EZEKIEL 38:23 — KING JAMES VERSION 0 0
“Thus will I magnify myself, and sanctify myself; and I will be known in the eyes of many nations, and they shall know that I am the Lord.”
God declares that he will magnify and make himself known and demonstrate his holiness in the sight of many nations, and they will know that he is the Lord—the ultimate purpose of the Gog judgment is the revelation of God's character and power to all peoples. The magnification of God's name means that the divine reputation and status will be universally recognized; the judgment of Gog becomes a revelation of God's supremacy. The demonstration of holiness establishes that the judgment is not arbitrary but a defense of the covenant's sacred character; God proves his commitment to the sanctity of the covenant and the sanctity of Israel. The formula 'they will know that I am the Lord' concludes the oracle by establishing that knowledge of God results from the spectacular judgment of Gog. This verse reiterates the oracle's central claim: that the threat represented by Gog, despite its apparent magnitude, serves the ultimate purpose of displaying God's power and character to the world. The oracle concludes by making explicit what has been implicit throughout: Gog's invasion, though fearsome, will be the occasion of God's greatest triumph and the revelation of his sovereignty.
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