Ezekiel 38-The Lord Destroys the Russian Led Invasion of Israel During the Middle of Daniel's Seventieth Week
Wenstrom Bible Ministries
Pastor-Teacher Bill Wenstrom
Sunday March 2, 2008
The Day of the Lord: Ezekiel 38-The Lord Destroys the Russian Led Invasion of Israel During the Middle of Daniel’s Seventieth Week
Lesson # 11
Please turn in your Bibles to Revelation 6:1.
This morning we will temporarily suspend our studies in the book of Romans by continuing our series dealing with the prophetic subject called “the Day of the Lord,” which we conduct the first Sunday of every month when we celebrate the Lord’s Supper.
“The Day of the Lord” is “not” a literal twenty-four period but rather is an extended period of time beginning with God’s dealing with Israel after the rapture at the beginning of the tribulation period and extending through the 2nd Advent and the millennial age unto the creation of the new heavens and the new earth.
The “Rapture” of the church (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18) triggers the beginning of the “Day of the Lord” and will come like a thief in the night meaning it will come upon the world, unexpectedly.
The Rapture is immediately followed by the Tribulation period, which is also known by students of prophecy as, “Daniel’s Seventieth Week.”
Daniel’s 70th week refers to a 7-year period that extends from Antichrist’s peace treaty with Israel after the rapture of the church to the 2nd Advent of Christ and is concerned with the nation of Israel exclusively and will be the worst period in all of Israel’s and the world’s history (Daniel 9:24-27).
This 7-year period is divided into two three and a half year periods with the first three and a half years characterized as a cold war (Mt. 24:6) whereas the last three and a half years are characterized as a hot war (Mt. 24:21-22).
This period will end with the Second Advent of Jesus Christ, which is the visible return of Christ to planet earth with the elect angels and the Church in order to deliver Israel from her enemies and establish Jesus Christ’s millennial reign (Dan. 2:44-45; Zech. 14; Mt. 24:29-31; Rev. 1:7; 19:11-21).
The church age takes place between the 69th and 70th Week of Daniel and was a “mystery” (Eph. 3:9) meaning it was not known to Old Testament prophets.
God has temporarily set aside Israel because of her rejection of Jesus Christ as Messiah (Rom. 9-11) in order to form the church and to fulfill the Times of the Gentiles so therefore, the last seven years of Daniel’s prophecy have yet to be fulfilled but will be fulfilled after the rapture of the church (1 Thess. 4:13-18).
The church is delivered from the wrath to come during this period.
1 Thessalonians 5:9, “For God has not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Thus far, we have studied the four major events that will take place during the first three and an half years of Daniel’s Seventieth Week:
(1) The rise of the Ten Nation Confederacy called the Revived Roman Empire at the beginning of Daniel’s 70th week (Dan. 2; 7).
(2) Antichrist rises to power as the King of the Western Confederacy in Europe (Dan. 7:20, 24; 9:27; Rev. 13:1-10).
(3) The rise of the revived form of the Roman Empire under Antichrist during the first three and a half years of Daniel’s Seventieth Week will be accompanied by the formulation of a false religious system under the false prophet (Rev. 13:11-18).
(4) Antichrist’s peace treaty with the leadership of Israel, which takes place after the rapture of the church and actually begins Daniel’s Seventieth Week.
The rise to prominence of the Antichrist as a man of peace is the result of the breaking of the first seal judgment recorded in Revelation 6:1-2.
Revelation 6:1-2, “Then I saw when the Lamb broke one of the seven seals, and I heard one of the four living creatures saying as with a voice of thunder, ‘Come.’ I looked, and behold, a white horse, and he who sat on it had a bow; and a crown was given to him, and he went out conquering and to conquer.”
Then, last month we noted an event that will take place in heaven that will mark the last 3 ½ years of Daniel’s 70th week, which is Michael the archangel and his legions of elect-angels will expel Satan and his legions from heaven (Rev. 12:7).
Once Satan is thrown down permanently on the earth, he will inspire the leader of Russia and her allies to invade Israel during the midway point of Daniel’s Seventieth Week according to Ezekiel 38-39.
Therefore, this invasion of Israel takes place toward the middle of Daniel’s Seventieth Week, after Israel and Antichrist have entered into a treaty and prior to Antichrist breaking the treaty since it is preceded by the casting of Satan out of heaven.
The events of Ezekiel 38:1-39:24 coincide with the second seal judgment recorded in Revelation 6:3-4.
