The dead are everywhere. Men are “continuously” employed to bury the corpses. Birds of prey are invited to come and feast on them. Ezekiel made the most detailed and chilling account of Armageddon in the scriptures. Yet, this prophecy is rarely mentioned and often overlooked.
The dead are everywhere. Men are “continuously” employed to bury the corpses. Birds of prey are invited to come and feast on them. That dark day will be remembered and recounted for the rest of time.
Jehovah’s prophet Ezekiel was inspired to make the most detailed and chilling account of Armageddon anywhere in the scriptures. Yet, this prophecy is rarely mentioned and often overlooked. Why?
The timing of events featured so prominently in the prophecy calls for Jehovah’s worshippers to be devastated and then symbolically brought back to life – all directly before the day of Armageddon. It does not allow it to be decades previously, i.e. during the 1914-1919 period, as we presently believe and teach, but almost directly beforehand.
Before we begin, let’s briefly consider what Ezekiel has to say regarding the desolation and miraculous regathering of Jehovah’s people.
“I myself, Jehovah, have built the things torn down”
Jehovah’s name-sake people go into Babylon-like captivity and exile. The cities of “Judah” become “devastated places” because of Jehovah’s “cleansing you from all your errors”. In fact, “it had become a desolate waste before the eyes of every passerby”. —Ezekiel 36:33, 34
However, in time “people will certainly say: ‘That land yonder which was laid desolate has become like the garden of Eden, and the cities that were a desolate waste … are fortified; they have become inhabited.’” —Ezekiel 36:35
Indeed, like many other prophecies, Ezekiel too tells of a time when the Israelites will be restored to their homeland. Jehovah, through Joel, similarly said “I will make compensation to you for … my great military force that I have sent among you. And you will certainly eat, eating and becoming satisfied, and you will be bound to praise the name of Jehovah your God”. —Joel 2:25
These prophecies have a dual fulfilment. The minor fulfilment took place when the Jews returned to their homeland after the decree of Persian King Cyrus. The major fulfilment applies to Spiritual Israel in the time of the end, as spoken of in Revelation, when Jehovah’s people are devastated for a period of three-and-a-half years but then miraculously restored.
Hence, in these ancient prophecies, Israel, Judah and Jerusalem represent the modern organized worshippers of Jehovah – spiritual Israel, or the “Israel of God”. —Galatians 6:15, 16
What a remarkable final fulfilment it will be! For Jehovah says that at that time “I shall multiply them like a flock with men. Like a flock of holy persons, like the flock of Jerusalem in her festal seasons, thus the cities that had been a waste will become full of a flock of men; and people will have to know that I am Jehovah” (Ezekiel 36:37, 38). Indeed, Zechariah adds “It will be in those days that ten men out of all the languages of the nations will take hold, yes, they will actually take hold of the skirt of a man who is a Jew, saying: ‘We will go with you people, for we have heard that God is with you people.’” —Zechariah 8:23
Dem Dry Bones
To emphasise to Ezekiel just how miraculous the restoration of Jehovah’s people will be, in vision “the hand of Jehovah” transports Ezekiel to the “midst of the valley plain, and it was full of bones”. Ezekiel inspects the bones “and, look! there were very many… and, look! they were very dry.”
Imagine the scene – Ezekiel has been transported, all alone, to a wide valley plain where scattered human bones surround him. Perhaps there is a smell of death in the air, with a chilling cold breeze blowing across the valley floor. As if this scene isn’t frightening enough, Jehovah now commands Ezekiel to do something which would no doubt send a shiver down anyone’s spine.
He said “Prophesy over these bones, and you must say to them, ‘O you dry bones, hear the word of Jehovah… Here I am bringing into you breath, and you must come to life.” Then, right before Ezekiel’s eyes, “upon them sinews themselves and flesh itself came up and skin began to be overlaid upon them above”. How frightening! —Ezekiel 37:4, 5, 8
After blowing life into the rebuilt corpses, “they began to live and stand upon their feet, a very, very great military force.” Imagine that! You’re all alone in a strange place, surrounded by death; then gradually the skeletons are reconstituted bit by bit, sinew by sinew, before your very eyes; they all come back to life, get up on their feet, and before you know it a very large “military force” of the living dead surround you!
But who does this great military force represent? Jehovah answers, “Son of man, as regards these bones, they are the whole house of Israel.” (Ezekiel 37:11) Yes, they represent Jehovah’s people – fully revived after their devastation.
Indeed, this is confirmed by the next comments, that “one king is what all of them will come to have”. For about 250 years the Jews had two kings – one for the northern Kingdom of Israel, and one for the southern Kingdom of Judah. However, after the nation’s restoration, they were no longer divided. Yet Jehovah also prophesied “my servant David will be king over them” and “David my servant will be their chieftain to time indefinite”. This could not –and did not— happen in the initial fulfilment. Nor could it happen in the modern-day State of Israel founded in 1948. No, for this prophecy has its major fulfilment in the spiritual “Israel of God”.
Jehovah concludes the vision of the dry bones by saying “I will conclude with them a covenant of peace; an indefinitely lasting covenant… And my tabernacle [or, tent] will actually prove to be over them, and I shall certainly become their God, and they themselves will become my people. And the nations will have to know that I, Jehovah, am sanctifying Israel” (Ezekiel 37: 26-28). How similar this is to Revelation 21:3 “Look! The tent [or, tabernacle] of God is with mankind, and he will reside with them, and they will be his peoples. And God himself will be with them.”
Yes, after the attack of the King of the North (the future United Nations) and spending some time in devastation, the Israel of God will be restored. Now that the Judgement that “starts first with us” (1 Peter 4:17) has begun, and our judgement is complete, what next?
Satan’s world takes note of our miraculous restoration, and gears up to attack us a second time… but Jehovah is watching. Yes, the judgement of the nations – Armageddon – is about to begin!
Gog of Magog
And the word of Jehovah continued to occur to me, saying: “Son of man, set your face against Gog of the land of Magog, the head chieftain of Meshech and Tubal, and prophesy against him. —Ezekiel 38:1, 2
Let’s solve a mystery. Who is Gog?
We are not aware of any person from antiquity who had the name of ‘Gog’. Ezekiel only reveals he is of the land of “Magog” and he is the “head chieftain” of at least two additional lands called “Meshech and Tubal”. However, this prophecy cannot be talking about the activities of an ancient man among ancient nations. No, for this prophecy was never fulfilled by any known attack on Israel by these nations, and the prophecy itself states that it is for “the final part of the days”. —Ezekiel 38:16
It is not certain where the land of Magog was, if it existed at all. The ancient historian Josephus suggests that Magog may have been to the north of Palestine, perhaps in the area of the Scythian tribes.
What about Meshech and Tubal? Meshech was one of the grandsons of Noah who settled to the North of Palestine. As was the custom, the lands were named after whoever settled there first. Similarly, some archaeological evidence points to Tubal having been “situated (at least in Assyrian times) to the NE of Cilicia in eastern Asia Minor”, which is also north of Palestine. —Insight vol. II, page 1,133
So the lands “Gog” is head chieftain over are all to the North of Palestine. In Bible prophecy, this is very significant! Why?
