Chapter 4 - An Examination of the End Times (Continued)
Book of Ezekiel
The prophet Ezekiel was taken captive to Babylon and became God’s spokesman to the exiled people of Judah. At first he reminded the people that it was due to their sin God destroyed Jerusalem. While there he also prophesied against seven other nations. Towards the end he offered the exiles the hope of future restoration.
Ezekiel prophesied about the effects of the people’s sins and about God’s promised restoration that occurred not only after the Babylonian captivity (for example see Ezekiel 11:16-18), but also the ultimate restoration that will occur during the Millennium (see Ezekiel 11:19-25; 34:11-24).
In Ezekiel chapters 36-39 he clarified and offers significant detail to the process of Israel’s restoration. These chapters are seemingly laid out in order, a form of a timeline. Chapters 36 and 37, while mostly fulfilled is still in progress, as chapters 38 and 39 are clearly yet-future. Chapters 40-48 also pertain to future events, likely to be fulfilled during the millennial kingdom.
Ezekiel chapter 36 begins with a promise from God that He will judge and destroy Israel’s enemies (see Ezekiel 36:1-7). He then proceeds to prophesy about how Israel will be restored. “But you, O mountains of Israel, shall shoot forth your branches and yield your fruit to my people Israel, for they will soon come home. For behold, I am for you, and I will turn to you, and you shall be tilled and sown. And I will multiply people on you, the whole house of Israel, all of it. The cities shall be inhabited and the waste places rebuilt. And I will multiply on you man and beast, and they shall multiply and be fruitful. And I will cause you to be inhabited as in your former times, and will do more good to you than ever before. Then you will know that I am the LORD.” (Ezekiel 36:8-11)
In what might be described as a parenthetical statement, God interrupts His listing of blessings He will bestow on Israel, with a brief summary of why He punished them and scattered them around the world, followed by the reason He is bringing them back. The reason He gives is that His reputation would be tarnished if He did not follow up and keep His promises (see Ezekiel 36:16-23). This insert was not made as some form of holy ego or due to a last-minute change due to their continued disobedience, it was stated so that the Israelites would understand that they did nothing to deserve this restoration, but was through grace freely given. Just as He promised.
Now recognizing that this restoration is offered unconditionally, we read how God will proceed (see Ezekiel 36:24-38). After regathering His people, He begins by restoring the people’s holiness, “I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses, and from all your idols I will cleanse you. And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules.” (Ezekiel 36:25-27) The land will be able to be inhabited again and ruined places rebuilt. “This is what the Sovereign LORD says: I am ready to hear Israel’s prayers and to increase their numbers like a flock. They will be as numerous as the sacred flocks that fill Jerusalem’s streets at the time of her festivals. The ruined cities will be crowded with people once more, and everyone will know that I am the LORD.” (Ezekiel 36:37-38, NLT) Israel is today once again crowded with people, but do they know or acknowledge that God made it possible for them to be there?
As mentioned earlier,[1] God made Ezekiel present many of his prophecies in a dramatic way, in chapter 37 the drama continues as Ezekiel is ‘transported’ to a valley full of dry bones. God asked Ezekiel whether or not these bones can live and he responded, “you know” (see verse 3). Then God told Ezekiel to prophesy over the bones and tell them to hear the word of the LORD. “Thus says the Lord GOD to these bones: Behold, I will cause breath to enter you, and you shall live. And I will lay sinews upon you, and will cause flesh to come upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and you shall live, and you shall know that I am the LORD.” (Ezekiel 37:5-6) Ezekiel did as he was told and soon he heard the rattling of bone against bone as he watched the bones come to life from the inside out. But there was no breath in these resurrected bodies, so God had Ezekiel prophesy to the breath, “Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe on these slain, that they may live.” (Ezekiel 37:9b) Again, Ezekiel did as instructed and they became alive and stood up, he saw an “exceedingly great army” (see verse 10). God identifies them as the whole house of Israel. God tells Ezekiel to prophesy again this time to tell them that He promises to raise them from the grave and will bring them into the land of Israel. When they see that happening they will know that He is the LORD and He will then put His Spirit within them. It should be noted that the Hebrew word for ‘Spirit’ (‘Rûah’)[2] is the same root word used in this chapter for breath and winds, bringing emphasis on the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. All believers have the Holy Spirit dwelling inside them (see John 14:17; Acts 2:4; Romans 8:9; 1 John 2:27; 2 John 2), that blessing will be shared among the Israelites saved and resurrected by God in the millennial kingdom.
