enemies on a leash

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So I will show my greatness and my holiness and make myself known in the eyes of many nations. Then they will know that I am the LORD.

Ezekiel 38:23

A terrifying coalition of hate rises up to threaten God’s people in Ezekiel 38 and 39. But a striking truth keeps perspective on God: The Lord is never for one second in panic over these fearsome circumstances. Even as Gog (the enemy here) gathers armies, the Lord calmly decrees: “I will turn you about and put hooks into your jaws” (Ezekiel 38:4). The enemy threatens evil and destruction, but he cannot move beyond the sovereign boundaries that God has set. What appears to be the advance of unstoppable opposition is ultimately directed by God so that He displays His holiness, justice, and power.

This truth gives God’s people courage when the opposition seems overwhelming. Those who oppose God are limited. They are “powerful” only by His permission. God alone is sovereign. He restrains them, redirects them, and reduces them to rubble in His judgment. We are called away from fear to confident trust in the One Who declares “I will show my greatness and holiness.”

History is not moving toward the triumph of secularism over Christianity. No, quite the opposite! God, the Christian gospel, and Christians in community are all destined to triumph spectacularly. We need not cower when proclaiming this. Our enemies are on God’s tight leash. No enemy is operating outside God’s firm grip of control. No threat surprises Him. Nothing prevents His purposes from full accomplishment. All will know that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father. Amen!

the song, the triumph, and the wedding supper

​And from the throne came a voice saying,

“Praise our God,

all you his servants,

you who fear him,

small and great.”

Revelation 19:5

And what is the occasion for angels to call all the righteous in heaven and earth to cease what they are doing and bring unified praise to God? It is the invitation to the marriage supper of the Lamb. The vast throng that responds sounds like the roar of many waters or the thunder rolling in a storm. All the saints are primed to celebrate for “his Bride has made herself ready” clothed with “fine linen, bright and pure.”

The Bride is clothed in her righteous deeds. But the Groom (Jesus) arrives dressed in royal robes and armed for one final battle. His description is fierce (Revelation 19:11-16). He takes the scene with flaming eyes, wearing many crowns. His royal robes are dipped in blood. And the armies of heaven mounted on horses follow Him into a final battle.

The Battle-Bridegroom slays His enemies merely by the word of His mouth. He speaks and all opposition is trodden in the wine press of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty. The final opposition is captured and thrown into the Lake of Fire. This is the last wedding gift that Jesus gives His Bride. And then in His peace, the joy of being forever with Him begins. That’s quite a wedding!

King, Priest, and Judge

​He will drink from the brook by the way;

therefore he will lift up his head.

Psalm 110:7

• The King Who Sits at God’s Right Hand
  

Psalm 110 begins with an invitation for David’s Lord to sit at God’s right hand until His enemies are destroyed. Jesus applies this royal imagery to Himself (Matthew 22:41-46), showing us that the Messiah is greater than David. His divine authority rules in the eventual defeat of all who oppose Him.

• The Priest Who Reigns Forever
  

The Messiah is not only King but also “a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek” (Psalm 110:4). His priesthood is superior to Aaron’s… it never ends. Jesus is identified as this eternal Priest Who offers the final, sufficient sacrifice for all sins (Hebrews 7:17-27).

• The Victor Over All the Nations
  

Psalm 110 ends with the Messiah triumphing over every enemy and judging all the nations. Jesus, Who presently reigns and intercedes will ultimately conquer and decide the fate of all people for all time forever (Revelation 19:15-16).

Psalm 110 presents Christ as our reigning king, eternal priest, and victorious judge — the only One in Whom we can confidently find salvation, grace, and refuge.

Restoration begins with God.

​And I will multiply on you man and beast, and they shall multiply and be fruitful. And I will cause you to be inhabited as in your former times, and will do more good to you than ever before. Then you will know that I am the LORD.

Ezekiel 36:11

This hope comes in the middle of God’s promise to restore a land and a people once devastated by deserved judgment. Israel’s sin had rightly brought them ruin, scattering, and shame. Yet God declares firmly in restorative grace, “I will do more good to you than ever before.” Why? Not because they deserved it. Not because they were worthy. God’s motive: “Then you will know that I am the LORD.”

