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Preaching Apocalyptic Texts
Third Bible and Ministry Conference
Calvin Theological Seminary
June 9-11, 2005

Afternoon Seminar
Solving the Riddle of God, the Monster from the North (Ezekiel 38-39)
-Daniel Block

"We thank you for your Word," Daniel Block said in opening prayer, "It never loses its fascination; there's always more to see."

Block bore this out in his analysis of Ezekiel's prophecy about the rise and fall of Gog in chapters 38 and 39. Block said he did not used to think that these chapters were apocalyptic, according to the technical definition (as posited by John Collins and others). But he views it differently now. "If by apocalyptic you mean text that uses extraordinary language to declare the ultimate triumph of God," he said, "then we have it here."

Block began by putting chapters 38 and 39 in the context of the whole book of Ezekiel. The book can be seen in two parts: in chapters 1-24, Ezekiel systematically demolishes Israel 's "false basis of security," Block said. God's covenant with Israel does not, as they blithely believed, mean that they are immune from exile. After the fall of the city in chapter 33, chapter 34 represents a "change in direction," Block said. Now Ezekiel's intent becomes to rebuild Israel 's basis for hope, to assure them that God's promises are indeed eternal and that exile is not the end of the story. Block said Ezekiel's imagery becomes increasingly surreal in the three phases of the remainder of his book: 34-37 introduces some abstract imagery, 38-39 are even more abstract, and chapters 40-48 are "ideation in the extreme," Block said. For chapters 38 and 39, Block said, "you can call it literary cartoon."

Block first addressed the names "Gog" and "Magog." They are probably not meant to function as historical proper names, he said. Rather, Gog is "a take-off on the name Gyges," a ruler in Asia Minor . (The "Ma-" prefix simply means "land of"). The purpose of Ezekiel's play on words was to create the idea of a distant ruler, "somebody on the fringes of Israel 's consciousness," Block said.

This fictitious ruler assembles a daunting alliance: Ethiopia, Put, and Paras (probably not Persia, as often assumed), to the south, Tarshish to the west, and Sheba and Dedan to the east. It is the most geographically sprawling alliance imaginable, and it forms "a picture of a universal conspiracy against Israel ," Block said.

Block went through the eight "frames" of the story, which tell of Gog's attack on Israel and God's defeat and disposal of Gog (including Gog's gruesome devouring by beasts). (See a related note on God's rhetorical question to Gog in verse 17.) The story ends with God's name being glorified among all the nations.

The purpose of this hypothetical attack and failure of Gog is established in the closing of chapter 39, Block said. God, he explained, is making a statement about Israel's exilic history. Now that God has carried out his purpose through Israel's exile, he will see to it that Israel cannot be shaken, or taken, anymore. Even if the whole world, a global conspiracy--not just another neighboring empire, like Babylon--rose up against Israel, it would be put down this time. God's restoration from exile is for real.

"Ezekiel is declaring to the people that the hypothetical scene he just presented [shows] that [the events of] 586 will never happen again," Block said.

The key phrase comes from the last verse of the chapter, Block said: "I will no longer hide my face from them, for I will pour out my Spirit on the house of Israel." Block called this a "very ineresting liquid metaphor." It occurs four times in the Old Testament (also in Isaiah 44, Zechariah 12, and Joel 2, which Peter quotes at Pentecost).
In each case, Block said, the promise of the Spirit comes in "covenental context." In other words, "The pouring out of the Spirit is the sealing of the covenant," Block said.

"The point of the prophecy of Gog and Magog is to reassure Ezekiel's audience that when God renews his covenant with his people, nobody [is] ever going to touch them again," Block said.

In the question and answer period, the suggestion was made that this passage be preached in the context of
Christ's promise in Matthew 18: "... on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it."

Block agreed, but added that the passage could also be preached to individuals as well as the church as a whole, to affirm the security of those who are sealed in God's covenant.

This passage would be of great comfort to preach to a church in persecution, Block said, but also to Americans living comfortably within an empire, in order to remind them where their true authority and security lies.

-Nathan Bierma

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