The End Times. Ezekiel 38: Gog and Magog will be Defeated by God.

Several Nations will Challenge Gog

Ezekiel 38:13  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? 

Sheba and Dudan are ancient states that were located in area of modern day Saudi Arabia. This is of interest because Israel recently signed agreements to normalize relationships with Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates. Other neighboring states are reportedly interested in pursuing similar agreements with Israel. Thus it is not wild speculation to think when Gog and Magog invade Israel that some Arab neighbors will protest, as the text indicates. 

Tarshish may refer to traders from southern Spain or to the Phoenicians who were also active importers and exporters of goods. I have read and heard a lot of speculation regarding who the "young lions" are. Some say it refers to England and/or the United States. This is speculation at best. The wicked are compared with young lions (Psalm 58:1-6). Invading armies or nations are also mentioned as being like young lions (Isaiah 5:26-30; Jeremiah 2:15, Nahum 2:8-13). Therefore, we cannot say who the young lions are in this text, except that they will be people from the geopolitical regions closest to Israel.

Notice, the text does not say that these nations will fight against Gog and Magog, only that they are going to challenge them, perhaps through diplomatic channels. 

Armies Will Invade Israel from the North. 

Ezekiel 38:14-16  Therefore, son of man, prophesy and say unto Gog, Thus saith the Lord GOD; In that day when my people of Israel dwelleth safely, shalt thou not know it? 15) And thou shalt come from thy place out of the north parts, thou, and many people with thee, all of them riding upon horses, a great company, and a mighty army: 16) And thou shalt come up against my people of Israel, as a cloud to cover the land; it shall be in the latter days, and I will bring thee against my land, that the heathen may know me, when I shall be sanctified in thee, O Gog, before their eyes. 

God makes it a point to tell us that Israel will be at peace and dwelling safely in their land. Gog and Magog will invade from the north with many people and a mighty army. They will come up against Israel like a cloud covering the land. While their intention is to invade Israel and take spoils, God's intention is to judge them and be sanctified or set apart in the eyes of the Gentile nations. God will be glorified as He delivers Israel and repulses the invaders. The nations will know the One True God of Heaven , that He alone is holy and righteous, sovereign in all His doings. 

Jehovah will swiftly destroy the invading armies. 

Ezekiel 38:18-23  And it shall come to pass at the same time when Gog shall come against the land of Israel, saith the Lord GOD, that my fury shall come up in my face. 19) For in my jealousy and in the fire of my wrath have I spoken, Surely in that day there shall be a great shaking in the land of Israel; 20) So that the fishes of the sea, and the fowls of the heaven, and the beasts of the field, and all creeping things that creep upon the earth, and all the men that are upon the face of the earth, shall shake at my presence, and the mountains shall be thrown down, and the steep places shall fall, and every wall shall fall to the ground. 21) And I will call for a sword against him throughout all my mountains, saith the Lord GOD: every man's sword shall be against his brother. 22) And I will plead against him with pestilence and with blood; and I will rain upon him, and upon his bands, and upon the many people that are with him, an overflowing rain, and great hailstones, fire, and brimstone. 23)  Thus will I magnify myself, and sanctify myself; and I will be known in the eyes of many nations, and they shall know that I am the LORD.  

The full fury of God's holy wrath will be unleashed against the host of invading armies. Jehovah will send a powerful earthquake that will shatter mountains and cause chaos and confusion in the enemies' ranks. Communication  will be broken down and the four invading armies will begin attacking each other as fear and panic set in.

God will send torrential rainfall that will cause mudslides and create treacherous footing for men and equipment. He will send large hailstones upon them that will cause death and serious injuries (See Joshua 10:11). This will be followed by fire and brimstone which may be like the fire Elijah called down from heaven or it may be from volcanic activity that will produce  sulfurous  gases and fiery lava. 

Just like Pharaoh and the Egyptians knew,  Jehovah was God over all the earth after the plagues, so these nations will know Jehovah is sovereign ruler over all.

All nations will fear Jehovah and His name will be glorified by Israel. 

Ezekiel 39:1-7  Therefore, thou son of man, prophesy against Gog, and say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against thee, O Gog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal: 2) And I will turn thee back, and leave but the sixth part of thee, and will cause thee to come up from the north parts, and will bring thee upon the mountains of Israel: 3) And I will smite thy bow out of thy left hand, and will cause thine arrows to fall out of thy right hand. 4) Thou shalt fall upon the mountains of Israel, thou, and all thy bands, and the people that is with thee: I will give thee unto the ravenous birds of every sort, and to the beasts of the field to be devoured. 5)  Thou shalt fall upon the open field: for I have spoken it, saith the Lord GOD. 6) And I will send a fire on Magog, and among them that dwell carelessly in the isles: and they shall know that I am the LORD. 7) So will I make my holy name known in the midst of my people Israel; and I will not let them pollute my holy name any more: and the heathen shall know that I am the LORD, the Holy One in Israel.

Only 16% of the invading force will survive. Notice in the text God says "I will" eight times. All of the action is initiated and concluded by the power of God. Carcasses of fallen soldiers will be eaten by buzzards and other birds that eat dead flesh.

The purposes of God are clear. He will not let evil nations pollute His name anymore. His holy name will be restored to proper reverence and honor in Israel. The Jewish people will know that God alone delivered them from their troubles. 

Thoughts to Ponder...

We truly know so little about what God is doing at any given moment. Yet, He graciously gave us prophecy so that we can see what He will do in the future. 

There are several things worth noting that will encourage us in our walk with the Lord.

First, God in His sovereign power sent this army of invaders to trouble His people. He did not do this to be mean to Israel. Rather, it was (as we shall see) something God will use to call the Jewish nation back to Himself.

Think about the implications of this for each of us. When we suffer a setback, have a heartache or become overwhelmed by our circumstances, it may be something that God has for us. Perhaps we need to think in terms of "What might God be trying to teach me?"  When we suffer from some type of affliction, illness, or a set back, we can readily seek our God knowing that He will hear us. He already knows the beginning and ending of all things and He always will do only what is best for us (Hebrews 4:14-16). 

If we can grasp this truth, we will see and experience troubles, trials and problems with a fresh perspective and keep our eyes on the Lord who saved us. 

Second, God miraculously and totally delivered His people. Israel is not going to use their excellent armed forces in this battle because as the prophet said "Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, saith the LORD of hosts (Zechariah 4:6)." 

All too often we try to fix things when we encounter problems. I think this is our "default" mode but it is best to seek our Lord and pour out our problems and concerns to the All Wise God who loves us.

Just as God will be sanctified through the battle of Gog and Magog one day. so He can be sanctified in our lives when we put our trust in Him. We will be able to say with Israel, "Only God could do what He did for us!"

Bob