The Battle of Armageddon - Part II
Are Ezekiel 38 and 39 the Same Battle As Armageddon?
Return to Battle of Armageddon, Part I
Purpose:
The purpose of the second part is to ascertain whether Ezekiel 38
and 39 is the same as the so-called battle of Armageddon. In the process,
we compare Ezekiel 38 and 39 to Revelation 19 and 20 to help clarify the
understanding. The results will demonstrate that Ezekiel 38 and 39 are not
the same as the hypothesized battle of Armageddon, and in fact were predictions
of a battle that will never occur at all.
Introduction
In the first part, we found that Armageddon is not really a
battle, but rather is play and counter play by God and Satan, with people caught
in the middle. This is so because it begins by God pouring out his wrath
upon the people who support Babylon, causing them to reevaluate their support of
Babylon, and eventually withdrawing their support. At that time, Satan
tries to counter this move by sending out miracle working spirits to build
support for his war against God. God's people recognize these events as
signs of the approach of the coming of Jesus. They know that his coming is
just around the corner.
However, Ezekiel 38 and 39 describes a battle, which many teachers
claim, is the battle of Armageddon. Are they right? The Biblical
evidence shows that Armageddon is not a battle, but instead is about making
decisions and announcing the approach of the coming of Jesus to the people of
God. Any comparison to Ezekiel 38 and 39 is misleading, because Ezekiel 38
and 39 are chapters in the Bible about an actual battle. Therefore, they
really cannot be the same thing. However, to be fair, it would be wise to
go through the discovery process to demonstrate that this is true.
Here is a copy of Ezekiel 38 and 39 that you can read for yourself
Here is a table for comparing Ezekiel 38 and 39, and Revelation
16. Revelation 19 and 20 are also included to help improve understanding
of the material.
Armageddon Compared in Ezekiel Chapters 38, 39, and Revelation
Chapters 19 and 20
| Question | Bible Chapters | |||
| Ezekiel 38, 39 |
Revelation 16 |
Revelation 19 |
Revelation 20 | |
| Ruler directly identified as present | Gog (ruler of Magog), Gomer, and Togarmah rulers | Dragon, beast, false prophet, kings of the whole earth, God | Kings of the earth, beast, false prophet, Word of God (Jesus) as King of kings and Lord of lords | Satan, Gog (ruler of Magog, symbolic of all nations), beast, false prophet |
| When does described event occur? | Latter years | During 6th plague just before Jesus comes | Second Coming of Jesus | Hell, after the millennium |
| Who is Gathered? | Magog, Tubal and Meshech (names of towns near the Black Sea), Egypt, Lybia, Persia, Ethiopia (modern Sudan, Ethiopia, Somalia and Eritria), Gomer (a northern nation) | Kings of the earth and the whole world | Beast, false prophet, kings of the earth and their armies, great and small, free and bond, captains, mighty men, horses, birds to eat remaining flesh | Gog, Magog, beast, false prophet, Satan, those not found in the book of life |
| Does the text Describe a Battle? | Yes, leaves 1/6 of army (39:2), residents gather wood arms left over and burn them for 7 years after (39:9) | No | Yes, two armies fight against each other. Remnant killed by the sword in the mouth of Jesus. | Yes, the wicked gather around the city to attack it, but fire and brimstone destroys them. |
| Where is the battle described as occurring? | Mountains of Israel. They die in the mountains of Israel and nowhere else. | No battle described so no location given. Only says they aregathered for battle. | Unspecified location, except that it occurs on earth. | Around the city of God, the New Jerusalem. |
| Punishment | Fire, brimstone, rain, hailstones, pestilence, blood, sword | Does not say | Lake of fire, brimstone (burning sulfur), sword from the mouth of Jesus (is possibly the brightness of his coming - may be like a powerful laser - see 2Thess. 2:8) | Lake of fire, brimstone, destroyed by lake of fire |
| Final End | Birds and beast of the field eat the corpses | Does not say | Birds eat the corpses | Destroyed by fire, so probably only ashes left |
| Buried? Where? | Yes, in the valley of Hamon-gog east of the sea. It takes seven months to bury the dead invaders left over after the animals eat their fill. | Does not say | Does not say, except that the birds eat what is left, so there might be nothing but bones to bury. | No burial mentioned, and since they are ashes, it probably is not needed. |
| Related events | Eat the flesh and fat of animals and men and drink blood of the slain, fire in Magog and islands | Not mentioned | Beast and false prophet put into the lake of fire. | Sinners judged by the righteous during the millennium while the wicked are dead. |
| Secondary results | Heathen know who God is, Israel no more turns from God, God will favor Israel afterwards | Three spirits go out doing miracles and gather people to Armageddon | Jesus rules the nations with an iron rod | Way prepared for the recreation of the earth as outlined in Revelation 20-22 |
Comparison of Facts from the Table Above
Ezekiel 38 and 39 Compared to Revelation 16:12-16, Revelation 19
and 20
To answer the question about whether Ezekiel 38 and 39 are the
same battle as Revelation 16:12-16, consider the following facts shown in the
table above:
1. 
