How does God picture the defeat of Gog, his multi-national coalition, and the spiritual restoration of Israel? Let’s look at Ezekiel 39.
What will God do to Gog as they invade Israel from the far north?
Son of man, prophesy against Gog and say: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I am against you, Gog, chief prince of Meshek and Tubal. I will turn you around and drag you along. I will bring you from the far north and send you against the mountains of Israel. Then I will strike your bow from your left hand and make your arrows drop from your right hand. (Ezek 39:1-3 NIV)
Does God prophesy the total and humiliating defeat of Gog and his invading armies?
You shall fall upon the mountains of Israel, you and all your troops and the peoples who are with you; I will give you to birds of prey of every sort and to the beasts of the field to be devoured. You shall fall on the open field; for I have spoken,” says the Lord God. (Ezek 39:4-5 NKJV)
Is the climax of this prophecy God’s direct intervention and His ultimate purpose in this?
And I will rain down fire on Magog and on all your allies who live safely on the coasts. Then they will know that I am the Lord. In this way, I will make known my holy name among my people of Israel. I will not let anyone bring shame on it. And the nations, too, will know that I am the Lord, the Holy One of Israel. That day of judgment will come, says the Sovereign Lord. Everything will happen just as I have declared it. (Ezek 39:6-8 NLT)
What is the aftermath of God’s defeat of Gog's invading army against Israel?
“Those who dwell in the cities of Israel will go out and will make fires of the weapons and burn them, both the shields and the bucklers, the bows and the arrows, and the war clubs and the spears, and they will make fires with them for seven years; so that they will take no wood out of the field, and not cut down any out of the forests; for they will make fires with the weapons. They will plunder those who plundered them, and rob those who robbed them,” says the Lord Yahweh. (Ezek 39:9-10 WEB)
Will there be a massive cleanup and burial after God defeats Gog?
On that day, I will assign Gog a place for burial in Israel in the Travelers’ Valley east of the sea. It will block the travelers’ way, because Gog and all of his horde will be buried there. It will be called Hamon-gog Valley. For seven months, the house of Israel will bury them in order to cleanse the land. All the people of the land will take part in the burial, so they will make a name for themselves on the day that I glorify myself. This is what the Lord God says. (Ezek 39:11-13 CEB)
Is there a massive cleanup following the total defeat of Gog’s invading army?
After those seven months, the people will appoint a group of men to look for any dead bodies left unburied. This must be done for seven months to make sure that the land is no longer unclean. Whenever they find a human bone, they will set up a marker next to it. Then the gravediggers will bury it in “The Valley of Gog's Army” near the town of “Gog's Army.” After that, the land will be pure again. (Ezek 39:14-16 CEV)
Does God symbolically invite birds and beasts to feast on the corpses of defeated Gog?
As for you, son of man, thus says the Lord God: Speak to the birds of every sort and to all beasts of the field: ‘Assemble and come, gather from all around to the sacrificial feast that I am preparing for you, a great sacrificial feast on the mountains of Israel, and you shall eat flesh and drink blood. You shall eat the flesh of the mighty, and drink the blood of the princes of the earth—of rams, of lambs, and of he-goats, of bulls, all of them fat beasts of Bashan.
And you shall eat fat till you are filled, and drink blood till you are drunk, at the sacrificial feast that I am preparing for you. And you shall be filled at my table with horses and charioteers, with mighty men and all kinds of warriors,’ declares the Lord God. (Ezek 39:17-20 ESV)
Does God reveal His power to the whole world after defeating Gog?
I will display My glory among the nations, and all the nations will see the judgment I have executed and the hand I have laid on them. From that day forward the house of Israel will know that I am Yahweh their God.
And the nations will know that the house of Israel went into exile on account of their iniquity, because they dealt unfaithfully with Me. Therefore, I hid My face from them and handed them over to their enemies, so that they all fell by the sword. I dealt with them according to their uncleanness and transgressions, and I hid My face from them. (Ezek 39:21-24 HCSB)
Do we now shift from the defeat of hostile nations to a time of peace and safety, revealing God’s holiness?
Therefore this is what the Lord God has to say: “I’m going to restore the resources of Jacob and show mercy to the entire house of Israel. I’ll be zealous for my own reputation and for my holiness. They’ll forget their shame and all of their unfaithfulness by which they behaved so unfaithfully toward me. They will live on their land in confidence, not in fear.” (Ezek 39:25-26 ISV)
Does God promise to restore Israel, reveal His holiness to the nations, and pour out His Spirit?
When I have brought them again from the people, and gathered them out of their enemies' lands, and am sanctified in them in the sight of many nations; Then shall they know that I am the Lord their God, which caused them to be led into captivity among the heathen: but I have gathered them unto their own land, and have left none of them any more there. Neither will I hide my face any more from them: for I have poured out my spirit upon the house of Israel, saith the Lord God. (Ezek 39:27-29 KJV)
Does the defeat of Earth's armies at the Second Coming depict something similar?
Then I saw an angel standing in the sun, and he cried out with a loud voice, saying to all the birds which fly in midheaven, “Come, assemble for the great supper of God, so that you may eat the flesh of kings and the flesh of commanders and the flesh of strong men and the flesh of horses and of those who sit on them and the flesh of all men, both free men and slaves, and small and great.” (Rev 19:17-18 LSB)
How does God picture the defeat of Gog, his multi-national coalition, and the spiritual restoration of Israel? You decide!
