Ezekiel 38 and the Millennium

[The Rogue Tomato]

I sometimes wonder if Ezekiel 38 is actually referring to the end of the millennium. This may be short-sighted, but I don't see a time in the near future when Israel will be a peaceful and unsuspecting people, all of them living without walls, gates, and bars. But I can imagine that would be the case during the millennium, the end of which will be when the devil is loosed on earth to gather enemies against Israel. What say you?

10 “‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: On that day thoughts will come into your mind and you will devise an evil scheme. 11 You will say, “I will invade a land of unwalled villages; I will attack a peaceful and unsuspecting people—all of them living without walls and without gates and bars. 12 I will plunder and loot and turn my hand against the resettled ruins and the people gathered from the nations, rich in livestock and goods, living at the center of the land.” 13 Sheba and Dedan and the merchants of Tarshish and all her villages will say to you, “Have you come to plunder? Have you gathered your hordes to loot, to carry off silver and gold, to take away livestock and goods and to seize much plunder?”’

14 “Therefore, son of man, prophesy and say to Gog: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: In that day, when my people Israel are living in safety, will you not take notice of it? 15 You will come from your place in the far north, you and many nations with you, all of them riding on horses, a great horde, a mighty army. 16 You will advance against my people Israel like a cloud that covers the land. In days to come, Gog, I will bring you against my land, so that the nations may know me when I am proved holy through you before their eyes.

 

[civic]

the 1000 years is described as a time for peace so it can very well be that 1000 year timeframe. But I can also see it being after that time as well when the enemy satan is eternally bound in the pit forever where there can never be a time where there will be unrest ever again and it will be an eternal state of peace.

 

[DavP]

I sometimes wonder if Ezekiel 38 is actually referring to the end of the millennium. This may be short-sighted, but I don't see a time in the near future when Israel will be a peaceful and unsuspecting people, all of them living without walls, gates, and bars. But I can imagine that would be the case during the millennium, the end of which will be when the devil is loosed on earth to gather enemies against Israel. What say you?

....

You are correct to ponder those pointers in Ezekiel 38 about Israel. Because many brethren lack in-depth Old Testament study of Bible history, they never learned that God split old Israel in Solomon's days into TWO separate nations (1 Kings 11 forward). Thus God through Ezekiel in Ezekiel 38 is using the name "Israel" in general to point to both... the two separated houses of Israel. But in Ezekiel 39, He is more specific that He is pointing especially to the ten tribe "house of Israel" that was scattered first, and separated from the Jews of the "house of Judah".

I began a study in the Controversial Teaching section on that when God split old Israel into 2 separate kingdoms, and scattered each one separately among the Gentiles.

God through His prophets also gave proof that they have not yet been joined back together into one nation again, which point was actually covered in the previous Ezekiel 37 chapter about the symbolic joining of the two sticks.

Ezek 37:19-24
19 Say unto them, 'Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I will take the stick of Joseph, which is in the hand of Ephraim, and the tribes of Israel his fellows, and will put them with him, even with the stick of Judah, and make them one stick, and they shall be one in Mine hand.'
20 And the sticks whereon thou writest shall be in thine hand before their eyes.
21 And say unto them, 'Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I will take the children of Israel from among the heathen, whither they be gone, and will gather them on every side, and bring them into their own land:
22 And I will make them one nation in the land upon the mountains of Israel; and one king shall be king to them all: and they shall be no more two nations, neither shall they be divided into two kingdoms any more at all:
23 Neither shall they defile themselves any more with their idols, nor with their detestable things, nor with any of their transgressions: but I will save them out of all their dwellingplaces, wherein they have sinned, and will cleanse them: so shall they be My people, and I will be their God.
24 And David My servant shall be king over them; and they all shall have one shepherd: they shall also walk in My judgments, and observe My statutes, and do them.
KJV

That above joining of both houses has not happened yet to this day. Both the 10-tribe "house of Israel" governed by Ephraim, and the 3-tribe "house of Judah" governed by Judah, are still split into "two nations" today.

1. the "house of Judah" -- represented by the Jews of the 3-tribes of Judah, Benjamin, and Levi which God split, and remained under the house of David, in Jerusalem, until king Zedekiah. The Jews today represent these, with only a small remnant of them representing today's nation state called Israel. The majority of these (Jews) are still scattered among the Gentiles along with the ten tribes.

