The final chapter of this war leads to 1,000 years of peace.
Ezekiel chapter thirty-nine isn’t the final chapter of the prophet’s book. There are several chapters after it. But in those chapters, the war of Gog and Magog has ended. There is a decidedly different tone in the last section of Ezekiel’s book. Once the war is over, the birth of the new reality will set in. Christ will reign as King of the earth. The long-awaited and longed for peace will begin to take hold.
The years immediately following the war of Gog and Magog, are going to be much different than most of the modern prophecy teachers have suggested. The seven years of demonic insanity and torture under the reign of Antichrist don’t follow this war. Actually, the demonic insanity will precede the war of Gog and Magog. The war of Gog of Magog and the battle of Armageddon are one and the same. If you ignore the voice of the popular teachers, you can see that the message of Ezekiel is clear.
The war that Ezekiel describes leads to the peaceful reign of Jesus, not more war. The prophet makes his message very plain to all who read with an open mind.
When the war is over, all of Israel will finally know the Lord and His Holy Name will never again be profaned by the Jewish people.
Once the war cries have settled, the entire world will know that God is the only true God. And Ezekiel makes that obvious when he says, “This is the day which I have spoken of.”
It’s not a prelude to more disaster, but the end we all hope for.
https://thewritelife.tech/2019/02/25/who-is-he-and-the-mysterious-gog-of-prophecy/
The final chapter–but not the end.
In this article, I’ll wrap up my brief commentary of chapter thirty-eight and thirty-nine of Ezekiel. But there is still much more that will be said over the next few years. Russia has long been put on notice regarding this prophecy. I think that position is hard to support, especially considering ancient maps of the Middle East. As I’ve said before, the Russian theory is not the best interpretation of the prophet’s words.
So, let’s get into what I’m calling in this post, “the final chapter” of Ezekiel’s prophecy.
We pick up the ‘final chapter’ in the middle of chapter thirty-nine.
Ezekiel 39:11-16 This is where we left off.
11“On that day I will give Gog a burial ground there in Israel, the valley of those who pass by east of the sea, and it will block off those who would pass by. So they will bury Gog there with all his horde, and they will call it the valley of Hamon-Gog.
12“For seven months the house of Israel will be burying them in order to cleanse the land.
13“Even all the people of the land will bury them, and it will be to their renown on the day that I glorify Myself,” declares the Lord GOD.
14“They will set apart men who will constantly pass through the land, burying those who were passing through, even those left on the surface of the ground, in order to cleanse it. At the end of seven months, they will make a search.
15“As those who pass through the land pass through and anyone sees a man’s bone, then he will set up a marker by it until the buriers have buried it in the valley of Hamon-Gog.
16“And even the name of the city will be Hamonah. So they will cleanse the land.”’
The final chapter of the final war.
Ezekiel 39:17 The birds in the final chapter
“As for you, son of man, thus says the Lord GOD, ‘Speak to every kind of bird and to every beast of the field, “Assemble and come, gather from every side to My sacrifice which I am going to sacrifice for you, as a great sacrifice on the mountains of Israel, that you may eat flesh and drink blood.”
In the last article on this prophecy, we finished with the carcasses of the dead spread across the Middle East. The war is over, the Antichrist is dead and the soldiers that remain alive are surrounded by the dead. And at that time, still future, God will call in his naturally designed cleanup crew. Birds of prey and scavengers will fly in from miles away to feast on the dead bodies.
There are similar scenes of carnage scattered across the prophetic literature of the Old and New Testament. Most of them point to the end of wars and the beginning of God’s lasting peace. Consider the message in Jesus’ Olivet discourse in Matthew.
Matthew 24:28
Wherever there is a carcass, there the vultures will gather.
And we find the same thing as the Apostle John wraps up his tale of the battle of Armageddon.
Revelation 19:17
Then I saw an angel standing in the sun, and he cried out in a loud voice to all the birds flying overhead, “Come, gather together for the great supper of God,
When the birds arrive, the story and the last chapter has been written. God’s story will have reached the long-awaited dramatic climax.
Ezekiel 39:18 The mighty have fallen
“You will eat the flesh of mighty men and drink the blood of the princes of the earth, as though they were rams, lambs, goats and bulls, all of them fatlings of Bashan.”
In the Book of Revelation, John again mimics the language from Ezekiel. That serves as another clear example that he is writing about the same point in time.
Revelation 19:18
so that you may eat the flesh of kings and commanders and mighty men, of horses and riders, of all men slave and free, small and great.”
God’s prophet compares the bloodshed to that which is shed in sacrifices to God. But in this case, unclean animals feed on the unclean flesh of ungodly warriors who tried to annihilate God’s chosen nation, Israel.
