With the travelers corpses still lying on the ground. Ezekiel 39:14-16

As I began to take on this section, I was reminded how far too many times that Bible teachings, in general, have been fraught with tradition, a lack of logic, and bereft of truth. This is what I grew up on. I am not trying to shove some new doctrine down your throats, this should be fairly obvious as I point out the multiple meanings of some word and how a different word fits the context better than what has been the standard religious choice for years.

A brief example of what I am talking about comes out of pulpit rants about Paul's thorn in the flesh. I have heard this called a physical ailment; bad eyes, and a multitude of other things. While few have ever mentioned the strong possibility that Paul was an angry man with a hair trigger. We see evidence of that anger in his interactions with Barnabas concerning John Mark; a young man who later became valuable to Paul. Passages concerning John Mark are below. And then, there was Paul, confronting Peter face to face over an event that had happened quite probably over 15 years prior, and Paul only received the information second hand (Gal 2:11-13).

So, if I was going to understand who Paul was, and what he was talking about, then I have to consider his education and usage of words. In Acts 23:6 Paul tells us that he too was a Pharisee; the book of Acts (8:1-3,) in speaking about the death of Stephen says that, Saul approved of his murder, and that Saul tried to destroy the church; going from house to house, he dragged out the believers. Acts 12: 25 Tells of the association of Saul/Paul, Barnabas, and John Mark; and how in a relatively short period of time any good feelings they had quickly dissipated as Paul and Barnabas parted company over what Paul perceives as John Mark's irresponsible actions. This story is detailed in Acts 15:36-39 there occurred such a sharp disagreement that they separated from one another. Paul informed us in 2 Corinthians 12:7 of his understanding of why his thorn keeps hanging on, when he said, “Because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, for this reason, to keep me from exalting myself, ...!” This verse is where this insipid teaching on Paul's thorn in the flesh comes from.

Paul, the Pharisee, was exquisitely skilled in the law and the prophets, and therefore able to stand his ground against anyone who contended with him when it came to the gospel of Jesus Christ. Therefore, when speaking to Jews, he used vernacular that they were accustomed to, and “thorn in the flesh” was one of those subjects. Even in its original form, the phrase had a context. So let's examine that for a moment.

Numbers 33:55 NASB 'But if you do not drive out the inhabitants of the land from before you, then it shall come about that those whom you let remain of them will become as pricks in your eyes and as thorns in your sides, and they will trouble you in the land in which you live.

The inhabitants of the land of Canaan, were, in this case, what would become the thorns if not taken care of appropriately. Is it possible that the thorns in our life could then be thought of as problems, just as these inhabitants were? Certainly. So, it is easy to see that Paul also had a problem that lingered. If it was anger, as I suspect it was, then it was the very thing that kept him humble. In my own life, anger seems to be my reminder that God is in control, not me.

So, what do I know of Paul so far: That Saul, the Pharisee, was willing to kill for something he thought was a kingdom duty. I also can ascertain that Paul was an orator that knew what he was talking about, and he had a temper.

With that in mind, let's pursue the next section of Ezekiel, and do it with a non-traditional mind.

Ezekiel 39:14 NASB "They will set apart men who will constantly pass through the land, burying those who were passing through, even those left on the surface of the ground, in order to cleanse it. At the end of seven months, they will make a search.

Set apart is the word bâdal and means to divide (in various senses literally or figuratively, separate, distinguish, differ, select. The word bâdal is used twice in the passage to convey the idea that decision-makers will separate and distinguish among the people those that will specifically take care of the bodies.

Once again, I bring up Dr. Chuck Missler, an engineer who felt strongly that the fire and the effects are nuclear. Dr. Missler, however, would leave you with the urging, you decide as to how you will perceive and deal with this event.

• "for the continual duty of going through the land and burying with the travelers the corpses still lying out on the ground." Here I use the Complete Jewish Bible version as it translates this passage with an added clarity.
  Take note of how it says, "and burying with the travelers the corpses still lying on the ground. As you can imagine, 'a nuclear type weapon, is not particularly selective. In other words, it does not merely kill the enemy; it kills everything within range.
  As I remember, there is a circumference of total devastation, and then varying degrees of prolonged death the farther away you get.

