Bobservations' Column
Titled - "Glory Among the Heathen"
Titled - "Glory Among the Heathen"
Written by: Pastor Bob Lawrenz
Ezekiel 39’s first half of the chapter left us a with clear understanding of the strong devastation coming as God’s Judgment falls upon the armies of Gog and her allies as they invade the Holy Land. These armies, mentioned in the previous chapter, represent much of the political power in a Christ-rejecting world. The whole world will feel the impact, but geographically, the battle takes place in tiny Israel.
Readers must remember that Bible Prophecy is about Christ and His enemies in both the spiritual realm and the physical realm. Gog, Russia today, has pockets of believers, but their leaders are godless men who have designed a government to replace God. Persia (Iran & Iraq), Ethiopia, Libya, Turkey, and others represent much of the Muslim world, which worship a god and his false prophet, who was reported by many to be an illiterate farmer who could neither read, nor write.
The current war between Russia and the Ukraine has a similar Spiritual component to it that no news media is taking about. The Ukraine is filled with believers who follow the Eastern Orthodox version of the Christian Church. For Gog and her allies, this mass of Israeli invaders worship either no god, like Russia, or a false god according to the Jewish and Christian texts of the Bible. These texts pre-date the Quran and its alleged author by more than 500 years. They conveniently acknowledge Jesus’s teachings because they cannot be ignored, but they view our Lord as a holy man and a prophet, rejecting His own words about Deity, the Father, and Himself.
The Jews await a Godly leader to relieve them of foreign occupation and provide for peace in Israel. The Russians look for control over resources, while Muslims await “another” Savior/Redeemer. They look for the arrival of their “Mahdi,” who will give them Jewish and western lands and purge the Earth of every religion but their own. Hence, I have chosen our reading today for the beginning of this teaching: Under the Inspiration of the Holy Spirit, the Apostle Paul wrote Colossians 1:12-19.
God’s defeat of these unbelieving armies will mean a clean-up must be undertaken to purge Israel of the death and destruction of all those that fight against God. Jesus, God-with-us, will be glorified among all mankind as the Father glorifies Himself. We come to the aftermath of this great battle.
Ezekiel 39’s first half of the chapter left us a with clear understanding of the strong devastation coming as God’s Judgment falls upon the armies of Gog and her allies as they invade the Holy Land. These armies, mentioned in the previous chapter, represent much of the political power in a Christ-rejecting world. The whole world will feel the impact, but geographically, the battle takes place in tiny Israel.
Readers must remember that Bible Prophecy is about Christ and His enemies in both the spiritual realm and the physical realm. Gog, Russia today, has pockets of believers, but their leaders are godless men who have designed a government to replace God. Persia (Iran & Iraq), Ethiopia, Libya, Turkey, and others represent much of the Muslim world, which worship a god and his false prophet, who was reported by many to be an illiterate farmer who could neither read, nor write.
The current war between Russia and the Ukraine has a similar Spiritual component to it that no news media is taking about. The Ukraine is filled with believers who follow the Eastern Orthodox version of the Christian Church. For Gog and her allies, this mass of Israeli invaders worship either no god, like Russia, or a false god according to the Jewish and Christian texts of the Bible. These texts pre-date the Quran and its alleged author by more than 500 years. They conveniently acknowledge Jesus’s teachings because they cannot be ignored, but they view our Lord as a holy man and a prophet, rejecting His own words about Deity, the Father, and Himself.
The Jews await a Godly leader to relieve them of foreign occupation and provide for peace in Israel. The Russians look for control over resources, while Muslims await “another” Savior/Redeemer. They look for the arrival of their “Mahdi,” who will give them Jewish and western lands and purge the Earth of every religion but their own. Hence, I have chosen our reading today for the beginning of this teaching: Under the Inspiration of the Holy Spirit, the Apostle Paul wrote Colossians 1:12-19.
God’s defeat of these unbelieving armies will mean a clean-up must be undertaken to purge Israel of the death and destruction of all those that fight against God. Jesus, God-with-us, will be glorified among all mankind as the Father glorifies Himself. We come to the aftermath of this great battle.
“And this shall be the plague wherewith the Lord will smite all the people that have fought against Jerusalem; their flesh shall consume away while they stand upon their feet…” - Zechariah 14:12
Bobservations' Column: Audio Version
Sunday Morning Message:
Ezekiel 39:14-29 - "Glory Among the Heathen" - Part 4
Summary/Additional Commentary & Definitions:
We live in an age where science thinks that is has done away with God. In fact, for many people, science has become their God. It is the source of all truth (apparently). We live in an age where mankind is self-focused and self-exalted. In the Western world especially, humanism is in. God... well not so much. We live in an age where Islam again seeks to dominate on the world scene. It has lofty goals of imposing sharia law across all nations. And yet it has a thorn in its side that it hasn't been able to remove... those pesky little Jews living in their backyard in that tiny land called Israel! To those under all of these things (and more), the true God, who has been hidden to so many, will make His name known. For some it will lead to repentance and salvation. For others, a further hardening of their heart (as it did to Pharaoh when the God of Israel revealed Himself through judgments upon the land). But either way, mankind will be given proof. There will be no excuse. And God will do it through the tiny nation of Israel. He has said it and will bring it to pass. Strap yourselves in!
