Thursday, March 6 – Ezekiel 38, 39

1. What was God’s command to Ezekiel? (Ezekiel 38:1, 2).

2. Who will tremble Because of God’s righteous wrath against His enemies? (Ezekiel 38:19, 20).

3. What assurance did the Lord give them despite Israel’s continued disobedience? (Ezekiel 39:27, 28).

4. Why did God assure Israel that He would no longer hide His face from them? Who would be poured out upon them? (Ezekiel 39:29).

We continue with Ezekiel as we approach the end of his prophetic book. In today’s chapters, the prophet writes about the army and malice of Gog, king of Meshech and Tubal. He speaks of God’s judgments upon this wicked king and his people, the burial of Gog in Hamon-Gog, and the feast of the birds of the air consuming the bodies of God’s enemies.

Ezekiel also describes Israel’s victory while not overlooking their punishment for sin and their ultimate restoration under God’s eternal favor.

When reading about “Gog and Magog,” you might immediately think of those whom Satan will deceive after the millennium when he is temporarily released from his prison to assault the Holy City (Revelation 20:8). Much speculation has surrounded these names, but they have not been definitively identified. Some scholars believe they are merely symbolic. Ezekiel refers to them not as two people but as one: “Gog,” while “Magog” is the place he comes from.

These names appear only in a few places in the Bible. Magog, for instance, was the name of one of Noah’s grandsons, but there is no evidence linking him to the location associated with “Gog” in Ezekiel. It appears that “Gog and Magog” symbolize God’s enemies throughout history, who, in Revelation, will ultimately reveal their unrepentant hearts by joining Satan in his final attempt to overthrow God.

The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary compares these natural convulsions with the great upheaval of the elements at Christ’s second coming. This makes sense, as Ezekiel’s reference to Gog is connected with the alliance of Gog and Magog in Revelation. Ultimately, this represents Satan’s last and failed attempt to defeat Christ by attacking the City of God. However, Christ’s victory was assured at Calvary when Satan was defeated and received a fatal blow to the head. In the end, with his “Gog and Magog,” the dragon’s skull will be crushed, and Christ will reign victorious forever and ever.

In ancient times, after bloody battles, the fields were covered with lifeless bodies of fallen warriors. It was impossible to bury all these corpses, and their exposure to the elements for days caused stench and pestilence, endangering those living nearby. These fields attracted thousands of scavenging birds and animals seeking carrion. Although a gruesome image, this helped prevent the spread of disease. Ezekiel is symbolically called to summon a feast for these animals and birds, but not just any feast—this would be a meal of “prime meat,” the flesh of generals and important men who dared to defy God.

Though this imagery is repugnant, it starkly illustrates the fate of those who deliberately oppose God and His work. They have prided themselves on their power and greatness, but ultimately, they will reap what they have sown.

Today is our opportunity to ask for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. Only through His presence can we endure the final conflicts. We will face great tribulations, but Christ will never fail to fulfill His promise to be with us always. How wonderful it will be that, at the end of history, “God will wipe away every tear” from our eyes, and “the former things shall not be remembered” (Isaiah 65:17).

“’I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away.’” Revelation 21:1. The fire that consumes the wicked purifies the earth. Every trace of the curse is swept away. No eternally burning hell will keep before the ransomed the fearful consequences of sin.” (The Great Controversy, p. 674).

Would you like to make an appointment to meet near the Tree of Life, by the Crystal River, for our Bible Study Plan? The best part is that there will be one Teacher: Jesus! I cannot miss it… what about you?