#1184 Ezekiel 38 Part 2 Are You The One, Comrade

 

7 “Prepare yourself and be ready, you and all your companies that are gathered about you; and be a guard for them. 8 After many days you will be visited. In the latter years you will come into the land of those brought back from the sword and gathered from many people on the mountains of Israel, which had long been desolate; they were brought out of the nations, and now all of them dwell safely. 9 You will ascend, coming like a storm, covering the land like a cloud, you and all your troops and many peoples with you.”

10 ‘Thus says the Lord God: “On that day it shall come to pass that thoughts will arise in your mind, and you will make an evil plan: 11 You will say, ‘I will go up against a land of unwalled villages; I will go to a peaceful people, who dwell safely, all of them dwelling without walls, and having neither bars nor gates’— 12 to take plunder and to take booty, to stretch out your hand against the waste places that are again inhabited, and against a people gathered from the nations, who have acquired livestock and goods, who dwell in the midst of the land. 13 Sheba, Dedan, the merchants of Tarshish, and all their young lions will say to you, ‘Have you come to take plunder? Have you gathered your army to take booty, to carry away silver and gold, to take away livestock and goods, to take great plunder?’ ” ’

14 “Therefore, son of man, prophesy and say to Gog, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “On that day when My people Israel dwell safely, will you not know it? 15 Then you will come from your place out of the far north, you and many peoples with you, all of them riding on horses, a great company and a mighty army. 16 You will come up against My people Israel like a cloud, to cover the land. It will be in the latter days that I will bring you against My land, so that the nations may know Me, when I am hallowed in you, O Gog, before their eyes.” 17 Thus says the Lord God: “Are you he of whom I have spoken in former days by My servants the prophets of Israel, who prophesied for years in those days that I would bring you against them? Ezekiel 38: 7-17

Ezekiel 38: 7-17 Gog in the Latter Days

7-9 Prepare yourself and be ready - Frightening words, God telling the enemy of Israel to prepare himself for war, as noted before, He drew him out with a hook, though Gog thinks he comes of his own clever scheming. This is a level of sovereignty that racks the mind, that what you intend for evil, God can use for good. God needs no one to believe in Him, it is but grace when men do.

…26Jesus answered, “It is the one to whom I give this morsel after I have dipped it.” Then He dipped the morsel and gave it to Judas son of Simon Iscariot. 27And when Judas had taken the morsel, Satan entered into him. Then Jesus said to Judas, “What you are about to do, do quickly.” 28But no one at the table knew why Jesus had said this to him.… John 13: 26-28

After many days - 

After many days "alludes to the nearly identical phrase "end of days," which designates the time of the messianic kingdom (Gen 49:1-days to come; Isa 2:2-last days; Jer 23:20-last days; Jer 30:24-note- latter days; Hos 3:5-last days; Mic 4:1-last days)." (HCSB)

In the latter years - I believe this to be during the Tribulation, the first half of which Israel is at peace because of a treaty made with the Antichrist. Gog's army only represents the armies of the north, who also align with the Arab armies of the south, as discussed in the last blog. Gog and Magog There will also be the armies of Antichrist (revived Roman Empire), and a massive army from the east numbering 200 million at the very end of the Great Tribulation, the last 3.5 years of the 7 year Tribulation, the time of Jacob's trouble. Right now we live in the time between the 69th week and the start of the 70th week.

MacArthur feels these events will occur at "the end of the future tribulation period of 7 years. Israel will have been under a false peace in treaty with the Antichrist (Da 9:27; 11:22, 24), before he turns on them in the “abomination of desolation” (Mt 24:15; cf. Da 9:27). The false peace will end in hostility lasting to the completion of the 7 years (Zec 14:1-3). When this final war occurs (cf. Rev 16:12-16), Christ will ultimately conquer the beast, the false prophet, and all the ungodly forces (Rev 19:11-21) in order to establish His millennial kingdom (Rev 20:1-10). - Precept Austin

…24Seventy weeks are decreed for your people and your holy city to stop their transgression, to put an end to sin, to make atonement for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy, and to anoint the Most Holy Place. 25Know and understand this: From the issuance of the decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem, until the Messiah, the Prince, there will be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks. It will be rebuilt with streets and a trench, but in times of distress.

…26Then after the sixty-two weeks the Messiah will be cut off and will have nothing. Then the people of the prince who is to come will destroy the city and the sanctuary. The end will come like a flood, and until the end there will be war; desolations have been decreed. 27And he will confirm a covenant with many for one week, but in the middle of the week he will put an end to sacrifice and offering. And on the wing of the temple will come the abomination that causes desolation, until the decreed destruction is poured out upon him.” Daniel 9: 24-27

14And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come. 15So when you see standing in the holy place ‘the abomination of desolation,’ described by the prophet Daniel (let the reader understand), 16then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains.… Matthew 24: 14-16

Now all of them dwell safely - So, when Israel comes back from Babylon, one of the things they do is fortify the walls. They have not dwelt in self governance in the land till recent times, and they have never dwelt safely, so they put up walls because their neighbors are still at odds with them. This looks to the time of "peace" under a false Christ. 

