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Commentary Index | Return to PrayerRequest.com | DownloadPaul Kretzmann Commentary - Ezekiel 38:1 - 38:9
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This Chapter Verse Commentaries:
Gog Prepares for WarfaRe
v. 1. And the word of the Lord came unto me, saying,
v. 2. Son of man, set thy face against Gag, the land of Magog, names which originally designated the hosts of heathen tribes toward the north, in Scythia and the neighboring countries, but applying, in general, to all enemies of the Church of God, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal, literally, "the ruler of Rosh, Meshech, and Tubal," countries in Asia Minor, south of the Black Sea, with fierce and warlike tribes, greatly feared by the inhabitants of Syria and Palestine, and prophesy against him
v. 3. and say, Thus saith the Lord God, Behold, I am against thee, O Gog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal, rather, "the prince of Rosh, Meshech, and Tubal,"
v. 4. and I will turn thee back, causing him to return from the expedition whose magnitude is set forth in the entire paragraph, and put hooks into thy jaws, as men put wild beasts into chains and force them to follow their guidance, and I will bring thee forth and all thine army, horses, and horsemen, for these tribes were known for their cavalry, all of them clothed with all sorts of armor, perfectly equipped for every form of warfare, even a great company with bucklers and shields, as weapons of defense, all of them handling swords, as weapons of offense:
v. 5. Persia, representing the far East, Ethiopia, representing the remote South, and Libya with them, standing for the enemies of the Southwest, along the northern coast of Africa, all of them with shield and helmet, fitted out for warfare against the Lord's people,
v. 6. Gomer, the Celtic Cimmerians of the North, and all his bands, the house of Togarmah of the north quarters, the Armenians of the Caucasus, and all his bands, and many people with thee. We have here a pictorial, symbolical grouping of nations as representatives of the heathen world, assembled against the Church of God.
v. 7. Be thou prepared, so the Lord shouts in holy irony, in a challenge to the forces of darkness, and prepare for thyself, thou and all thy company that are assembled unto thee, and be thou a guard unto them, their ensign, their leader and guide. Cf Isa_8:9-10.
v. 8. After many days thou shalt be visited, sought out by the Lord for carrying out His judgment; in the latter years thou shalt come into the land that is brought back from the sword, delivered from warfare and destruction, and is gathered out of many people, brought back out of exile, against the mountains of Israel, which have been always waste, which were for a perpetual devastation; but it is brought forth out of the nations, and they shall dwell safely, all of them. This statement clearly points forward beyond the Babylonian exile and even beyond the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans: the gathering of Israel is that of the Lord's spiritual children, and the hosts assembled against them are the enemies of the Church's latter days on earth, in whose very midst the believers will be safe and secure.
v. 9. Thou shalt ascend and come like a storm, in an effort to wreck the ship of the Church; thou shalt be like a cloud to cover the land, with the multitude of hostile forces summoned together, thou and all thy bands, and many people with thee. It is truly a formidable army that is assembled with the avowed intention of destroying the Church of God, and it would be foolish for the believers to deceive themselves by a false security and by trusting in their own powers.