Outcome Of The War Against God’s People
God tells Ezekiel to prophecy against the nations who would rise
up against His people and attack them.
It is God who will take their weapons out of their hands. It is God who will gives their bodies over to
the scavenging birds. It is God who will
not only destroy the armies sent against His people but who will also turn and
destroy their own countries with fire.
Again, though, we hear the reason why. All of this will happen so that people will
see what happens to those who profane the name of the Lord. When the Lord turns away the world that comes
against Him, everyone shall know who is the Lord. In that day, His glory will be irrefutable.
I find this reality sad. If
one believes the Word of God to be true, then one has to recognize the
greatness and glory of God. One also has
to recognize the truth of this passage.
All will come to be humbled in God’s presence. Which begs the question – if you are going to
be humbled before God, isn’t it best to do it voluntarily rather than by His
force? Is it not better to submit by
choice than to submit by mandate?
However, I completely realize the “chicken and the egg” scenario
created by this question. Clearly, if
one does not believe the Word of God one doesn’t believe that they will ever be
humbled before God. So if one doesn’t
have that belief, then a person can continue in their brash arrogance against
God. The only way that voluntary
submission to God makes any sense is if a person is willing to confess God and
their need for Him. A person can really
only come to God honestly when that person is willing to recognize that neither
themselves nor the human endeavor is the center of the universe. We must realize that something else occupies
that position.
We must all be willing to hear the call of God to see our humanity
for what it is. God is always
calling. He is always trying to speak
that truth into our life. We need just
listen. Once we listen, submission comes
naturally as the next step.
Burial of the Dead
The battle with God will be so great that it will take seven
months to bury all the dead. The
implements of warfare against God will be so great that it will take seven
years to burn all the weaponry that is crafted against God. I cannot even truly grasp the scope of this
passage. I simply know that it sounds
like a lot of work and more than enough cleansing needing to be done.
What I think is sad is the finality of it all. Those people who rise up against God and His
people in the end will know of their failure only as it is too late. They will see their error as they are
dying. There will be no time for
repentance and change. They will die in
the greatest mistake of their life.
As a person who does believe in the Word of God, I find this is
another place for a gut-check moment. I
do not want to be among those who find out only too late that they have aligned
with the wrong side. Passages like this
only serve to impress upon me the importance of coming into a relationship with
God now. Passages like this only serve
to impress upon me the importance of telling others about my relationship with
God, too.
The End Result
God indicates that there will be three direct results of this
conflict with Gog and Magog. First,
people will know that He is Lord.
Second, the nations will recognize His glory. Third, His people will return to Him.
Again, we see the focus upon the recognition of God’s presence as
Lord. This continues to be one of the
prominent themes in the book of Ezekiel.
I continue to be brought face to face with this expression. I believe it is absolutely timely. I live in a world and a culture that does not
recognize this fact. We do not respect
God. We do not look to Him first. As a people and as a culture, we are in the
same position as the people to whom Ezekiel is speaking.
Second, the nations will recognize God’s glory. They will see how God has chastened the
Hebrew people because of their iniquity.
They will see how God has victoriously defeated those who violently come
against Him. The nations – Gentiles –
will have some among them who do wake up and recognize God’s hand at work.
Finally, God’s people will return to Him. They will see their iniquity. The will see the power of God. They too will turn in repentance to their
God. They will be restored. God will no longer hide His face from them.
As with almost everything in the Bible, in the end it comes back
to relationships. Are we in relationship
with Him? Do we see His relationship
with others? Are we submitting to
Him? Are we watching as He works through
the lives of others and teaches them?
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