But we should remember, that God’s chosen people had rejected their Lord. And that highlights the remarkable mercy on the part of the Almighty.
Ezekiel 39:19 The birds will eat until they’re full.
“So you will eat fat until you are glutted, and drink blood until you are drunk, from My sacrifice which I have sacrificed for you.”
Through the words of Ezekiel, God continues speaking to the vultures and ravens. He says this unclean sacrifice is for them to enjoy. He invites them to have their fill. There won’t be another one like it.
The prophet Jeremiah writes about a similar scene. It’s similar because he wrote about the same final chapter from his own perspective. He writes it as the final chapter of the story of Babylon. The Apostle John has two chapters in the Book of Revelation regarding the last phase of Babylon. So, as the Holy Spirit inspired the writers, they put different names to the characters. But they were all looking at and writing about the same final chapter.
Jeremiah 51:40
I will bring them down like lambs to the slaughter, like rams with male goats.”
Ezekiel 39:20 The best weapons and warriors will fall.
“You will be glutted at My table with horses and charioteers, with mighty men and all the men of war,” declares the Lord GOD.”
The prophet mixes his metaphors in the prophecy. In the prophetic vision, he sees bloody scenes of carnage. It’s the closing scenes of the worst war ever. But he calls it God’s table because the Lord had called it “his sacrifice.” In good times and under the right circumstances, God’s table is a hearty meal among friends. But at this table, it will be a war fought amongst bitter enemies. And it won’t be a table but on a soggy field of dirt and mud made moist by the blood of millions.
It reminds us of the blood that will rise to the height of the horses’ bridle.
Horses and chariots represented the most advanced weapons of war of Ezekiel’s day. In the near future, we will see the greatest weapons of war ever assembled. And they will be assembled around Jerusalem. All of the greatest weapons and the most exalted leaders of the last days will answer the call of the great war.
And they will die in a sea of blood.
Thus says the Lord.
Ezekiel 39:21 We know it’s the final chapter.
“And I will set My glory among the nations, and all the nations will see My judgment which I have executed and My hand which I have laid on them.”
This is clearly the end of the story.
Side note: I know there’s much more to follow after this. When I say ‘end’ I refer to the end of the six thousand years of mankind’s reign on this earth.
Let’s take a close look at what Ezekiel says. Once the final shot of the war has been fired, the birds are called in. Then, God’s glory will be seen among every nation. Well, that’s not what many of the popular prophecy teachers say. Many of them say this war leads to much more war and confusion about God. But what do the prophets say?
God’s glory will shine to the nations. His judgment will have been executed. There will no longer be any doubt who the real God is. The Antichrist will have been slain on the field of battle.
Ezekiel 39:22 And Israel will know.
“And the house of Israel will know that I am the LORD their God from that day onward.”
This final war will be about God’s glory and His resounding victory over all of His enemies. And Israel will see the truth, they have long rejected. Jesus will lead the charge against the attacking armies. To Israel’s shame, they will see their Messiah. They will see the scars on his hands, which he received on the cross of Calvary.
Again, it should be unmistakably clear that this is the end that leads to lasting peace. When this battle is over, Israel will know the Lord. But in the popular theory, which involves the Russians, Israel quickly gives their allegiance to the Antichrist.
That’s not how the prophets wrote the story. That’s a modern invention of Hal Lindsey and many others. I respectfully disagree with that fiction story.
Ezekiel 39:23 Not only Israel but all the nations
“The nations will know that the house of Israel went into exile for their iniquity because they acted treacherously against Me, and I hid My face from them; so I gave them into the hand of their adversaries, and all of them fell by the sword.”
Israel will turn to God, but not only them. Other nations will have their chance to accept God’s rule over them. When this battle is finished, the Millennium will begin. It’s not going to be heaven on earth, just way better than ever imagined. All that remain won’t be suddenly whisked up to heaven’s gate. Christ’s rule on the earth will take place right here on this familiar globe.
Sinful humans will re-populate the partially destroyed planet. Resurrected saints will gain their spiritual bodies. Those saints will reign as spirit-beings who will serve in the Lord’s new realm. That’s an aspect of the story that’s rarely discussed or considered. But it’s what Ezekiel is talking about when he says “the nations will know” God’s story about Israel.
If you remember, many of the prophets wrote about a time in the future when all the nations will come to Israel to learn of God’s ways.
Individuals have done that in the past. In the future, nations will do that.
Ezekiel 39:24 God will judge them fairly.
“According to their uncleanness and according to their transgressions I dealt with them, and I hid My face from them.”
The prophet points out that the nations will come to realize that God judged Israel. They will also realize that every nation was also judged, some of them severely. When the Lord judged, he did so according to His righteous standards. He never acted in rage like the imaginary gods like Thor or Zeus.
