Connect Ezekiel 38:4 with other scriptures about God's authority over rulers. Ezekiel 38:4—God Puts Hooks in the Mighty “I will turn you around, put hooks in your jaws, and bring you out with all your army—your horses, your horsemen in full armor, and a great horde with large and small shields, all brandishing their swords.” (Ezekiel 38:4) • The Lord Himself grabs the reins of Gog’s coalition. • The “hooks” picture irresistible command; the invader moves because God says so. • From the very first words—“I will turn you around”—the text shouts that world events pivot on God’s decision, not human ambition. Turning Hearts Like Watercourses—Proverbs “A king’s heart is a waterway in the hand of the LORD; He directs it where He pleases.” (Proverbs 21:1) • Every ruler’s inner compass is steerable in God’s palm. • What Ezekiel shows in a dramatic battle plan, Proverbs states as an everyday principle. He Removes and Establishes—Daniel “He changes the times and seasons; He removes kings and establishes them.” (Daniel 2:21) “He does as He pleases with the army of heaven and the peoples of the earth. No one can restrain His hand or say to Him, ‘What have You done?’” (Daniel 4:35) • Daniel watched empires rise and fall and learned the same lesson Ezekiel preached: God alone swaps thrones. • No coalition—Babylonian, Persian, or end-time—escapes that rule. The Rod in His Hand—Isaiah & Jeremiah “Woe to Assyria, the rod of My anger… yet it is not his intention.” (Isaiah 10:5, 7) “This is what the LORD says to Cyrus His anointed, whom I have taken by the right hand to subdue nations.” (Isaiah 45:1) “I have made the earth… and I give it to whomever I wish. Now I have given all these lands into the hand of My servant Nebuchadnezzar.” (Jeremiah 27:5-6) • Assyria, Cyrus, Nebuchadnezzar—each thought he ran the show; each was actually God’s tool. • The pattern mirrors Ezekiel 38: even when motives are hostile, movements are heavenly directed. Authority in the Church Age—New Testament Echoes “Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which is from God.” (Romans 13:1) “Herod and Pontius Pilate… carried out what Your hand and will had decided beforehand would happen.” (Acts 4:27-28) “God has put it into their hearts to accomplish His purpose… until the words of God are fulfilled.” (Revelation 17:17) • From Christ’s cross to the final rebellion, leaders act but God scripts. • The same sovereign hand that drags Gog also channels emperors, governors, and end-time kings. The Psalmist’s Anthem “The One enthroned in heaven laughs.” (Psalm 2:4) “Dominion belongs to the LORD and He rules over the nations.” (Psalm 22:28) • While nations rage, heaven is calm—and in control. • Ezekiel’s “hooks” are simply the psalmist’s laughter in picture form. Summary Truths to Carry Forward • God’s sovereignty is personal and precise: He can guide a single heart or mobilize whole armies. • Human intent, even when evil, becomes the servant of divine purpose. • History is not a tug-of-war between equal forces; the Lord alone holds the rope. • Confidence and peace grow when we read today’s headlines through Ezekiel 38:4 and its sister passages—God is still steering the story. |
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