And many people with you - Gog is coming with Persia, Cush and others that want a piece of Israel.

Like a storm (cp parallel description in Ezek 38:16) - Suddenly, ferociously the anti-Semitic confederacy will come against the Promised Land. The invasion is most likely a "surprise attack" for it occurs at a time when Israel is dwelling securely (Ezek 38:11, cp Ezek 34:27, 28, 38:8, 14, 39:26). - Precept Austin

10-13 Thoughts will arise in your mind - Men cannot do good in any acceptable form to God, or thought or work as unto salvation, for his nature is evil. Yet, God can work all these things together for the good of those who love Him. It is beyond my mind, the wisdom of God. The wisdom of man starts in the heart, one separated from God, dead in trespasses and sins, a slave to a fallen nature. So are the the thoughts of this Gog of Magog.

27You have heard that it was said, ‘Do not commit adultery.’ 28But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman to lust after her has already committed adultery with her in his heart. 29If your right eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell.… Matthew 5: 27-29

…5Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great upon the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was altogether evil all the time. 6And the LORD regretted that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart. 7So the LORD said, “I will blot out man, whom I have created, from the face of the earth—every man and beast and crawling creature and bird of the air—for I am grieved that I have made them.”… Genesis 6: 5-7

12Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love Him. 13When tempted, no one should say, “ God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He tempt anyone. 14But each one is tempted when by his own evil desires he is lured away and enticed.… James 1: 12-14

Peter Naylor - In this section the God of Israel informs Gog that although it is predetermined that he shall attack Israel, the tyrant nevertheless does so willingly. Divine sovereignty ordains, predicts—and will harness—human villainy, yet the villain in question remains solely accountable for his evil machinations. Because he, and he alone, aspires to annihilate the people of God, Gog will be no automaton, a nerveless puppet on a string: ‘in that day … matters will arise in your heart and you will devise an evil scheme’ (Ezek 38:10).

I will go up against a land of unwalled villages - Israel is in what they think is a time of peace, lasting peace, at least 7 years worth, yet the power of this antichrist is limited. Those that hate and envy Israel will see a people sleeping, not worried about attack, which these predators take as opportunity. Jerusalem has only been without walls in modern times, yet they have yet to be in a time of real peace. They have never had the full allotment of land that God promised, and these other armies, this northern army of Gog, with Iran and others, I think will be the first to test the strength of the Antichrist, which will eventually lead to all the armies of the world converging on this little nation, Armageddon.

To take plunder and to take booty - Ah, the thoughts of his heart exposed, and he thinks is this what he is going to do. Today, people want the same, yet they cry for equality when they really want special treatment. They hate rich people, call them greedy, but it's envy, they want what that person has, and they don't care whether it was earned by hard labor, genius or by theft and oppression. In the end they will always claim it was the latter and that will be justification for them to take it by violence, by theft and oppression. 

…2then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being united in spirit and purpose. 3Do nothing out of selfish ambition or empty pride, but in humility consider others more important than yourselves. 4Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.… Philippians 2: 2-4

…14But if you harbor bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast in it or deny the truth. 15Such wisdom does not come from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. 16For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every evil practice.… James 3: 14-16

Have you come to take plunder - Both of the questions from the surrounding nations are wonderful, because this is part of the intent, but what man intends for evil, God can overrule. He will use this to not only display His glory, but in doing so He will use this opportunity to close out the time of the gentiles and fulfill His covenant with Abraham. Some of the nations that are asking this may want a piece of the action, but also consider this a holy sight for Islam as well. There is a lot at stake here.

Sheba - Eastern Arabia

Dedan - Arabia 

Modern computer studies have shown that Jerusalem is, indeed, very near the geographical center of all the earth's land areas and, therefore, the "center of the nations". Here in Ezekiel (Ezek 38:14) refers to those who live at Jerusalem as those "who live at the center (navel) of the world." Why does God make this geographical point? God had called Israel to be a light to the nations and placed her strategically in their midst to facilitate the fulfillment of her calling. Yet she rebelled and rejected her "yoke" of responsibility. In Deuteronomy God had instructed Israel to "Faithfully obey these laws. This will show the people of the world your wisdom and insight. When they hear about all these laws, they will say, "What wise and insightful people there are in this great nation!" (New Living Translation) (Dt 4:6) Believers are given a similar charge by Jesus who reminds us that our purpose is to be "the salt of the earth but if the salt has become tasteless, how will it be made salty again? It is good for nothing anymore, except to be thrown out and trampled under foot by men. You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do men light a lamp, and put it under the peck-measure, but on the lampstand; and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven." (Mt 5:13-16) Are you redeeming the time, letting your light shine? Or have you lost your savor like Israel and in danger of being thrown out and trampled under foot by men? As MacDonald says "We as Christians have even higher privileges than the Jews. May the Lord give us grace not to misuse them and thus bring about our own temporal judgment and loss of eternal rewards! " - Precept Austin

14-17 Out of the far north - Gog isn't described as just north of Israel, a northern neighbor, but "far north". He comes with a lot of peoples too, so he could and most likely will have their closer neighbors of Syria and Turkey, and Syria has been an ally of Russia, along with Egypt and Iran in modern times. 

