Ezekiel 38
There is a Day Coming! (Part 1 of 2)
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Tuesday, July 16.
Why did God raise up an “exceedingly great army” from the valley of dry bones in Ezekiel 37:1-10? The answer is found in the apocalyptic battle of Ezekiel 38-39, where God introduced the coming enemy of “Gog and Magog” in Ezekiel 38:2-4:
Son of man, set your face toward Gog of the land of Magog, the prince of Rosh, Meshech and Tubal, and prophesy against him and say, “Thus says the Lord God, ‘Behold, I am against you, O Gog, prince of Rosh, Meshech and Tubal. I will turn you about and put hooks into your jaws, and I will bring you out, and all your army, horses and horsemen, all of them splendidly attired, a great company with buckler and shield, all of them wielding swords.’”
The stage was set for the epic battle between good and evil, with the redemption of not only Israel, but all of God’s creation. It is through the New Covenant’s baptism of the Holy Spirit, which regenerates people to God’s purposes of living under His headship, that the Table of Nations can be restored back to His sovereign rule. The Table of Nations is the listing of Noah’s descendants in Genesis 10, and Ezekiel prophetically connected Israel’s purposes back to the scattering of these nations. There is a double fulfillment of Ezekiel’s prophecy because the prophet was anchoring Israel’s future deliverance from captivity to the ultimate fulfillment of the Messiah’s liberation of all the nations from demonic rule. Just as Israel would return to the Promised Land, so all the promises of God are fulfilled in Jesus Christ who “rescued us from the domain of darkness” (Colossians 1:18), which will be completed for Gog and Magog, and all the Table of Nations, in Christ’s eternal rule (Revelation 20:7-10).
Seize the moment and live on mission for God’s kingdom, remembering that your salvation is an enlistment into the exceedingly great army of God (2 Timothy 2:3-4).
God bless you!
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YOUTUBE:
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