2. the "house of Israel" -- represented by the scattered ten tribes of old Israel that God gave to king Jeroboam of the tribe of Ephraim to rule over. And these were to become, literally, "a multitude of nations" per the Genesis 48 prophecy about Ephraim's seed. These represent the historical Western Christian nations, and their allied Christian nations of the "commonwealth of Israel" (Ephesians 2).

The Israel that dwells safely 'without'... walls, neither bars or gates', represents the Western Christian nations Israel. The nation state of Israel in the holy land does... dwell with walls and gates, and are not safe from constant rocket and mortar attacks by radical Muslims. The Israel in the Western Christian nations represent the lands that have always been 'waste' (i.e., the wilderness of Hosea 2:14-23), which is put for a wild, unsettled land, the Hebrew word put for "wilderness" which can also mean 'an open field' (OT:4057).

In Ezekiel 39, God gives us a little bit more specific detail about ten-tribe "house of Israel", which is put for Western Israel of the "multitude of nations" under Ephraim. At Ezekiel 39:6, He mentions His fire upon Magog involving "the isles". And one of His main Messages is that when He pours out His Wrath upon Gog and Magog, by that He will make His name known among the "house of Israel", and how He had scattered them long ago for falling away from Him into Baal worship. Thus in Ezekiel 39, God is more specific with pointing to the ten tribe "house of Israel". And per Ezekiel 3, God did say that He made Ezekiel a prophet unto the "house of Israel" (ten scattered tribes).

Ezek 39:6-7
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.
KJV

Ezek 39:21-29
21 And I will set My glory among the heathen, and all the heathen shall see My judgment that I have executed, and My hand that I have laid upon them.
22 So the house of Israel shall know that I am the LORD their God from that day and forward.
23 And the heathen shall know that the house of Israel went into captivity for their iniquity: because they trespassed against Me, therefore hid I My face from them, and gave them into the hand of their enemies: so fell they all by the sword.
24 According to their uncleanness and according to their transgressions have I done unto them, and hid My face from them.
25 Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Now will I bring again the captivity of Jacob, and have mercy upon the whole house of Israel, and will be jealous for My holy name;
26 After that they have borne their shame, and all their trespasses whereby they have trespassed against Me, when they dwelt safely in their land, and none made them afraid.
27 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;
28 Then shall they know that I am the LORD their God, Which cause 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.
29 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.
KJV

In Ezekiel 39:25 above, "the captivity of Jacob" is put for ALL... the 12 tribes of Israel, since Jacob was father to all 12 sons. And the "whole house of Israel" points to ALL 12 tribes too. So why would that extra descriptor of "whole house" be used by God? It's because the term "house of Israel" meant ONLY the 10 northern tribe kingdom after the split of old Israel per 1 Kings 11 forward. Likewise then, in Ezekiel 38 just the "Israel" descriptor is being used, which can point to both 'houses', i.e., scattered ten tribe "house of Israel", and the 3 tribe "house of Judah" in the holy land.

 

[DavP]

I sometimes wonder if Ezekiel 38 is actually referring to the end of the millennium. This may be short-sighted, but I don't see a time in the near future when Israel will be a peaceful and unsuspecting people, all of them living without walls, gates, and bars. But I can imagine that would be the case during the millennium, the end of which will be when the devil is loosed on earth to gather enemies against Israel. What say you?
....

Those Ezekiel Chapter 38 & 39 events are for the end of this present world, on the day of Lord Jesus' future return, the last day of this world. That is the "day of the Lord" when God's consuming fire will burn man's works off this earth, per 2 Peter 3:10. It is when God's Wrath is poured out upon the wicked. We find some of the same prophetic events mentioned there in Ezekiel 39 that are paralleled in Revelation with Christ's future return.

The alignment of those nations of Ezekiel 38:1-6 is for now. The "chief" prince of Gog and Magog points to ancient 'Rus', which was an earlier symbol for Russia. We don't have to ponder too hard on that Russia pointer, because it is easy to grasp how the other nations mentioned are supported and allied with Russia today. Persia is put for the areas of Iran/Iraq. Ethiopia in Ezekiel's day included the nation of Sudan which is below Ethiopia, and is allied today with radical Islam. Libya is definitely a no brainer, and has been supported and allied with radical Islam and Russia also. During the Reagen administration U.S. bombers were sent to Libya to bomb Gaddaffi's Islamic terrorist training camps. Gomer is put for the old satellite nations under the Soviet Union, places like Georgia. Togarmah was the ancient area of Cappadocia, which today is the area of modern Turkey. The nation of Turkey is a Muslim state, even though it is allied with Western NATO. Russia has been supporting Islamic radicals to try and overthrow the Turkish government and turn them against the West. Turkey so far is the last... nation holdout. When it allies with Russia and radical Islam, watch out!

