The feast for the birds, and the Israeli-West Bank Barrier

In Ezekiel 39, the destruction of the hordes of Gog and Magog, and their burial for seven months, is followed by the great feast for the birds. Another similar prophecy in  Revelation 19 describes a similar feast where birds feed on the flesh of kings, captains, mighty men, horses, all men, bond and free, small and great. But in Revelation 19, the feast is described before Gog and Magog are described in chapter 20. The order of the events seems to be reversed.

The land of unwalled villages

In The Popular Encyclopedia of Bible Prophecy, dispensationalist author Arnold Fruchtenbaum argued for a literal approach to the interpretation of prophecy. Ezekiel 39:4 describes the judgment of the invading armies of Gog and Magog upon the mountains of Israel, which Fruchtenbaum considers can be nothing other than literal hills and mountains in Palestine. He wrote: [1]

When the prophet refers to “the mountains of Israel,” he refers to the central mountain range that makes up the backbone of the country. In the Old Testament, these mountains were known as the hill country of Ephraim and the hill country of Judah…

The siege of Jerusalem

Many of the prophets spoke of a great conflict in the day of the Lord. This conflict is not a war between nations of the earth, but one that is spiritual in nature.  In Joel 2, a great multitude is described, in the context of an account of a plague of locusts. The army is “a great people and strong;” it is unique; nothing like it has happened before, or will happen again. Furthermore, verse 11 says, “And the LORD shall utter his voice before his army: for his camp is very great.” Later, the spirit of God is poured out upon all flesh. “And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions.” [Joel 2:28]

On the thousand years of Revelation 20

In Revelation chapters 19, 20, and 21, John draws from prophecies of the last few chapters of Ezekiel, and applies them to the Church. Ezekiel 38-39 tells of an invasion by the armies of Gog and Magog; John adapts Ezekiel’s prophecy and interprets it, as referring to deceived people from all parts of the earth who come against the Church, which is the “camp of the saints” and the “beloved city” of Rev. 20:8-9.

Is the land in Ezekiel 38-39 a metaphor?

Jesus  promised his disciples, “you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” [John 8:32] He said that the Spirit which God would send to the church will “guide you into all truth.” [John 16:13] These two promises are among the most profound in the whole Bible.

The prophecy of Ezekiel 38-39 tells of the Gog and Magog invasion, which Revelation 20:8-9 interprets as an assault by deceived nations upon the camp of the saints, and the beloved city.

Horses of the 2nd woe

In the prophecies of scripture, animals sometimes represent nations, or categories of people. Jesus is called the shepherd, his sheep are those who belong in his sheepfold, and false teachers are represented by predators such as wolves.

There are many prophecies which refer to horses. In some of those prophecies, horses represent people who lack understanding, and their riders are those who guide or lead them. David wrote, “Be ye not as the horse, or as the mule, which have no understanding: whose mouth must be held in with bit and bridle, lest they come near unto thee.” [Psalm 32:9] Jeremiah wrote, “They were as fed horses in the morning: every one neighed after his neighbor’s wife.” [Jeremiah 5:8]

The army of Gog and Magog: links to related prophecies

Elements of Ezekiel’s prophecy of the invasion of Gog and Magog are compared with other prophecies in the table below. The parallel prophecies considered include Joel, Zechariah 12-14, and Revelation 9, 19, and 20. 

Zechariah and the assault on Jerusalem

Zechariah 14 describes an assault on Jerusalem in the day of the Lord. Comparing Zechariah’s prophecies with other prophecies, notably Revelation 20:8-9, shows that Zechariah’s prophecy and related prophecies describe a spiritual assault upon the church, the heavenly Jerusalem. It is not referring to a military campaign against the earthly city.

Gog and Magog, and the 2nd woe

The sixth trumpet, or the 2nd woe, is a great army of 200 million horses and horsemen. Some have wondered how this number compares with the total number of horses in the world.

According to the statistics provided at Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, the 2009 world populations of horses, asses, mules and camels were: