Ezekiel 38:8

Ezekiel 38:8 says, After many days thou shalt be visited: in the latter years thou shalt come into the land that is brought back from the sword, and is gathered out of many people, against the mountains of Israel, which have been always waste: but it is brought forth out of the nations, and they shall dwell safely all of them.  God said that these nations were going to come to fight against Israel, which had barely recovered from their last captivity. As Christians, the forces of the world will often attack us when we are at our weakest, and I believe this may certainly be true when a person first accepts Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord.   

Verse nine adds, Thou shalt ascend and come like a storm, thou shalt be like a cloud to cover the land, thou, and all thy bands, and many people with thee.  God said that these enemies were going to be like a storm coming against Isreal.  We as Christians are going to often find ourselves in a spiritual storm fighting against Satan and his forces when it seems that the whole world is against us, and at times this may even include so called fellow Christians.  Still, even if we are weak from the last battle, if we continue to put our faith in the power of God, we will never be defeated.  

Verse ten continues, Thus saith the Lord God; It shall also come to pass, that at the same time shall things come into thy mind, and thou shalt think an evil thought:  God said that when these forces came against Israel that their minds would be filled with many evil thoughts about what they were going to do to Israel.  The world is still filled with people today who have nothing but evil thoughts about God’s people.  

Verse eleven states, And thou shalt say, I will go up to the land of unwalled villages; I will go to them that are at rest, that dwell safely, all of them dwelling without walls, and having neither bars nor gates,  God said that these enemies would believe that they were going to war with a people that were weak and had no real point of safety.  Even if they had built some of the walls of their cities back, they had no gates to keep people from coming into the city.  I believe that we can safely say that we will always be attacked spiritually at our weakest point, which is why we must always be led by the Holy Spirit to be prepared for these attacks.  

Verse twelve adds, To take a spoil, and to take a prey; to turn thine hand upon the desolate places that are now inhabited, and upon the people that are gathered out of the nations, which have gotten cattle and goods, that dwell in the midst of the land.  God said that the intention of this army was to take all the spoils of Israel and to take the people of Israel captive once more.  The people of Israel once more had cattle and goods that other people would covet, even if they had just recently been restored to the land that God had promised them.  People today often covet the material things that God’s people have amassed and will be willing to go to war with them to claim them.  

Verse thirteen continues, Sheba, and Dedan, and the merchants of Tarshish, with all the young lions thereof, shall say unto thee, Art thou come to take a spoil? hast thou gathered thy company to take a prey? to carry away silver and gold, to take away cattle and goods, to take a great spoil?   God said that these surrounding nations would ask if he, which Matthew Henry says refers to Antiochus, had come to take the spoils from Israel.  They may have asked wanting to join in with the taking of the spoils.  Many people who see God’s people having everything taken away from them today may want to join in with claiming some of the spoils, or material things of life that are being taken away.

Ezekiel 38:1

 Ezekiel 38:1 says, And the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, 

Verse two adds, Son of man, set thy face against Gog, the land of Magog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal, and prophesy against him,  Ezekiel was once more to prophesy against one of the enemies of Israel.  Matthew Henry says this was a powerful enemy of the people of Israel, even if history of Israel doesn’t reach until this time.  It was after they returned from captivity and after God made the Messianic promises of peace and prosperity for them but was to let them know that this was not a promise for that time.  This likely refers to the latter days shortly before the return of Jesus Christ.  As followers of Christ, we are promised everlasting spiritual peace with God, but this does not mean that we will always have peace in this lifetime.  The opposite may be true.  

Verse three continues, And say, Thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I am against thee, O Gog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal:  God’s prophesy to these enemies of Israel, His chosen people, was that He was against them, which meant that they would never be victorious forever.  No matter what enemies we may face before the return of Jesus Christ, they will never be victorious forever.  God has already assured us the victory.  

Verse four states, And I will turn thee back, and put hooks into thy jaws, and I will bring thee forth, and all thine army, horses and horsemen, all of them clothed with all sorts of armour, even a great company with bucklers and shields, all of them handling swords: God said that He was going to completely defeat this enemy.  God gave the people of Israel assurance of victory even before they knew who the enemy was, just as He will ultimately defeat all the enemies of His people one day.   We just have to live by faith in this promise. 

Verse five adds, Persia, Ethiopia, and Libya with them; all of them with shield and helmet:  God then specified some of the other nations that were going to join with this enemy of Israel in an attempt to destroy her.  There will be many nations aligned against God’s people today, but they will never have the ultimate victory.   

