Fourth Sunday in Lent, 2002
Ezekiel 38-39

Gog and Magog

When Theodore Roosevelt was made colonel in the Spanish-American War, he found few fellow soldiers of a kindred spirit. Bucky O'Neill was an exception. Sergeant Bucky O'Neill had been the grizzled, chain-smoking mayor and sheriff of Prescott, Arizona. While he was sheriff his name became "a byword of terror to every wrong-doer, white or red." Teddy Roosevelt made Bucky his right-hand man as soon as he met him. The two became leaders of the Rough Riders. Bucky could discuss ancient languages, quote poetry, review the novels of great writers, demonstrate Apache signs, understand military tactics, and fight like a warrior.

On one occasion vultures circled overhead after a battle. While burying the dead, Bucky turned to Teddy, "Colonel, isn't it Whitman who says of the vultures "they pluck the eyes of princes, and tear the flesh of kings?" Roosevelt answered coldly that he could not place the quotation.

Later on, at the base of Kettle Hill, Cuba the Rough Riders came under enemy fire. The American commander ordered the Rough Riders to wait in waist-high grass for the signal to join the fray. They sat there for hours while Spanish snipers hidden up on the hill shot at them. Even Roosevelt found it prudent to get off his horse and lie low; but Bucky O'Neill insisted on strolling up and down in front of his men, smoking his perpetual cigarette.

The learning of Bucky O'Neill was wide-ranging, his life experience well rounded. He combined the courage of a soldier, the imagination of a poet, the mind of a scholar, and the social skills of a politician. Theodore Roosevelt enjoyed many of the same traits.

According to Patrick Henry Rearden, the prophet Ezekiel was an awesome personality along those same lines. Rearden writes: "Ezekiel was clearly one of the most cultured and best educated men in Holy Scripture, showing unparalleled familiarity with a vast store of information about the ancient Levant and Middle East: he knew history, mythology, military movements and the composition of armies, maritime commerce, wisdom traditions, geography, political movements and alliances, etc. In this respect he stands out among Israel's prophets, most of whom never left the confines of he Holy Land."

On this Fourth Sunday in Lent we will examine one of Ezekiel's more mysterious writings ­ Gog and Magog. In Ezekiel 39:21 of our Old Testament lesson, God Himself declares: "all the nations shall see My judgment which I have executed." Which judgment is the Lord referring to? Clearly He is referring to the sweeping battle just chronicled by Ezekiel in chapters 38-39, the struggle between God's people and the sinister Gog, ruler of Magog.

Who is Gog? Ezekiel 38:10 let's us read his thinking: "On that day it shall come to pass that thoughts will arise in your mind, and you will make an evil plan: You will say, "I will go up against a land of unwalled villages; I will go to a peaceful people, who dwell safely, all of them dwelling without walls, and having neither bars nor gates ­ to take plunder and to take booty, to stretch out your hand against a people gathered from the nations, who have acquired livestock and goods, who dwell in the midst of the land."

As we see from these words, the plan of Gog is to murder the people of Israel and steal all their possessions. What happens when Gog tries to put his plan into action?

Ezekiel says: "And it will come to pass at the same time, when Gog comes against the land of Israel, says the Lord God, "that My fury will show in My face. I will call for a sword against Gog throughout all My mountains," says the Lord God. Every man's sword will be against his brother. And I will bring him to judgment with pestilence and bloodshed; I will rain down on him, on his troops, and on the many people who are with him, flooding rain, great hailstones, fire, and brimstone" (Ezekiel 38:18-22).

What will take place after this judgment of God against Gog and his followers? The Lord states in Ezekiel 39:11: "It will come to pass in that day that I will give Gog a burial place there in Israel, the valley of those who pass by east of the sea; and it will obstruct travelers, because there they will bury Gog and all his multitude. Therefore they will call it the Valley of Hamon Gog."

