God calls Ezekiel to speak about a period in the future when His people would have been restored and will be living in peace in His presence. They will no longer rely on walls or human defense systems to ward off the enemy, but will trust fully in God. Yet even then, the enemy will see this as an opportunity and attempt to attack God’s peaceful people and draw them away from His presence once more. This prophecy reveals that moment and shows how God will defeat the enemy once and for all. John the Revelator later describes a similar vision of a final army that comes against God’s restored people, only to be obliterated.
When the thousand years are over, Satan will be released from his prison and will go out to deceive the nations in the four corners of the earth —Gog and Magog —and to gather them for battle. In number they are like the sand on the seashore. They marched across the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of God’s people, the city he loves. But fire came down from heaven and devoured them.
Revelation 20:7-9 (NIV)
Back to Eden
From the beginning, the goal has always been for mankind to return to the presence of God, ever since we were driven out of the garden. Yet our desire for sin and for pursuing our own will kept us from returning to Him. Therefore, God provided a Saviour, whose death on the cross made a path for us to come back to Him. Jesus has given us an offramp to abandon our worldly pursuits and return to His presence, to live with the Father as we were meant to.
Ezekiel prophesies about such a time in the future when all this would take place for God’s people—when they had been restored from among the nations and were living safely in the land, secure and at peace without relying on city walls or sophisticated weapons. Yet when they recovered from ruin and started prospering under God’s care, the enemy would devise a plan to invade, seeing their safety as an opportunity to plunder and destroy an unsuspecting nation.
In future years you will invade a land that has recovered from war, whose people were gathered from many nations to the mountains of Israel, which had long been desolate. They had been brought out from the nations, and now all of them live in safety.
Ezekiel 38:8 (NIV)
Where are “the mountains of Israel” described in Ezekiel’s prophecy?
The mountains of Israel are not a location on any geographical map, but a term used throughout Scripture, including by Ezekiel, to describe living in God’s presence, where heaven and earth come together like Eden or Mount Sinai. It is similar to mankind living with God in the garden with no need for walls or protection, fully relying on Him. Yet the ancient serpent came and broke that peace, separating us from God. In the same way, Gog (revealed as the agent of that ancient serpent by John), makes one final attempt to separate God’s people from His Holy Mountain.
You are the one I spoke of in former days by my servants the prophets of Israel. At that time they prophesied for years that I would bring you against them.
Ezekiel 38:17 (NIV)
The Glory of God Revealed
You will advance against my people Israel like a cloud that covers the land. In days to come, Gog, I will bring you against my land, so that the nations may know me when I am proved holy through you before their eyes.
Ezekiel 38:16 (NIV)
Gog attacks because the people are living in peace with God. In the same way, Satan seeks to use the freedom we have in Christ to draw us away from Him.
This matter arose because some false believers had infiltrated our ranks to spy on the freedom we have in Christ Jesus and to make us slaves. – Galatians 2:4 (NIV)
Throughout Scripture, there is a recurring pattern: God allows other nations or powers to overcome His people as a means of correction. When they turn away and fall into rebellion, they are given over to captivity. Yet God, in His mercy, raises deliverers—such as Moses, Ezra, and ultimately Jesus—to rescue and restore them.
How will God use Gog to reveal His Glory?
When Gog will attack the city without walls, God will respond with earthquakes, confusion among armies, plague, and fire—showing that He is in complete control. Gog and his armies will fall on the mountains of Israel and will be left unburied, becoming food for birds and animals, demonstrating the totality of God’s judgement. This defeat will be witnessed by all creation —the fish of the sea, the birds of the sky, the animals of the field, and all people on the earth—symbolising everything in the heavens, the earth, and the depths below. Through this public and universal display, God will make His greatness and holiness known among His people and the nations, proving that He alone is the Holy One.
Then those who live in the towns of Israel will go out and use the weapons for fuel and burn them up—the small and large shields, the bows and arrows, the war clubs and spears. For seven years they will use them for fuel.
Ezekiel 39:9 (NIV)
What do the weapons of the enemy used as fuel by the people of God symbolise ?
The weapons of the enemy, used as fuel by the people of God, symbolise the complete reversal of worldly power and values in the presence of God. The people no longer need weapons because they are fully dependent on Him for their protection. What once represented strength—such as weapons, gold, power, and influence—loses all significance and is reduced to something ordinary, even useful for daily needs, much like the idea of swords being turned into ploughshares. Having found God, they no longer value these things or rely on them to defend themselves.
