Ezekiel 38 "...land of unwalled villages..."

[Diaste]

Is this from Ezekiel 38:11

"a land of unwalled villages; I will come against a tranquil people who dwell securely, all of them living without walls or bars or gates—"

A prophecy of what Israel will be like or is it just "thoughts will arise in your mind, and you will devise an evil plan."

Not factual but an evil plan based on some justification and not reality based?

This could bear heavily on popular eschatology.

[B-B]

7 minutes ago, Diaste said:

a land of unwalled villages; I will come against a tranquil people who dwell securely, all of them living without walls or bars or gates—"

..could this be interpreted to mean that these folk are experiencing a false sense of security/stability....as it may refer to the 'first half of the seven years...' ? They may be under the false protection of the AC?

[B-B]

16 minutes ago, Diaste said:

"thoughts will arise in your mind, and you will devise an evil plan."

...isn't this referring to the future invasion of Israel...in the last 3.5 years? See from verse 14: 

14 “Therefore, son of man, prophesy and say to Gog, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “On that day when My people Israel dwell safely, will you not know it? 15 Then you will come from your place out of the far north, you and many peoples with you, all of them riding on horses, a great company and a mighty army. 16 You will come up against My people Israel like a cloud, to cover the land. It will be in the latter days that I will bring you against My land, so that the nations may know Me, when I am hallowed in you, O Gog, before their eyes.” 17 Thus says the Lord God: “Are you he of whom I have spoken in former days by My servants the prophets of Israel, who prophesied for years in those days that I would bring you against them?

 

18 “And it will come to pass at the same time, when Gog comes against the land of Israel,” says the Lord God, 

Ezekiel 38

 

Edited August 6, 2022 by B-B

[Diaste]

17 hours ago, B-B said:

..could this be interpreted to mean that these folk are experiencing a false sense of security/stability....as it may refer to the 'first half of the seven years...' ? They may be under the false protection of the AC?

That's what I was thinking. When God says, " On that day when My people Israel are dwelling securely, will you not take notice of this?" Initially I thought this was telling us that indeed Israel will be dwelling securely and the previous evil thought of Gog was prophetic. But the word 'securely' in Eze 38:14 has two ideas: the fact of security and confidence or trust they are secure. The latter not being secure at all, just trusting you are. 

17 hours ago, B-B said:

...isn't this referring to the future invasion of Israel...in the last 3.5 years? See from verse 14: 

14 “Therefore, son of man, prophesy and say to Gog, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “On that day when My people Israel dwell safely, will you not know it? 15 Then you will come from your place out of the far north, you and many peoples with you, all of them riding on horses, a great company and a mighty army. 16 You will come up against My people Israel like a cloud, to cover the land. It will be in the latter days that I will bring you against My land, so that the nations may know Me, when I am hallowed in you, O Gog, before their eyes.” 17 Thus says the Lord God: “Are you he of whom I have spoken in former days by My servants the prophets of Israel, who prophesied for years in those days that I would bring you against them?

 

18 “And it will come to pass at the same time, when Gog comes against the land of Israel,” says the Lord God, 

Ezekiel 38

 

For some time I have been trying to place this Gog of Magog war affirmatively in the proper time of the end of age. I'm convinced it is the last 3.5 years. In fact for a while now I see this as the gathering of the armies to Armageddon, at the very end, the one who fight Jesus when He returns.

"It will happen in the latter days, O Gog, that I will bring you against My land, so that the nations may know Me when I show Myself holy in you before their eyes."

"Now on that day when Gog comes against the land of Israel, declares the Lord GOD, My wrath will flare up."

"In My zeal and fiery rage I proclaim that on that day there will be a great earthquake in the land of Israel."

"And I will summon a sword against Gog on all My mountains, declares the Lord GOD, and every man’s sword will be against his brother. 22I will execute judgment upon him with plague and bloodshed. I will pour out torrents of rain, hailstones, fire, and sulfur on him and on his troops and on the many nations with him. 23I will magnify and sanctify Myself, and will reveal Myself in the sight of many nations. Then they will know that I am the LORD."