Remote parts of the north (cf Ezek 38:6; 39:2) - On a modern map, the closest countries directly to the North of Israel are Lebanon, Syria (slightly to the east), Turkey, Ukraine, Russia, Russia being the most remotely north. Israel has been attacked from the north by Assyria, Babylon, and the Hittites.

Remote (uttermost - ESV, remotest - HCSB) (03411)(yarkah) means a remote are, the far end, something distant, far away (eg, Jdg 19:1, 18, 2Ki 19:23)

It will be in the latter days - These kings and princes, earthly rulers, will come to Israel with a thought in their head, wicked intentions, but God will use this most extreme and seemingly packed, almost rushed time in history, to make His glory known in the world and establish Christ's reign on earth. Every knee will bow and every tongue will confess in that day.

So that the nations may know Me

…13However, the prince of the kingdom of Persia opposed me for twenty-one days. Then Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, for I had been left there with the kings of Persia. 14Now I have come to explain to you what will happen to your people in the latter days, for the vision concerns those days.” 15While he was speaking these words to me, I set my face toward the ground and became speechless.… Daniel 10: 13-15

1 In the last days the mountain of the house of the LORD will be established as the chief of the mountains; it will be raised above the hills, and the peoples will stream to it. 2And many nations will come and say: “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob. He will teach us His ways, so that we may walk in His paths.” For the law will go forth from Zion and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.… Micah 4: 1-2

Are you he - This is God speaking to Gog. Wow, it was prophesied that they would be taken into captivity for their sins, which happened more than once, and they have been under more than one pagan ruler, Assyria we know, Babylon we know, Egypt, Persia, Greece and Rome, and at the time of Ezekiel, Assyria had taken the northern kingdom already, Ezekiel was in Babylon, but Isaiah had already prophesied the coming of Cyrus with the Medo-Persian empire. This looks past all this to the end of days, a ruler in the north. God will bring him against Israel to show His power to all, and Israel will finally see the One Whom they despised and rejected, and there will be an outpouring of God's spirit.

1Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain? 2The kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers gather together, against the LORD and against His Anointed One: 3“Let us break Their chains and cast away Their cords.”… Psalm 2: 1-3

“In any case we must somehow link this chapter with Joel 3 and Zechariah 14, which also describe a great attack on Jerusalem, during which the Lord appears to overthrow the enemy.” (Wright)

ii. “Notice that twice it is stated (Ezekiel 38:17; 39:8) that former prophets foretold this invasion (Psalm 2:1-3; Isaiah 29:1-8; Joel 2:20; 3:9-21; Zechariah 12:1 ff.; 14:2-3).” (Feinberg)

#1183 Ezekiel 38 Part 1 Gog of Magog

 

Now the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 2 “Son of man, set your face against Gog, of the land of Magog, the prince of Rosh, Meshech, and Tubal, and prophesy against him, 3 and say, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “Behold, I am against you, O Gog, the prince of Rosh, Meshech, and Tubal. 4 I will turn you around, put hooks into your jaws, and lead you out, with all your army, horses, and horsemen, all splendidly clothed, a great company with bucklers and shields, all of them handling swords. 5 Persia, Ethiopia, and Libya are with them, all of them with shield and helmet; 6 Gomer and all its troops; the house of Togarmah from the far north and all its troops—many people are with you.

7 “Prepare yourself and be ready, you and all your companies that are gathered about you; and be a guard for them. 8 After many days you will be visited. In the latter years you will come into the land of those brought back from the sword and gathered from many people on the mountains of Israel, which had long been desolate; they were brought out of the nations, and now all of them dwell safely. 9 You will ascend, coming like a storm, covering the land like a cloud, you and all your troops and many peoples with you.”

10 ‘Thus says the Lord God: “On that day it shall come to pass that thoughts will arise in your mind, and you will make an evil plan: 11 You will say, ‘I will go up against a land of unwalled villages; I will go to a peaceful people, who dwell safely, all of them dwelling without walls, and having neither bars nor gates’— 12 to take plunder and to take booty, to stretch out your hand against the waste places that are again inhabited, and against a people gathered from the nations, who have acquired livestock and goods, who dwell in the midst of the land. 13 Sheba, Dedan, the merchants of Tarshish, and all their young lions will say to you, ‘Have you come to take plunder? Have you gathered your army to take booty, to carry away silver and gold, to take away livestock and goods, to take great plunder?’ ” ’

14 “Therefore, son of man, prophesy and say to Gog, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “On that day when My people Israel dwell safely, will you not know it? 15 Then you will come from your place out of the far north, you and many peoples with you, all of them riding on horses, a great company and a mighty army. 16 You will come up against My people Israel like a cloud, to cover the land. It will be in the latter days that I will bring you against My land, so that the nations may know Me, when I am hallowed in you, O Gog, before their eyes.” 17 Thus says the Lord God: “Are you he of whom I have spoken in former days by My servants the prophets of Israel, who prophesied for years in those days that I would bring you against them?