There is a difference when
the battles occur. Ezekiel 38 and 39 are describes the battle as occurring
in the "latter year," while it is clear that Revelation 16:12-16 occurs during
the sixth plague, which occurs just before Jesus comes again for the second
time. "Latter years" of Ezekiel 38 and 39 could suggest that this is the
same time as Revelation 16, but other evidence would suggest otherwise.
2. There is no battle
described for Revelation 16:12-16, yet the texts say that people gather for the
battle against God. This would imply that if there is a war at all
connected with Armageddon, it must occur later. The evidence would
strongly suggest that there is no actual war connected with Armageddon.
3. For Revelation 16:12-16,
one can surmise that death for many occurs as a result of both plagues #6 and
#7, but the text says nothing about death as a result of either plague. It
seems reasonable that death does occur as a result of the because of the pouring
out of God’s wrath on the people supporting Babylon, but it does not say that
this happens. Death occurs for virtually all gathered against Israel in
Ezekiel 38 and 39. This is strange, for if the vision in Ezekiel 38, 39,
and Revelation 16 were the same, it would seem that Revelation 16:12-16 should
mention many deaths, but but these texts mention nothing of the sort.
Whynot, Death is widespread in Revelation chapters 19 and 20.
4. There is a difference in
the aftermath of both events. Seven months of burial of the dead follow
the battle in Ezekiel 38 and 39, these chapters even mention where the people
bury the dead. Revelation 16 mentions nothing of this for sixth and
seventh plagues. Ezekiel 38 and 39 describe birds eating the carcasses of
the dead, this is also true of the events mentioned in Revelation 19.
5. There is a difference in
armaments in both events. Ezekiel 38 and 39 results in a situation where
the Israelites have no need to gather wood for fires for seven years because
they are burning the wood weapons collected off the dead from the battle.
Now, the Bible says that this occurs in the latter days of earth's history, but
this tells us that this event cannot refer to modern latter day times because of
the antique weapons it describes the people burning. Few armies have used
wood weapons in the past several hundred years to any appreciable extent, except
maybe those from some place where modern weaponry is unknown, such as the
jungles of Borneo say 50 or 100 years ago. Certainly, the nations
mentioned as being gathered would have long ago given up wood weapons in today's
world.
In Revelation 16, it is
clear that this chapter refers to events yet future, so I think it very unlikely
that modern nations will revert to the use of wood weapons before the end of
time. Even without fossil fuels to drive tanks, trucks, cars, airplanes,
and other vehicles used in modern warfare, they still could use smaller metal
weapons such as machine guns, which today have very little wood in them, if at
all. In addition, it seems unlikely that Israel will have to revert to the
use of wood fires for heating and cooking. That is not impossible, but
unlikely with today's use of fossil fuels. One or two hundred years ago,
this would have been much more likely.