The remainder of chapter 37 points to a yet-future reuniting of all the houses of Israel. “And I will make them one nation in the land, on the mountains of Israel. And one king shall be king over them all, and they shall be no longer two nations, and no longer divided into two kingdoms. They shall not defile themselves anymore with their idols and their detestable things, or with any of their transgressions. But I will save them from all the backslidings in which they have sinned, and will cleanse them; and they shall be my people, and I will be their God.” (Ezekiel 37:22-23) God once again states that David will be their king (see Jeremiah 30:9). At that time God will make a covenant with the Jews, “And I will make a covenant of peace with them, an everlasting covenant. I will give them their land and increase their numbers, and I will put my Temple among them forever. I will make my home among them. I will be their God, and they will be my people. And when my Temple is among them forever, the nations will know that I am the LORD, who makes Israel holy.” (Ezekiel 37:26-28, NLT) This covenant would be based on the “new covenant” as prophesied in Jeremiah 31:31-34 and made possible by Jesus’ victory on the cross.
It should be obvious by now, reading through just a few Old Testament prophecies, that the people of Israel are important to God. To conclude that God is finished with the Jews or that the end-time events have nothing to do with Israel is foolishness, and will result in an improper understanding of eschatology. Theology based on the church replacing Israel is more than problematic, it is unsupported in the Bible (see “Vectors in Theology” in the Appendix).
The next two chapters of Ezekiel (chapters 38 and 39) speak of a yet-future invasion of Israel. Since the names of the nations described are ancient names and that timing of this war is not clear, these two chapters are highly debated. Readers are also intrigued by the fact that God will intervene on behalf of Israel in a very obvious way, and that some believe that some of the weapons sound modern and could even be nuclear.
The odd-sounding names in these chapters are from antiquity: Magog has been identified with the Scythians and southern Russia; Meshech is identified with the ancient Mushki and Mushkovi, old names for the southern portion of the former Soviet Union; Tubal being associated with Tibereni and Tobolsk of Russia; Persia being Iran; Cush as Ethiopia; Put being a reference to Northern Africa, likely being Libya; Gomer being the Cimmerians, a Germanic reference, Beth-togarmah (house of Togarmah) point to tribes located in the Armenia and Turkey regions; Tarshish is often considered an ancient reference to the islands of Great Britain; Sheba and Dedan have roots in the area known today as Saudi Arabia; and the main-player, Gog, is likely a name or title of the person leading the invasion. Ezekiel also uses the Hebrew ‘rō(’)š’[3] (often spelled ‘Rosh’), a word that refers to a head, the top, or beginning, and it is idiomatically used in several ways in the Old Testament. In many Bible versions, it is translated as ‘chief’, referring to the top or main person, here in Ezekiel 38:2 and Ezekiel 39:1, it would refer to the ‘chief’ prince of Meshech and Tubal. However, many translators believe that the word is actually a proper noun, naming some unknown kingdom, making ‘Rosh’ a reference to another country (also translated that way in the Septuagint), often believed to be another reference to Russia.
The invasion begins with God putting ‘hooks’ in the jaws of Gog and forcing him out to fight. Bringing with him armies from Russia, Iran, Sudan, Libya, parts of Europe, Turkey, and possibly several other countries including Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, all out to invade Israel. Even though called out by God, He will not allow Gog to succeed in this invasion. God has Ezekiel prophesy to Gog, that when he brings this massive army from the north and invade Israel, just like how a cloud covers the land, He promises, “At that time in the distant future, I will bring you against my land as everyone watches, and my holiness will be displayed by what happens to you, Gog. Then all the nations will know that I am the LORD.” (Ezekiel 38:16b, NLT) God will intervene in a very public way, there will be no doubt about the existence of God, nor will there will be any argument as to who His people are. He continues to prophesy to Gog through Ezekiel with what will happen: “But on that day, the day that Gog shall come against the land of Israel, declares the Lord GOD, my wrath will be roused in my anger. For in my jealousy and in my blazing wrath I declare, On that day there shall be a great earthquake in the land of Israel. The fish of the sea and the birds of the heavens and the beasts of the field and all creeping things that creep on the ground, and all the people who are on the face of the earth, shall quake at my presence. And the mountains shall be thrown down, and the cliffs shall fall, and every wall shall tumble to the ground. I will summon a sword against Gog on all my mountains, declares the Lord GOD. Every man’s sword will be against his brother. With pestilence and bloodshed I will enter into judgment with him, and I will rain upon him and his hordes and the many peoples who are with him torrential rains and hailstones, fire and sulfur. So I will show my greatness and my holiness and make myself known in the eyes of many nations. Then they will know that I am the LORD.” (Ezekiel 38:18-23)