The Babylonian and Assyrian armies who came to execute Jehovah’s judgements were all spoken of as coming from “the north”. Likewise, in the prophecy of the time of the end in Daniel, the “King of the North” conquers spiritual Israel: “the king of the north will storm with chariots and with horsemen and with many ships… He will also actually enter into the land of the Decoration”. —Daniel 11:41
We believe this King of the North represents the future totalitarian United Nations. Fittingly enough, this chapter of Ezekiel paints “Gog of Magog” as being head over a large multilateral task-force composed of the armies of multiple nations. Later it speaks of both northern and southern nations as being under his control.
So does this mean that “Gog of Magog” is the United Nations? No, not exactly. Revelation chapter 20 verses 7 and 8 can give us some more information. There it speaks of events after the thousand-year reign of Christ: “Now as soon as the thousand years have been ended, Satan will be let loose out of his prison, and he will go out to mislead those nations in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together for the war.”
So Gog of Magog seems to be Satan the Devil, as “the chieftain” over his human cohorts, in a united coalition of nations.
Now Jehovah tells Ezekiel what to say next:
And you must say, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord Jehovah has said: “Here I am against you, O Gog, you head chieftain of Meshech and Tubal. And I shall certainly turn you around and put hooks in your jaws and bring you forth with all your military force, horses and horsemen, all of them clothed in perfect taste, a numerous congregation, with large shield and buckler, all of them handling swords; —Ezekiel 38:3, 4b
Jehovah, comparing Satan’s international task force with a beast, will put hooks in its jaws and bring it before him.
However, Gog’s force is no mere animal, nor is it a ram-shackle and weak army that can be easily destroyed. No, for this is a highly advanced and professional force. Men handling swords, large shields, bucklers (small shields), and horses may not sound like an advanced and formidable army by today’s standards; in ancient times the use of horses, swords, and shields were the tools of a highly organized, technologically advanced and well-funded army.
Additionally, they are all “clothed in perfect taste”. The Assyrian army was earlier described in Ezekiel as being “clothed with perfect taste, cavalrymen riding horses —desirable young men all of them”. Jerusalem, symbolically represented as a woman, was said to be so impressed with them that she prostituted herself so she could sleep with them.
Hence, this verse is emphasising how formidable, massive, organized, and fear-inspiring is Gog’s army.
Interestingly, the soldiers in this army are not only from the north:
Persia, Ethiopia and Put [is] with them, all of them with buckler and helmet; —Ezekiel 38:5
So, not only is Gog (who is coming from the North) chieftain of many northern kingdoms and their armies, but he also commands control over additional lands and their armies, including those of the south!
Persia is to the south-east of Palestine, Ethiopia is to the direct south, and Put is to the south-west.
Ezekiel now lists additional other northern lands under the control if Gog:
Gomer and all its bands, the house of Togarmah, of the remotest parts of the north, and all its bands, many peoples with you. —Ezekiel 38:6
From both the north and the south, Gog has forces in all directions – a truly multinational taskforce. The Insight book makes an interesting observation, that “Gog’s role, therefore, is as commander of a massive assault force that applies tremendous pressures designed to crush Jehovah’s people as though they were in a vice”.
Jehovah now speaks directly to Gog:
“Be ready, and let there be preparation on your part, you with all your congregation, those congregated alongside you, and you must become their guard.” —Ezekiel 38:7
Gog, who is already the chieftain over these nations, is to also become their “guard”. An army chieftain who commands and guards his army will not simply try to bring about their suicidal destruction. No, for Gog wants to win the battle, regardless of how hopeless it may be. He wants to go down fighting!
In fact, Gog will do some “preparation” for the coming battle. Since Gog’s united multinational force – the future United Nations – does not come into existence until early in the Time of the End, we can expect Satan to secretly prepare for the battle of Armageddon as soon as he is thrown to earth.
Eventually, however…
“After many days you will be given attention. In the final part of the years you will come to the land of people brought back from the sword, collected together out of many peoples, onto the mountains of Israel, that have proved to be a constantly devastated place; even a land that has been brought forth from the peoples, where they have dwelt in security, all of them. And you will be bound to come up. Like a storm you will come in. Like clouds to cover the land you will become, you and all your bands and many peoples with you.” —Ezekiel 38:8, 9
Yes, after many days Gog will approach Israel, a people “brought back from the sword, collected together out of many peoples”. They are, of course, Jehovah’s modern worshippers who have been regathered after their three-and-a-half years of turmoil.
As we can see, the prophecy leaves no room for claiming the people who were “brought back from the sword” experienced their restoration over eighty years previously, during the 1914-1918 period. Indeed, most of those who were alive then are now dead. A miniscule percentage of Jehovah’s Witnesses alive today were “brought back” from that experience.
We as Witnesses may be from “many peoples”, over 200 lands in fact, but we have not come to Jehovah’s organized worship after being exiled and then experiencing a miraculous restoration.
Jehovah now goes on to speak about Gog:
“This is what the Sovereign Lord Jehovah has said, ‘And it must occur in that day that things will come up into your heart, and you will certainly think up an injurious scheme; and you must say: “I shall go up against the land of open rural country. I shall come in upon those having no disturbance, dwelling in security, all of them dwelling without wall, and they do not have even bar and doors.” —Ezekiel 38:10, 11
Jehovah’s people have been miraculously regathered – but not without Satan’s notice. Their previous physical and spiritual devastation has been turned around to spiritual prosperity. Indeed, at this time Satan’s world is a globe divided between two opposing viewpoints: those who accept Jesus Christ as the new King, and those who accept Satan’s counterfeit kingdom. As Jehovah’s restored people are the only ones refusing to submit to Satan’s rule, they must be eliminated.
Satan will “think up an injurious scheme” to accomplish this, or as the Modern King James Version renders it, Gog “shall devise an evil plan”.
Part of his ‘evil plan’ is this:
It will be to get a big spoil and to do much plundering, in order to turn your hand back upon devastated places reinhabited and upon a people gathered together out of the nations, one that is accumulating wealth and property, those who are dwelling in the centre of the earth. —Ezekiel 38:12
Yes, part of the evil plan will involve plundering the wealth from Jehovah’s regathered people. Satan’s forces did the same thing to the worlds religions shortly prior to this. For in carrying out Jehovah’s scheme, the world governments ate “her fleshy parts” – yes, the fleshy, or fatty, parts of Babylon the Great, signifying her wealth and property. They think they will similarly benefit by doing the same thing to us. —Revelation 17:16
The world will have reason for confidence. The false religions that Gog previously destroyed were large, influential, rich, and powerful institutions. However, Jehovah’s people will not be as large, influential, rich, or powerful. As previously said, they are an “open rural country… of them dwelling without wall, and they do not have even bar and doors.” What an easy target!