The Lord held to his firm standards when he judged the nations. Babylon will fall hard, and rightfully so. But what about a country like Armenia? They were the first Christian nation so claimed since the time of Jesus. They have suffered severe persecution for that. If there is a nation of Armenia during the Millennium, I suspect it will be judged very lightly compared to the likes of Egypt or Syria.
Ezekiel 39:25 A preterism nightmare
“Therefore thus says the Lord GOD, “Now I will restore the fortunes of Jacob and have mercy on the whole house of Israel, and I will be jealous for My holy name.”
‘Preterism’ is a title given to a particular stance on Bible prophecy. The preterist position teaches that Israel has been removed from God’s plans. They rejected Jesus, so God has forever rejected them. Israel is now the church and all prophecies and promises convert to the Church. The nation of Israel, in this interpretation, is not important to God. To be quite blunt, Hitler’s theories about the Jews were influenced by this teaching. But I would never suggest preterists have the same mentality, but facts are facts.
Well this, and many other verses are very problematic for the preterism model of Bible prophecy.
Ezekiel didn’t say he was going to restore the church to the position it once held. He is going to restore the fortunes of Jacob. Jacob was the father of the tribes of Israel. Jacob was the name of the failed servant of God. He failed as a father to his sons. And he failed as a representative of God. But the prophets of the Old Testament prophesied that Jacob’s failures would lead to the Nation of Israel one day succeeding where he had failed.
This is what Ezekiel referred to when he said Jacob’s fortunes will be restored.
The preterist will concoct some theory that points to the Church. Nope. God said Jacob, and He meant Jacob.
Ezekiel 39:26 In the final chapter, Israel will forget.
“They will forget their disgrace and all their treachery which they perpetrated against Me when they live securely on their own land with no one to make them afraid.”
God didn’t judge the church and scatter them among the nations. He did that to Israel. The church didn’t receive judgment for treachery against God. That was the nation of Israel. The nation of Israel will finally have its shame removed. The captivity in Babylon was a warning shot to the Jewish nation. They didn’t get the message. So, as prophesied, punishment and disgrace were multiplied.
Daniel wrote about 490 years of extended punishment. The seventy years in Babylon weren’t enough. But once those 70 and then 490 years expired, another much longer punishment ensued. How long before those years are over? Not very many.
We are approaching the end of those years. The last chapter will soon be written. The world will soon see the details in a brutal reality.
Ezekiel 39:27 One final return.
“When I bring them back from the peoples and gather them from the lands of their enemies, then I shall be sanctified through them in the sight of the many nations.”
It’s sad to say, but Israel’s tragic story hasn’t seen the worst part. It will get worse. We’ve heard the line, “it gets darkest before the dawn.” Well, the greatest and darkest hour of Israel’s history is about to unfold.
The Holocaust is a horrific blot on the history of humanity, not just for the Jewish nation. But in an effort to prevent God’s plan from unfolding, Satan will lead a final effort to wipe the Jews from the earth. In the process, a large portion of the human race will face extinction. Global warming won’t be the problem that brings the world to the brink of collapse. The pride of Satan and humanity will be though.
Satan wants to foil God’s purpose. In order to do that, he tried to have Jesus killed. He thought it was a good plan, but it turned out that it was also God’s plan. It provided salvation for humanity.
Now, Satan knows that the Lord has promised to restore Israel. But if he can have every Jew killed, God’s plan will fail. So he will try and fail again.
Ezekiel 39:28 The Jews and nations will know God.
“Then they will know that I am the LORD their God because I made them go into exile among the nations, and then gathered them again to their own land; and I will leave none of them there any longer.”
And what will be the result of Satan’s failure? God’s glory will fill the nations. Everyone will know that God is Lord of the heavens and the earth. The Jews will be saved and humanity with them.
The Nation of Israel is currently in the Promised Land. But they live in rebellion against God’s Son. Some Jews try to follow God, but only in Jesus is there any salvation available to them. The Old Testament laws are only rituals.
But everything will change when the birds are invited to the field of battle.
Ezekiel 39:29 The face of Jesus
“I will not hide My face from them any longer, for I will have poured out My Spirit on the house of Israel,” declares the Lord GOD.”
God promised to dwell with Israel and set up his kingdom on earth as it is in heaven. That’s never been accomplished. When he does set up the kingdom, the face of Jesus will be the most welcome face on the renewed planet. And it won’t be hidden behind a veil as it was in the temple. The face of Jesus will be on full display for any and all to behold.
And it will be glorious.
Are you ready for the return of Jesus? If not, get ready because the final show is about to begin.
No popcorn is required.
In the final chapter of this fictional story, the young man finally embraces his call.
Are you ignoring God’s call on your life?
Get the book here.
Let me know what you think.