Something odd about this, as this burial place is called the travelers' valley. There is a logical reason for this as it is heavily used for movement in and out of the southern regions of Israel. This is not the valley of Armageddon, that we are accustomed to hearing about. The travelers, in this case, could be mixed with non-combatants. Telling us that there are dead civilians, here in the South East, leaves the door open for us to understand that there was an attack with many fronts. And, this is exactly what we see in Psalm 83.

• The usage of the phrase, “ in order to cleanse it,” puts the designated cleaners into another category altogether.
  This is talking about Jewish ceremonial cleansing. I will leave you to read the whole of the passage from Numbers; but, take note of how Israel sees these dead bodies.
  Numbers 19:11-15 BBE 13) Anyone touching the body of a dead man without making himself clean in this way, makes the House of the Lord unclean; and that man will be cut off from Israel:

Following the law and keeping yourself from not being cut-off from Israel would be a vital thing, especially in the midst of all this chaos.

Ezekiel 39:15 BBE And while they go through the land, if anyone sees a man's bone, he is to put up a sign by the place till those who are doing the work have put it in the earth in the valley of Hamon-Gog.

“special crews will be appointed to give a proper burial to the bodies of the dead enemies in order for the land to be cleansed. The land would have been defiled by unburied corpses. Those who would come in contact with the corpses out in the open would become ceremonially unclean (according to Num_19:14-16). There will be so many bodies that all kinds of birds will be called in order to help dispose of them (Eze_39:17-20)” LASB

This last statement, “There will be so many bodies that all kinds of birds will be called in order to help dispose of them,” shows up in verse 17, but we also find this same wording in Revelation 19:17-18. The context of the passages in Revelation, is in part, an invitation to the wedding supper of the Lamb. There is a particular gore to that scenario, which I find very unappealing. I was also told recently, that a certain Bible teacher that I admire, claims that what we see coming in Ezekiel 39:17-20 is the exact same battle we see in Revelation 19. Either I did not understand what my friend said, or this teacher is wrong, because, in Ezekiel 38 and 39, we do not Jesus coming as the Messiah, as we do in the Revelation.

"the name of the city will be Hamonah."

What city are we talking about, and does it really matter? Probably not, but then we, as students of the Bible, should see nothing as insignificant. 

Ezekiel 39:16 NASB "And even the name of the city will be Hamonah. So they will cleanse the land."'

hămônâh Hebrew word meaning multitude. Considering the numbers of people now dead, it makes sense.

It is anybody's guess as to which city Ezekiel is speaking of.

I am including a map of the area so you can begin to get a feel for where this Valley of the Travelers would be. The roads come in from the South East and pass above and slightly right of the Dead Sea.

I would not presume this area to be the only place one would find dead bodies after this onslaught, and, as I might have said, nuclear weapons are not very selective. Gog's armies will cause many to die and so will God's retaliation.

As a friend of mine pointed out to me after a recent post, that God is in control. Perhaps it is time we learned that.

I will not let My holy name be profaned anymore. Ezekiel 39:7 -13

God, angry with Gog, the leader of Magog, puts a hook in his jaw and draws him to the hills of Israel and kills, not only him but 5/6^th of those who have allied themselves with this person.

I feel strongly that we are looking at Tayyip Principe Erdoğan – a man who has risen from being a simple mayor to appointing himself as the Supreme Caliph of Islam. If that's true then all Muslims must obey his every command, as he now speaks for Allah.

What do I see here? An established and disrespectful ignorance of God.

We all seem to cry out for justice in this world because far too many have an established pattern of disrespecting, not just people, but God as well. Having prayed, much like many of you, that injustice and abuse would come to an end and yet, it flourishes, but I also long to see God respected. I suppose that means I am imposing my Western Christian mentality upon people, however, you can hear cries, much like this from every part of the world, if you were listening.