However, exactly what wealth would we possess? How much wealth and property could Jehovah’s recently restored people really have? It is difficult to imagine us possessing much, if anything.
Even if we do not possess anything other than our personal wealth and property, the nations will be sure to get everything possible out of us, just as they plundered and ate the “fleshy parts” of all the other religious followers during Babylon’s destruction.
“Sheba and Dedan and the merchants of Tarshish and all its mained young lions—they will say to you: “Is it to get a big spoil that you are coming in? Is it to do much plundering that you have congregated your congregation, in order to carry off silver and gold, to take wealth and property, to get a very great spoil?”” —Ezekiel 38:13
Yes, the major merchants of the earth, including the most ruthless money-makers, represented as “mained young lions”, will be enquiring of Gog’s plans. No doubt they will be very interested in seeing what they can get out of it.
After their regathering, Jehovah’s people will be preaching to the world that the “signs in the heavens” signify the coming of the Son of Man for Armageddon (Luke 21:25). Then, it will “be in those days that ten men out of all the languages of the nations will take hold, yes, they will actually take hold of the skirt of a man who is a Jew, saying: ‘We will go with you people, for we have heard that God is with you people.’” —Zechariah 8:23
Just as the Israelites left Egypt with “a vast mixed company” (Exodus 12:38), so too will the remaining ones of Jehovah’s regathered people will be ushered through Armageddon with many people “of the nations”. No doubt these newly supportive worshippers of Jehovah will also be eyed by Gog for plundering.
Jehovah now speaks:
“Therefore prophesy, O son of man, and you must say to Gog, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord Jehovah has said: “Will it not be in that day when my people Israel are dwelling in security that you will know it? And you will certainly come from your place, from the remotest parts of the north, you and many peoples with you, all of them riding on horses, a great congregation, even a numerous military force.”” —Ezekiel 38:14, 15
Yes, Gog will certainly notice Jehovah’s regathered people, and Gog’s attack is inevitable.
Some may ask: if Satan and the demons know they are going to be defeated and imprisoned for a thousand years, why deliberately fulfil their own prophecy of doom?
Revelation says that Satan (and, presumably his demons too) will be thrown down to earth “having great anger, knowing he has a short period of time.” The demons will be full of anger, wishing to inflict it on as many other people as possible. Additionally, we know that the demons take pleasure in the death and suffering of living things. In Matthew, “the demons began to entreat him [Jesus], saying: “If you expel us, send us forth into the herd of swine.” Accordingly he said to them: “Go!” They came out and went off into the swine; and, look! the entire herd rushed over the precipice into the sea and died in the waters.” —Matthew 8:31, 32
Their great anger and perversive love of pain means their attacking Jehovah’s people is an irresistible compulsion. In other words, if Satan is ‘going down’, he will make sure he takes as many people as possible down with him.
“And you will be bound to come up against my people Israel, like clouds to cover the land. In the final part of the days it will occur, and I shall certainly bring you against my land, for the purpose that the nations may know me when I sanctify myself in you before their eyes, O Gog.” —Ezekiel 38:16
Why would Jehovah even allow Gog, or Satan, to “come up against” his recently regathered people? So that “the nations may know me”, says Jehovah. Yes, Jehovah will “sanctify” himself before everyone.
Some brothers and sisters wonder if those destroyed at Armageddon will know why or by whom they are to be wiped out. Ezekiel makes it very clear that the world will most certainly know! Indeed, Jesus said that “the sign of the Son of man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will beat themselves in lamentation, and they will see the Son of man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory” (Matthew 24:30). Yes, the people of Earth will even see signs in heaven, and along with this, Jehovah’s regathered people are preaching that the end is nigh!
Mankind will know exactly what is happening, why and from whom.
Jehovah now speaks to Gog:
“This is what the Sovereign Lord Jehovah has said, ‘Are you the same one of whom I spoke in the former days by the hand of my servants the prophets of Israel, who were prophesying in those days—years—as to bringing you in upon them?’” —Ezekiel 38:17
Yes, the prophets of old also talked of Gog in previous prophecies. Except then, they talked of Satan’s multinational crowd being permitted to desolate Jehovah’s people.
Gog is the same entity as the King of the North who desolates Jehovah’s people. Just as a future United Nations will trample on the spiritual “Israel of God”, the same entity is used by Satan to attack us, but for a second time after our restoration.
What will be Jehovah’s response to this second, unsanctioned, attack?
“‘And it must occur in that day, in the day when Gog comes in upon the soil of Israel,’ is the utterance of the Sovereign Lord Jehovah, ‘that my rage will come up into my nose. And in my ardour, in the fire of my fury, I shall have to speak. Surely in that day a great quaking will occur in the soil of Israel.” —Ezekiel 38:18, 19
Jehovah will be enraged!
This attack will not be permitted to happen by any means. Speaking of Jehovah’s great anger, the prophet Nahum says “Jehovah is taking vengeance and is disposed to rage. Jehovah is taking vengeance against his adversaries” (Nahum 1:2). Indeed, “our God is also a consuming fire”. —Hebrews 12:29
And because of me the fish of the sea and the flying creatures of the heavens and the wild beasts of the field and all the creeping things that are creeping on the ground and all mankind that are upon the surface of the ground will be bound to shiver, and the mountains will actually be thrown down and the steep ways will have to fall, and to the earth even every wall will fall.’ —Ezekiel 38:20
Every creature on earth will know something is wrong. All creation will “shiver” from fright. Similarly, Jesus said, “men [will] become faint out of fear and expectation of the things coming upon the inhabited earth”. —Luke 21:26
Additionally, the “mountains” will be thrown down. Mountains can represent Governments and human institutions in prophecy (for example, the seven world powers are referred to as “seven mountains” in Revelation 17:9, 10). Yet not only will large ‘mountains’ see destruction, but even the “steep ways” (perhaps paths and roadways between cities in the rugged Palestinian terrain), and the “walls” (probably referring to the walls around cities) will also fall down.
Human institutions will cease to exist, lines of communication will be broken, and protective city walls will fall down.
Then what?
“‘And I will call forth against him throughout all my mountainous region a sword,’ is the utterance of the Sovereign Lord Jehovah. ‘Against his own brother the sword of each one will come to be.’” —Ezekiel 38:21
Gog’s crowd has covered the mountains of spiritual “Israel” like a cloud. Gathered together, Jehovah will then send in his sword after them.
Who will carry this sword to the slaughter? Revelation 19:11, 15, 16 answers, “look! a white horse. And the one seated upon it is called Faithful and True… And out of his mouth there protrudes a sharp long sword, that he may strike the nations with it, and he will shepherd them with a rod of iron… he has a name written [on him], King of kings and Lord of lords”. Of course, the one seated on the horse is Jesus Christ.