6. Secondary results of these
two events are different too. Ezekiel 38 and 39 results in the heathen
knowing whom God is, that he is owerful, and God will favor the Israelites
afterwards and they will not turn from Him anymore. Revelation 16:12-16
has the way prepared for the coming of the kings of the east (a probable
reference to the invasion of Babylon by the Persians as a symbol of what God
intends to do to spiritual Babylon that exists today - invade it and destroy
it).
7. One has to remember that
the second coming of Jesus quickly follows the seventh plague of Revelation
16. Then, and not before, is when a battle takes place directly between
the forces of evil and Jesus, and Jesus will kill the wicked. He will
emerge the victor because of his second coming to the planet earth. The
righteous will go to heaven to be with him for the next 1,000 years while the
judgment of the wicked is taking place. The wicked are dead during the
1,000 years while the righteous are in heaven. That means there is nobody
alive on earth during that time, except for the devil and his angels. This
means that there is again a contradiction between Ezekiel 38 and 39 and
Revelation 16:12-16, for in Ezekiel 38 and 39, there are many people, including
the heathen, remaining on earth afterwards, evidently for a long time. In
Revelation 19, one can determine that there will be no humans remaining alive
here on earth after the second coming of Jesus, which occurs very soon after the
seventh plague.
8. There is a difference in
punishment. Ezekiel 38 and 39 has fire, brimstone, pestilence (disease),
rain, hailstones, blood, and the sword. In Revelation 16, the seventh
plague has earthquakes, hail, lightning, and thunder. There is not a large
match here. The closest thing is the lake of fire and brimstone mentioned
in Revelation 19 and 20.
These eight points should make it clear that Ezekiel 38 and 39 are
not the same battle described in Revelation 16:12-16 or, even adding in the
seventh plague from Revelation 16, it is not synonymous with it.
The fact is Ezekiel 38 and 39 are not synonymous with Revelation
19 or 20. It is true that Gog and Magog appear in both Ezekiel 38 and 39
along with Revelation 20, but this does not make the events depicted one and the
same. Nobody among the attacking army survives in Revelation 20, whereas
in Ezekiel 38 and 39, it appears that a sixth of the people from the attacking
army possibly do survive. In addition, people bury the dead in Ezekiel 38
and 39, whereas in Revelation 20, the only thing left of the attacking army
should be ashes - there would be nothing left to bury. The birds do eat
from the corpses in Ezekiel 38 and 39, but that will not happen in Revelation
20. In addition, there will be no heathen on earth after the events of
Revelation 20, but there evidently are after the battle of Ezekiel 38 and
39. Therefore, Ezekiel 38 and 39 is not a battle that is synonymous with
Revelation 20.
Revelation 19 would appear to be the closest match to Ezekiel 38
and 39, but it too has a problem because nobody from the wicked survives
it. In addition, Ezekiel 38 and 39 mentions pestilence, but Revelation 19
does not. The time for the battles is different. Ezekiel 38 and 39
are obviously something that, had it happened, would have had to have occurred
at least several hundred years ago because of the presence and use of wood
weapons. Yet a study of Revelation 19 indicates this is a vision of the
coming of Jesus, something that is yet in the future. Unless we bomb
ourselves back to the Stone Age, it is extremely unlikely that the use of wood
weapons will occur again in this modern age. Therefore, the logical
conclusion is that Ezekiel 38 and 39 is not synonymous with Revelation 19
either.
Some probably will try to claim that the wood weapons are
symbolic, but that seems quite unlikely. Most of those two chapters appear
to be quite literal. Symbols do not become fuel for literal fires; note
that the Bible says the people will use wood for 7 years for fires. I
suppose one could say that the fires are symbolic, but that seems quite a long
stretch of the information presented in those two chapters. Therefore, it
seems extremely improbable that these weapons are symbols of something else.
What this leaves is that Ezekiel 38 and 39 is a prediction that
does not match any of the chapters in Revelation under consideration. So,
what are these two chapters in Ezekiel talking about? Will this battle
ever happen? How do we explain that this battle has obviously not happened
in history?
What Is the Probable Correct Explanation of Ezekiel 38 and 39?