Judgment on Gog

18 “And it will come to pass at the same time, when Gog comes against the land of Israel,” says the Lord God, “that My fury will show in My face. 19 For in My jealousy and in the fire of My wrath I have spoken: ‘Surely in that day there shall be a great earthquake in the land of Israel, 20 so that the fish of the sea, the birds of the heavens, the beasts of the field, all creeping things that creep on the earth, and all men who are on the face of the earth shall shake at My presence. The mountains shall be thrown down, the steep places shall fall, and every wall shall fall to the ground.’ 21 I will call for a sword against Gog throughout all My mountains,” says the Lord God. “Every man’s sword will be against his brother. 22 And I will bring him to judgment with pestilence and bloodshed; I will rain down on him, on his troops, and on the many peoples who are with him, flooding rain, great hailstones, fire, and brimstone. 23 Thus I will magnify Myself and sanctify Myself, and I will be known in the eyes of many nations. Then they shall know that I am the Lord.” ’ Ezekiel 38 NKJV

Ezekiel 38: 1-6

1-6 Set your face against Gog, of the land of Magog - So this "Gog" is from a land called Magog, and given that this is addressed to a Hebrew, who was also a Levite, so familiar with the books of Moses, this should, to that audience of Ezekiel and the elders, bring them back to Genesis 10. There, we find that Magog was a son of Japheth, who was a son of Noah. It was common for areas to be named after patriarchs, and even common for them to be honored above their rightful place as humans, through ancestor worship. One of the most common examples of land divided in such a way is Israel. Israel is the name God gave to Jacob, who was the patriarch for which the country was named. It is divided up into ancestral allotments based upon the tribal heads which were then names of Jacob's sons. Hence, we have Jesus, who was of the line of David, who was a son of Jesse, who came from the tribe of Judah, Judah was a son of Jacob, whose name was also Israel. 

1This is the account of Noah’s sons Shem, Ham, and Japheth, who also had sons after the flood. 2The sons of Japheth: Gomer, Magog, Madai, Javan, Tubal, Meshech, and Tiras. 3The sons of Gomer: Ashkenaz, Riphath, and Togarmah.… Genesis 10: 1-3

“Unlike the Egyptians, Assyrians, and Babylonians, with whom Judah had frequent contact, the peoples in the distant north were shrouded in mystery. The reports of these mysterious people groups that filtered down spoke of wild peoples, brutal and barbaric. This combination of mystery and brutality made Gog and his confederates perfect symbols of the archetypal enemy, rising against God and his people.” (Block)

ii. Feinberg wrote in summary of Ezekiel 38 and 39: “They tell, if interpreted literally, of a coming northern confederacy of nations about the Black and Caspian seas with Persia and North Africa, who will invade the promised land after Israel’s restoration to it.”

The derivation of the word is uncertain. It probably refers to the ruler of the people who live in Magog. Magog was identified by Josephus as the land of the Scythians, the region N and NE of the Black Sea and E of the Caspian Sea (now occupied by three members of the Commonwealth of Independent States: Russia, the Ukraine, and Kazakhstan). Rosh. The area of modern Iran. Meshech and Tubal. The area of modern Turkey. (Bold italics mine) - Charles Ryrie

"Gog" seems to be the name of the commander-in-chief of this confederation of nations which will invade Israel "in the latter days" (Ezekiel 38:16), sometime after Israel has been reestablished in its land--while still rejecting God and His Christ--as outlined in Ezekiel 37. The name "Gog" may be an accommodation to some such ethnic name as "Georgi." Magog is evidently Gog's country, associated also with the countries of Meshech and Tubal. All three countries were named after their founding fathers, each of whom was a son of Japheth (Genesis 10:2), and all three originally settled in what is now Asia Minor, north of Israel. - Henry Morris

The prince of Rosh - Now this is where some arguments begin, and many think this is the proper translation, that makes him, Gog, prince of a place called Rosh, and also places called Meshech and Tubal. Or, as others would translate it, Rosh being interpreted as chief, so "chief prince" of Meshech and Tubal, the latter being the places and the former part of his title. Throughout the years people have seen or thought to have seen a linguistic connection between Rosh, Rus, and ultimately Russia, with Meshech and Tubal being present day Moscow and Tobolsk. The linguistic similarities idea isn't enough for me to take a dogmatic stance on, and I am burned out on the presentations given by many dispensationalist, but I will try to point out what is interesting historically, and like the tumblers on a lock, hopefully more will fall into place as I slowly develop my eschatology. I like the quote below from Precept:

