Глава 39

Then God again commands the Prophet to prophesy against Gog and the peoples who came with him, because by God’s permission they will come from the end of the north to receive a worthy punishment for animal behavior. At the same time, it also speaks about their future powerlessness. For he says: Ezek.39:3. I will pluck your bow out of your left hand, and your arrows out of your right hand, Ezek.39:4. and I will smite you on the mountains of Israel, and you will fall, and all those around you, and many of the nations who are with you, that is, I will weaken your strength, so that the weapon that you hold in your hands will fall. To this God adds that Gog will be given over to be “devoured” by the birds of the air and carnivorous beasts. Ezek.39:6–7. I will send fire on Gog, and the islands will be inhabited in peace, and they will say that my name is the Lord: He makes it clear that when Gog undergoes this final destruction, not only the inhabitants of the solid land, but also the islanders will be encouraged, because they were in fear when they heard about his militia. and My holy name will be known among Israel, and My holy name will not be defiled by anyone, and the heathen shall know that I am the holy Lord among Israel. For the nations, having recognized the power of My providence, and that I protect the people called by My name, will no longer accuse Me of weakness and think that the previous captivity of My people was due to My powerlessness. Then he shows the immutability of what was said. Ezek.39:8. Behold, it has come, and it will be weighed, says the Lord Adonai. Consider this to have already happened and have indisputable confidence in it, as if it had come true, for what I have predicted will certainly be fulfilled. This is the day, about the same verbs. I have foretold this day many times. Gog calls the time of punishment day. Then he announces that all Israel will use their weapons, spears, bows, arrows, shields and staffs instead of firewood, and that they will not have the need to chop wood, but the above-mentioned weapons will be enough for their needs for seven years. And this makes it possible to see the number of enemies, and predicts the future grave of Gog. For he says: Ezek.39:11. It will be, on that day I will give Gog a place deliberately, a coffin in Israel, a multi-burial one, who came from the east of the sea, that is, where they buried those who came to them from the eastern countries, there they will also bury him. And this reminds them of the massacre of the Assyrians that happened under Sennacherib, because even then the Jews used God’s help, and after this they will use God’s providence. But for the multitude of the dead, says God, They will block the mouth of the wilds, and they will bury Gog and all his multitude there, and that wild will be called: the multi-burial Gog. The number of those killed will be so great that the ditch, dug by hand, will not contain them, but the deepest valley, built on both sides and covered with earth on top, will become a coffin for them. And seven months of time will be spent on this burial; the day of Gog’s final death will be made famous. For it is said: Ezek.39:13. It will be a name for them, on that day I will be glorified, says Adonai the Lord. Ezek.39:14. And they will set men to walk around the earth, and bury those who died while fleeing, “and they will exact it.” Ezek.39:15. Anyone who traverses the earth and passes by, and sees a human bone, will perform a sign on it, until those who bury it will be buried in the wilds, the multi-burial Gog. For a long time they will go back and forth, burying the unburied; and travelers, if they find a bone somewhere, having piled up a pile of stones next to it, will let them know so that whoever is entrusted with the burial should take it and, together with others, pay tribute. Ezek.39:16–17. And the name of the place will be called the fall of many burials: and the earth will be cleansed. And you, son of man, say: this says the Lord Adonai: the words of every bird that soars and to every wild beast: gather together and come from all those around him to my slaughter, which I have slaughtered for you, a great slaughter on the mountains of Israel, eat the meat and drink the blood: Thus, having foreshadowed this, God commands the birds and beasts to gather, as if for some kind of holiday, due to the countless number of fallen bodies. He gives them a command, not as if they were reasonable, but assuring those who are reasonable that this too is being done with His permission. What was said: “Eat the flesh of bulls, rams, lambs, goats and fat oxen” (Ezek. 39:18) God said in a figurative sense, kings, princes and their nobles, calling them bulls, rams, goats and oxen, and his subjects - lambs; and (Ezek. 39:19) He called their destruction, accomplished according to His decree, “His slaughter.” Ezek.39:20. And be satisfied with My table, that is, the food that I will offer you; and showing what kind of food it was, God added: horse and rider, giant and every man of war, says Adonai the Lord. Shem explained what rams, oxen and goats meant. Ezek.39:21. And I will give My glory in you, and all the nations will see My judgment, which I have done, and My hand that I brought against you. After this slaughter is completed and after such a feast is offered to you, all nations will see both the power of My providence and the truthfulness of the judgment; and the house of Israel will know from these events that I am their Lord and Master. What is said: “from this day forward” (Ezek. 39:22) accuses the Jews of their previous ignorance. Ezek.39:23. And all the nations will take away, because the house of Israel had sinned because of their captivity, having already rejected Me, and I turned My face away from them, and I gave them into the hands of their enemies, and fell all with the sword, Ezek.39:24. according to their uncleanness and their iniquities I have done to them, and have turned away My face from them, that is, the pagan peoples, seeing into what destruction I brought down Gog, know that I could have subjected the Babylonians to this punishment, but as a punishment for Israel for wickedness and lawlessness, I allowed him to be led into slavery, and did not