Prophecies are Conditional
Here is what the author believes may be the proper explanation of
Ezekiel 38 and 39: To explain this, the author wishes to remind the reader
of the story of Jonah in the Bible. In that book, God told Jonah to go to
the capital of the Assyrian kingdom, Nineveh (which was in the modern country of
Iraq), and tell the inhabitants of that city that God was going to destroy that
city in 40 days (literally he said it would be overthrown). This got the
people's attention, and they repented of their sins. God took notice and
did not destroy that city. Of course, Jonah finished his job and then went
outside of the city, chose a good overlook, and waited for the judgments of God
to fall upon that city. When it did not happen, he got mad because now he
looked like a false prophet.
The point the author is getting at is that this prophecy of the
overthrow of Nineveh was a conditional prophecy. Jonah certainly did not
preach the prophecy that way, but it factually was. Had the people not
repented of their sins, you can be sure God would have kept his word and Jonah
would have had quite a show to watch. Yet they did repent, so the
overthrow of that city did not occur and Jonah got mad. Therefore,
sometimes God does send a prophecy, and if the conditions match, the prophecy
will come true or not, depending on the nature of the prophecy. Sometimes
these prophecies will not appear to be conditional as recorded, yet they indeed
are.
There are other prophecies in the Bible that are conditional,
whether directly stated that way or not. God himself has something to say
about this idea in Jeremiah. Here are his words on the subject:
Jeremiah 18:7 - At what instant I shall speak
concerning a nation, and concerning a kingdom, to pluck up, and to pull down,
and to destroy it;
Jeremiah 18:8 - If that nation, against
whom I have pronounced, turn from their evil, I will repent of the evil that I
thought to do unto them.
Jeremiah 18:9 - And at what instant I
shall speak concerning a nation, and concerning a kingdom, to build and to plant
it;
Jeremiah 18:10 - If it do evil in my sight, that it obey
not my voice, then I will repent of the good, wherewith I said I would benefit
them.
Conditions Israel Had to Meet for the Prophecy to Come True
Now there are prophecies in Ezekiel about Israel that have never
happened. Does that mean Ezekiel was a false prophet? No, it does
not. Many preachers today who will tell you that these prophecies will
indeed happen in modern Israel because God will never fail to keep his
word. . These preachers fail to understand that the nowhere was the
conditions for these prophecies met, so they will never occur. Now, you
may ask, what were the conditions? For the answer to that, we must turn to
Daniel:
Daniel 9:24 - Seventy weeks are determined upon thy
people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end
of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting
righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most
Holy.
Daniel 9:25 - Know therefore and understand, that from
the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the
Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: the
street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times.
Daniel 9:26 - And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah
be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come
shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a
flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined.
Daniel
9:27 - And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and
in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease,
and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until
the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.
This prophecy began running in 457 B.C. However, what began
in Daniel 9:24 was "cut off," from something. What
do you cut time off from (it does say that 70 weeks were cut off)?
Normally you cut time off from time, not a length of rope, or money, or other
physical objects. Therefore, the 70 weeks were "cut off"
from a longer period. What is this longer period? Most likely
the 2300 days spoken of in Dan 8:14 "And he said unto me, Unto
two thousand and three hundred days; then shall the sanctuary be
cleansed." Because that is the vision, Daniel was trying to
understand when the angel came to explain things to him.
Some question that these prophetic days refer to years.
Clearly, this 490-year prophecy runs until just after the first coming of Jesus,
so clearly these "days" refer to prophetic years. Since the 490 years are
"cut off" from the 2300 days, therefore the 2300 days
prophecy is symbolic of a 2300-year prophecy. The angel did repeatedly
tell Daniel that " "it shall be for many days,"
Daniel 8:26, or Daniel 8:17, "at the time of the end
shall be the vision." In Daniel 8 and in the visions written of in Daniel
9-12, thereby indicating that the 2300 day or year prophecy reached far into the
future.
