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.