Ezekiel 39:6, commentary and pictures

The fire sent upon Magog and upon those dwelling carelessly in the isles is a consuming, destructive war-judgment upon Russia and the great northern powers with their allies and upon the confident maritime island nations, especially England and Japan, by which they shall know that He is the LORD. It belonged originally to God's conditional promise to Israel after the Babylonian captivity that if they forsook sin and returned to Him with all the heart He would restore them to the mountains of Israel, conquer Gog and Magog, dwell among them in glory and build the city called Jehovah Is There. Because Israel did not repent and meet the conditions it was fulfilled only in very small part, and what remains is fulfilled not literally with wooden weapons burned for fuel and Ezekiel's sanctuary built but on a broader scale in God's purpose to punish the wicked nations gathered to destroy His people at Armageddon. Applied to the last days it foretells bloody strife when enemies rush from the north against the mountains of Israel and perish amid fire and brimstone, fulfilled in part before the second coming in the terms of Revelation 16-19 and in full in the fires of the last day that consume sin and melt the earth with fervent heat. This destruction is not everlasting living torment in Gehenna and promises no special earthly future for the Jews, but is history foretold to be studied and warned to the world before probation closes, bringing eternal salvation to some and everlasting destruction to others.

Words and Original Promise

The fire sent upon Magog is destructive, consuming war, the consuming processes of battle let loose upon that power and upon the nations with it. Magog denotes Russia and the great northern powers that stand in its place in prophecy. In its original setting Gog represented the northern Scythian nations and their allies sweeping down against Israel, and in broader meaning Gog and Magog represent ambitious great northern powers whose spirit is that of Satan and whose ambition is to rule in the place of all others. That northern host would have been destroyed before Israel if Israel had obeyed, but through disobedience the fulfillment was only partial and feeble.

Them that dwell carelessly in the isles are nations dwelling confidently and securely, and the term points especially to island powers deeply involved in Russia's affairs. Chief among them is England as an island kingdom and leading maritime power, and with it Japan as the Island Empire with growing maritime power, both by island geography and by major interests in the Eastern question drawn into the expected conflict with Russia. The judgment reaches Magog and its inhabitants, including those living carelessly in the isles, and it will not be fulfilled in Ezekiel's literal setting in the last days. By this judgment of fire upon Magog and upon the careless isle-dwellers they shall know that He is the LORD.

The verse belonged originally to God's conditional promise to Israel after the Babylonian captivity. If the people had forsaken sin, repented and yielded to Him, returned wholly to Him with all the heart, been ashamed and confounded for their ways and been cleansed from sins, He would have brought them back from the nations to the mountains of Israel and made them great and the joy of the whole earth. He would then have conquered their enemies near and far, slain the nations that threatened them including Gog and Magog and the northern horde coming down against them with plagues including fire, delivered His people from all their enemies, exalted Jerusalem, dwelt among them in overpowering glory, and built the marvelous sanctuary described in Ezekiel 40-48 with the city called Jehovah Is There. What remains is not fulfilled as described in detail but is realized in fuller way to God's true Israel as later revealed.

Conditional Failure and Future Fulfillment

The prophecy was conditional upon Israel's repentance, obedience, and putting away of wickedness, and because the people failed to meet those conditions it was never fulfilled as described but only in very small part, in limited and feeble form. Only about forty thousand returned from Babylon, only a shadow of the temple was built by Zerubbabel and Ezra instead of the glorious temple with its water of life and glory of God, northern foes persecuted Israel especially under Antiochus IV, and the nation later fell under Roman power and was destroyed. What would have been deliverance from all enemies near and far, restoration to the mountains of Israel, exaltation of Jerusalem, and building of the wonderful sanctuary of Ezekiel 40-48 with the city called Jehovah Is There did not come to pass in that setting.

