EZEKIEL LESSON 41

     We will begin this lesson in Ezekiel 39:1 "Therefore, thou son of
man, prophesy against Gog, and say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I
[am] against thee, O Gog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal:"

     This re-emphasizes the fact that God is against Gog. We discussed
before the reason for God being against them. They did not believe in
God. He was against them, because they had totally rejected Him.

     Ezekiel 39:2 "And I will turn thee back, and leave but the sixth
part of thee, and will cause thee to come up from the north parts, and
will bring thee upon the mountains of Israel:"

     This is a possible explanation of the details of the effect of
God's attack upon them. It seems this vast army of Russia all die,
except for one out of every six.

     Ezekiel 39:3 "And I will smite thy bow out of thy left hand, and
will cause thine arrows to fall out of thy right hand."

     This is just speaking of the hopelessness of them fighting back
against God. Who do they shoot? In despair, they just drop their bows
and arrows.

     Ezekiel 39:4 "Thou shalt fall upon the mountains of Israel, thou,
and all thy bands, and the people that [is] with thee: I will give
thee unto the ravenous birds of every sort, and [to] the beasts of the
field to be devoured."

     This speaks of them dying in such vast numbers, that there is no
way, until this is over, to bury them. Their bodies will be eaten of
the vultures of the air. Even the beasts passing by will eat their
carcasses. There will be no one left to stop them.

     Ezekiel 39:5 "Thou shalt fall upon the open field: for I have
spoken [it], saith the Lord GOD."

     This speaks of the Lord destroying them, before they get to the
cities.

     Ezekiel 39:6 "And 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."

     Magog, we decided, is Russia. I personally believe the "isles
that dwell carelessly" is speaking of the United States. We certainly
are dwelling carelessly. This is speaking of a war and bombs,
probably. Even though these are doing the fighting, the judgement is
from God. God is just using them to bring the judgement. There will be
no question that God is God.

     Ezekiel 39:7 "So will I make my holy name known in the midst of
my people Israel; and I will not [let them] pollute my holy name any
more: and the heathen shall know that I [am] the LORD, the Holy One in
Israel."

     Terrible calamities return people to God. Perhaps, that is why
they happen. God's name is to be honored in all the world. The name
that God is called by, tells us of the character of God. Sometimes, He
is called Truth, because that is what He is. Sometimes, He is called
Abba, an endearing name for the Father. His name, sometimes, shows His
eternity, such as Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End. He,
alone, is God Almighty; all the world will know. We read that the name
of Jesus brings worship. Philippians 2:10 "That at the name of Jesus
every knee should bow, of [things] in heaven, and [things] in earth,
and [things] under the earth;" Philippians 2:11 "And [that] every
tongue should confess that Jesus Christ [is] Lord, to the glory of God
the Father."

     Ezekiel 39:8  "Behold, it is come, and it is done, saith the Lord
GOD; this [is] the day whereof I have spoken."

     This time will come, because God has spoken this.

     Ezekiel 39:9 "And they that dwell in the cities of Israel shall
go forth, and shall set on fire and burn the weapons, both the shields
and the bucklers, the bows and the arrows, and the handstaves, and the
spears, and they shall burn them with fire seven years:"

     This speaks of the tremendous amounts of weapons that will be in
the battle here. They were of no use. How can a person fight God? This
seven years could be speaking spiritually. The number seven means
spiritually complete. It could, also, be a literal number. The cleanup
from such a devastation, would be a tremendous task.

     Ezekiel 39:10 "So that they shall take no wood out of the field,
neither cut down [any] out of the forests; for they shall burn the
weapons with fire: and they shall spoil those that spoiled them, and
rob those that robbed them, saith the Lord GOD."

     This speaks of using these weapons for burning, in the place of
wood from the forest, to heat the homes. Whatever of value they had,
will go to Israel. They were the victors, even though they did not
fight the war.  God fought for them.

     Ezekiel 39:11  "And it shall come to pass in that day, [that] I
will give unto Gog a place there of graves in Israel, the valley of
the passengers on the east of the sea: and it shall stop the [noses]
of the passengers: and there shall they bury Gog and all his
multitude: and they shall call [it] The valley of Hamon-gog."

