Ezekiel 39

These chapters describe an invasion of Israel from the far north that involves modern day Russia and surrounding nations allied with her.  As Revelation indicates that the final battle of Armageddon involves invading armies from the east and south as well as the north I believe this is the battle that immediately precedes Armageddon and serves to draw the nations to war against God’s Anointed.  The seven months spent burying the dead may indicate that the other armies have arrived only to be defeated and judged by the fury of God’s jealousy.  What the passage says is that this takes place in the latter years/days (38:8,16) which fits well the seventieth week of Daniel, the final seven years as God saves His people Israel (Dan. 9:24-27).

The contrasting emphasis of the two chapters is noteworthy.  Ch. 38 stresses the prince of Rosh (v1) who devises an evil plan (v10), attacking the regathered people living in peace (v7-17).  But the 39^th chapter makes it clear that it is God who is actually orchestrating the entire matter (v1-10).  It is God who brings the prince and his allies into the land.  It is God who turns them against Israel.  

God is not merely judging the nations and cleansing the Nation of Israel; He is sanctifying His holy name!  After the burial of the dead (39:11-16) and the feast of the birds and beasts (39:17-20) Israel will finally know God from that day forward (39:22).  They will know that at every point in their history, even the time when there was no nation (70-1948AD), that the sovereign and holy God, their God, was working in their circumstances.

In essence what God is saying through Ezekiel is that He is the God of history.  Any historian who seeks to give a definitive explanation of the course of history, but who fails to take into account what God is doing with respect to the Jewish people, is a historian who will inevitably miss the point.  

But it’s not just the historians.  It’s the journalists, politicians and the citizenry of the nations.  The tendency is to see the major events of life as revolving around the great and powerful leaders.  They are constantly devising plans; so we think of them as the shakers and movers in the world.  But they are not.  It is the sovereign Lord who is as work.  He is hallowing His name.  History will not come to its intended end until God’s Anointed is on the throne of David, ruling over all His enemies from Zion (Psalm 2,110).  

Indeed, all authority has been given to Christ (Matt. 28:18).  He will rule over His enemies.  In the meantime He has bid us do as He says, to make disciples of all nations (Matt. 28:19-20).  Because the One with all authority has so commanded us, we know as well that He will accompany us in this endeavor (Matt. 28:20).  Knowing what we know of the future will give us endurance.  But let us not get side-tracked with the events of the world; let us join the Master in the joy of preaching the gospel and living it out for His glory!