Revelation 6:3-4, “When He broke the second seal, I heard the second living creature saying, ‘Come.’ And another, a red horse, went out; and to him who sat on it, it was granted to take peace from the earth, and that men would slay one another; and a great sword was given to him.”
In Ezekiel 38:1-6, we have the identification of the nations participating in this invasion of Israel.
Ezekiel 38:1-3, “And the word of the LORD came to me saying, ‘Son of man, set your face against Gog of the land of Magog, the prince of Rosh, Meshech and Tubal, and prophesy against him and say, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD, ‘Behold, I am against you, O Gog, prince of Rosh, Meshech and Tubal.’”
“Set your face” expresses God’s anger towards Gog and is used throughout Ezekiel’s book as an expression of opposition (cf. 4:3; 6:2; 13:17).
The name “Gog” is a title for a ruler like Caesar or Pharaoh whereas the name “Magog” signifies the nation Gog rules and was located in what is now known as Russia.
“Prince” denotes Gog is the leader of a particular nation and “Rosh” is Russia since Ezekiel 38:6, 15 and 39:2 all clearly state that this invasion will come from the extreme north of Israel.
Ezekiel 38:3 records that “Magog” is composed of three parts, “Rosh, Meshech and Tubal,” all of which were located in an area that is now known as Russia.
Ezekiel 38:4, “I will turn you about and put hooks into your jaws, and I will bring you out, and all your army, horses and horsemen, all of them splendidly attired, a great company with buckler and shield, all of them wielding swords.”
The imagery of “hooks in your jaw” is a graphic one that had a literal reality in the way captives were treated as they were taken away to the land of their captors (Ezek. 19:4, Jehoiahaz to Egypt and Ezek. 19:9, Jehoiachin to Babylon).
The hook was an instrument of domination or subjugation and is used to parallel the placing of a bit in a horse’s mouth to insure control of the animal.
Therefore, Gog, the leader of Russia is described here as having hooks put into his jaws in order to bring him to his ultimate destruction on the mountains of Israel.
Ezekiel 38:5-6, “Persia, Ethiopia and Put with them, all of them with shield and helmet; Gomer with all its troops; Beth-togarmah from the remote parts of the north with all its troops -- many peoples with you.
“Persia” was located in what is now known as Iran, “Ethiopia” was located in what is now known as modern Ethiopia and Sudan.
“Put” was located in what is now known as modern Libya, “Gomer” was located in what is now known as modern Ukraine, and Georgia which are south of Russia and “Togarmah” was located in what is now known as Turkey.
The expression “many peoples with you” indicates that other groups of people that are related to the one’s mentioned will also take part in this invasion since the term `am (<u^) (am) is used of people in terms of their being kinsmen, relatives or members of a tribe.
Therefore, Ezekiel 38:1-6 reveals that Russia, (Rosh, Meshech and Tubal from the land of Magog), Georgia, and Ukraine (Gomer) and Turkey (Togarmah) will invade Israel from the north.
Iran will come from the east, Ethiopia and Sudan from the south while Libya (Put) from the west, thus Israel will be surrounded.
Ezekiel 38:7-9 identifies when the invasion will take place and who will be attacked.
Ezekiel 38:7-9, “Be prepared, and prepare yourself, you and all your companies that are assembled about you, and be a guard for them. After many days you will be summoned; in the latter years you will come into the land that is restored from the sword, whose inhabitants have been gathered from many nations to the mountains of Israel which had been a continual waste; but its people were brought out from the nations, and they are living securely, all of them. You will go up, you will come like a storm; you will be like a cloud covering the land, you and all your troops, and many peoples with you.”
The statement “After many days you will be summoned; in the latter years you will come into the land that is restored from the sword, whose inhabitants have been gathered from many nations to the mountains of Israel which had been a continual waste” refers to the first half of Daniel’s Seventieth Week.
In Ezekiel 38:9, the statement “You will go up, you will come like a storm; you will be like a cloud covering the land, you and all your troops, and many peoples with you” indicates how massive this invading force is.
In Ezekiel 38:10-13, we have the objective of this invading force presented to us.
Ezekiel 38:10-12, “Thus says the Lord GOD, ‘It will come about on that day, that thoughts will come into your mind and you will devise an evil plan, and you will say, ‘I will go up against the land of unwalled villages. I will go against those who are at rest, that live securely, all of them living without walls and having no bars or gates, to capture spoil and to seize plunder, to turn your hand against the waste places which are now inhabited, and against the people who are gathered from the nations, who have acquired cattle and goods, who live at the center of the world.’”