This event, we see here in Ezekiel 38, 39 is so closely tied to the catching away of the church, it is hard to tell when one begins and the other ends. One “brother” in Christ, responded to a post with a similar theme, by saying, “Jesus will take out his elect, and then the war will come.” He added, “The war is during the time of the Wrath of God, which begins at the 6th Seal. Rev. 6:17.” This response is wrong on so many levels. First, who are the elect? Any student of the Bible knows that the elect is Israel. But then, along came the followers of Jesus Christ, and Paul tells us that we are also the elect because we are in Jesus. This person gave no context, nor definition, and leaves us to make presumptions based on fragmented pieces from Paul's writings.

2 Thessalonians 2:7-8 NASB 7) For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only he who now restrains will do so until he is taken out of the way. 8) Then that lawless one will be revealed whom the Lord will slay with the breath of His mouth and bring to an end by the appearance of His coming;

Here in 2 Thessalonians 2:7 the "he" that is taken out of the way, is, not only the restrainer but the church itself. Paul goes on to say, that it is then that the lawless one will be revealed. This lawless one is the Antichrist who makes a convenient peace covenant with many. So, my presumption must be that the elect is the church. But then his statement gets even more confusing as he uses Revelation 6:17 as a reference, and places the war deep within the seven years of God's wrath upon the earth, where the rich, and others, are crying for the rocks to fall upon them and hide them from the wrath of God.

So, let's see if God can put an immediate end to people profaning his name.

Ezekiel 39:7 NASB "My holy name I will make known in the midst of My people Israel; and I will not let My holy name be profaned anymore. And the nations will know that I am the LORD, the Holy One in Israel.

Since this war in which God sends a firestorm upon the enemies of Israel, then can we assume that God shuts the enemies mouths? I ask because that is what we do; we assume things far beyond the context of the passages at hand. It is the KJV that correctly ascribes destruction to 5/6^th of the combatants that have come to Israel.

Look at all that God says about what is going to happen.

Ezekiel 38:19-20 KJV For in my jealousy and in the fire of my wrath have I spoken, Surely in that day there shall be a great shaking in the land of Israel; 20) So that the fishes of the sea, and the fowls of the heaven, and the beasts of the field, and all creeping things that creep upon the earth, and all the men that are upon the face of the earth, shall shake at my presence, and the mountains shall be thrown down, and the steep places shall fall, and every wall shall fall to the ground.

• “in that day there shall be a great shaking in the land of Israel;”
• “So that the fishes of the sea, and the fowls of the heaven, and the beasts of the field, and all creeping things that creep upon the earth, and all the men that are upon the face of the earth,”
  A rather encompassing description.
• “shall shake at my presence, and the mountains shall be thrown down, and the steep places shall fall, and every wall shall fall to the ground.”
  I am not trying to diminish God here, but this type of event happens multiple times. How could there be any buildings left if every earthquake has caused all the walls to fall down? Similar to the terminology “all” that we see scattered throughout the Bible, when obviously not all were there, it is safe to assume that there was a tremendous amount of people, or, in this case, a tremendous amount of damage.

Ezekiel 39:6 KJV And I will send a fire on Magog, and among them that dwell carelessly in the isles: and they shall know that I am the LORD.

Here, in 39:6 the fire falls on the isles. This would mean the coastal regions. Does that mean all of them, or, in practicality, the nations that are involved in this horrendous scheme? The majority of the named nations are coastal nations to some degree.

If you are trying to determine the impact God has made by bringing, not only a firestorm but a great shaking, then you need to understand a few other influences.

2 Corinthians 3:14-16 KJV But their minds were blinded: for until this day remains the same vail untaken away in the reading of the old testament; which vail is done away in Christ. 15) But even unto this day, when Moses is read, the vail is upon their heart. 16) Nevertheless, when it shall turn to the Lord, the vail shall be taken away.

In Romans 11:25 the impact will be on Israel. Since this war is on the cusp of the removal of the church, then it is obvious that the vail is lifted immediately. The impact of God's action will have a monumental impact on the Jews that are still here.

Romans 11:25 KJV For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles be come in.

When I put the information together, I can understand that the vail will be taken away, and, it will happen when the fullness of the Gentiles has come. That fullness, by the way, will only happen at the catching away of the church.

Another clue we have about the impact comes from the Revelation itself.