Not only will Jehovah’s executioner kill them directly, but part of the slaughter will be Gog’s forces turning on each other. “Against his own brother the sword of each one will come to be.” Jehovah has used a similar method before. The judge Gideon defeated a Midianite invasion force of 135,000 men. How? By causing confusion in the Midianite camp. In the dead of night, Gideon’s 300 men snuck up to their camp and executed a plan. They brought and broke 300 hundred water jars, blew 300 horns, made 300 war cries, and lit 300 torches. Mass confusion broke out among the dazed and surprised Midianites, and “Jehovah proceeded to set the sword of each one against the other in all the camp”. —Judges 7:17-22
Yes, as Zechariah 14:13 says of Armageddon, “in that day confusion from Jehovah will become widespread among them; and they will actually grab hold, each one of the hand of his companion, and his hand will actually come up against the hand of his companion”.
Through the prophet Haggai, Jehovah also said “I am rocking the heavens and the earth. And I shall certainly overthrow the throne of kingdoms and annihilate the strength of the kingdoms of the nations; and I will overthrow the chariot and its riders, and the horses and their riders will certainly come down, each one by the sword of his brother.” —Haggai 2:21, 22
And I will bring myself into judgment with him, with pestilence and with blood; and a flooding downpour and hailstones, fire and sulphur I shall rain down upon him and upon his bands and upon the many peoples that will be with him. —Ezekiel 38:22
Pestilence! Blood! Flooding! Hailstones! Fire and sulphur! It seems Jehovah’s executional forces will use almost every force possible to destroy the wicked.
Interestingly, Jehovah has used each and every one of those methods to execute his enemies in the past. Considering those events will give us a better idea of what Armageddon will be like.
Please consider each of the methods of destruction below, for an example of how Jehovah has used it in the past:
Pestilence
One day during the reign of King David, “Satan proceeded to stand up against Israel and to incite David to number Israel.” Despite opposition from his reluctant servant Joab, saying “Why does my lord seek this? Why should he become a cause of guilt to Israel?” David made him travel throughout Palestine and to complete the census. Joab, however, never counted the tribes of Levi and Benjamin “because the king’s word had been detestable to Joab”.
The census was “bad in the eyes of the true God” because it showed David was relying on his own strength, rather than on Jehovah who had sustained and supported him. However, David then repented and said to Jehovah “I have sinned very much… I have acted very foolishly.” God then gave a David a choice of three punishments, “Choose for yourself one of them” said Jehovah. They were: three months of famine, three months of enemies chasing David, or three days of pestilence. He chose the latter.
“Then Jehovah gave a pestilence in Israel, so that out of Israel seventy thousand persons fell.” This action was carried out by an angel of God, and presumably those who died deserved it. The angel then went “to Jerusalem to bring ruin to it”. Yet, as soon the calamity began in Jerusalem, “Jehovah saw it and began to feel regret over the calamity; and so he said to the angel that was bringing the ruin: “It is enough! Now let your hand drop.”” Jehovah’s angel stopped his work while standing near the house of a man named Ornan, who was busy threshing wheat with his four sons.
David and several older men came to Ornan’s house to approach the angel. “David raised his eyes, he got to see Jehovah’s angel standing between the earth and the heavens with his drawn sword in his hand extended toward Jerusalem.” Now grovelling on the floor, David pleaded with God “O Jehovah my God, let your hand, please, come to be upon me and my father’s house; but not upon your people”. Jehovah’s angel then directed that an altar to Jehovah should be erected at that spot.
After constructing the altar, David “offered up burnt sacrifices… and he proceeded to call upon Jehovah, who now answered him with fire from the heavens upon the altar of burnt offering.” Only then did Jehovah direct the angel to return “his sword to its sheath.” The crisis was finally over.
Just one angel caused this entire calamity. This shows how easily Jehovah can send “pestilence” upon this world at Armageddon. In fact, David was so shaken by the experience that he decided to stop going to the tabernacle to enquire of Jehovah “for he had been terrified because of the sword of Jehovah’s angel.” —1 Chronicles 21
Blood
Haughty Pharaoh had refused to allow Israel to go and sacrifice to Jehovah in the wilderness, previously having said “Who is Jehovah, so that I should obey his voice?” Hence, Jehovah instructed Moses and Aaron to see Pharaoh again, and to “meet him by the edge of the Nile River, and the rod that turned into a serpent you are to take in your hand.”
Yes, for Jehovah was about to humiliate the false god Hapi, the god of the Nile, who was worshipped even above almighty Ra! Moses said to Pharaoh, “By this you will know that I am Jehovah. Here I am striking with the rod that is in my hand upon the water that is in the Nile River, and it will certainly turn into blood.”
Aaron then stretched out his rod over the waters; “he lifted up the rod and struck the water that was in the Nile River under the eyes of Pharaoh and his servants”. Miraculously, right in front of them all, “all the water that was in the Nile River was turned into blood.” All fish in the river perished, and the river “began to stink”. Yet it wasn’t just in this one location, for “the blood came to be in all the land of Egypt.”
Thirsty for water, “all the Egyptians went digging round about the Nile River for water to drink, because they were unable to drink any water of the Nile River.” The river remained this way for a full week. —Exodus 7:15-25
Perhaps in a similar way Jehovah will use “blood” as an instrument of destruction at Armageddon.
Flooding downpour
“Noah was a righteous man” says Genesis, who “proved himself faultless among his contemporaries.” This was quite impressive, as at that time “the earth came to be ruined in the sight of the true God and the earth became filled with violence.” Yes, for almost “all flesh had ruined its way on the earth.”
Jehovah decided he would wipe out everyone on Earth. Speaking to Noah, he said “I am bringing them to ruin together with the earth.” God then proceeded to give Noah instructions for survival. “And Noah proceeded to do according to all that God had commanded him. He did just so.”
Once the Ark was built, Jehovah led all “kinds” of animals to Noah, and he and his family also entered. “Seven days later… the deluge came upon the earth.” Both “the floodgates of the heavens were opened” and springs of water, possibly from volcanic vents, were broken open.
It was reckoned that the waters of the deluge just managed to cover the highest mountains by up to “fifteen cubits”, or about 7 meters (23 feet). Of course, “all flesh that was moving upon the earth expired” including “all mankind”, except for Noah and his family.
About a year later, “it came about that the waters had drained from off the earth; … the surface of the ground had drained dry.”
Noah soon left the ark, and built an altar to Jehovah. There he sacrificed some of the clean animals. “Jehovah began to smell a restful odour, and so Jehovah said in his heart: “Never again shall I call down evil upon the ground on man’s account… never again shall I deal every living thing a blow just as I have done. For all the days the earth continues, seed sowing and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night, will never cease.”