provide him with any help. And this clearly teaches us how soon, after the return of the Israelites from captivity, the uprising of these peoples took place. For he says: “All the nations will lead away, because the house of Israel was taken into captivity because of their sins.” Everyone, seeing their sudden extermination, if they can reason sensibly, will understand that the Israelites suffered captivity as punishment for their sins. The following words also confirm this. Ezek.39:25. For this reason, this saith the Lord Adonai: now I will restore the captivity of Jacob, and have mercy on the house of Israel, and honor my holy name. Ezek.39:26–27. And they will take away their dishonor, and all their unrighteousness, which is unrighteousness before Me: when they dwell in their lands in peace, and there will be no one to fear. Someday I will turn back their tongues, and I will gather them from their countries. This “they will take away their iniquity, and all their unrighteousness, which is untruthful before Me,” which means: the sorrows that they suffered will lead them to think that they themselves were the cause of them, and that unrighteousness was the cause of dishonor. They will engage in these considerations, says God, after returning to their land and getting rid of these intolerable enemies. Then “I will be sanctified in them before the tongues,” that is, when My power becomes clear, then everyone will worship Me for My providence for the Israelites. Ezek.39:28. And they will know that I am the Lord their God, and I will appear to them among the nations. For according to My providence they will be freed from the dominion of the Babylonians, and they will see the destruction of the Scythian peoples. and I will gather them into the land, and will not leave them there to anyone. And this, as much as it depended on God’s care, was completely fulfilled; those who were accustomed to resisting God’s laws did not want to return, and for the most part preferred foreign land to their own. Ezek.39:29. And I will not turn My face away from them, since I have poured out My wrath on the house of Israel, says the Lord Adonai. And this follows the human will, because it depends on us that the good promises come true. So the Lord promised us the Kingdom of Heaven, but we will not be worthy of it if we live unworthily. Having applied diligence and preserved God's laws with all zeal, we will undoubtedly enjoy the promised blessings. So he promised the Jews that he would not turn his face away from them, that is, from those who were submissive to Him, who believed and kept God’s laws. And that this is really so, history testifies to this. Having brought the people out of Egypt, God promised to lead them into the promised land; but since, opposing the commands of God, they continued to live wickedly, he put everyone to death in the desert, fulfilling the promises to only two of all those who accepted the promises. Therefore, here too, for those who believe and accept the saving preaching, the promise is immutable, because God will not turn His face away from them. But those who act contrary to God’s will will remain far from God’s care for them, not taking advantage of God’s care for them in the least, but, according to the word of the Prophet Isaiah, walking “by the light of their fire,” “and by the flame” that they kindled (Isa. 50:11), in the words of the divine David, they will go “in their endeavors” (Ps. 80:13). This is how we learned to understand this from the Divine Scripture. And I am amazed at the foolishness, not only of the Jews, but also of some who bear the name of Christians, who adhere to Jewish fables, and claim that the uprising of Gog and Magog has not yet happened, but that it is still expected. They should have paid attention to the fact that, firstly, the prophecy about this was connected with the return of the Jews from Babylon, and then the Prophet said that the pagan peoples would learn from this God's power. Let them say, what kind of teaching do the peoples need now for the knowledge of God’s power, now that they have been taught to believe in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, they know how to glorify the nature of God and worship Him, and have freed themselves from idolatry? And what destruction of Gog could a teaching similar to that contained in the preaching of the holy apostles bring? This sermon teaches all people trinity and unity, that in one nature we contemplate three personal properties; and moreover, she teaches about the resurrection of the dead, about judgment, about reward for good and bad deeds, about the Kingdom of Heaven, about torment in Gehenna, teaches lessons of virtue, the rules of wisdom and everything else that is contained in the divine Gospel and in the sacred apostolic writings. And the destruction of Gog taught the peoples one thing, namely, that the God of the Jews has the greatest power, and that, not because of His powerlessness, but because of their iniquity, the Jews were under the rule of the Babylonians. Therefore, if what was said about Gog has not yet been fulfilled, it will be fulfilled in the last days, and through him all nations will learn to honor the God of all, it means that the event with Gog is more important than the saving cross and the death of the One who crushed death, and the divine apostles who illuminated the universe with the light of the knowledge of God; for all this could not teach the nations the knowledge of the God of all, but only the destruction of Gog will make Him known to everyone! This is how those who speak these fabulous things are clearly judaizing. But we, faithfully following the divine Scripture, made the interpretation proposed above, setting out the teaching that Gog came, and what was predicted about him came to fruition. And then the nations learned that, not because of the powerlessness of God, but because of their iniquity, the Jews were subjected to captivity. At the present time, from the Master's death and from the Master's resurrection, the pagans received the rays of knowledge of God and, freed from the wickedness of our fathers, we learned to worship the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. To Him be glory forever and ever! Amen.