Details suited only to ancient Israel will not be fulfilled literally at all. There will be no burning of wooden shields, bucklers, hand staves and spears for fuel for seven years, no burying of the dead and cleansing of the land, no dwelling safely in villages without walls with cattle, goods and wealth tempting northern cupidity to think an evil thought and sweep down for great spoil, no building of Ezekiel's sanctuary, and no such wealth arousing the combined northern powers, since modern armies are not so equipped and the mountains of Israel are not so inhabited. In the last great war the slain of the Lord shall be from one end of the earth to the other and shall not be buried.

In broader theme the passage concerns the gathering for Armageddon and God's general purpose to punish the wicked nations which, controlled by Satan, seek to destroy His people, ending in their final doom when gathered against them. If Israel had remained faithful the invasion would have been directed against them in Palestine, but because they are scattered the same confederacy seeks that territory and to destroy God's people throughout the world. What remains is therefore fulfilled not in Ezekiel's literal setting but on a broader scale in harmony with present conditions.

Part is fulfilled before Christ's second coming in the clearer terms of Revelation 16-19 with pestilence, plague, hailstones and brimstone, and part in the last great battle on the other side of the thousand years. The national divisions and gatherings for judgment belong before Christ comes, not at the end of the thousand years when all the dead of all ages come up together and national boundaries and distinctions are completely eliminated.

Applied to the last days, the verse foretells bloody strife and carnage when enemies rush from the north like a storm against the mountains of Israel and perish at God's presence amid fire and brimstone with birds called to feast. Persia is joined with the power from the north for the battle of the great day, and Russia is turned back possibly by Japan and brought forth in present war and European affairs. An imminent war involving Russia, Japan and England was expected just before probation closes and the last plagues, with Russia coming with a mighty army to be destroyed in the Holy Land. Those holding this application also taught a mighty northern confederacy with combined armies and navies coming against the southern power Britain and reinstating the Papacy in a final world struggle centered in the Holy Land close at hand.

In its full fulfillment at the second coming and events connected therewith, the fire is not a local burning by human hands but the fires of the last day that consume sin out of the world and melt the earth with fervent heat.

Doctrinal Bearing and Warning

The fire foretold is a destruction to occur in places other than Gehenna, not a punishment now going on there and not everlasting living torment there. Gehenna has been and is to be a place of punishment, and may again be a place of punishment by fire, but the destructions in Ezekiel 38 and 39 are apparently to occur in other places. The last nineteen chapters of Ezekiel are appealed to concerning the reign of Christ, the inheritance of the saints, and the return of the Jews, yet this verse promises no special future work among the Jews in the Christian dispensation and no earthly inheritance for them. The saints are taken to heaven at the second coming of Christ when the earth is desolated, and admitting that desolation overthrows the return-of-the-Jews theory and the earthly inheritance connected with it.

The same prophecy associates Persia with the power from the north in the gathering of the nations for the battle of the great day. It also speaks of God gathering His people from among the nations and bringing them to their own land, and this gathering is linked with the going of the gospel message to those nations. The confederacy of evil shown in Ezekiel 39 invades the land intended for Israel and opposes God's people. If Israel had remained faithful the invasion would have been directed against them in Palestine, but because they are scattered the same plan seeks to take that territory and to destroy God's people throughout the world.

The verse is history foretold, in part already fulfilled but with much yet to come to pass in the immediate and near future. It is given to be studied, prayerfully considered, and applied before fulfillment as a light in a dark place. Through it God's people warn the world of prophetic judgments just before the close of human probation and the last plagues, meaning eternal salvation to some and everlasting destruction to others. That warning concerns Russia and her international policy and her ultimate destiny, connected with the unhappy condition in the Far East and with the distress of nations with perplexity and men's hearts failing them for fear. The destructive, consuming fire of war is sent upon Magog and among the nations dwelling confidently in the isles, especially England as an island kingdom and leading maritime power and Japan as the Island Empire with growing maritime power, both deeply involved in Russia's affairs, in an imminent war involving Russia, Japan, and England in the closing scenes of earth's history shortly before probation closes. By these events the nations shall know that the Lord is God.