Indeed, the God who can never lie will keep his promise. For during the coming battle of Armageddon, the earth shall not be burned up as some professed Christians believe, for the Bible says a “great crowd” of mankind, from every tongue, people, and nation shall survive. Jehovah will use the awesome power of flooding downpour again, but not on such a massive scale. —Genesis 6:9-9:17
Additionally, in battle with a Canaanite King, Jehovah helped defeat the enemy forces by causing a flash flood on the battlefield. The victory song mentioned “The torrent of Kishon washed them away, the torrent of ancient days, the torrent of Kishon.” —Judges 5:21
Hailstones
When the nation of Israel first started to conquer the Promised Land, they captured a very strong city named Ai. Upon hearing this, the then Amorite King of pre-Israelite Jerusalem “became very much afraid”. Consequently, he sent for four other kings of neighbouring cities. Together, they schemed to attack and destroy the city of Gibeon, “because it has made peace with Joshua and the sons of Israel.” All five then went up and “they proceeded to camp against Gibeon and to war against it.”
Joshua quickly acted. He went up, “and all the people of war with him and all the valiant mighty men.” Jehovah reassured Joshua, saying, “Do not be afraid of them, for into your hand I have given them. Not a man of them will stand against you.”
Joshua attacked the Amorites, and “Jehovah went throwing them into confusion” so there was a “great slaughter”. The five-nation coalition fled, and “while they were fleeing from before Israel… Jehovah hurled great stones from the heavens upon them”. So great was this downpour of giant hailstones that “there were more who died from the hailstones than those whom the sons of Israel killed with the sword.”
Fire and sulphur
Psalms 11:6 prophetically states, “He will rain down upon the wicked ones traps, fire and sulphur; and a scorching wind, as the portion of their cup”. Indeed –Jehovah did exactly that to several ancient cities.
Jehovah talks of hearing a “loud” “cry of complaint” over two cities: Sodom and Gomorrah. He said “I am quite determined to go down that I may see whether they act altogether according to the outcry over it”. So Jehovah set a test. If he sent two angelic representatives, would the Sodomites act as people claimed?
Jehovah sent two angels. When they arrived, “Lot was sitting in the gate of Sodom… And he proceeded to say: “Please, now, my lords, turn aside, please, into the house of your servant and stay overnight””. Wanting to test the Sodomites properly, the angels told Lot “No, but in the public square is where we shall stay overnight”, but Lot became “very insistent with them, so that they turned aside to him and came into his house.” This didn’t ruin the test, however.
“Before they could lie down, the men of the city, the men of Sodom, surrounded the house”. Yes, the Sodomites acted just as Jehovah had heard. They called out and asked, “Where are the men who came in to you tonight? Bring them out to us that we may have intercourse with them.” Lot, of course, refused, and tried his best to defend his visitors from the “mob”, but couldn’t persuade them to go away. “So the men [that is, the angelic visitors] thrust out their hands and brought Lot in to them, into the house, and they shut the door. But they struck with blindness the men who were at the entrance of the house”.
In the morning, the angels “seized hold of [Lot’s] hand and of the hand of his wife and of the hands of his two daughters and they proceeded to bring him out and to station him outside the city.” The angels then commanded “Escape to the mountainous region for fear you may be swept away!”
When Lot and his daughters finally arrived at a neighbouring city named Zoar, “Jehovah made it rain sulphur and fire from Jehovah, from the heavens, upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah.” So great was the destruction that Abraham could see it from miles away. Abraham “looked down toward Sodom and Gomorrah and toward all the land of the District and saw a sight. Why, here thick smoke ascended from the land like the thick smoke of a kiln!” —Genesis 18:20, 19:1-28
The prophecy of Zechariah adds yet another method of destruction to be unleashed at Armageddon. “There will be a rotting away of one’s flesh, while one is standing upon one’s feet; and one’s very eyes will rot away in their sockets, and one’s very tongue will rot away in one’s mouth” (Zechariah 14:12). Could this be literal or figurative in some way? We cannot say. If it is a literal description, one might be reminded of the scene in the Indiana Jones film Raiders of the Lost Ark, when they open the Ark of the Covenant!
While it will be frightening to behold such destruction, Jehovah’s true worshippers will have no reason to fear. An angel of God said to Daniel, “during that time your people will escape, every one who is found written down in the book”.
Yes, the prophetic 91st Psalm tells us how God will guarantee our survival:
A thousand will fall at your very side
And ten thousand at your right hand;
To you it will not come near.
Only with your eyes will you look on
And see the retribution itself of the wicked ones.
Because you said: “Jehovah is my refuge,”
You have made the Most High himself your dwelling;
No calamity will befall you,
And not even a plague will draw near to your tent.
For he will give his own angels a command concerning you,
To guard you in all your ways.
Jehovah continues:
And I shall certainly magnify myself and sanctify myself and make myself known before the eyes of many nations; and they will have to know that I am Jehovah.’ —Ezekiel 38:23
Around 1514 B.C.E. Almighty God revealed his name to Moses. “I am Jehovah. And I used to appear to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob as God Almighty, but as respects my name Jehovah I did not make myself known to them” (Exodus 6:2, 3). Now, roughly three-and-a-half thousand years later, the whole world will hear the name of Jehovah and know that he is the only true God – just as all the ancient Egyptians were forced to recognize that Jehovah is God Almighty.
Back then, that pagan nation was transformed from thinking “Who is Jehovah, so that I should obey his voice?” to urging that the Israelites be sent away, “‘because,’ they said, ‘we are all as good as dead!’”
On a much grander scale at Armageddon, Jehovah will “make myself known before the eyes of many nations; and they will have to know that I am Jehovah”.
Summary of Chapter 38
A numerous and mighty multinational force shall be gathered by Gog of Magog – a pseudonym for Satan the Devil and his human cohorts, in the form of the future world government. They will come up against a people “brought back from the sword”, coming up with an evil plan to destroy us and, if possible, exploit us. However, Jehovah is watching, and “my rage will come up into my nose”. He will unleash a terrible judgement on the wicked, using every means at his disposal, and everyone will know “Jehovah” is causing the calamity.
Ezekiel Chapter 39
Still in vision, Jehovah now directs Ezekiel to speak once again to Gog.
“And as regards you, O son of man, prophesy against Gog, and you must say, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord Jehovah has said: “Here I am against you, O Gog, you head chieftain of Meshech and Tubal. And I will turn you around and lead you on and cause you to come up from the remotest parts of the north and bring you in upon the mountains of Israel.” —Ezekiel 39:1, 2
Jehovah now begins to recap and expand upon his earlier comments. He will cause Gog “to come up from the remotest parts of the north”. Just as the Assyrian and Babylonian armies invaded from the north to Palestine, Jehovah will make Gog’s forces turn around and return to Jehovah’s people again. They will return once more to attack Jah’s newly regathered worshippers.
“And I will strike your bow out of your left hand, and your arrows I shall cause to fall out of your own right hand. On the mountains of Israel you will fall, you and all your bands and the peoples that will be with you.” —Ezekiel 39:3, 4a
In a fight between two people, if one has a gun, the other person may try to kick it out of his opponent’s hand – perhaps so he can pick it up to use against him. Figuratively, Gog will be standing holding a bow in one hand, and arrows in the other, ready to attack Jah’s worshippers. Jehovah, however, will hit each of his hands so he drops them to the floor! Gog will be left defenceless. As covered earlier, Gog’s weapons will be turned on his own forces, when “Against his own brother the sword of each one will come to be.”