     After 4 days, a dead body begins to smell badly. This is speaking
of a smell so bad, that the people on ships, passing in the
Mediterranean Sea, will cover their noses, to keep from smelling the
terrible odor. The odor will cause the Israelis to give them a place
for graves, in their land. I believe this burial place to be in the
valley of Megiddo. Wherever it was, it was a terrible scene.

     Ezekiel 39:12 "And seven months shall the house of Israel be
burying of them, that they may cleanse the land."

     There were so many dead, they would be continually burying them.
It speaks highly of Israel, that they buried them, instead of just
piling them up, and burning them, as some countries would do. Israel
has respect for bodies.

     Ezekiel 39:13 "Yea, all the people of the land shall bury [them];
and it shall be to them a renown the day that I shall be glorified,
saith the Lord GOD."

     This would be a monumental task, even for all the people, to bury
them. They would all feel the necessity to bury them, to stop the
horrible odor.

     Ezekiel 39:14 "And they shall sever out men of continual
employment, passing through the land to bury with the passengers those
that remain upon the face of the earth, to cleanse it: after the end
of seven months shall they search."

     It seems as if, even the whole population burying them for seven
months, was not enough. They, now, hire people to go around, and find
the ones they missed, and bury them.

     Ezekiel 39:15 "And the passengers [that] pass through the land,
when [any] seeth a man's bone, then shall he set up a sign by it, till
the buriers have buried it in the valley of Hamon-gog."

     "Hamon-Gog" means the multitude of Gog. Everyone who found a bone
from a dead body, put a flag up by it, so that the professional
buriers will find it, and bury it.

     Ezekiel 39:16 "And also the name of the city [shall be] Hamonah.
Thus shall they cleanse the land."

     "Hamonah" means multitude. This city shall rise out of the rubble
of the grave place of Gog. The multitude speaks of the multitude of
dead.

     Ezekiel 39:17  "And, thou son of man, thus saith the Lord GOD;
Speak unto every feathered fowl, and to every beast of the field,
Assemble yourselves, and come; gather yourselves on every side to my
sacrifice that I do sacrifice for you, [even] a great sacrifice upon
the mountains of Israel, that ye may eat flesh, and drink blood."

     This is speaking of the same battle, as the one above. This is
just re-emphasizing the magnitude of the destruction. This is speaking
of all vultures that eat flesh. It is, also, speaking of wild beasts
that eat flesh.

     Ezekiel 39:18 "Ye shall eat the flesh of the mighty, and drink
the blood of the princes of the earth, of rams, of lambs, and of
goats, of bullocks, all of them fatlings of Bashan."

     When they fall in battle, it will make no difference whether they
were generals or a privates. The vultures know no rank. The rams,
lambs, goats, and bullocks are speaking symbolically of the different
soldiers.

     Ezekiel 39:19 "And ye shall eat fat till ye be full, and drink
blood till ye be drunken, of my sacrifice which I have sacrificed for
you."

     Again, this is speaking of this as a very large killing ground.
It seems, there is no limit, to how full the vultures will be. This is
like a sacrifice to God.

     Ezekiel 39:20 "Thus ye shall be filled at my table with horses
and chariots, with mighty men, and with all men of war, saith the Lord
GOD."

     This is saying, that even their horses, are killed along with
them. We must remind ourselves, this is not Satan doing this. The Lord
GOD does this. He is a just God. He has judged them, and now, this is
their punishment for their years of sin.

     Ezekiel 39:21 "And I will set my glory among the heathen, and all
the heathen shall see my judgment that I have executed, and my hand
that I have laid upon them."

     The one really important thing to see in this verse, is the
effect this judgement from God has on the rest of the heathen, and
also, on Israel.

     Ezekiel 39:22 "So the house of Israel shall know that I [am] the
LORD their God from that day and forward."

     This battle will leave a lasting impression upon Israel. They had
seen God operate in their behalf before, but never to this magnitude.
LORD, here is Jehovah.

