The Prophet Ezekiel: An Analytical Exposition

by Arno Clemens Gaebelein

The first question which confronts us in giving an exposition of these verses is, When does this enemy fall into Israel's land? At what time does this invasion take place? We find the answer in the text. The statement is made in verse eight that Gog and Magog and the other nations with them invade the land "that is brought back from the sword, and is gathered out of many people;" they come "against the mountains of Israel, which have always been waste; but it is brought forth out of the nations, and they shall dwell safely, all of them." In verse eleven the evil purpose of the invader is made known. He says, "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." He comes "upon the people that are gathered out of the nations, which have gotten cattle and goods, that dwell in the midst of the land" (verse 12). From all this we learn that the invasion takes place at the time when the Lord has brought back His people and resumed His relationship with the remnant of Israel.

The invasion will happen some time after the beastly empire with its beasthead (the revived Roman empire), in its final ten kingdom form and the clay, with the little horn as leader (Dan. vii; Rev. xiii:1-10) and the false prophet, the personal Antichrist (Rev. xiii:11, etc.) have been dealt with in judgment (Rev. xix:19-20). The stone out of heaven has then fallen upon the feet of the great dream image of Nebuchadnezzar, and as far as the Western confederated world power is concerned it is now ended. But other nations gather now for an assault. It is a Northern confederacy which sweeps southward to invade the land as Antiochus Epiphanes did in the past, as well as the Assyrian in the days of Isaiah. These final invading hosts, under the leadership of a powerful king, come like a storm, and like a cloud to cover the land.

In verse 17 we read "Thus saith the Lord God: Art thou he of whom I have spoken in old times by my servants the prophets of Israel, which prophesied in those days for many years that I would bring thee against them?" By the way, in these words we have a very clear statement concerning the prophets of God. They all were the mouthpiece of Jehovah; He has spoken through them. According to this verse other prophets prophesied of the same enemy. Some expositors have stated their inability to find a single prophecy elsewhere which would confirm Ezekiel's vision and prophecy.

We believe the foe, of whom Isaiah speaks as the Assyrian, foreshadows this one coming with his hordes from the North. The Assyrian in the days of Isaiah, who threatened to cover the land like a cloud, was Sennacherib. How the Lord dealt with him by wiping out his proud army with a single stroke is known to every reader of the Bible. But he also foreshadows the final Assyrian, the last King of the North. He is described in Isaiah x. A significant statement is made in that chapter as to the time when the Lord will deal with this Assyrian of the future. It is this "Wherefore it shall come to pass that when the Lord has performed His whole work upon Mount Zion and on Jerusalem, I will punish the fruit of the stout heart of the King of Assyria and the glory of his high looks" (verse 12). When the Lord has performed His work in judgment and in mercy upon Mount Zion and in behalf of Israel and their enemies, then He will also punish the last invader and spoiler of His people, the one foreshadowed by the Assyrian.

The Antichrist, who opposed the heavenly rights and glory of Christ, has then already been overthrown by the brightness of His coming; and next this last enemy who opposeth the earthly rights of the King of kings will also meet his defeat. Notice that in the same chapter of Isaiah the Lord comforts His people in view of the invader, showing thereby that He is with them and on their side. "Therefore, thus saith the Lord God of hosts, O my people that dwelleth in Zion, be not afraid of the Assyrian" (Isa. x:24).

The prophet Micah bears a similar testimony to the same person. In chapter v we have a prophetic announcement of the birth of Christ in Bethlehem Ephrata. We also read of His rejection: "they shall smite the judge of Israel with a rod upon the cheek." Then the nation is seen as rejected—given up, set aside—till Israel brings forth in travail pains a godly remnant during the end of the age. Then the Lord returns. "And He shall stand and rule in the strength of the Lord, in the majesty of the name of the Lord His God; and they shall abide, for now shall He be great unto the ends of the earth" (verse 4).

When this has come to pass then the Assyrian appears on the scene, invading the land. But Micah tells us: "And this man (Christ) shall be the peace when the Assyrian shall come into the land" (verse 5). All this confirms the story of Ezekiel xxxviii. The reader may also turn to Isaiah xxxiii, to Joel and find there a description of the same invading forces which Ezekiel describes and their judgment.

But some will find a difficulty here. If the Lord has returned and His people Israel are being gathered to dwell in safety in their own land, if the Lord has revealed His glory, how is it possible that such an invasion can take place? Is not Satan to be bound at once after Christ has come back? And if Satan is put into the pit of the abyss to seduce the nations no more, how is it that these nations are so blind to come up into Immanuel's land to challenge the earthly rights of the King of kings?

Satan will be bound for a thousand years, but the last act by which he attempts to oppose Christ will be through Gog and Magog. The evil thought the leader, the prince of Rosh, thinks (verse 10) is inspired by Satan. He stands behind this wild company of nations and blinds them as he blinded the kings of the Roman Empire and their armies to make war against Him that sat upon the horse. (Rev. xix:19). But then Satan has spent his last arrow. He has completely failed and is then put into the prison for a thousand years to seduce the nations no more. His last attempt was through the prince of Rosh with the nations mentioned in the beginning of this chapter.

And when the Lord looses him, after the thousand years, he is still the same old devil, as he always will be forever and ever; once more he gets a Gog and Magog, this time from the four quarters of the earth, to put up his very last fight. How that will end we know from Revelation (xx:7-9).