Now that Gog’s forces have fallen…
“‘To birds of prey, birds of every sort of wing, and the wild beasts of the field I will give you for food. Upon the surface of the field you will fall, for I myself have spoken,’ is the utterance of the Sovereign Lord Jehovah.” —Ezekiel 39:4b, 5
While attacking spiritual Israel, Gog’s forces “and the peoples” that will be with him, those supporting Gog’s attack, will fall down slain!
Their bodies will be everywhere. Birds of prey and wild animals will feast on their corpses. The parallel prophecy in Revelation 19:17, 18 states: “an angel… cried out with a loud voice and said to all the birds that fly in midheaven: “Come here, be gathered together to the great evening meal of God, that you may eat the fleshy parts of kings and the fleshy parts of military commanders and the fleshy parts of strong men and the fleshy parts of horses and of those seated upon them, and the fleshy parts of all, of freemen as well as of slaves and of small ones and great.””
This is how Satan’s coalition forces of ‘Gog of Magog’ will fall down slain. However, what about the people in the nation of Magog, and other lands under the control of Gog?
“And I will send fire upon Magog and upon those who are inhabiting the islands in security; and people will have to know that I am Jehovah.” —Ezekiel 39:6
Yes – while the attacking forces are destroyed, Magog, the nation that Gog is “chieftain” over, will be consumed by “fire”. No doubt the people of that nation must have supported the attack on Israel – after all, many members of Gog’s attacking force comes from Gog’s own country.
This is how it will be at Armageddon. It will not simply be the attacking forces that are destroyed by Jehovah. No, for the lands under the control of Satan’s counterfeit world government, including all those “who are inhabiting the islands” in assumed safety around the world, will also experience Jah’s judgement.
Revelation describes it this way: “And I saw the wild beast [the United Nations] and the kings of the earth and their armies gathered together to wage the war with the one seated on the horse [Jesus Christ] and with his army [the angels].” Then it describes the “wild beast” of Satan’s counterfeit world government being caught and thrown into a “fiery lake” of eternal destruction. “But the rest [of the peoples] were killed off with the long sword of the one seated on the horse [Jesus Christ]…. And all the birds were filled from the fleshy parts of them.” —Revelation 19:19-21
Following this Satan and his demons are bound up for a thousand years. Now, Jehovah’s name has been sanctified!
“‘And my holy name I shall make known in the midst of my people Israel, and I shall no more let my holy name be profaned; and the nations will have to know that I am Jehovah, the Holy One in Israel. Look! It must come and it must be brought to be,’ is the utterance of the Sovereign Lord Jehovah. ‘This is the day of which I have spoken.’” —Ezekiel 39:7, 8
What does it mean by “my holy name I shall make known”? We already know God’s name (YHWH; Jehovah; “I shall prove to be”). No, for this means everyone will be aware that the judgement is from Jehovah – yes, “the nations will have to know that I am Jehovah”.
No more will Jehovah’s name be profaned, which means to be held in ‘contempt or irreverence; [used in] an improper, unworthy, or degrading’ manner (source: dictionary.com). Yes, for Jehovah’s name has been held in contempt by millions of people, and tarnished by the shortcomings and wrongdoing of his organized worshippers.
Additionally, this is talking about Armageddon, which will happen after the regathering of Jah’s people. Since our destruction will make it look as though our God Jehovah is powerless, this will heap more reproach and contempt upon his name. At Armageddon, however, no more will that be!
“And the inhabitants of the cities of Israel will certainly go forth and burn and build fires with the armour and bucklers and large shields,—with the bows and with the arrows and with the handstaves and with the lances; and with them they will have to light fires seven years. And they will not carry sticks of wood from the field, nor will they gather firewood out of the forests, for with the armour they will light fires.” —Ezekiel 39:9, 10a
Now is the post-Armageddon clean-up operation. The number of items left behind by all of Gog’s coalition forces will be huge; “armour and bucklers and large shields”, “bows”, “arrows”, “handstaves”, and “lances” – every kind of weaponry will be left behind to clean up and destroy.
To clean up this mess, we will have to burn it all, for “seven years”. This number is symbolic for completeness. Just as seven days complete a week, seven symbolic years of burning armaments will be necessary to complete the clean-up work.
Indeed, in the aftermath of Armageddon we will not need to worry about obtaining fuel for keeping warm, cooking, or for lighting the night. No, for the sheer amount of garbage left behind in the destruction will be sufficient for our needs for many years. Indeed, as the victors of the war, we can plunder the world and gain much “spoil”…
“‘And they will certainly make spoil of those who had been making spoil of them, and plunder those who had been plundering them,’ is the utterance of the Sovereign Lord Jehovah.” —Ezekiel 39:10b
Earlier, when the nations destroyed Jehovah’s organized people, the nations plundered us of all our belongings. Now, however, we have been restored by Jehovah and our enemies are vanquished. Yes – we shall plunder those who “had been plundering” us!
This is an interesting statement in the prophecy. Why? Because according to the 1914 doctrine, the nations conquered us and took us into exile during the 1914-1919 period. However, this verse – which had no ancient fulfilment – shows clearly that we will be plundering those who plundered us directly before. Is it really likely that this verse is talking about a brief period where some of the society’s property was confiscated over eighty years ago?
No, it is obvious that this refers to our future desolation! But just as it was back in Jeremiah’s day, our institutionalized prophets are saying no such destruction will happen. Jeremiah commented “Alas, O Sovereign Lord Jehovah! Here the prophets are saying to them, ‘you will see no sword, and there will be no famine to happen to you, but true peace is what I shall give you”.
But Jehovah said to Jeremiah, “Falsehood is what the prophets are prophesying in my name… A false vision and divination… Therefore this is what Jehovah has said concerning the prophets who are… saying that no sword or famine will occur in this land, ‘By sword and by famine those prophets will come to their finish. And the very people to whom they are prophesying will become people cast out into the streets of Jerusalem because of the famine and the sword, with no one to do the burying of them—them, their wives and their sons and their daughters. And I will pour out upon them their calamity.’” —Jeremiah 14:13-16
Yes – in the future Jehovah’s people will experience the terrible major fulfilment on this prophetic pattern. Then is when the nations will plunder us, it was not during 1914-1919. After Armageddon, however, we will “plunder those who had been plundering” us.
“And it must occur in that day that I shall give to Gog a place there, a burial place in Israel, the valley of those passing through on the east of the sea, and it will be stopping up those passing through. And there they will have to bury Gog and all his crowd, and they will be certain to call it the Valley of Gog’s Crowd. And those of the house of Israel will have to bury them for the purpose of cleansing the land, for seven months. And all the people of the land will have to do the burying, and it will certainly become for them a matter of fame in the day that I glorify myself,’ is the utterance of the Sovereign Lord Jehovah.” —Ezekiel 39:11, 12
On the coast of Israel there is a highway going from north to south. There, “on the east of the sea” all of Gog’s forces will be buried. So many will be buried there that it will “obstruct the route of travellers, blocking their way” (The Message bible translation). That’s a lot of corpses!