     Ezekiel 39:23  "And the heathen shall know that the house of
Israel went into captivity for their iniquity: because they trespassed
against me, therefore hid I my face from them, and gave them into the
hand of their enemies: so fell they all by the sword."

     God is expressing, in this verse, that judgement truly began at
the house of God. Israel was not allowed to go on worshipping false
gods. God did not overlook her transgression. He let many of Israel
die by the sword, because of their sins. It was not God's inability to
protect Israel. It was God's judgement on Israel. When Gog and his
companions came against Israel, God showed His might. He had not
forgotten about Russia and her companions. God was giving them time to
repent.

     Ezekiel 39:24 "According to their uncleanness and according to
their transgressions have I done unto them, and hid my face from
them."

     God hid His face from Israel, when they were involved in false
worship. He hid His face from Gog, and their companions, when they
rejected Him, as their God.

     Ezekiel 39:25 "Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Now will I
bring again the captivity of Jacob, and have mercy upon the whole
house of Israel, and will be jealous for my holy name;"

     When Jacob is mentioned, it is speaking of the 12 tribes of
Israel. This is a time, when the tribes are reunited, and Israel is
forgiven of God, and accepted back as His wife.

     Ezekiel 39:26 "After that they have borne their shame, and all
their trespasses whereby they have trespassed against me, when they
dwelt safely in their land, and none made [them] afraid."

     Israel was brought back, when she repented of her idolatries, and
returned to the One True God. They were punished for their
unfaithfulness to God. They are not afraid, because they are back in
good standing with God. God will take care of them, as He did in this
great battle.

     Ezekiel 39:27 "When I have brought them again from the people,
and gathered them out of their enemies' lands, and am sanctified in
them in the sight of many nations;"

     Just before this terrible war, God had brought them back from all
the nations where they had been scattered. We know that in Germany,
alone, about one sixth of the Jews were killed in World War 2.  They
were brutally rounded up, and killed unnecessarily. In Russia, many
have been killed, as well. Because of the secrecy, no one knows for
sure how many have been killed.  God will curse those who curse
Israel.  He will bless those who bless Israel.

     Ezekiel 39:28 "Then shall they know that I [am] the LORD their
God, which caused them to be led into captivity among the heathen: but
I have gathered them unto their own land, and have left none of them
any more there."

     God scattered them for the sins in their lives. He brings them
back, because He is a merciful God. He has forgiven them.

     Ezekiel 39:29 "Neither will I hide my face any more from them:
for I have poured out my spirit upon the house of Israel, saith the
Lord GOD."

     I believe this is that Scripture in Jeremiah 31:34 "And they
shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his
brother, saying, Know the LORD: for they shall all know me, from the
least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the LORD: for I will
forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more."
                         Ezekiel 41 Questions


1.  Who is this prophecy directed to?
2.  God turns them back, and leaves but a _________ part of them.
3.  What is verse 3 speaking of?
4.  Where will their dead bodies fall?
5.  God gives their dead bodies to what?
6.  God sends a fire on what two places?
7.  Why does the author believe one of the places is the United
    States?
8.  _______ ______ return people to God.
9.  The name of God reveals to us His ___________.
10. Quote Philippians chapter 2 verse 10.
11. How long will it take the people of Israel to burn the weapons of
    the fallen soldiers?
12. What will they use the weapons for?
13. How bad will the smell of the dead bodies be?
14. What will be the name of their burying place?
15. How long will the house of Israel be burying their enemies?
16. After this period of time, what do they do to get rid of any
    remaining bodies?
17. If a person saw a bone, what were they to do?
18. What does "Hamon-Gog" mean?
19. "Hamonah" means what?
20. What does God call these dead bodies in verse 17?
21. What preference was shown to officers?
22. What effect does this great tragedy have on the rest of the world?
23. Judgement truly began at the house of ______.
24. What does it mean, when Jacob is mentioned?
25. Why is Israel no longer afraid?
26. God ________ those who curse Israel.
27. God scattered them, because of the _______ in their lives.
28. God brings them back, because He is a _________ God.
29. Quote Jeremiah chapter 31 verse 34.