Verses 21-23 really stand out to me. This is personal. God Himself is going to fight. This isn't Gog of Magog coming at the beginning of the last week and then being destroyed by the beast, as some popular opinion goes, this is it, the end; the mountains fall, fire, hail and blood rain down. 

 

 

[Diaste]

17 hours ago, B-B said:

..isn't this referring to the future invasion of Israel...in the last 3.5 years? See from verse 14: 

That's what I'm wondering. A common eschatological theme is Gog of Magog begins the last week. That's based on Eze 38:10-12. Teachers, preachers and scholars have concluded that Israel must be void of all security arrangements at some point in the future, before the start of the last week, then Gog invades and begins the end of the age. 

I'm saying Eze 38:10-12 is a prophecy of an evil thought, not conditions in Israel. Except for, as you pointed out, a confidence or trust they are secure without the fact of security.

 

[B-B]

3 hours ago, Diaste said:

Verses 21-23 really stand out to me. This is personal. God Himself is going to fight.

I agree @Diaste...

[Keras]

What needs to be understood about the peoples who the prophesied Gog/ Magog will attack, is they are not and cannot be the same 'Israel' who currently occupy a small part of the holy Land. 

Those who call themselves Israelis and who rely on their own defences,  will not be there; they and their evil neighbors will be gone , as Jeremiah 12:14 and many other prophesies tell us. 

It will be the Lord's faithful peoples - from every tribe, race, nation and language.  Isaiah 66:18b-21, Ezekiel 34:11-16, Romans 9:24-26, +, who will rely on the Lord for their protection. And as so vividly Prophesied in Ezekiel 38-39, Joel 2:20; He will display His power for all to see and wipe out Gog and his vast armies.

Edited August 7, 2022 by Keras

[WilliamL]

12 hours ago, Diaste said:

For some time I have been trying to place this Gog of Magog war affirmatively in the proper time of the end of age. I'm convinced it is the last 3.5 years. In fact for a while now I see this as the gathering of the armies to Armageddon, at the very end, the one who fight Jesus when He returns.

It is not the last 3.5 years, but it is the Armageddon war.

The portrayal here is of Israel as a pastoral people, nothing like the present-day Israel. Because at this far-future time, decades after the Rapture, the earth will have been depopulated, with "few men left." Is. 24:6 Due to all the death and destruction brought about by all of the Seals and the Trumpets.

Partial evidence for this timing is here:

65. Egypt, Part 1: Its Coming 40-Year Desolation

Provides the evidence, from rarely-quoted biblical End Time prophecies, that reveals the length of, and the details about, God’s coming judgment and later healing of Egypt.

https://www.worthychristianforums.com/blogs/entry/2753-egypt-part-1-its-coming-40-year-desolation/

[Montana Marv]

Oil, Oil, Oil. What happens when it runs out. Horses will be main form of transportation. 

In Christ 

Montana Marv 

[Diaste]

12 hours ago, Keras said:

What needs to be understood about the peoples who the prophesied Gog/ Magog will attack, is they are not and cannot be the same 'Israel' who currently occupy a small part of the holy Land. 

Those who call themselves Israelis and who rely on their own defences,  will not be there; they and their evil neighbors will be gone , as Jeremiah 12:14 and many other prophesies tell us. 

It will be the Lord's faithful peoples - from every tribe, race, nation and language.  Isaiah 66:18b-21, Ezekiel 34:11-16, Romans 9:24-26, +, who will rely on the Lord for their protection. And as so vividly Prophesied in Ezekiel 38-39, Joel 2:20; He will display His power for all to see and wipe out Gog and his vast armies.

Right. But the question is: "Is Ezekiel 38:10-12 a prophecy of conditions in Israel or the prophecy of an evil thought, an evil thought that's a justification to attack rather than the reality of Israel at the time?"