Verse six continues, Gomer, and all his bands; the house of Togarmah of the north quarters, and all his bands: and many people with thee.  This is just a continuation of the list of people who would be at war with God’s people.  We should be prepared for many nations who do not believe in God to be at war with us as Christians today, but we should also live by faith in knowing that we have the everlasting victory spiritually, no matter what may happen in this lifetime.   

Verse seven concludes, Be thou prepared, and prepare for thyself, thou, and all thy company that are assembled unto thee, and be thou a guard unto them.  God warned the people of Israel, His chosen people who lived by their covenant relationship with Him, to be prepared for this coming battle.  As followers of Christ, we should always be prepared for a spiritual battle against the world today.

Ezekiel 37:21

Ezekiel 37:21 says, And say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I will take the children of Israel from among the heathen, whither they be gone, and will gather them on every side, and bring them into their own land:  God told Ezekiel that He was going to gather all His people from wherever they were scattered throughout the world and they would then be a united kingdom once more by their faith in Him.  I don’t believe that just being gathered physically would make them God’s people, but that would occur by their putting their faith in Him, and they would once more be at home in the promised land.  One day, God is going to call all His people home to glory from wherever they may be in the world, but this will be based on their having accepted Jesus Christ as their personal Savior and Lord.  What country we may live in will never make us a part of God’s kingdom, but only a personal relationship with Jesus Christ will.  

Verse twenty-two adds, And I will make them one nation in the land upon the mountains of Israel; and one king shall be king to them all: and they shall be no more two nations, neither shall they be divided into two kingdoms any more at all.  God said that He was going to once more join all His people under one king as a united nation. Though it won’t physically happen in this lifetime where all of God’s people are a part of one nation, we are still spiritually all a part of one kingdom and under the authority of one King, Jesus Christ, and one day we will all be united in Heaven. 

Verse twenty-three continues, Neither shall they defile themselves any more with their idols, nor with their detestable things, nor with any of their transgressions: but I will save them out of all their dwellingplaces, wherein they have sinned, and will cleanse them: so shall they be my people, and I will be their God.  God said that the people of the restored kingdom would no longer chase after idols but would be cleansed of all their sins by His power.  As Christians, it is by God’s power that we become one nation spiritually, and that requires that we accept Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord.  

Verse twenty-four states, And David my servant shall be king over them; and they all shall have one shepherd: they shall also walk in my judgments, and observe my statutes, and do them.  Even though this says David would be the shepherd of those who put their faith in God, it refers to David’s descendant, Jesus Christ, the only One qualified to be the Eternal King.  God also said that those who were His people would walk in His judgments and know and obey His statutes.  Walking in and obeying God’s statutes does not save people, but once we accept Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord, then we are expected to do so, not for salvation but because they will lead us to the best life possible spiritually.  

Verse twenty-five adds, And they shall dwell in the land that I have given unto Jacob my servant, wherein your fathers have dwelt; and they shall dwell therein, even they, and their children, and their children's children for ever: and my servant David shall be their prince for ever.  God said that the people of Israel, those who were spiritual descendants of Jacob by faith in God would inhabit the promised land.  I don’t believe this refers to a physical place on earth but to our heavenly home.  They would also have one everlasting King. Jesus Christ, a descendant of David.  

Verse twenty-six continues, Moreover I will make a covenant of peace with them; it shall be an everlasting covenant with them: and I will place them, and multiply them, and will set my sanctuary in the midst of them for evermore.  The promise here is an everlasting promise, and since we know that David died, it refers to Jesus Christ as the eternal King.  If David could have saved the people of Israel spiritually, there would have been no need for Jesus Christ to come and die to bring us salvation.  As stated already, I don’t believe that the sanctuary of God refers to a place on earth but to our heavenly home. 

Verse twenty-seven states, My tabernacle also shall be with them: yea, I will be their God, and they shall be my people.  The tabernacle was where the people went to worship God then, but Jesus Christ is really the only way to for us to come into the presence of God, first for salvation and then in obedience to God by the leadership of the Holy Spirit.  Once we accept Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord, then God will be our God forever.  

Verse twenty-eight adds, And the heathen shall know that I the Lord do sanctify Israel, when my sanctuary shall be in the midst of them for evermore.  God said that when He redeemed His people that the heathen, those who have not accepted His gift of salvation, that people would know that He is God.  This will occur when Jesus Christ returns to claim those who have put their faith in Him, but it will be too late for the lost to be saved.