Yes, along with burning the instruments of war for “seven years”, we shall have to bury the soldiers and their supporters “for seven months”. This job will be a massive undertaking. No wonder it says “all the people” will help in the burying! Again, the seven represents completeness, the total amount of time it will take to get the job done.
The next verse goes on to describe how much work is necessary to bury everyone:
“And there will be men for continual employment whom they will divide off, passing along through the land, burying, with those passing through, those left remaining on the surface of the earth, in order to cleanse it. To the end of seven months they will keep making search. And those passing through must pass along through the land, and should one actually see the bone of a man he must also build beside it a marker, until those who do the burying will have buried it in the Valley of Gog’s Crowd. And the name of the city will also be Hamonah. And they will have to cleanse the land.” —Ezekiel 39:14-16
During the symbolic seven months of burying, the sheer amount of work will be so great that some survivors will be charged with continuously locating and burying corpses (or, at least what is left of them after the birds and wild animals have attacked them).
If, however, someone else should come across human bones, they should leave some kind of marker at that place, to assist the buriers searching through the land. In the days after a large disaster, search-and-rescue teams may leave a bright orange flag, or some other kind of marker, at the site of a dead body (for example, at the World Trade Centre collapse, or after the Asian Tsunamis). Later, others come along and take the body away for identification and burial.
After Armageddon, a similar system will be in place. This will serve a practical purpose, as it will guarantee that the dead are cleaned up as quickly and efficiently as possible. After all, we would like to prepare the earth for welcoming the resurrected ones as quickly as we can.
Symbolically, the men who “cleanse the land” will live in a city named “Hamonah”. This Hebrew name means ‘Crowd’ or ‘Multitude’. Perhaps the reason the men are said to live in their own city, is to emphasise the grand scale of this necessary work.
Now Jehovah talks to the birds and wild animals:
“And as regards you, O son of man, this is what the Sovereign Lord Jehovah has said, ‘Say to the birds of every sort of wing and to all the wild beasts of the field: “Collect yourselves together and come. Gather yourselves together all around to my sacrifice, which I am sacrificing for you, a great sacrifice on the mountains of Israel. And you will certainly eat flesh and drink blood. The flesh of mighty ones you will eat, and the blood of the chieftains of the earth you will drink, rams, young male sheep, and he-goats, young bulls, the fatlings of Bashan all of them. And you will be certain to eat fat to satisfaction and to drink blood to drunkenness, from my sacrifice that I will sacrifice for you. And you must get satisfied at my table on horses and charioteers, mighty persons and all sorts of warriors,’ is the utterance of the Sovereign Lord Jehovah.” —Ezekiel 39:17-20
Jehovah similarly spoke to the birds and wild animals when talking of his destruction and disciplining of his own people, “the birds of prey are round about upon [them]. Come, gather together, all you wild beasts of the field; bring them to eat.” (Jeremiah 12:9). Now talking of the aftermath of Armageddon, the birds and beasts are now said to “eat fat to satisfaction” and drink “blood to drunkenness”! The people they will eat will be “mighty persons” and “chieftains” – yes, the rulers of Mankind that supported Gog’s attack on us!
What of the “rams, young male sheep, and he-goats, young bulls, the fatlings of Bashan” that the animals will eat? You’ll notice that all of these animals are male – many of them quite dangerous. This symbolises the mighty men of the earth, the strong ones, including the most powerful ones (the “fatlings of Bashan” were regarded as the best cattle in all of Palestine).
Yes – the mighty army of the most powerful men on earth will be reduced to nothing; nothing but corpses littering the globe being picked apart by birds of prey and wild animals!
“And I will set my glory among the nations; and all the nations will have to see my judgment that I have executed and my hand that I have placed among them. And those of the house of Israel will have to know that I am Jehovah their God from that day and forward.” —Ezekiel 39:21, 22
Jehovah’s “glory” will be seen by every nation on earth! At Armageddon, no one will wonder or try to guess as to why these events are happening, or who is sending them – they will know it is the true God Jehovah!
The survivors will certainly be very aware that “I am Jehovah their God”. Indeed, back in verse 12 of this chapter, Jehovah said “it will certainly become for them a matter of fame in the day that I glorify myself”. From “that day and forward” the day of Armageddon will never be forgotten, becoming the most widely-known event in all human history. After all, it will be the day that Jehovah sanctifies himself before all nations, and finally ends mankind’s disastrous period of self-rule.
The nations will know they are being destroyed by Jehovah God, but will they know why Jehovah destroyed, and subsequently regathered, his own people?
“And the nations will have to know that it was because of their error that they, the house of Israel, went into exile, on account of the fact that they behaved unfaithfully toward me, so that I concealed my face from them and gave them into the hand of their adversaries, and they kept falling, all of them, by the sword. According to their uncleanness and according to their transgressions I did with them, and I kept concealing my face from them.” —Ezekiel 39:23, 24
The nations of the world will witness the destruction of Jehovah’s Witnesses. It will seem, at least to them, that “this sect… that everywhere is spoken against” (Acts 28:22) was just plain wrong. Their supposed God did not save them from their total calamity.
Jehovah, however, will make sure that the nations will know “that it was because of their error” that spiritual Israel “went into exile”. Yes, for we have “behaved unfaithfully toward me [Jehovah], so that I… gave them into the hand of their adversaries”.
Have Jehovah’s modern people transgressed against him? Most brothers and sisters would say no. Indeed, there have been numerous lies, exaggerations, and half-truths presented against Jehovah’s Witnesses over the past 100 years, nearly all of which we can safely dismiss as the hate-filled rhetoric that it is.
Recently, however, something very wrong has been developing at Bethel. Starting in 1991, and lasting for ten years, some apostate brothers covertly kept our Watchtower Society in a sickening relationship with the United Nations as a Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO). All NGOs agree to distribute pro-globalization and pro-UN information to the public, and the Awake! did just that. Shockingly, the Watchtower Society did such a good job that the UN held up an issue of the Awake! as the kind of pro-UN information they would like all other NGO’s to produce!
Something is seriously wrong at Bethel. Just as apostate priests led the Israelite nation into apostasy in ancient times, apostates have taken charge at the very top of the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society.
Other issues have arisen in recent years, but there is no need to expound these things here. Suffice it to say, there are many ways in which Jehovah’s modern people have transgressed against our God (the e-Watchman site covers many of these topics, while showing how the transgressions are fulfilling Bible prophecy).
It was not because Jehovah’s Witnesses were not the true religion that they were allowed to be destroyed. No, for it was punishment sent by the true God himself! The world will be made aware of this fact.
