Ezekiel 38.7-16-The Objective of Russia and Her Allies Attacking Israel and God's Objective (Doctrinal Bible Church in Huntsville, Alabama)

Doctrinal Bible Church

Pastor-Teacher Bill Wenstrom

Wednesday May 1, 2024

The Day of the Lord Series: Ezekiel 38:7-16-The Objective of Russia and Her Allies Attacking Israel and God’s Objective

Lesson # 21

The following is an outline of Ezekiel 38:1-39:24: (1) The identification of the invading force (Ezekiel 38:1-6). (2) When the invasion will take place and who will be attacked (Ezekiel 38:7-9). (3) The objective of the invasion (Ezekiel 38:10-13). (4) The objective of God in permitting the invasion (Ezekiel 38:14-16). (5) The destruction of the northern confederacy by God (Ezekiel 38:17-23). (6) The place of the destruction (Ezekiel 39:1-6). (7) The sanctification of God’s Name (Ezekiel 39:7-8). (8) The seven years of burning weapons and the seven months of burying the dead (Ezekiel 39:9-16). (9) The Lord’s sacrificial banquet for the bird and animal kingdom (Ezekiel 39:17-20). (10) The eight-fold result of the destruction of the Russian led invasion of Israel (Ezekiel 39:21-24).

Ezekiel 38:7 “‘Get ready; be prepared, you and all the hordes gathered about you, and take command of them. 8 After many days you will be called to arms. In future years you will invade a land that has recovered from war, whose people were gathered from many nations to the mountains of Israel, which had long been desolate. They had been brought out from the nations, and now all of them live in safety. 9 You and all your troops and the many nations with you will go up, advancing like a storm; you will be like a cloud covering the land.’” (NIV)

The statement in Ezekiel 38:8 describes Israel before the state of Daniel’s seventieth week.

Prior to 1948, the land of Israel was a continual waste but has since been restored by the nation of Israel, the land is prospering.

Today, the nation of Israel is composed of Jews who have been scattered around the world for centuries or whose grandparents or parents were.

In Ezekiel 38:10-13, we have the objective of this invading force presented to us.

Ezekiel 38:10 “‘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?”’ (NIV)

The scene described here in Ezekiel 38:11 is a modern one for it would be unheard of in Ezekiel’s day to not have walls protecting a city or village.

Ezekiel had never seen a village without walls.

Yet, in our day, Israel is a land of unwalled villages for the simple reason that modern techniques of warfare (bombs and missiles) make city walls irrelevant and obsolete for defense.

There are comparative passages, which also speak of Israel being regathered to the land and living securely (cf. Jer. 23:7; 49:31; Ezek. 28:25-26).

Ezekiel 38:11-12 reveals the motivation of this Great Northern Confederacy headed by Russia.

They covet Israel’s great wealth and strategic position in the world since they are at the center of the earth.

Israel sits on enormous mineral wealth in the Dead Sea area and has strategic access to the Mediterranean Sea, Suez Canal, and Indian Ocean.

The first hook that the Lord will use to bring Russia to her destruction on the mountains of Israel is that Russia does not possess a warm weather port and needs one to have entrance into the waterways of the world and Israel has this and Russia covets this.

Furthermore, Russia wants oil.

The oil in the Middle East is essential for the survival of modern nations and modern militaries.

Despite the strained relations between the Arabs and Israel, there is still a great deal of oil going through Israel today.

Therefore, one of the hooks that the Lord will use to bring Russia to invade Israel to destroy her is oil.

The third hook is the Dead Sea mineral deposits that are so great that they cannot be evaluated in today’s market.

It is estimated that the Dead Sea contains approximately 2 billion tons of potassium chloride, which is potash that is needed to sweeten and enrich the soil that is readily depleted around the world.

The Dead Sea also contains approximately 2 billion tons of magnesium chloride, 12 billion tons of sodium chloride and 6 billion tons of calcium chloride.

In addition, the Dead Sea contains cerium, cobalt, manganese and even gold!

Isn’t it interesting that when the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, the cities of the plain, which is now the Dead Sea, He was baiting a hook for Russia.

Sodom and Gomorrah, the cities of the plain are considered by many Biblical archeologists to be under the Dead Sea.

The names “Sheba” and “Dedan” appear in the Table of Nations in Genesis 10, both were children of Raamah whose grandfather was Cush who was a son of Ham, one of Noah’s three sons according to Genesis 10:7.

“Sheba” was in southwest Arabia in what is now part of Yemen and was once famed as the Land of Spices whose land was extremely fertile, being watered by ingenious irrigation systems that were controlled by a vast dam that once spanned the river Adhanat.

“Dedan” was also located in Arabia near Edom according to Isaiah 21:13, Jeremiah 25:23, 49:8 and Ezekiel 25:13 and was associated with “Sheba” since they were trade partners with Tyre (Ezek. 27:15, 20; 38:13).

The name “Tarshish” appears in Genesis 10:4 and was a son of Javan who was one of the sons of Japheth, who himself was one of the three sons of Noah according to Genesis 10:1-5.

“Tarshish” appears frequently in the Old Testament representing a Phoenician copper-smelting center either in “Sardinia” or in “Tartessus” in southern Spain near Gibraltar.

Therefore, Ezekiel 38:13 indicates that the value of the spoil signifies that Gog’s invasion of Israel will have enormous economic repercussions that commercial nations such as Arab peoples and maritime trading peoples will be excited over the economic prospects for their nations as a result of this invasion.

In Ezekiel 38:14-16, the objective of God permitting this invasion to take place is presented to us is that He would be sanctified in the eyes of the nations.

Ezekiel 38:14 “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.” (NIV)