another.
2) Severe rainstorms with enormous hailstones will beat against them.
3) God will rain fire and burning sulfur on the troops of this evil coalition.
QUESTION: What will take place on this planet as a result of this?
ANSWER: The many nations of the earth will recognize that God is doing these things, and will tremble before Him.
QUESTION: If that’s true, then why don’t they repent and follow God?
ANSWER: A strong delusion will overtake them and they will come to believe that a new world leader did this miraculous thing. More about that at another time.
On To This Week’s Lesson:
Ezekiel 39:1 {KJV} Therefore, thou son of man, prophesy against Gog, and say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I [am] against thee, O Gog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal:
Gog: the land of Magog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal
Meshech: Moscow
Tubal: Romania, Bulgaria, Bosnia, Kosovo, & Turkey
However, concerning “the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal,”
“rather, ‘prince of Rosh,’ or ‘Rhos’ [Septuagint]. The Scythian Tauri in the Crimea were so called. The Araxes also was called ‘Rhos.’ The modern Russians may have hence assumed their name, as Moscow and Tobolsk from Meshech and Tubal, though their proper ancient name was Slavi, or Wends” [JFB].
Other Opinions:
Ezekiel 39:2-7 {KJV} And I will turn thee back, and leave but the sixth part of thee, and will cause thee to come up from the north parts, and will bring thee upon the mountains of Israel:
Regarding “the sixth part,”
“The margin has, strike thee with six plagues; or, draw thee back with a hook of six teeth” [Clarke].
“Or, and lead thee along (Septuagint and Vulgate)” [Barnes].
“I. A verb meaning to drive; to drag along. It means to urge someone, to provide impetus for moving on. It is used figuratively of God’s moving Gog toward Israel and destruction (Eze_39:2).
II. A verb indicating to leave a sixth part. It means to take or leave behind only one-sixth of something (Eze_39:2, KJV)” [Word Study Dictionary].
“<H8338> A primitive root; apparently to annihilate. (Translated by confusion with H8341.): – leave but the sixth part [by confusion with H8341]. <H8338> o sixth or divide into sixths: – give the sixth part” [Strong].
NOTE: You won’t find many modern translations rendering this “the sixth part.”
QUESTION: Some of the ideas above include one-sixth. Why don’t any of those scholars believe this to mean that God will only spare one-sixth of the invading countries?
ANSWER: They see that as a contradiction because Ezekiel 38-39 seems to indicate that God will totally annihilate this army. More about this when we get to verse 6.
3 {KJV} And I will smite thy bow out of thy left hand, and will cause thine arrows to fall out of thy right hand.
In regards to “bow and arrows,”
“The mention of bows and arrows in verse 3 does not necessarily mean that future armies will revert to the use of primitive weapons, although it could mean that. Why would any nation do so, one may well ask. A possible explanation lies in the fact that for years various military powers have been working on inventions that would totally disable any mechanical weapon, such as a tank, plane, etc. If this is perfected, it would necessitate using horses and non-mechanical weapons in warfare again” [BBC].
The commentary continues,
“On the other hand, S. Maxwell Coder maintains that the Hebrew words are sufficiently flexible to include modern, sophisticated hardware. Thus, bows and arrows might mean launching devices and missiles. The “horses” in Eze_38:4 (literally ‘leapers’) could be self-propelled vehicles such as tanks or helicopters. The weapons in 39:9, 10 are not necessarily made of wood. The word could mean military equipment such as fuel oil and rocket propellants, many believe” [BBC].
Let me remind you of my note from the 4-3-11 lesson:
“God is showing a first century A.D. man, John, a modern day event. He showed John in pictures he could understand. He knew about horses, lions, and serpents. He didn’t know about Army Stykers with grenade launchers and 50 caliber machine guns; he didn’t know about traditional tanks; he didn’t know about the M67 flamethrower tank. These vehicles would certainly produce “fire, smoke, and brimstone” [Pastor].
4 {KJV} Thou shalt fall upon the mountains of Israel, thou, and all thy bands, and the people that [is] with thee: I will give thee unto the ravenous birds of every sort, and [to] the beasts of the field to be devoured.
5 {KJV} Thou shalt fall upon the open field: for I have spoken [it], saith the Lord GOD.
QUESTION: Who is going to “fall upon the mountains of Israel,” and “fall upon the open field”?
ANSWER: The prophet is prophesying against this massive coalition led by Russia.
QUESTION: How many of this army are going to die?
ANSWER: God said “all thy bands, and the people that is with thee.” The Greek tells us that it means all of them.
NOTE: This is why many don’t believe one-sixth is meant in verse 2.
6 {KJV} And I will send a fire on Magog, and among them that dwell carelessly in the isles: and they shall know that I [am] the LORD.
In reference to “I will send a fire on Magog,”
“while Gog is in the land of Israel, and he and his army perish there, his country shall be destroyed by fire, or by some judgment or judgments of God, which shall consume like fire” [Gill].
Let’s look again at Strong’s opinion regarding one-sixth,
H8338 “shâshâ’; shaw-shaw’
A primitive root; apparently to annihilate. (Translated by confusion with H8341.): – leave but the sixth part [by confusion with H8341].”
H8341 “shâshâh; shaw-shaw’
to sixth or divide into sixths: – give the sixth part” [Strong].
QUESTION: What’s the only difference in H8338 and H8341?
ANSWER: Looking at this as someone who hasn’t studied Hebrew, the only difference is “shasha verses shashah.”
NOTE: Though most translators render the word something along the lines of, “to drive/drag along,” some of the commentators render it to have something to do with one-sixth.
QUESTION: Why is this?
ANSWER: It’s my opinion, and it’s only that, that the reason is because translators and commentators alike see a conflict between one-sixth being spared and all being destroyed.
DISCLAIMER: I AM NOT A STUDENT OF HEBREW! MY OPINION IS NOT BASED ON THE HEBREW STRUCTURE OF THE OF THE VERSES INVOLVED. RATHER, IT’S BASED ON THE VARIOUS IDEAS OF THE COMMENTATORS THAT I HAVE AT MY DISPOSAL.
NOTE: I believe the conflict is settled when we take into consideration Gill’s note above. The entire army is destroyed, but it doesn’t stop there. The countries of the invading army are attacked by God as well. Only one-sixth of the total population of these countries before they attack Israel survive.
7 {KJV} So will I make my holy name known in the midst of my people Israel; and I will not [let them] pollute my holy name any more: and the heathen shall know that I [am] the LORD, the Holy One in Israel.
(GW) I will make my holy name known among my people Israel, and I will never let them dishonor my holy name again. Then the nations will know that I am the LORD, the Holy One in Israel.
NOTE: Some commentaries believe this to be an ancient battle.
QUESTION: If this refers to an ancient battle, has this promise from God been fulfilled?
ANSWER: No! Israel has been a land polluted with false religions throughout ancient, and modern history. Even today there are false religions in Israel. The Islam Dome of the Rock is the 3rd holiest site of Islam. Only the Mosque of the Haram, and the mosque of the Prophet, both is Saudi Arabia, are considered to be holier than the Dome of the Rock. ALLAH IS NOT JEHOVAH! He is a false God, and a temple built in his honor sits on the mount where the Jewish Temple will be rebuilt. The prophecy of verse 7 has not yet been fulfilled.
NOTE: I believe this fact proves that the battle described in Ezekiel 38-39 has not yet happened.