A scientist reading Ezekiel (or any other Book of the Bible) will see certain things that I miss. Of course, that scientist must be a “Believer” in the things of God, not a skeptic. Certain “links,” or “logical developments.”
Today’s verses show such a situation, with our God speaking. “And I will smite thy bow out of thy left hand, and will cause thine arrows to fall out of thy right hand. 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. Thou shalt fall upon the open field: for I have spoken it, saith the Lord GOD. 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. 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.” Ezekiel 39:3-7
Now, using the same Text, let me identify the pronouns and explain a term or two.
“And I (the Lord) will smite (beat) thy bow out of thy left hand, and will cause thine (Russia and company) arrows to fall out of thy right hand (stripping this enemy of all weapons). Thou shalt fall (means ‘fail’ 318 times) upon the mountains (in Hebrew ‘har’) of Israel, thou, and all thy bands (allies), and the people (a throng) that is with thee: I will give (God’s gift to the buzzards) thee unto the ravenous (root word means ‘to scream, to shriek’) birds of every sort, and to the beasts (‘living creatures’ ) of the field to be devoured (to be ‘fuel’ for God’s creatures). Thou shalt fall upon the open field: for I have spoken it, saith the Lord GOD. And I will send (‘to let go, to stretch out’) A FIRE (‘burning, hot’) on Magog (north of Israel, ‘Russia and her allies’ many say), and among them that dwell carelessly (‘safely’) in the isles: and they (the island dwellers) shall know (‘perceive, understand’) that I am the LORD. So will I make my holy (in Hebrew ‘qodesh’ = set apart, dedicated, consecrated, different) name (‘shem’ = reputation, fame, renown) known in the midst of my people (God still ‘owns’ them, ‘loves’ them) Israel; and I will not let them pollute (defile, profane, wound) my holy name (God speaking of Himself) any more: and the heathen (gentiles) shall know that I am the LORD (Jehovah), the Holy One in Israel.”
It seems to me that Ezekiel chapter 38 describes the battle, HOW God overcomes this selfish bloc of Israel’s attackers. Now chapter 39 is giving us more of the specifics.
But back to the “scientist’s” perspective I mentioned earlier. In chapter 38 God told of a great “earthquake” He was sending. One that would help decimate Russia and her gang. “Surely in that day there shall be A GREAT SHAKING in the land of Israel; so that the fishes of the sea, and the fowls of the heaven, and the beasts of the field, and all creeping things that creep upon the earth, and all the men that are upon the face of the earth, SHALL SHAKE AT MY (THE LORD’S) PRESENCE, and THE MOUNTAINS SHALL BE THROWN DOWN, and the STEEP PLACES SHALL FALL, and EVERY WALL SHALL FALL to the ground.” Ezekiel 38:19-20, WOW! God several times through Scripture is said to cause these mighty upheavals, “earthquakes” indeed.
But that saved scientist I noted ties the “earthquake” of yesterday’s Lesson to the intense “fire” in today’s Lesson. He believes the “earthquake” causes the “fire!” In other words, the earth shakes and vibrates and lunges so violently that (cracks, deep fissures in its surface, core occur) … with violent VOLCANOES resulting!
Seems logical.
And that, to me anyway, puts a fresh perspective on these events!
After all, the God Who created is also the God Who judges!
To Him be Glory and Praise.
— Dr. Mike Bagwell