Their restoration would not come because they earned a second chance. God makes it clear: “It is not for your sakes that I will act” (Ezekiel 36:22). Restoration begins with God. It is HIS sovereign purpose to renew and restore. His holy name and gracious decisions make the ruined flourish anew. God justly disciplines and graciously replenishes.

God does for helpless sinners what they can never do for themselves. In Ezekiel 36 the promises reach beyond mere physical need with restored fields and cities. “I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you” (Ezekiel 36:26). That grace finds its fullest expression in Christ’s redemption of sinners. God doesn’t merely improve sinners. In Jesus He forgives, cleanses, renews, makes holy, and fills them with His Spirit! Sin left wreckage that gave us all no hope of self-recovery. There is nothing we can do. But a sovereign God delights in doing the restoration! And in Christ’s salvation we also exclaim: “Then you will know that I am the LORD”!

Alas! Alas! Babylon.

They will stand far off, in fear of her torment, and say,

“Alas! Alas! You great city,

you mighty city, Babylon!

For in a single hour your judgment has come.”​

Revelation 18:10

All who see God’s justice fall

Look at His power appalled

All those judged find no reprieve

Suffering for rejecting the One they refused to receive

A sentence revealed from God on high

Lightning and thunder, revulsion and fright

All who deserve wrath and pain

Sink beneath His pelting rain

Before such justice is served

A chance for mercy withholds what is deserved

Before death, a chance for life

Yearning for repentance to end sin’s strife

Look to the cross where penalty is paid

Only in Jesus is there any escape

No sin is unpunished: judgment falls either on sinner or substitute.

restoring Shepherd

And they shall know that I am the LORD their God with them, and that they, the house of Israel, are my people, declares the Lord GOD.  Ezekiel 34:30

Ezekiel 34 is one of scripture’s great passages on God’s tender care. Read it now before reading on.

After exposing Israel’s unfaithful shepherds, the Lord promises that He Himself will seek His scattered sheep, rescue them, find them, and provide a new faithful Shepherd for them. He does it so that they may intimately know the Lord their God. This restoration is more than material blessing; it is about restoring the clear presence of God with His people. The greatest gift God gives His people is Himself. His promises assure weary hearts that they are not abandoned, forgotten, or beyond His love.

God’s restorative work usually unfolds gradually. Like a shepherd tending His wounded sheep, He binds up the broken, strengthens the weak (even carrying them), and patiently leads His flock back to safe green pastures. There are seasons when the scars of sin and suffering seem too deep to heal, yet God’s promises will be kept and He is stronger than our painful experiences. His faithfulness isn’t dependent on our strength to believe Him, but rather He is faithful because of His covenant love! His restoring grace is certain to accomplish His good purposes even when we are in the dark about the outcome.

This metaphor is fulfilled in Jesus, the Good Shepherd, Who laid down His life for His sheep. He restores people to fellowship with God forever! All broken things are restored in Him when He brings a new heavens and a new earth, the home of righteousness. The God Who promises “I am with them” had not changed. His restoring hand, unfailing presence, and everlasting promises will always be fulfilled as Jesus shepherds us right now!

Song of our Deliverer

I would soon subdue their enemies

and turn my hand against their foes.

Those who hate the LORD would cringe toward him,

and their fate would last forever.​

Psalm 81:14-15

Raise joyful songs with grateful voice,

Let every thankful heart rejoice.

The God of Jacob still is near;

His mighty arm removes all fear.

“I broke your yoke and set you loose;

Why chase the chains that once bound you?

Open your mouth, I’ll fill it still —

Delight to trust my loving will.”

Yet stubborn hearts too often stray,

Preferring every lesser way.

They wouldn’t heed their Shepherd’s call,

And so they stumbled among idols all.

O turn again with faith renewed;

Our Savior offers the richest food.

He is the Rock, the Bread, the Vine —

The sweetest honey tasted in love divine.