So that is a sketch of the judgment against Gog. It was a judgment that couldn't have come at a better time. God had brought His people into captivity. Due to their sin and unfaithfulness, He had punished the Israelites. Unarmed and captive, the condition of God's children was one of weakness and vulnerability. Like a hungry lion that spies a baby gazelle, Gog sees the utter weakness of the Israelites and moves in for the kill. It doesn't work. At the very moment when Gog and Magog are on the verge of annihilating the house of Israel, the Lord intervenes and delivers His people. The moment that Gog and his army are poised to massacre the helpless; they themselves end up as a massive array of corpses, scattered on the face of the earth. Just when Gog and his troops are salivating over the plunder of Israel; they themselves are plundered.

Now we come to a difficult question. When does this battle that Ezekiel describes between Gog and the Church take place? Is there a historical fulfillment we can point to? Some commentators don't think so. They insist that Ezekiel's prophecy is strictly symbolic, or mythological. It never took place, never will, and the best we can do is enjoy it as a figurative victory of God over His enemies.

Others prefer a historical fulfillment. They try to detect a realization of the Gog and Magog story in Israel's struggle against the Assyrians; or against Judah's encounter with the Babylonians; the Maccabees' struggle against the Roman tyrant Antiochus Epiphanies. Then there have been countless attempts to see a contemporary fulfillment of Gog and Magog. Medieval theologians asserted that Gog and Magog must correspond to Atilla the Hun and the ravages of the barbarians, or Genghis Khan and the terror of his Mongols. Martin Luther thought that Gog and Magog pointed to the Church's struggle against the Pope and Islam. Since Gog and Magog are mentioned in Revelation chapter 20, today's Dispensationalists tend to see fulfillment in the near future. In this view Gog and Magog appear at the end of the seven year Tribulation. Either the Russian army comes down against Israel, or the Islamic nations do.

Possibly the most persuasive and satisfying interpretation regards the first fulfillment of Ezekiel's Gog and Magog narrative in the book of Esther.

[See James B. Jordan, "The Battle of Gog and Magog" in Biblical Horizons , Nos. 2 and 3. The web site address is: www.biblicalhorizons.com/biblicalhorizons/ Also Gary DeMar's Last Days Madness ; 1999; pp. 363-9. Other commentaries consulted: Keil and Delitzsch, Iain Duguid, Daniel Block, Fairbairn, Lind, and Schroeder. Duguid's is by far the best. Rearden's quote from St. James Daily Devotional Guide . The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt by Edmund Morris, and The Rough Riders by Theodore Roosevelt.]

Let's consider that. How does Gog and Magog fit with the story line of Esther? You remember the events. Esther is the beautiful niece of Mordecai. She marries King Ahasuerus, the Persian King also known as Xerxes. When does this take place? It transpires many years after the Israelites had been led away captive by the Babylonians in 586 B.C. The Persians then conquered the Babylonians and started treating the Jews much better. They allowed the Jews to return to the Promised Land. Joshua the High Priest and Zerubbabel had just begun rebuilding the Temple destroyed by the Babylonians. Ezra had not yet restored the temple, and Nehemiah would soon return to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem. At this moment in history Esther became queen.

Then the book of Esther tells us about Haman, the number two man in the Persian Empire. Haman hatches a plot to annihilate each and every Israelite throughout the land, and plunder their possessions (Esther 3:13). Some Jews had returned to Jerusalem, but most were still scattered over the 127 provinces of Persia ranging from India to Ethiopia and everywhere else (Esther 8:9). Haman's plan was first to hang Queen Esther's uncle Mordecai on a gallows fifty cubits high. Second, to organize his followers to slaughter the Israelites. And third, to plunder all their property and belongings. He even got the King to sign a decree giving the raid a stamp of approval. However, Mordecai found out about Haman's plot and notified his niece. The day of extermination drew near, and the Jews were in fear, fasting and praying. Then Esther stepped to the plate. She had the courage to confront King Ahasueras and convince him that Haman's scheme was evil. What happened? The entire conspiracy was foiled. The outcome was reversed. Instead of Mordecai, it was Haman whom they hanged high on the gallows. The Jews were given permission to destroy their enemies, the very people who were on the verge of murdering them. The result was the death of 75,000 of Haman's allies.

