Chapter 38
Themes, discussion questions, Christ connections, and denomination lenses.
Just read this chapter →Scripture
KJV1And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
2Son of man, set thy face against Gog, the land of Magog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal, and prophesy against him,
3And say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against thee, O Gog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal:
4And I will turn thee back, and put hooks into thy jaws, and I will bring thee forth, and all thine army, horses and horsemen, all of them clothed with all sorts of armour, even a great company with bucklers and shields, all of them handling swords:
5Persia, Ethiopia, and Libya with them; all of them with shield and helmet:
6Gomer, and all his bands; the house of Togarmah of the north quarters, and all his bands: and many people with thee.
7Be thou prepared, and prepare for thyself, thou, and all thy company that are assembled unto thee, and be thou a guard unto them.
8After many days thou shalt be visited: in the latter years thou shalt come into the land that is brought back from the sword, and is gathered out of many people, against the mountains of Israel, which have been always waste: but it is brought forth out of the nations, and they shall dwell safely all of them.
9Thou shalt ascend and come like a storm, thou shalt be like a cloud to cover the land, thou, and all thy bands, and many people with thee.
10Thus saith the Lord GOD; It shall also come to pass, that at the same time shall things come into thy mind, and thou shalt think an evil thought:
11And thou shalt say, I will go up to the land of unwalled villages; I will go to them that are at rest, that dwell safely, all of them dwelling without walls, and having neither bars nor gates,
12To take a spoil, and to take a prey; to turn thine hand upon the desolate places that are now inhabited, and upon the people that are gathered out of the nations, which have gotten cattle and goods, that dwell in the midst of the land.
13Sheba, and Dedan, and the merchants of Tarshish, with all the young lions thereof, shall say unto thee, Art thou come to take a spoil? hast thou gathered thy company to take a prey? to carry away silver and gold, to take away cattle and goods, to take a great spoil?
14Therefore, son of man, prophesy and say unto Gog, Thus saith the Lord GOD; In that day when my people of Israel dwelleth safely, shalt thou not know it?
15And thou shalt come from thy place out of the north parts, thou, and many people with thee, all of them riding upon horses, a great company, and a mighty army:
16And thou shalt come up against my people of Israel, as a cloud to cover the land; it shall be in the latter days, and I will bring thee against my land, that the heathen may know me, when I shall be sanctified in thee, O Gog, before their eyes.
17Thus saith the Lord GOD; Art thou he of whom I have spoken in old time by my servants the prophets of Israel, which prophesied in those days many years that I would bring thee against them?
18And it shall come to pass at the same time when Gog shall come against the land of Israel, saith the Lord GOD, that my fury shall come up in my face.
19For in my jealousy and in the fire of my wrath have I spoken, Surely in that day there shall be a great shaking in the land of Israel;
20So 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 presence, and the mountains shall be thrown down, and the steep places shall fall, and every wall shall fall to the ground.
21And I will call for a sword against him throughout all my mountains, saith the Lord GOD: every man’s sword shall be against his brother.
22And I will plead against him with pestilence and with blood; and I will rain upon him, and upon his bands, and upon the many people that are with him, an overflowing rain, and great hailstones, fire, and brimstone.
23Thus will I magnify myself, and sanctify myself; and I will be known in the eyes of many nations, and they shall know that I am the LORD.
“Thus will I magnify myself, and sanctify myself; and I will be known in the eyes of many nations, and they shall know that I am the LORD.”
Overview
God directs Ezekiel to prophesy against Gog, of the land of Magog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal, who will lead a vast coalition of nations against a restored and peaceful Israel in the latter years. God declares that He Himself put hooks in Gog's jaws to draw him down — not because Israel is vulnerable, but so that God might display His holiness before all nations through the dramatic destruction of this invading horde.
Key Themes
The Final Enemy
Gog represents the ultimate hostile force against God's people — a massive coalition from the ends of the earth that attacks restored Israel in the latter days.
God's Sovereign Orchestration
God Himself draws Gog out — He puts hooks in the enemy's jaws, orchestrating even the final assault against His people for the purpose of displaying His glory.
The Cosmic Battle
God responds with earthquake, pestilence, blood, torrential rain, hailstones, fire, and brimstone — the weapons of cosmic judgment against the armies of evil.
Study Questions
What does God's statement that He puts hooks in Gog's jaws (v. 4) reveal about divine sovereignty over evil?
Why does God allow this massive invasion against a peaceful and restored Israel?
How does the massive coalition of nations against Israel reflect the spiritual reality of hostility toward God's people?
What do the weapons of divine judgment — earthquake, pestilence, fire, brimstone (vv. 19-22) — signify?
How does this prophecy relate to the Gog and Magog battle in Revelation 20:7-9?
Connection to Christ
The Gog and Magog battle reappears in Revelation 20:7-9 as the final satanic assault after Christ's millennial reign. Christ is the ultimate defender of His people, and the fire from heaven that consumes Gog's armies is the final victory of the Lamb over all enemies.
Personal Reflection
Take time to journal or meditate on what God is teaching you through Ezekiel 38. How can these truths transform your thinking and actions today?