This week, Ezekiel 39:14-29 details the aftermath of God’s decisive defeat of Gog, focusing on the extensive, months-long cleansing of the land and the ultimate, permanent restoration of Israel. God vows to display His holiness, gather all His people from exile, and never again hide His face from them, pouring out His Spirit.
Sunday Morning Audio Message:
We live in an age where science thinks that is has done away with God. In fact, for many people, science has become their God. It is the source of all truth (apparently). We live in an age where mankind is self-focused and self-exalted. In the Western world especially, humanism is in. God... well not so much. We live in an age where Islam again seeks to dominate on the world scene. It has lofty goals of imposing sharia law across all nations. And yet it has a thorn in its side that it hasn't been able to remove... those pesky little Jews living in their backyard in that tiny land called Israel! To those under all of these things (and more), the true God, who has been hidden to so many, will make His name known. For some it will lead to repentance and salvation. For others, a further hardening of their heart (as it did to Pharaoh when the God of Israel revealed Himself through judgments upon the land). But either way, mankind will be given proof. There will be no excuse. And God will do it through the tiny nation of Israel. He has said it and will bring it to pass. Strap yourselves in!
This week, Ezekiel 39:14-29 details the aftermath of God’s decisive defeat of Gog, focusing on the extensive, months-long cleansing of the land and the ultimate, permanent restoration of Israel. God vows to display His holiness, gather all His people from exile, and never again hide His face from them, pouring out His Spirit.
Sunday Morning Audio Message:
Key Words and Definitions with Reference:
Hamon Gog (39:16) - Hamon-Gog (Valley of the Multitude of Gog) refers to a prophetic location in the Bible (Ezekiel 39:11-15) east of the Dead Sea, designated for burying the vast armies of Gog, a powerful northern leader who will invade Israel, symbolizing God's ultimate victory over evil forces and the cleansing/restoration of the land. In verse 16, a city in the area will be named Hamonah, "multitude" (cf. a similar idea in Joel 3:14).
Speak Unto . . . Fowl . . . Beast (39:17-20) - This phrase is primarily found in Ezekiel 39:17, representing a vivid, apocalyptic image of God’s victory over His enemies. God's word summons carrion birds and carnivorous animals to consume the fallen flesh as described in Revelation 19:21.
My Sacrificial Meal (39:17) - Since God describes the feast by the imagery of a sacrificial meal, the warriors who fell (v. 19) are described figuratively in words such as rams and other animals used in sacrifice.
I will Set My Glory (39:21-29) - refers to a divine intention to reveal God's majesty, power, and character to all nations. Rooted in texts like Ezekiel 39:21 and Isaiah 43, this phrase signifies bringing God's character and worthiness into plain view through acts of salvation, judgment, and the transformation of His people. Specifically, God vanquishes Israel's foes to show His glory so that His enemies and Israel will all know that He is the Lord (vv. 6, 22). This is Israel's salvation spoken of in Zechariah 12:10-13:9; Romans 11:25-27.
Bring Again (39:25) - The Lord would answer their prayer, by returning the Jews to their land, cf. Daniel’s example and God’s response (Daniel 9:4–27). Fulfillment would occur in the era of Ezra and Nehemiah, and beyond this in even fuller measure after the Second Coming of their Messiah (cf. Daniel 2:35, 45; 7:13, 14, 27; 12:1–3, 13).
Bring Again (39:25) - The Lord would answer their prayer, by returning the Jews to their land, cf. Daniel’s example and God’s response (Daniel 9:4–27). Fulfillment would occur in the era of Ezra and Nehemiah, and beyond this in even fuller measure after the Second Coming of their Messiah (cf. Daniel 2:35, 45; 7:13, 14, 27; 12:1–3, 13).
Poured Out My Spirit (39:29) - God's provision of His Spirit at the Second Coming of Jesus Christ complements the regathering (cf. 36:27; 47:14; Joel 2:28). Ezekiel 39:29 marks the end of the Gog-Magog prophecy, promising that after punishing Israel's enemies and restoring His people, God will permanently pour out His Holy Spirit upon them. This signifies a final, intimate covenant reconciliation, ending divine distance (hiding His face) and replacing it with inward transformation and lifelong, intimate communion.
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