Daniel 9:24 outlines the prophetic conditions that were in the
previous paragraph. Note that it gives the people of Israel, "Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city,
to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make
reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to
seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy." Now,
consider the answer to this question carefully: Did the people of Israel
make an end of sin and bring in righteousness during this time? Jesus died
in the middle of the last week of years of that time and the Jewish people
rejected God by putting him to death through putting pressure on the Roman
government. Please do not make the mistake of thinking that this is
justification to persecute the Jewish people - what they did was a human thing
to do as people everyday make the exact same mistake when they refuse to
surrender their lives to God, and those who do this are of every race and
nationality.
Further, after Jesus rose from death and went back to heaven, the
Jewish authorities persecuted the new Christian church. The death of Stephen ,one of the
early Christians, probably sealed the fate of the Jewish Nation at that time is
this would have been about the time of the end of the 490 year prophecy.
This indicates clearly that they did not choose righteousness, but instead chose
sin and rejection of God. By doing this, they failed to fulfill the
conditions of the prophecy.
After that, God opened the gospel to the gentiles. Israel was
no longer the chosen people they had once been because they rejected God.
God chose someone else - the gentiles. This is not to say that God had
rejected the nation of Israel, for he did not, but rather they rejected
him. After that, he simply opened the gospel work to the gentiles as well
as the Jews.
For evidence that the gospel work opened up to the gentiles after
the death of Stephen, you can read all about it in the Bible in the book of
Acts, chapter 10.
The Millennium - What is going on here on earth during that time?
Where are the Saved and the Wicked during the Millennium?
One possible reason many conclude that the battle in Ezekiel 38
and 39 is synonymous with the so-called battle of Armageddon is that they
believe that the people of God will spend the millennium here on earth.
The author disagrees with this view and here is why: The Bible evidence is
that when Jesus comes again as depicted in Revelation 19, everyone is destroyed
except the devils and those God has saved, who then go to heaven for at least
part of, if not all of, the duration of the millennium. Support for this
is in the following texts:
1Th 4:13 - But I would not have you to be ignorant,
brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others
which have no hope.
1Th 4:14 - For if we believe that Jesus
died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with
him.
1Th 4:15 - For this we say unto you by the word of the
Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not
prevent them which are asleep.
1Th 4:16 - For the Lord himself
shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and
with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
1Th
4:17 - Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together
with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air: and
so shall we ever be with the Lord.
1Th 4:18 - Wherefore comfort one another with these words.
In these verses, it is clear that Jesus is not returning to the
ground to remain here, but everyone will rise into the air to meet him
there. Why rise into the air to meet him if you are not leaving this
world? Would it not be more likely that Jesus would have everyone meet him
on the ground if he was returning to remain? It is not impossible for him
to have us meet him in the air and the return to the ground, but it just seems
very unlikely. Now, consider this:
John 14:1 - Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe
in God, believe also in me.
John 14:2 - In my Father's house
are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a
place for you.
John 14:3 - And if I go and prepare a place for
you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye
may be also.
These verses quoting what Jesus had to say hours before his trial
and crucifixion indicates that he was going to his Father's house to prepare a
home for each of them. He further says that he would come again to meet
with them to so that where he is, they can be also. Remember that when he
returns, he is returning from heaven, so heaven is what he is referring to when
he uses the phrase "that where I am, there ye may be also,"
which must be so because he had just finished saying that he was going to
his Father's house. Now, if he was going to prepare a place for them, why
do that if he was simply going to return to earth and spend the millennium with
them? However, if he was going to take them to be with him in the capital
city of the universe, it would make perfect sense, would it not, that he would
have homes prepared for them? After all, they would need a place to live
while there.
On the other hand, some would argue that he prepared places in the
New Jerusalem and would then bring it back with him. That is possible, I
suppose, but then why did he not say that in John 14? Further, in those
verses in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18, why was it not mentioned that the New
Jerusalem would be returning with Jesus when he returns? In addition, if
it was returning with him, why meet him in the air?
It seems more logical that the people God saves will return to the
New Jerusalem with him for the millennium, and will return with it at the end of
or near the end of the millennium. That would be entirely consistent with
the ideas presented in these texts, whereas the idea that the New Jerusalem
returns with Jesus or shortly after his second coming does seem to present more
problems.