Jehovah now continues talking about the period of regathering, prior to Armageddon:
“Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord Jehovah has said, ‘Now is when I shall bring back the captive ones of Jacob and actually have mercy upon all the house of Israel; and I will show exclusive devotion for my holy name.’” —Ezekiel 39:25
The regathering of Jehovah’s people has a minor (ancient) and major (future) fulfilment. This verse was fulfilled in ancient times. That is why Ezekiel says “Now is when I shall bring back the captive ones…”. Ezekiel’s prophecy was written during the exile in Babylon (Ezekiel 1:1), so these are the reassuring words the desperate exiles needed to hear.
As Jehovah promised, the Israelites were freed from Babylonish captivity and returned to their homeland. God had “mercy upon all the house of Israel”, just as he will have mercy on us after our desolation comes to its appropriate end. Jehovah will then “show exclusive devotion” to his holy name, making sure it is never again profaned in any way.
“And they will have borne their humiliation and all their unfaithfulness with which they have acted toward me, when they dwell on their soil in security, with no one to make them tremble. When I bring them back from the peoples and I actually collect them together out of the lands of their enemies, I will also sanctify myself among them before the eyes of many nations.” —Ezekiel 39:26, 27
Jehovah’s ancient people suffered great “humiliation” at their destruction and exile. It seemed like Jehovah was not as powerful as the false gods of Babylon. The same will be true in our day.
Babylon the Great will not be destroyed first in the great tribulation. No, for indeed Babylon will be highly pleased to see our destruction, and will even encourage it, mistreating our people (see the commentary on Obadiah for more info). The humiliation we’ll have to bare at that time will be enormous!
Eventually, however, Jehovah will have removed all those serving him for a wrong purpose. The prophecy of Daniel reveals that 1,150 days into the destruction of Jah’s people, the figurative “holy place will certainly be brought into its right condition”, or cleansed (Daniel 8:14). Shortly after this, the humiliation will be complete, and Jehovah will “bring them back… collect them together out of the lands of their enemies”.
Yes, Jehovah will sanctify both himself and his people!
“‘And they will have to know that I am Jehovah their God, when I send them in exile to the nations and actually bring them together upon their soil, so that I shall leave none of them remaining there any longer. And I shall no longer conceal my face from them, because I will pour out my spirit upon the house of Israel,’ is the utterance of the Sovereign Lord Jehovah.” —Ezekiel 39:28, 29
Jehovah will collect us all back together! In fact, he promised this back in Deuteronomy, saying “Jehovah your God must also bring back your captives and show you mercy and collect you again from all the peoples where Jehovah your God has scattered you. If your dispersed people should be at the end of the heavens, from there Jehovah your God will collect you and from there he will take you”. —Deuteronomy 30:3, 4
Using the same pattern he used with his ancient people, Jehovah will regather the “Israel of God” when they too, are punished, scattered, forgiven, and regathered.
Jehovah will then pour out his spirit upon his people, “I will pour out upon the house of David and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem the spirit of favour and entreaties, and they will certainly look to the One whom they pierced through [Jesus Christ, our Messianic King]” (Zechariah 12:10). Yes, for after our regathering Jehovah has in store the biggest and most miraculous preaching campaign the world has ever seen, warning the wicked of Armageddon! For “this good news of the kingdom will be preached in all the inhabited earth for a witness to all the nations; and then the end will come.” —Matthew 24:14
Real miracles will be necessary, “I shall pour out my spirit on every sort of flesh, and your sons and your daughters will certainly prophesy. As for your old men, dreams they will dream. As for your young men, visions they will see.” —Joel 2:28
This remarkable preaching campaign will have complete success. For from out of Armageddon there will be “a great crowd, which no man was able to number, out of all nations and tribes and peoples and tongues… And they keep on crying with a loud voice, saying: “Salvation we owe to our God, who is seated on the throne, and to the Lamb [the ransom of Jesus Christ].”” —Revelation 7:9, 10
Summary of Chapter 39
Jehovah will no longer allow his holy name to be profaned; all the nations will know “that I am Jehovah” when the destruction begins. Gog will be completely destroyed, with the corpses of his coalition forces rotting on the hills, pecked at by birds, and torn by wild animals. Afterward, surviving men will be continuously employed to bury the bones. Fires will be lit to burn weapons and to cleanse the earth.
The world will not die in ignorance. They will know why Jehovah’s people were destroyed: because of their sins. Jehovah had mercy on his people, forgave them, and regathered them – sanctifying himself and pouring his spirit upon them for a final preaching work to warn the wicked of the coming battle of Armageddon.
The conclusion of the matter…
What an incredible picture Jehovah paints for us through Ezekiel! A terrible army attacks us, but their flesh rots upon their bones, and groups of men must constantly bury corpses. We never see that depicted in the artwork of the Watchtower or Awake journals! (This is probably for the best…)
Some brothers, sisters and interested persons may be slightly stumbled by Ezekiel’s description of Armageddon. They may think that such incredible destruction is unbecoming a loving God.
Interestingly, “God’s friend” Abraham had the same concern. After being told that Jah was about to wipe out the whole district of Sodom, Abraham spoke to Jehovah asking “Will you really sweep away the righteous with the wicked? Suppose there are fifty righteous men in the midst of the city… It is unthinkable of you that you are acting in this manner to put to death the righteous man with the wicked one…! It is unthinkable of you. Is the Judge of all the earth not going to do what is right?” —Genesis 18:23-25
Abraham really answered his own rhetorical question –NO– Jehovah would never sweep away the righteous with the wicked. Through the actions of Jehovah’s holy spirit, everyone deserving of life will survive the battle of Armageddon. In fact, we have no way of knowing just how “great”, or large and numerous, the “great crowd” will be. What a wonderful prospect!
This is because the separating work Jesus spoke of is NOT occurring now. No one should ever say that only about six million Jehovah’s Witnesses will survive Armageddon. No, for the major preaching work hasn’t even begun yet – and neither has any kind of separating work. That will occur in the future after Jesus Christ is really enthroned as King.
Indeed, Armageddon is not to be dreaded. No, not even with all of the destruction that is to happen should you dread it in any way. If we place our confidence in Jehovah now, “you will not need to be afraid of any sudden dreadful thing, nor of the storm upon the wicked ones, because it is coming. For Jehovah himself will prove to be, in effect, your confidence, and he will certainly keep your foot against capture.”
Yes – we can look forward to Armageddon with confidence. If we are Jehovah’s friend, and if we keep him as our confidence, we will live to see the greatest vindication of his name ever – in the entire history of the universe! What an amazing privilege that will be! You will be able to recount the experience to your children, their children, your children’s children and so on, for time indefinite!
Let us now end with the words of one of Jehovah’s friends, the Psalmist King David:
Turn away from what is bad and do what is good,
And so reside to time indefinite.
For Jehovah is a lover of justice,
And he will not leave his loyal ones.
To time indefinite they will certainly be guarded;
But as for the offspring of the wicked ones,
they will indeed be cut off.
The righteous themselves will possess the earth,
And they will reside forever upon it.
Hope in Jehovah and keep his way,
And he will exalt you to take possession of the earth.
When the wicked ones are cut off, you will see it.
Psalms 37:27-29, 34
