Israel's Future, Pt. 4

July 10th, 2025
by Lance Waldie

Ezekiel 38:18-19 “…On that day, when Gog comes against the land of Israel,” declares the Lord God, “that My fury will mount up in My anger. 19 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.”

According to Ezekiel 38:17, God had spoken of Gog’s future attack on Israel: “Are you the one of whom I spoke in former days by the hand of My slaves the prophets of Israel, who prophesied in those days for many years that I would bring you against them?” Problem is, there is nothing in the OT about Gog specifically. He is only mentioned in Ezekiel 38-39. Most likely, v. 17 is a reference to the future invading armies against Israel in the last days (cf. Joel 3:9-14; Zeph. 3:15-20), which Ezekiel now associated specifically with Gog.

Notably, in 38:18 God knows the exact day when Gog will attack Israel—“on that day.” But not only does God know the day of Gog’s attack on Israel, He plans to use Gog’s attack on His people against him, for His “fury will mount up in…anger.” This will be seen in “a great earthquake in the land of Israel,” one that will apparently disrupt Gog’s plans for invasion while at the same time spreading confusion among his soldiers and allies. Note what follows:

“All living things—fish in the sea, birds of the sky, animals of the field, small animals that scurry along the ground, all the people on earth—will quake in terror at My presence. Mountains will be thrown down; cliffs will crumble; walls will fall to the earth. I will summon the sword against you on all the hills of Israel,” says the Sovereign Lord. “Your men will turn their swords against each other. I will punish you and your armies with disease and bloodshed… send torrential rain, hailstones, fire, and burning sulfur” (38:20-22, NLT).

The “burning sulfur” will no doubt be from volcanic eruptions reaching into the sky and falling back upon Gog and his armies. Once again, in this, we see God’s overall purpose: “In this way, I will show My greatness and holiness, and I will make Myself known to all the nations of the world. Then they will know that I am Yahweh” (38:20-23). One of the ways it is known that this battle has yet to take place is that the world still rejects Yahweh, the Lord Jesus Christ. Israel rejects Him, and more and more people today either ignore God or surmise that He does not exist. But in the future, all will know, and all will acknowledge Jesus Christ as Lord and God, for every knee will bow to Him as Lord (Isa. 45:23; cf. Rom. 14:11; Phil. 2:10).

Beginning in Ezekiel 39:1, God describes exactly how He will deal with Gog who has set himself against God and His people Israel. In a nutshell, Gog’s invading armies will be completely destroyed by God. Having brought them “against the mountains of Israel” (v. 2; cf. 38:8), God will weaken Gog and his armies (39:3) and neutralize his weapons: “I will strike your bow from your left hand and cause your arrows from your right hand to fall” (v. 3). Gog’s once-mighty army then be given “as food to every kind of predatory bird and beast of the field” (v. 4).

Not content simply to kill Gog and his allies, God will then move to the land of Gog—Magog—and decimate it, sending “fire upon Magog and those who inhabit the coastlands securely” (v. 6). This indicates a total destruction of Magog, including its military (30:8, 14, 16; cf. Hosea 8:14; Amos 1:4, 7, 10, 14; 2:2, 5). This pagan nation that sought to destroy Israel will itself be destroyed by God—cursing those who curse Israel (Gen. 12:3). The “coastlands” (cf. 26:15, 18; 27:3, 6-7, 15, 35) imply the uttermost reaches of the known world.

Once again, we see why God does what He does: “Then they will know that I am the Lord. In this way, I will make known my holy name among my people of Israel. I will not let anyone bring shame on it. And the nations, too, will know that I am the Lord, the Holy One of Israel. That day of judgment will come, says the Sovereign Lord. Everything will happen just as I have declared it” (Ezek. 39:6-8, NLT).

Food For Thought
Our sovereign God, Yahweh—Jesus Himself—knows all things. He knows the hearts of all mankind, aware of our innermost thoughts. No one is good, no not one! (Rom. 3:10ff.). But in His grace, and in order to fulfill His overall plan, God will save some while allowing all the rest to suffer their deserved fate. Gog of Magog will make his own decisions with regard to his hatred of Israel, and God will judge him for it. God has always known Gog, as He has known all people—past, present, and future. He knows what we’ve done and exactly what we will do. In Ezekiel 38-39, God specifies what He knows about Gog and what He knows about Israel. He has plainly explained it to us and preserved His word for our edification. We know from Scripture what has happened in the world, what is happening, and what will happen. We can rest knowing that God is in total control, in spite of unredeemed mankind being completely out of control and out of touch with who God is, what He is doing, and what He will do.