The reader will also note that I will quote frequently from Joel C. Rosenberg's writings, for I have found this Jewish Messianic believer to always take a very balanced, literalistic, albeit non-sensationalistic approach to the interpretation of Bible prophecies and how they relate to current world events. The danger of Bible prophecy is to read the newspapers and try to make those events fit the Biblical prophecies. The converse should be our goal - to become so familiar with the Bible's "print" that we are enabled by the Spirit to read the newspapers with godly wisdom and insight, taking care to avoid the temptation to fall into "eschatological dogmatism!" - Precept Austin

Prince of Rosh - While some interpreters have stated "Rosh" is Russia, this interpretation is problematic. (Speculation) While the NAS uses the word "Rosh", the ESV and RSV both translate Rosh as "Chief." Rosh is found almost 600 times in the OT and is most commonly translated “chief” or “head” (as in the expression for the Jewish New Year, Rosh ha-Shanah, or head of the year).  - Precept Austin

Put hooks into your jaws - Regardless of the motives of men's hearts, it is God Who draws out Gog; God is sovereign here, even though men see themselves at the helm of history. It is similar to the wording He used earlier with Pharaoh of Egypt. 

…3Speak to him and tell him that this is what the Lord GOD says: Behold, I am against you, O Pharaoh king of Egypt, O great monster who lies among his rivers, who says, ‘The Nile is mine; I made it myself.’ 4But I will put hooks in your jaws and cause the fish of your streams to cling to your scales. I will haul you up out of your rivers, and all the fish of your streams will cling to your scales. 5I will leave you in the desert, you and all the fish of your streams. You will fall on the open field and will not be taken away or gathered for burial. I have given you as food to the beasts of the earth and the birds of the air.… Ezekiel 29: 3-5

All of them handling swords - There is a little difference between the armies, the far north army of Gog has a weapon of offense, whereas Persia, Ethiopia and Libya only seem to have defensive armor. It would seem that Gog is definitely the superior power in this alliance. This also reminds me of something that happened around the year I was born: In 1973 from a sermon by J Mac on the end times -

"You know, it’s amazing, in the last few days the whole attention of the world is focused upon the Mideast. Some exciting things have begun to happen with some very direct relationship to God’s plan for the world. Israel is at war with the Arabs. Egypt and Syria are battling on two fronts, and I understand Jordan is now in the battle. Russia, which for a little while seemed to be rather passive, has become active and in just the last couple of days has really unleashed a certain form of involvement by sending materiel to supply the forces of the Arabs and ships and airplanes as well carrying tremendous amount of arms to arm the Arabs." - J Mac from The Destruction of the Nations Part 4

Persia, Ethiopia and Libya are with them - Earlier text have Persia, which we know now as modern day Iran, Cush, which is Ethiopia, and Put, which modern day scholars have narrowed down to Libya. These countries holding more or less ground throughout the years, Ethiopia even ruling parts of Egypt at points in history. Russia has long held ties with Iran, and now in recent years an interesting alliance has formed with the most populous remaining communist, atheist culture, which is China. China's new Silk Road initiative has them coming across the north countries by rail and road, all the way from Beijing to Iran to Moscow and then Europe. They also have growing interest and investment at sea, with ports in Myanmar and one of the countries listed here, Ethiopia, which right now would not seem like much of a threat on it's own, but it's government leaders are happily selling to China, and as the Chinese like to say, they are building bridges, not walls. It's fascinating stuff, but as a Christian I know that God is in charge, and while none of these places have Israel's best interest at heart, they will all have a part to play in the last days. 

Gomer and all it's troops - I have seen some identify Gomer as Germany, but most today

Gomer and all its troops; the house of Togarmah from the far north: Most regard Gomer as a people from Cappadocia, in modern Turkey. The house of Togarmah is often regarded as the Armenian people to the north of Israel. - Enduring Word

From Grace To You

The Webster’s Dictionary understands that languages of Europe and languages into India are all coming from the same source. And I can give you lots of evidence; I don’t want to beg the issue, one little illustration. The Greeks traced themselves back – they traced their heritage back to a Japetos, a form of Japheth. And you will read about him in the writings of Aristophanes. People in the east - in India, Persia – trace themselves back to a flood account with a man named Japeti as their father. Japeti – Japetos – Japheth. And so, go west, you find Japheth. Go east, you find Japheth.

Now, let’s look at the text itself. Verse 2 we meet Gomer. Information from historians Herodotus, Strabo, and Plutarch indicate that Gomer’s people settled north of the Black Sea, in an area called Cimmeria, or Crimea. You’ve heard the word Crimea, and that’s where they originally settled, according to ancient writers.

