There
will come a time when the House of Israel shall know that Jesus Christ is the
Lord and their God, and when He will not let them pollute His holy name anymore
(Ezekiel 39:7,22). Unfortunately, there will be a high price to pay for that
knowledge.
The
Lord makes it plain to understand that He will be the mastermind behind the great
battle of Armageddon which will usher in the Millenium, wherein all the nations of the earth will come
against the ‘unwalled villages, without walls and having neither bars nor
gates’ in the mountains of Israel ‘to take a spoil, and to take a prey’
(Ezekiel 38:8,11). Think of how the ancient world protected itself from enemies
by building walls and gates around their cities. Now consider how open the land
of Israel is today.
The
great Gog, the prince of the land of Magog who will lead the great army of all nations to march against Jerusalem and the
prosperity of Israel, will be a pawn in Christ’s hand to afflict and bring
God’s covenant people to their knees and claim victory for Himself ( Joel 3:1,2;
Zechariah 14:2). The Lord makes this clear through Ezekiel with simple repeated
declaration of “I will”:
-
I
will…put hooks into thy jaws, and I will bring thee forth, and all thine army
(38:4);
-
I
will…cause thee to come up from the north parts, and will bring thee upon the
mountains of Israel (39:2);
-
I
will…smite thy bow out of thy left hand, and will cause thine arrows to fall
out of thy right hand (39:3);
-
I
will… give thee unto the ravenous birds of every sort, and to the beasts of the
field to be devoured (39:4);
-
I
will… send a fire on Magog, and among them that dwell carelessly in the isles;
and they shall know that I am the Lord (39:6).
-
I
will…gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle (Zechariah 14:2)
This
army that will come upon Israel will be so great and so terrifying it will
‘cover the land as a cloud’ (Ezekiel 38:9).
“Joel stated that the army would be the
greatest army in the history of the world up to that point (Joel 2:2). He
described it as being like a “fire” that devours the land, leaving what had
looked like the “garden of Eden” before their coming as a “desolate wilderness”
(Joel 2:3; see also Joel 2:2,4-5). Joel also said that the army would be highly
disciplined in warfare and virtually invincible: “When they fall upon the
sword, they shall not be wounded” (Joel 2:7,8,9)” (The Battle of Armageddon: A Prophetic
View, Enrichment I, Old Testament Student Manual Book 2, p 291)
But their defeat at the hands of the God of
Israel will be equally terrifying. As the army descends upon Israel, “the Lord
will then come, and all men shall shake at his presence, there will be such an
earthquake as has never before been known, which will throw down the mountains;
there will be pestilence, blood, fire, and brimstone which will descend upon
the armies; the forces of Gog and Magog will be destroyed upon the mountains of
Israel; the Supper of the Great God shall then take place as the beasts and
fowls eat the flesh and drink the blood of the fallen ones (Rev 19:17-18;
D&C 29:18-21); and the house of Israel will be seven months burying the
dead and seven years burning the discarded weapons of war (Ezekiel 39:8-13).
“The
armies of Gog will turn upon each other, perhaps in the panic and confusion of
the great earthquake (see Ezekiel 38:21; Zechariah 14:13). A great rain of fire
and hail will shower down upon the army (see Ezekiel 38:22; D&C 29:21;
Revelation 16:21). John said the hailstones will weigh a talent, which is about
75.6 pounds or 34.3 kilograms (see Bible Dictionary, s.v. weights and
measures).” (Old Testament Student
Manual Book 2 p 284 and 294)
And
this is the price that Israel will pay for its betrayal of their God and for
profaning His name: “Zechariah says that only one-third of the nation of Israel
will survive this final extremity when the “city [Jerusalem] shall be taken,
and the houses rifled [looted], and the women ravished; and half of the city
shall go forth into captivity” (Zechariah 14:2; see also Zechariah 13:8-9;
14:1); and 7,000 will be slain and one tenth of the city destroyed (Revelation
11:13).” (The Old Testament Student Manual Book 2 p 294)
“So
the house of Israel shall know that I am the Lord their God from that day
forward.” (Ezekiel 39:22)
And
thus this prophecy of Isaiah will be fulfilled:
“Speak
ye comfortably to Jerusalem, and cry unto her, that her warfare is
accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned; for she hath received of the
Lord’s hand double for all her sins.”
(Isaiah 40:2)
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