The fact that Israel is living securely at this time of the Tribulation period indicates that the attack from Russia will be sometime toward the end of the first 3 ½ years of Daniel’s Seventieth Week while Israel is under the treaty with Antichrist.
Ezekiel 38:11-12 reveals the motivation of this Great Northern Confederacy headed by Russia: (1) Israel’s great wealth and strategic position in the world since they are at the center of the earth. (2) Enormous mineral wealth in the Dead Sea area and has strategic access to the Mediterranean Sea, Suez Canal, and Indian Ocean. (3) Oil of the Middle East
Ezekiel 38:13, “Sheba and Dedan and the merchants of Tarshish with all its villages will say to you, ‘Have you come to capture spoil? Have you assembled your company to seize plunder, to carry away silver and gold, to take away cattle and goods, to capture great spoil?’”
“Sheba” was in southwest Arabia in what is now part of Yemen “Dedan” was also located in Arabia and “Tarshish” was in southern Spain near Gibraltar and the “villages” refers to nations that have come out of Tarshish.
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 in permitting this invasion to take place is presented to us, which is that He would be sanctified in the eyes of the nations.
Ezekiel 38:14-16, “Therefore prophesy, son of man, and say to Gog, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD, ‘On that day when My people Israel are living securely, will you not know it? You will come from your place out of the remote parts of the north, you and many peoples with you, all of them riding on horses, a great assembly and a mighty army and you will come up against My people Israel like a cloud to cover the land. It shall come about in the last days that I will bring you against My land, so that the nations may know Me when I am sanctified through you before their eyes, O Gog.’”
In Ezekiel 38:17-23, Ezekiel predicts the destruction of the invading force led by Russia.
Ezekiel 38:17-23, “Thus says the Lord GOD, ‘Are you the one of whom I spoke in former days through My servants the prophets of Israel, who prophesied in those days for many years that I would bring you against them? It will come about on that day, when Gog comes against the land of Israel,’ declares the Lord GOD, ‘that My fury will mount up in My anger. In My zeal and in My blazing wrath I declare that on that day there will surely be a great earthquake in the land of Israel. The fish of the sea, the birds of the heavens, the beasts of the field, all the creeping things that creep on the earth, and all the men who are on the face of the earth will shake at My presence; the mountains also will be thrown down, the steep pathways will collapse and every wall will fall to the ground. I will call for a sword against him on all My mountains,’ declares the Lord GOD. ‘Every man's sword will be against his brother. With pestilence and with blood I will enter into judgment with him; and I will rain on him and on his troops, and on the many peoples who are with him, a torrential rain, with hailstones, fire and brimstone. I will magnify Myself, sanctify Myself, and make Myself known in the sight of many nations; and they will know that I am the LORD.’”
There are three great judgments against Gog and his armies: (1) Great earthquake (Ezek. 38:19-20) (2) Friendly fire (Ezek. 38:21). (3) Convulsions of nature (Ezek. 38:22).
Ezekiel 38:23 reveals that this attack against Israel by a confederation of nations led by Russia during the Tribulation will be another means of God’s displaying to the nations His holy and righteous character and sovereign power over human history.
This leads us to the communion service and so therefore, could we have our ushers pass out the communion elements and let us take a few minutes to meditate upon the Lord and prepare ourselves for the Lord’s Supper.
The Lord’s Supper is a commandment given by the Lord Jesus Christ to every church age believer to bring into remembrance His Unique Person and Finished Work on the Cross, both of which serve as the basis for fellowship with God and each other as members of the Body of Christ.
In the communion service, the bread portrays the sinless humanity of Christ, which was sacrificed for us and the wine portrays His spiritual death as our Substitute, both of which serve as the basis for fellowship with God and each other.
The communion service is also a reminder that we have fellowship not only with God but also with each other as members of the body of Christ.
1 Corinthians 10:16-17, “Is not the cup of blessing which we bless a sharing in the blood of Christ? Is not the bread which we break a sharing in the body of Christ? Since there is one bread, we who are many are one body; for we all partake of the one bread.”
1 Corinthians 11:23, “For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus in the night in which He was betrayed took bread.”
1 Corinthians 11:24, “and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, ‘This is My body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of Me.’”
1 Corinthians 11:25, “In the same way {He took} the cup also after supper, saying, ‘This cup is the new covenant in My blood; do this, as often as you drink {it} in remembrance of Me.’”
1 Corinthians 11:26, “For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until He comes.”