What are the connections between Gog and Magog of Ezekiel, and the events of Esther? There are several. The regions involved in both passages encompass the extensive boundaries of the Persian Empire. So there is a geographical similarity. Then, the plunder idea is analogous: in both texts evil tyrants try to plunder the Church and instead are plundered themselves. What's more, the quantity of soldiers killed is commensurate; a huge number expire in both accounts. Furthermore, both Ezekiel and Esther highlight the burial of the dead. Ezekiel 39:11 tells us that Gog and his followers were buried in the Valley of "Hamon Gog." That is interesting. When the prophet Ezekiel tells us that the dead were interred at the Valley of Hamon Gog, maybe that is Ezekiel's way of uniting Haman with Gog. Thus, Haman is Gog, Gog is Haman, and Ezekiel's portrayal of Gog and Magog is a prophecy of what would happen after Esther became queen, a prophecy that has already been fulfilled.

Probably the most striking and memorable passage of Ezekiel has to do with the valley of bones. Ezekiel was given a vision of many dry, bleached, bones scattered over the land. That mystic vision is depicted on the stain-glassed window on the south wall. While Ezekiel watched, the bones gradually take on flesh, then life and breath, and the bodies stand up and walk. It is a graphic picture of the outpouring of God's Spirit along with resurrection of the dead. In the battle of Gog and Magog, the opposite happens. The flesh of the enemy troops deteriorates, and God leaves their bones scattered over the earth.

The entire story told by Ezekiel and Esther points to God's sovereignty. God declares in Ezekiel 39:23: "The Gentiles shall know that the house of Israel went into captivity for their iniquity; because they were unfaithful to Me, therefore I hid My face from them. I gave them into the hand of their enemies, and they all fell by the sword."

How can we observe God's sovereignty in these things? We see God's control of history by the way He sent His people into captivity. He hid His face from them. He let them suffer in bondage, and as a result they became easy prey for their enemies. During this season of Lent it is good to remember the hot anger and fiery wrath of God. He hates sin and unfaithfulness with a perfect hatred. His judgment is dreadful. Therefore, God's will for us is not always peace and prosperity, happiness and comfort. He may want to toughen and improve us with trials and tribulation, even death and torture. Through it all, in our darkest hours, we must cling to Him. Such trust in the midst of pain is one of the ways that God sets forth His glory.

Let's read Ezekiel 39:25-29 to see another angle on God's sovereignty. [Read them.]

First, Ezekiel tells us about God's punishment upon His people. Now he speaks of the Lord's compassion. God brings His people back to the land. After the Church repents of her unfaithfulness and becomes ashamed of Her wrongdoing, God restores His church and revives her. God says: "I will not hide My face from them anymore; [I will pour out my Spirit on them]." First God poured out His wrath, then He poured out His Spirit.

The drama of Gog and Magog was first fulfilled during the life of Queen Esther. But Genesis chapter 10 tells about Magog, and St. John's mention of Gog and Magog in Revelation 20 suggests that Gog is a permanent threat (Rev. 20:8). Haman Gog is a symbol of those who would destroy the Church, and shatter our faith. The forces of evil will always attempt to crush the peace of God's people. Yet, if God is in control of our lives, and if He has poured out His Spirit on us, then we can expect the revival of our dry bones.

Ezekiel is a word of hope to you today. No matter what the forces of evil may do, God's purpose and victory stand secure. The Church's conquest and yours is based on the Cross of Christ and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. You can be sure that the Holy Almighty will vanquish His enemies and receive the glory. If God can defeat Gog and Magog how much more can He take care of you? He has given you His Holy Spirit. Place your anxiety and despair in the Lord's all-controlling hands. Put your trials and fears in the radiance of His glory.

Our Heavenly Father promises: "I will set my glory among the nations." The priority of God's glory may be the most important lesson we can learn on this Fourth Sunday in Lent. As we seek God's glory, our own selfishness and depression begin to retreat. Are you enjoying comfort and happiness? Give God the glory. Are you suffering pain and anguish? Give God the glory. Seek Him; find Him; cling to Him. Through it all, to the end, and forever, for He deserves the glory.

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