The sons of Japheth, called Gomer, went north in the Black Sea area and even beyond it. Later they expanded into Europe, settling in France, called Gauls; in Spain, called Galicia; in Britain, called Kelts or Celts; even in Wales, called Cymru. All of those are variations of the three consonants in Gomer. And there may be some connection to Germany as well, although the consonants are switched. Some connect the three consonants in linguistics with Cumberland Umbria, which is Ireland and so forth. But all of that is in Europe to the north and then migrating to the west.

Six other sons are mentioned. Magog is mentioned. Hard to identify. You find Magog in Ezekiel 38 as well. Magog is symbolic of the end time confederacy that comes to fight against the Messiah in the last days. But it’s hard to know where Magog is. Almost all interpreters of history would say it’s to the north. This is a people in the north.

It could refer to those who became known as Scythians who went to the north and a little bit east. Some associate them with Mongols and the Huns who went east as well. Others say they were the people of Gog, a familiar name around the Caspian and the Black Sea. Josephus identifies Magog as the place where the people of Gog lived around the Caspian Sea. That’s the region of southern Russia, the Ukraine.

And then there are a couple of other sons named Tubal and Meshech. We want to mention them because they were also people in the north. Pretty easy to trace these people. We have found Assyrian monuments. The Assyrians were the people to the north. Remember the Jews always feared the Assyrians coming down? The Assyrians were in the north.

And we have found some – when I say “we,” I mean those which study history – have found some monuments among the Assyrian ruins identifying a people called Mushki, or Mushku, which is a lot like Meshech, and another people called Tubali. Tubali. These later show up on the Moskva River and the city of Moscow, and the Tobol River and the city of Tobolsk. And several other cities in the Russian area have that derivative name. They are associated also, in Ezekiel 38, with the name Rosh, which is probably an early name that ends up as Russia in later days.

Now, in verse 3, we meet some of the sons of Gomer. As I said, not all of these sons of Japheth have their lines listed, but two of them do. The sons of Gomer were Ashkenaz and Riphath and Togarmah. Ashkenaz went north to settle. He name is preserved in a place called Lake Ascanius. And the people of that area are called in as ancient writings as Homer the Askani. They later moved to Germany so that Jews identified their people – German Jews – as – have you ever heard this term? – Ashkenazi Jews. Some of you who are Jewish have heard that phrase and that title. So, the Ashkenaz family went north into the Lake Ascanius area, later moved to Germany, and still have that name identified with Jewish people in Germany.

Then there is Riphath – very hard to trace. Josephus says he was the father of the Paphlagonians, and we don’t know exactly how they got mixed into the races after that.

Togarmah – very interesting. Togarmah we know about. Direct ancestor of Armenians. We have a number of Armenian people in our church, and you probably have heard, in your Armenian background, the house of Targum. The house of Targum. It’s a familiar identification of Armenian descent. Terms like “Turkey,” “Turkistan,” “Targum” come from Togarmah, the ancestor of Armenians.

Now, it’s hard to be exact about this; these are migrating people – moving, mixing – but all agree they went north and west. And we find that words like these words, the GMR consonants – Megog, Meshech, Tubal, Ashkenaz, Rophath, Togarmah – appear in those regions, towns, cities, peoples, both ancient and modern, that still bear similarity to those names. - J Mac Genesis 10: 1-32

#1182 Ezekiel 37 Part 2 United In Truth

 

15 The word of the Lord came to me: 16 “Son of man, take a stick and write on it, ‘For Judah, and the people of Israel associated with him’; then take another stick and write on it, ‘For Joseph (the stick of Ephraim) and all the house of Israel associated with him.’ 17 And join them one to another into one stick, that they may become one in your hand. 18 And when your people say to you, ‘Will you not tell us what you mean by these?’ 19 say to them, Thus says the Lord God: Behold, I am about to take the stick of Joseph (that is in the hand of Ephraim) and the tribes of Israel associated with him. And I will join with it the stick of Judah, and make them one stick, that they may be one in my hand. 20 When the sticks on which you write are in your hand before their eyes, 21 then say to them, Thus says the Lord God: Behold, I will take the people of Israel from the nations among which they have gone, and will gather them from all around, and bring them to their own land. 22 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. 23 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.

24 “My servant David shall be king over them, and they shall all have one shepherd. They shall walk in my rules and be careful to obey my statutes. 25 They shall dwell in the land that I gave to my servant Jacob, where your fathers lived. They and their children and their children's children shall dwell there forever, and David my servant shall be their prince forever. 26 I will make a covenant of peace with them. It shall be an everlasting covenant with them. And I will set them in their land and multiply them, and will set my sanctuary in their midst forevermore. 27 My dwelling place shall be with them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. 28 Then the nations will know that I am the Lord who sanctifies Israel, when my sanctuary is in their midst forevermore.” Ezekiel 37: 15-28 ESV

