The Pulpit Commentary — Ezekiel — Volume 2 — Section 297

tivity and the Restoration, the driving on, assailant ,of the latter times - Gog, whioh and the bringing in, should complete their discovers itself to be an ideal name, if by conversion to Jehovah, and seoure their perpetual enjoyment of Jehovah'& favour. nothing elae by the manner in whioh it has Ver. 29.-I have poured out my Spirit been formed. upon the honse of Israel, Already Jehovah 2. The composition of his army, which is had promised to put his Spirit in his people drawn from the four quarters of the globe, (eh. xu:vi. 27; xxxvii. 14); now the fact in fact, from the extremities of the earth, that he has implemented that promise by and consists of peoples not only remote from a copious effusion of the same he oit8$ as a proof that Israel shall no more forfeit his one another, but "the most unlike natur- favour beoause no more shall she forsake ally• to aot in concert for any particnlar his ways (comp. Isa. !ix. 21). The same purpose." promise had been previonsly given by Joel 3.. The object of his attaok-the land of (ii. 28), and was afterwards renewed by Israel, a territory BO small th11t it is incon- Zachariah (xii. 10). The citation of Joel's words by Peter on the Day or Pent.ecost (Acts ceivable a host BO great should have been ii. 17) shows that he regarded the remarkable required to capture it, and BO poor that had effusion of the Holy Ghost on that memor- the invaders got all it contained it" could able occasion as a fulfilment of the promise not have served to maintain them for a here recorded by Ezekiel. Yet the promise eingl~ day." was not then exhausted. Bal.her it has oft.en since been implemented,and will doubt- 4. 'fhe fruits of Israel'11 victory-firewood less receive its consummation in the new for seven years out of the enemies' wee.pons, Jerusalem. "No historical Church, Jewish and seven months of labour in burying their or Gentile," writes Plumptre, "has ever corpses. " It would be but a very moderate yet realized the picture here sketched by allowance, on the literal supposition, to say Ezekiel. We ask, e.s before-Will it ever be that 11, million of men would thus be en- realized on earth? or mnst we look for it only in the heavenly city whose Bnilder and gaged, and that on an average each would Maker is God?" consign two corpses to the tomb in one day: which for the hundred and eighty working NoTE.-In addition to what has been de.ye of the seven months would make an stated at the beginning of this prophecy aggregate of three hundred and sixty millions ( eh. :a:xviii I) with reference to the gene- of corpses! Then the putrefaction, the pee,. ral significance of this invasion by and tilential vapours arising from suoh masse11 overthrow of Gog, that it points to some of slain victims, before they were all buried I tremendous conflict in the latter days Who could live at such a time?" between the powers of the world and the 5. The impossibility of harmonizing pro- Church of Christ, a few words may be phecy on the hypothesis that Ezckiel's offered in snpport of the proposition that picture must receive a literal interpretation, nevertheless there is no reason to expect since Isaiah (xxxiv.), Joel (iii. 12, H), and that this confliot will take the form of an Zachariah (xiv.), who all appear to depict actual invasion of the land of Israel or of the B!lme conflict as Ezekiel portrays, each a recil fire-and-sword battle with the Church, pitches its scene in a different locality. or that Gog will step upon the field as a 6. The gross oornality of the whole picture veritable flesh-and-blood personality, and on the assumption that it must be literally bis armies find a grave in the manner interpreted, which is wholly inconsistent sketched by the prophet. That the whole with that spirituality one assooiates with delineation is symbolic, and embodies spiri- the MeS11ianio timea. tual truths under material emblems, will "Persons," writes Fairbairn, "who in the hardly be doubted by one who impartially face of a.II these oonsiderations can still weighs the following considerations, which oling to the literal view of this propheoy, have been admirably brought together by must be left to themselves : they are inoa- Fairbairn. pable of being convinced in the way of argu- I. The designation given to the great lD8Dli." 011. xxx:u.1-29.] THE BOOK ·OF THE PROPHET EZ~KIEL. 307