And I will plead against him with pestilence and with blood; and I will rain upon him, and upon his bands, and upon the many people that are with him, an overflowing rain, and great hailstones, fire, and brimstone.
The dream is doubled because the thing is certain and demands careful regard. God lets men know of Israel's security, their easy prey, their careless rest, yet He knows they will misuse that knowledge for their own ruin; their safety is real, grounded in His protection, and no weapon formed against them shall prosper.
AI summary
Commenting on Ezekiel 38:14-23
God magnifies Himself and sanctifies His name through this destruction, displaying His power and justice together. The heathen nations will know Him then, not by rumor, but by sight of His judgment, and the kingdoms of the world shall become His and His Christ's.
AI summary
plead--a forensic term; because God in His inflictions acts on the principles of His own immutable justice, not by arbitrary impulse (Isa 66:16; Jer 25:31). blood . . . hailstones, fire-- (Rev 8:7; Rev 16:21). The imagery is taken from the destruction of Sodom and the plagues of Egypt (compare Psa 11:6). Antiochus died by "pestilence" (2 Maccabees 9:5). Next: Ezekiel Chapter 39