The Summation of History

Can you summarize your day yesterday? I have a journaling app on my phone where you can basically journal what happened in your day with photos included. It helps me to remember where I’ve been and what I’ve done. Like you, there is a lot going on in life and since we travel, sometimes it is difficult to remember who I saw where and when. That journaling condenses my life into a note per day. Maybe you recall classes where an entire subject could be summarized in Barnes Notes that puts in a teacup what you need to know. Can you summarize yesterday? Can you summarize your life?

Can you summarize the history of the world? It seems as if that is what God is doing in Ezekiel 38-39. Ezekiel 39:16 speaks of the latter days. He speaks of Israel His people and of enemies that will come against them in future times. In Ezekiel 36:9 God says of Israel, “I am for thee.” In contrast, in Ezekiel 38:3 and 39:1 God says of the enemies of Israel in future times, “I am against you.” Whether we are talking about ancient civilizations like Babylon or modern nations such as Russia, what is the summation of mankind’s history?

Let me go through a quick listing of what God says in Ezekiel 38-39. In Ezekiel 38:23 God says, “Thus will I magnify myself.” In Ezekiel 39:13 He says, “The day that I shall be glorified.” In Ezekiel 39:25 God speaks of being “jealous for my holy name.” In Ezekiel 39:27 God says He will be sanctified by His people “in the sight of the nations.” In Ezekiel 39:28 God says, “Then shall they know that I am the LORD their God, which caused…” God is the great cause. That is kind of a theme throughout Ezekiel, the words “then shall they know that I am the LORD God.”

At the end of Ezekiel 39 the Bible says something that Israel will know and the heathen will know. Verse 22 says, “So the house of Israel shall know that I am the LORD their God from that day and forward,” and specifically when He defeats her enemies and protects His people. In Ezekiel 39:23 God says, “And the heathen shall know that the house of Israel went into captivity for their iniquity: because they trespassed against me, therefore hid I my face from them, and gave them into the hand of their enemies: so fell they all by the sword.” God said, “I will be sanctified [set apart] in them in the sight of many nations and they shall know that I am the Lord their God which caused.”

So, can you summarize world history? You can in the sense that the glory of God will be the summation of history. God’s name may be defamed, God’s people may live in sin, and God’s enemies may seem to prosper, but there is coming a day when the glory of God will be the summation of history. It will be the ending and climax of history.

Two things we should remember. First, remember that your day has been a means and not the end. Both hope and humility ought likewise to be in the person who realizes that there is a God in heaven. Think about political histories. Think about all the amazing things happening in Washington D.C., the country, and the world since the inauguration in January. That ought to put in us a realization that nothing we see is the end and to realize there is an end beyond what we can see. This should create in us humility and hope that supersedes the politicians that we elect who come and go.

In Ezekiel 39 the Bible talks about this power Gog that will come against His people. Is this Russia? It may be or it could be some other. I don’t have to see the big picture to know that there is one and I shouldn’t think that whatever happens in my day is the sum and substance of the big picture. There is more and something bigger going on than I can see. Remember that your day has been a means and not the end.

Secondly, remember that God remains transcendent, immutable, and faithful. Transcendent means He exceeds the world He has created. God is not subject to our elections, opinions, and our sin. He transcends that. God is immutable. It means that God does not change. What God speaks of here is who God is now and ever has been. When we say He is faithful, we mean that God will take care of His people. God says in Ezekiel 39:25, “Now will I bring again the captivity of Jacob, and have mercy upon the whole house of Israel, and will be jealous for my holy name.”

So, the glory of God is the summation of history and God remains above His creation, unchanged by His creation, and faithful to His creation, specifically to Himself, His people, and His Word. We can look back and see Babylon. We can look to the east and see Russia. But God sees everything, start to finish, beginning to end. Whatever your day has been or your life will be in the days ahead, remember there is a God in Heaven and the glory of God will be the summation of history.