The prophecy continues in Ezekiel chapter 39, in the first eight verses we read how God stops the invasion. But it is the following two verses that many scholars seem to be more interested in studying as they are intrigued by the weapons described: “Then those who dwell in the cities of Israel will go out and make fires of the weapons and burn them, shields and bucklers, bow and arrows, clubs and spears; and they will make fires of them for seven years, so that they will not need to take wood out of the field or cut down any out of the forests, for they will make their fires of the weapons. They will seize the spoil of those who despoiled them, and plunder those who plundered them, declares the Lord GOD.” (Ezekiel 39:9-10) While being common terms for weapons available and used during Ezekiel’s time, some believe that they could also be descriptions of modern-day weapons, such as missiles and missile launchers. Some even suggest that the seven-year waiting period is due to some of these weapons being nuclear and will require time for the radiation to decay before proper disposal can occur. There will be so many dead that God has Ezekiel prophesy to the birds and the wild animals to allow them to gorge themselves at the “sacrificial feast” (see verses 17-20). All nations will have seen what God had done for Israel. He notes that in the past He dealt with their uncleanness and transgressions by hiding His face from them and giving them over to their adversaries (see verses 21-24). But, now He promises to restore Israel, He also promises that He will no longer hide His face from them when He pours out His Spirit on them (see verses 25-29).
The question many debate is, “When will this event occur?” If Israel has been restored and is occupying the land as promised in Ezekiel chapter 37, which it has since 1948, then it can occur at any time. Due to the obvious clues regarding Russia and that the invasion will come from the north, many monitor the political climate and relationships between Russia and these surrounding nations relating to Israel. This event, often referred to as “the Gog and Magog Invasion,” will have a significant impact on people around the world. This small country, which is often thought to be more trouble than worth, will be the location that God chooses to reveal Himself. Many unbelievers and believers of other religions will realize that they were wrong. The truth will be revealed again, the God of Israel is the one and only all-powerful God. Some believe this battle that will likely take place near the beginning of the tribulation period is a model for the future battle at Armageddon. Some believe that when the God of Israel reveals Himself in such a tangible and dramatic fashion that many people, including many Muslims, will come to accept Jesus as their Savior.
In the last nine chapters of Ezekiel (40-48), we read about how God brought Ezekiel in a vision to the land of Israel on a high mountain next to a structure. He is told to, “Declare all that you see to the house of Israel.” (Ezekiel 40:4b) In his close examination and subsequent physical measuring of the building, he offers details of this structure, which is soon identified as God’s Temple. In the Bible we read about four temples of God, or more accurately, one Temple rebuilt several times. It is important to understand that there is only one Temple structure on earth at any given time, all at the same location which is known as the “Temple Mount”.[4] The Temple was first built by Solomon which was destroyed in 586 B.C. The second Temple was built after the Babylonian captivity and is referred to as Zerubbabel’s (or Nehemiah’s) Temple which was later ‘enhanced’ and adorned by Herod the Great (called great because of his desire to please his people through notable building projects, but was himself a highly paranoid and dangerous man). Due to the significant time and effort, this enhanced Temple is often called the third Temple, but technically since the Temple was never out of service, it remains being the second Temple, especially in the eyes of the Jews. Regardless of which number that Temple was, it was destroyed in 70 A.D. According to the Bible there will be a third Temple built during the end-time period of tribulation (see Daniel 9:27; Matthew 24:15; 2 Thessalonians 2:4). Some scholars refer to it as the “Antichrist’s Temple,” since he will negotiate a seven-year treaty that will allow the building of the Temple at the beginning of the Tribulation.[5] Then there will be a fourth and final Temple that will exist in the millennial kingdom. Since the Temple that Ezekiel examined in these last chapters has yet to exist, it is believed to be a detail account of this fourth Temple. It is important to note that between 70 A.D. and now, there has been no Temple structure on earth. Why? Because all believers have the Holy Spirit dwelling inside them, we are God’s temple. The apostle Paul wrote, “Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you? If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him. For God’s temple is holy, and you are that temple.” (1 Corinthians 3:16-17, see also 1 Corinthians 6:19-20; 2 Corinthians and 6:16; Ephesians 2:21-22).
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[1] See Ezekiel in “Old Testament Prophets.”
[2] Strong’s Hebrew 7307.
[3] Strong’s Hebrew 7218. See also Strong’s Hebrew 7220.
[4] See Considerations under Revelation 11:1-2.
[5] See Considerations under Revelation 11:1-2.