After Gog’s defeat, the people gather these weapons and use them as fuel for seven years, needing no other source of wood. This shows that the very things intended to destroy them are transformed into provision for them. In this way, what was meant for death becomes a source of life. It also reflects a deeper truth: when we are in God’s presence, the threats of the enemy do not overcome us; instead, they can be used to draw us closer to Him. Rather than being consumed by fear or conflict, God’s people are sustained and strengthened, even by what once opposed them. The seven years may also symbolise completeness, suggesting a lasting or ongoing provision.
Removing the Evil Within
On that day I will give Gog a burial place in Israel, in the valley of those who travel east of the Sea. It will block the way of travelers, because Gog and all his hordes will be buried there. So it will be called the Valley of Hamon Gog.
Ezekiel 39:11 (NIV)
Why does God give a burial place to the enemy who came to destroy His people?
God gives a burial place to the enemy not as an act of honour, but to preserve the life and purity of His people. The bodies are gathered and buried so that they do not remain scattered across the land, which would disrupt daily life and make the land unclean. This act maintains order and hygiene, while also symbolising a deeper spiritual truth—the removal of impurity, sin, and corruption from among God’s people. The very land the enemy came to take becomes his grave, proving that no one can overcome God’s authority.
The location itself carries meaning. In Scripture, moving eastward often represents moving away from God’s presence, and the sea is frequently associated with chaos or a place removed from Him. By placing the burial valley in this direction and effectively blocking the path, it signifies that the way of rebellion and separation is now cut off. This valley where the fallen army is buried will also serve as a lasting sign to all who see it, that God’s authority will never be challenged. The image of this valley of graves also reverses the earlier vision of dry bones being brought to life—here, the forces of evil are permanently destroyed and buried in the valley, while God’s people live with Him on His Holy Mountain.
For seven months the Israelites will be burying them in order to cleanse the land.
Ezekiel 39:12 (NIV)
The people of Israel spend seven months burying the dead to cleanse the land, showing both the scale of the destruction and the importance of restoring purity, since unburied bodies defiled the land. After this, they carry out a careful search, marking and burying even the smallest remains so that nothing is left behind.
Why do the people need to carefully bury the fallen army of Gog and search the land so thoroughly?
The people of God will perform a thorough and deliberate cleansing, emphasising that God’s work is not only to judge evil but also to fully restore the land, preparing it for life in His presence where nothing unclean remains.
Similarly, we are called to cleanse our lives from every form of evil. The army of Gog can represent the evil within us that rises against God—whether in our thoughts, actions, or desires. Just as the people did not leave even the smallest remains behind, we are called not to ignore sin or leave traces of it in our lives. Instead, we must examine ourselves honestly, remove everything that does not belong, and turn away from anything that separates us from God.
The Banquet of the LORD
Son of man, this is what the Sovereign LORD says: Call out to every kind of bird and all the wild animals: “Assemble and come together from all around to the sacrifice I am preparing for you, the great sacrifice on the mountains of Israel. There you will eat flesh and drink blood.”
Ezekiel 39:17 (NIV)
In ancient times, after a great war, bodies were often left unburied, and scavenger animals would consume them. This was a deep dishonour—proper burial was a sign of dignity, while being left to animals signified shame. God uses the same imagery to show the complete humiliation and downfall of those who opposed Him. God calls birds and wild animals to gather for a “great sacrifice.”
The banquet of the LORD will be a declaration of victory over the defeated enemy. The fallen warriors—mighty men and princes—are compared to sacrificial animals like rams, lambs, and bulls, highlighting their undignified end, as those who exalted themselves are brought low before God. God Himself prepares this sacrifice, and His table replaces the altar where all His people are welcomed. Previously, the fat and blood of the sacrificed animal were reserved for God alone, but in this banquet, they are offered to His people.
And the nations will know that the people of Israel went into exile for their sin, because they were unfaithful to me. So I hid my face from them and handed them over to their enemies, and they all fell by the sword.
Ezekiel 39:23 (NIV)
Why would God ever hide His face from His people?
God did not hide His face in a literal sense, but withdrew His presence from His people. Just as Adam was removed from God’s presence after his disobedience, He withdraws His presence because of the people’s sin and unfaithfulness. When they turn away and live in disobedience, they separate themselves from Him. In response, God allows them to face the consequences of their actions, not to abandon them, but to correct and bring them back.
God promises to restore His people, showing them compassion and acting for the sake of His holy name. He will gather them back from the nations, remove their shame, and reveal His holiness through their restoration. No one will be left behind, and God will no longer hide His face from them. Instead, He will pour out His Spirit upon them, making it clear to both His people and the nations that He alone is the LORD.
I will no longer hide my face from them, for I will pour out my Spirit on the people of Israel, declares the Sovereign LORD.
Ezekiel 39:29 (NIV)
The Jordan Valley 
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