What Will the Saved Be Doing During the Millennium, Playing
Harps on a Cloud?
What will the saved do during the millennium? John describes
it this way in Revelation 20:4 - 5
Rev. 20:4 - And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them,
and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded
for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshiped
the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their
foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand
years. But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were
finished. This is the first resurrection.
It appears that during the millennium, those who have gone to
heaven to be with Jesus will reign with Jesus, and pass judgment on those not
saved. The saved will have a chance to examine the record books for
themselves, which will help them realize that God has been fair to all.
They will have a chance to know why their favorite uncle, aunt, cousin, or
friend is not in heaven. In addition, they will have a part in deciding the
final punishment of those who are not in heaven. That is an awesome task
and very heavy responsibility.
What Happens After the Millennium Is Over?
At some point, probably at the end of the millennium, the New
Jerusalem returns to this earth, for it says:
Rev 20:7 - And when the thousand years are expired,
Satan shall be loosed out of his prison,
Rev 20:8 - And shall
go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog
and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom is as the sand
of the sea.
Rev 20:9 - And they went up on the breadth of the
earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and
fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them.
The point of this is that there will be no humans alive on earth
during the millennium. They will all be dead. Then the city returns,
God resurrects dead, Satan is again free to deceive humanity so he gathers them
for one last stand against God. This is the final battle, but he and all
with him lose the battle and God sends fire to destroy them, finally. They
will be ashes on the ground afterwards and will never again exist. Here is
evidence for that:
Rev 19:20 - And the beast was taken, and with him the
false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that
had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshiped his image. These
both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone.
Rev 19:21 - And the remnant were slain with the sword of him
that sat upon the horse, which sword proceeded out of his mouth: and all the
fowls were filled with their flesh.
Mal 4:1 - For, behold, the
day cometh, that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea, and all that do
wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith
the LORD of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch.
Mal
4:2 - But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness
arise with healing in his wings; and ye shall go forth, and grow up as calves of
the stall.
Mal 4:3 - And ye shall tread down the wicked; for
they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet in the day that I shall do
this, saith the LORD of hosts.
The verse below seems to indicate that sin will never arise
again. God would know that because he is able to see down throughout all
eternity. Therefore, we can know that the sinners themselves who die in
hell will not live again. They will cease to exist for all eternity once
they die.
Nah 1:9 - What do ye imagine against the LORD? he will
make an utter end: affliction shall not rise up the second time.
Here is evidence that this is so.
Rev 20:14 - And death and hell were cast into the lake
of fire. This is the second death.
Sin causes death, but here it is saying that God destroys death
itself in hell, so that is indicating that sin will not exist again because
death also will not exist again. This has to mean that sinners will never
exist again either. When God puts an end to something, you can be sure it
is finished.
Now, when we combine all the evidence we find that no humans are
alive on earth during the millennium, it is not reasonable to sustain the idea
that Ezekiel 38 and 39 are about the proposed battle of Armageddon. In
Ezekiel 38 and 39, there are those who survive the battle (about 1/6 of the
invading army evidently survives somewhere), and there are the Israelites.
There are also heathen elsewhere in the world who will know that God is and that
he is powerful. This is evidence of people continuing to live upon the
earth after the battle in Ezekiel 38 and 39, unlike what happens at the second
coming of Jesus. Therefore, the mere fact that there are survivors seems
to contradict the statements in Revelation 19 that the remnants will all
die. Hence, these are predictions of different battles.
The Conclusion of the Matter
If Israel had met the conditions of Daniel, 9:24, then the battle described on Ezekiel 38 and 39
would have occurred before modern times came along with the use of metal weapons, tanks, and airplanes.
Israel's future would have been very different from what their history has been that we know of
today. This prophecy would have occurred because Israel would have never have been dispersed
by the Romans and would have continued to exist as a nation right up to modern times. However,
because they failed to fulfill the conditions, this battle of Ezekiel 38 and 39 will never occur.
This study should clarify the relationship between Ezekiel 38 and 39 and Revelation 16:12-16.
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