The Gog-Magog battle mentioned in Revelation 20:7-9 is different, because it involves nations in the four corners of the earth, which points to a much larger nation list siding with Satan than the Ezekiel 38 list. And further, that army led by Satan is to come upon the "camp of the saints" on earth, which means a CHRISTIAN camp on earth, which will definitely not exist until AFTER Lord Jesus Christ returns in our near future. We are told there in Rev.20 that event won't happen until after... the "thousand years" reign by Christ and His elect over the nations. So there really shouldn't be any confusion over those future events and their times.

 

[EclipseEventSigns]

That "Russia" is being named by Ezekiel has been disproven. It's just so silly and is being stated by people who don't seem to understand how linguistics actually work. Hal Lindsey came up with this "fact" - or he made it well known - and it just shows how ignorant people are.

 

[dwight92070]

the 1000 years is described as a time for peace so it can very well be that 1000 year timeframe. But I can also see it being after that time as well when the enemy satan is eternally bound in the pit forever where there can never be a time where there will be unrest ever again and it will be an eternal state of peace.

If the 2nd coming is the last day, then how can there be any days after that (or 1000 years)?

 

[DavP]

Beware brethren in Christ:

Someone who tries to TWIST the simplicity of Bible Scripture about the term "last day" are actually trying to TWIST Jesus' Own Words, as if Jesus didn't even know?...

Lord Jesus speaking:

John 6:40
40 And this is the will of Him That sent Me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on Him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day.
KJV

Just WHEN brethren does that time happen of Jesus raising up those who believe on Him? YES! That's right! On the 'LAST DAY' of this PRESENT WORLD, like He showed there!

But do SOME appear not to understand when the future resurrection is to occur, not undertanding WHEN Jesus was talking about with that "last day" term? HOW could those be ignorant of that??

 

[EclipseEventSigns]

Beware brethren in Christ:

Someone who tries to TWIST the simplicity of Bible Scripture about the term "last day" are actually trying to TWIST Jesus' Own Words, as if Jesus didn't even know?...

Lord Jesus speaking:

John 6:40
40 And this is the will of Him That sent Me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on Him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day.
KJV

Just WHEN brethren does that time happen of Jesus raising up those who believe on Him? YES! That's right! On the 'LAST DAY' of this PRESENT WORLD, like He showed there!

But do SOME appear not to understand when the future resurrection is to occur, not undertanding WHEN Jesus was talking about with that "last day" term? HOW could those be ignorant of that??

Somebody again who does not really know what the Old Testament is talking about. Only basing their understanding of the English words.

 

[dwight92070]

Somebody again who does not really know what the Old Testament is talking about. Only basing their understanding of the English words.

I agree that the resurrection is on the last day of this present world as 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18, John 5:28-29, 1 Corinthians 15:50-54 and the above verse, John 6:40, when you put them all together, makes it abundantly clear. Of course there are many other verses that confirm these. Also abundantly clear from these verses is that the 2nd coming happens at the same time, or maybe we could say, just seconds or minutes before the resurrection of both the righteous and unrighteous dead (ALL of the dead- John 5:28-29). If we add Luke 17:24-37 to the mix, we see proof that that last day, which is the 2nd coming, IS INDEED A SINGLE DAY, it is not a longer period of time. We also see from 2 Peter 3:7-13 that there is no such thing as a 1000 year REIGN of Christ on earth AFTER His 2nd coming. Peter doesn't even mention it. That lends itself to the belief that we are now living in the 1000 year reign of Christ - obviously meaning that the 1000 years is symbolic of the whole church age.

Notice also in the Luke passage that the last day is referred to in 2 different ways: 1. Verse 30 "It will be just the same ON THE DAY that the Son of Man is revealed." and 2. Verse 34 "I tell you ON THAT NIGHT there will be two in one bed; ... "
So the day of His 2nd coming will be daytime for some, but for those on the opposite side of the globe, it will be night. This also disproves the flat earth belief, which I can't understand how anyone could fall for that.