Revelation 7:9 KJV After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands;

These are martyred saints since the catching away of the church. Make note of the quantity, as it is innumerable.

If I were to make a generalized statement, it would be, YES, God has made a tremendous impact.

Ezekiel 39:8 CJB Yes, this is coming, and it will be done,' says Adonai Elohim; 'this is the day about which I have spoken.

I don't know if you have heard this sentence from skeptics, but I have, and it goes like this, you guys have been telling us that God is coming back for over two thousand years, so expect him to come back anytime soon! When you read a sentence like verse 8 you might think God has been hearing something similar as well. Someone wrote, Ezekiel gave these words over 20 centuries ago; the words are more valid today than they ever have been. How do I know this? A standard, liberal newscast, interviewed one of their reporters and asked about what grabs your attention about Syria. The reporter's response, this is no longer Syria. Everywhere I look I see troops from Russia, Iran, Turkey, and the United States. What does that mean? It means that the major players in this last days war of Ezekiel 38,39 are already on Israel's northern border.

In December of 2017 (it's only August of 2018 as I write this,) an Egyptian newspaper published a map showing cartoon tanks surrounding Israel and firing upon the nation. Their intent was to call for a Jihad against Israel.

Are the motivation and compliance lining up for an attack on Israel? Absolutely.

Here is where Ezekiel turns peculiar once again.

Ezekiel 39:9-10 CJB " 'Those living in Isra'el's cities will go out and set fire to the weapons, to use as fuel—the shields, breastplates, bows, arrows, clubs, and spears; they will use them for fire seven years; 10) so that they will not need to gather wood from the fields or cut down any from the forests; because they will use the weapons for fire. Thus they will plunder those who plundered them and rob those who robbed them,' says Adonai Elohim.

Is there a modern army that still uses clubs, bows, and spears as they do battle? No, they have tanks, artillery, missiles, Toyota trucks (with mounted anti-aircraft guns in the middle east,) and AK 47's. How many of these items could one use for fuel to heat your dinner or house? Very little, as everything I mentioned is made from metal, or burns toxic and will poison you, with possibly one exception, the wood from an AK47 (if they still make them like that.)

Ezekiel 39:11 JPS And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will give unto Gog a place fit for burial in Israel, the valley of them that pass through on the east of the sea; and it shall stop them that pass through; and there shall they bury Gog and all his multitude, and they shall call it the valley of Hamon-Gog.

By the way, you are aware that God frequently uses people and their available weaponry to fulfill His desires?

Ezekiel 39:12-13 JPS And seven months shall the house of Israel be burying them, that they may cleanse the land. 13) Yea, all the people of the land shall bury them, and it shall be to them a renown; in the day that I shall be glorified, saith the Lord GOD.

What do I know from this statement?

• That it takes seven months to bury them all.
  This probably has more to do with the quantity of dead.
• While getting rid of dead bodies reduces health issues, the main reason is so that Israel may cleanse the land.
  Numbers 19:11-16 JPS He that touches the dead, even any man's dead body, shall be unclean seven days; 12) the same shall purify himself therewith on the third day and on the seventh day, and he shall be clean; but if he purify not himself the third day and the seventh day, he shall not be clean. 13) Whosoever touches the dead, even the body of any man that is dead, and purifies not himself - he hath defiled the tabernacle of the LORD - that soul shall be cut off from Israel; because the water of sprinkling was not dashed against him, he shall be unclean; his uncleanness is yet upon him. 14) This is the law: when a man dies in a tent, every one that comes into the tent, and everything that is in the tent, shall be unclean seven days. 15) And every open vessel, which hath no covering close-bound upon it, is unclean. 16) And whosoever in the open field touches one that is slain with a sword, or one that dies of himself, or a bone of a man, or a grave, shall be unclean seven days.
  So, the effective reason has much to do with being unclean for seven days. I get the general impression that Israel will not have time for such delays.
  Deuteronomy 21:23 JPS his body shall not remain all night upon the tree, but thou shalt surely bury him the same day; for he that is hanged is a reproach unto God; that thou defile not thy land which the LORD thy God gives thee for an inheritance.
  This passage, if you will recall, is why they could not leave Jesus hanging on the cross overnight, and therefore permitted Joseph of Arimathaea who had asked to have his body for burial.
• “ all the people of the land shall bury them,”
  So, although there will be specific teams to bury the victims, all Israel will be helping out.
• “and it shall be to them a renown; in the day that I shall be glorified, saith the Lord GOD.”
  Jeremiah 33:9 JPS And this city shall be to Me for a name of joy, for a praise and for a glory, before all the nations of the earth, which shall hear all the good that I do unto them, and shall fear and tremble for all the good and for all the peace that I procure unto it.
  Zephaniah 3:19-20 NASB "Behold, I am going to deal at that time With all your oppressors, I will save the lame And gather the outcast, And I will turn their shame into praise and renown In all the earth. 20) "At that time I will bring you in, Even at the time when I gather you together; Indeed, I will give you renown and praise Among all the peoples of the earth, When I restore your fortunes before your eyes," Says the LORD.