Ezekiel 37: 15-28

SUMMARY OF EZEKIEL'S

10 PROPHETIC SIGNS: SIGN TEACHING PASSAGE1. Sign of the Brick Jerusalem’s siege and fall Ezekiel 4:1-3 2. Sign of the Prophet’s Posture Discomforts of captivity Ezekiel 4:4-8 3. Sign of Famine Deprivations of captivity Ezekiel 4:9-17 4. Sign of the Knife and Razor Utter destruction of the city Ezekiel  5:1-17 5. Sign of House Moving Removal to another land Ezekiel 12:1-7, 17-20 6. Sign of the Sharpened Sword Judgment imminent Ezekiel 21:1-17 7. Sign of Nebuchadnezzar’s Sword Babylon the captor Ezekiel 21:18-23 8. Sign of the Smelting Furnace Judgment and purging Ezekiel 22:17-31 9. Sign of Ezekiel’s Wife’s Death Blessings forfeited Ezekiel 24:15-27 10. Sign of the Two Sticks Reunion of Israel and Judah Ezekiel 37:15-17 - From Precept Austin

15-23 For Judah and the people associated with him - Judah was the fourth son of Jacob, born to his wife Leah. His name is shared with that of his tribe, which is the tribe of Jesse, the father of David, the line of Messiah. When the kingdom split after Solomon's reign, Judah and Benjamin remained together in the south.

“Judah, you are he whom your brothers shall praise;

Your hand shall be on the neck of your enemies;

Your father’s children shall bow down before you.

9 Judah is a lion’s whelp;

From the prey, my son, you have gone up.

He bows down, he lies down as a lion;

And as a lion, who shall rouse him?

10 The scepter shall not depart from Judah,

Nor a lawgiver from between his feet,

Until Shiloh comes;

And to Him shall be the obedience of the people.

11 Binding his donkey to the vine,

And his donkey’s colt to the choice vine,

He washed his garments in wine,

And his clothes in the blood of grapes.

12 His eyes are darker than wine,

And his teeth whiter than milk. Genesis 49: 8-12

…10Although He had warned Solomon explicitly not to follow other gods, Solomon did not keep the LORD’s command. 11Then the LORD said to Solomon, “Because you have done this and have not kept My covenant and My statutes, which I have commanded you, I will tear the kingdom away from you and give it to your servant. 12Nevertheless, for the sake of your father David, I will not do it during your lifetime; I will tear it out of the hand of your son.… 1 Kings 11: 10-12

For Joseph (the stick of Ephraim) - Joseph was Jacob's favored son, born to his favorite wife, Rachel, and he was sold into slavery by his brothers, which included Judah. He had two sons, one named Ephraim and the other Manasseh. The northern kingdom was made up of the majority of the tribes, but often represented by Ephraim. 

“Joseph is a fruitful vine,

a fruitful vine near a spring,

whose branches climb over a wall.

23 With bitterness archers attacked him;

they shot at him with hostility.

24 But his bow remained steady,

his strong arms stayed limber,

because of the hand of the Mighty One of Jacob,

because of the Shepherd, the Rock of Israel,

25 because of your father’s God, who helps you,

because of the Almighty, who blesses you

with blessings of the skies above,

blessings of the deep springs below,

blessings of the breast and womb.

26 Your father’s blessings are greater

than the blessings of the ancient mountains,

than the bounty of the age-old hills.

Let all these rest on the head of Joseph,

on the brow of the prince among his brothers. Genesis 49: 22-26

…19But Joseph replied, “Do not be afraid. Am I in the place of God? 20As for you, what you intended against me for evil, God intended for good, in order to accomplish a day like this— to preserve the lives of many people. 21Therefore do not be afraid. I will provide for you and your little ones.” So Joseph reassured his brothers and spoke kindly to them.… Genesis 50: 19-21

Join them one to another into one stick - At this point they had been separated for hundreds of years, and to make this even more of a stretch to the imagination, there was no longer any northern kingdom. It had been plundered and taken captive by Assyria long ago, and now Judah was in captivity in Babylon. The people of God were dispersed all over the place, yet God is talking of reunifying the kingdom under one ruler. Two places that shared a similar religious vocabulary, but the northern kingdom had gone straight into apostasy at the start of Jeroboam's reign, and neither dealt with false teachers, both punished God's true prophets, and clung to the superstitions of the surrounding nations.  

…21“Believe Me, woman,” Jesus replied, “a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. 22You worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews. 23But a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth, for the Father is seeking such as these to worship Him.… John 4: 21-23

That they may be one in my hand - In the hand of God, the scepter returns to the house of David, when Shiloh comes, the Messiah.

…16the prophecy of one who hears the words of God, who has knowledge from the Most High, who sees a vision from the Almighty, who bows down with eyes wide open: 17I see him, but not now; I behold him, but not near. A star will come forth from Jacob, and a scepter will arise from Israel. He will crush the skulls of Moab and strike down all the sons of Sheth. 18Edom will become a possession, as will Seir, his enemy; but Israel will perform with valor.… Numbers 24: 16-18

I will take the people of Israel from the nations among which they have gone - The Divine will and prerogative, an irresistible force.

I will take...I will gather - The repetition of "I will" speaks of God's sovereign promise and power to perform. He is omnipotent! What He promises is as good as done! Here the Lord God promises the regathering of the nation of Israel. There has been some "regathering" of Jews to the land of Israel in the 20th century (especially since May, 1948 when the United Nations granted statehood to Israel), but the final regathering of Jews to their land will be at the end of this age when the Messiah, the Deliverer (Ro 11:26) returns and takes "away their sins." (Ro 11:27) - Precept Austin

Bring them to their own land - The most contested piece of real-estate in the world, and now you know why, because Israel did nothing to earn it, and men hate the idea of a sovereign God. 

They shall no longer defile themselves anymore with their idols - This is the product of being born again, of believing on the righteousness of Him, Who they pierced, that it was for their transgressions. This is the result of a new heart, replacing the heart of stone. They have been granted repentance unto salvation and this is the fruit of it. 

24-28 My servant David shall be king over them - Now there are differences of opinion here on this and I try to present them each time, but one position, a very popular one, is that this is a Messianic reference to Christ, following in line with the Servant songs of Isaiah, the suffering servant, the exalted servant, Shiloh. Certainly Christ came as promised in the Scripture, in the line of David as foretold, was despised and rejected by His own as foretold, and He must return as foretold, to set all things right. The other view is that this is a literal resurrected David, who a divided Israel comes together under his rule, as a prince, a king of Israel, answering to Christ as King over all. Of the commentators I have read, neither view is so aberrant as to make me say one is clearly not right, but both carry some weight of argument. In verse 22, and remember this is God talking, He says, "I will make them one nation in the land, on the mountains of Israel. And one king shall be king over them all", that is over that nation, the one in that land on the mountains of Israel, a very specific place. Later in verses 24 and 25, again, God speaking, He uses the name David. Jesus is King of kings and Lord of lords, so a view of a resurrected king David would in no way diminish God's rule, He will rule over all the nations, and Christ will be worshiped, so His would be more of a temple than a palace. It makes for some interesting thought. Note also that God does use this terminology of David, My servant David, and He does not say here the Son of David. 

Comment: The question is this -- how many individuals do you see in this passage? Are there not two who Israel will "serve" - Jehovah-Jesus and David? And notice how David "gets on the scene" so to speak - God will raise him up! This certainly suggest two kings. Notice also that the Septuagint translates "I will raise up" with the Greek verb anistemi, the word which frequently refers to resurrection in the New Testament (eg, Mt 24:46, 28:6, 1Cor 6:14, Jn 6:39). - Precept Austin

This all needs to be taken in light of Luke 1 as well.

…32He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David, 33and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever. His kingdom will never end!” 34“How can this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?”… Luke 1: 32-34

A third solution of the problem is more simple and seemingly in keeping with the prophetic references throughout Scripture, namely, that by David is meant the resurrected David who shares with Christ as prince some of the governmental duties of the millennial kingdom. It should be clear from many Scriptures that the reign of Christ is shared with others. As Newell has written:

"David is not the son of David. Christ, as Son of David, will be King; and David, His father after the flesh, will be prince, during the Millennium." - Precept Austin quoting Newell

I will make a covenant of peace with them - This is the New Covenant in Christ, where He alone has satisfied the law, has made a sacrifice once and for all for sin. 

A covenant (See berit/berith/beriyth ) - In the Old Testament this describes a compact made by passing between pieces of flesh, the parties passing through the flesh saying in essence "Do so to me, just as has happened to the flesh of this animal if I do not keep this agreement." - P Austin

19And I especially urge you to pray that I may be restored to you soon. 20Now may the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, 21equip you with every good thing to do His will. And may He accomplish in us what is pleasing in His sight through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.… Hebrews 13: 19-21

…4because it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins. 5Therefore, when Christ came into the world, He said: “Sacrifice and offering You did not desire, but a body You prepared for Me. 6In burnt offerings and sin offerings You took no delight.… Hebrews 10: 4-6

My sanctuary, My dwelling place - 

My sanctuary (04720)(miqdash) describes holy or sacred place, a sanctuary - that which has been sanctified or set apart as sacred and holy as opposed to the secular, common, or profane. Miqdas usually connotes a sanctuary or the physical place of worship. In the context of Ezekiel's prophecy of the physical and spiritual restoration of Israel, this sanctuary clearly refers to the Millennial Temple

Christ in essence fulfilled of the OT Sanctuary (in both the Wilderness Tabernacle and Solomonic Temple), when He "tabernacled" with man in John 1:14-note. - Precept Austin

My dwelling place shall be with them - The real meaning of Christmas, Immanuel (God with us).

…13Then Isaiah said, “Hear now, O house of David! Is it not enough to try the patience of men? Will you try the patience of my God as well? 14Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call Him Immanuel. 15By the time He knows enough to reject evil and choose good, He will be eating curds and honey.… Isaiah 7: 13-15