Although Zephaniah can say, I will give you renown and praise among all the people of the earth, God's wrath and punishment are not entirely accomplished as yet. Does that make God's word conflict with itself, and is therefore unreliable or not true? Hardly, for this moment in time, though a clear defeat for many, does not cover all of Israel's oppressors. The other question you have to ask as you try to validate God's word, does Israel, as yet, have all their fortunes restored? There is more cataclysmic activity, yet to come.

As I read Ezekiel 39:13 I found myself asking, did you mean what you just said?

• “and it shall be to them a renown; in the day that I shall be glorified, saith the Lord GOD.”

renown is the Hebrew word shêm and means the idea of definite and conspicuous position; compare H8064); an appellation, as a mark or memorial of individuality; by implication honor, authority, character.

I keep finding God's mercy - an attribute that is part of His character and nature. For me, to read that God is giving Israel (those that remain,) honor and position, there is no way I can apply these attributes to Israel in the world's eyes. This has everything to do with Him, showing them mercy and bringing them into the millennial reign with honor. I know, this flies in the face of those who demand no mercy for those outside of the standard religious experience - you know, the one where you come to an altar, shed big tears, say all the right words, and then, go live like the devil once again. I decided, some time ago, that if I err, then I am going to err on the side of mercy. Besides, I can use all the help I can get.

Some would read this and attribute all this to God, but, that is not what it says. The verse tells us that Israel's actions in burying the dead will produce a conspicuous designation of honor and character at some point. That point is when Jesus, the Messiah shall be glorified. When will that take place? When he comes back as the conquering Messiah, and then takes his throne after He sets everything right. Some will read this and start whining that He is only glorified at the end of the millennial reign, and the Great White Throne is a part of that process.

Revelation 19:1-2 NASB After these things I heard something like a loud voice of a great multitude in heaven, saying, "Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God; 2) BECAUSE HIS JUDGMENTS ARE TRUE AND RIGHTEOUS; for He has judged the great harlot who was corrupting the earth with her immorality, ...

Revelation 19:7 NASB "Let us rejoice and be glad and give the glory to Him, for the marriage of the Lamb has come and His bride has made herself ready."

Revelation 19:11-15 NASB 11) And I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse, and He who sat on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness, He judges and wages war.

Revelation 20:4 NASB Then I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was given to them. ... and they came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years.

Revelation 21:3-6 NASB And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, "Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them, ... 5) And He who sits on the throne said, "Behold, I am making all things new." And He *said, "Write, for these words are faithful and true." 6) Then He said to me, "It is done.

If Ezekiel 38, and 39, are closely related to the catching away of the church, then this firestorm against Gog also marks the entrance of the Antichrist and his seven-year contract of peace, signed by many. Since the only clear time frames, we are aware of is seven months of not touching the bodies, and, a seven month period of burying the dead, we can only account for 14 months. 14 months is equivalent to 420 days, and the first half of the seven years of wrath (the fairly peaceful part,) lasts 1260 days, those having to endure this time period have 2.3 years of relative peace left, until this person we call the Antichrist breaks this treaty. Within the Muslim world, that means he calls it off.