What I have learned from this blog about the rapture (7)
The teaching about Ezekiel 38 is that this refers to a war with Israel. There is a lot of debate over whether this takes place prior to the seven year tribulation because they collect the weapons and use them for heating for seven years, or if this is Armageddon, or if this takes place after the millennial reign because it talks about unwalled cities without bars and that does not seem to align with any other end time prophecies.
This is critical because the main argument for this current war in Israel not becoming the Ezekiel 38 war is the fact that it describes them as unwalled without bars. My understanding of this has completely changed. Psalm 83 is the proxy war we see right now, this leads to Isaiah 17 where Damascus becomes a ruinous heap and then it is no longer a proxy war but we have Ezekiel 38 war and that in turn grows into Armageddon with the whole world. As for the "unwalled cities without bars or gates" that refers to the US. So let's look at Ezekiel 38 to see how I came to this understanding.
Ezekiel 38:1 And the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, 2 Son of man, set thy face against Gog, the land of Magog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal, and prophesy against him, 3 And say, Thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I am against thee, O Gog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal: 4 And I will turn thee back, and put hooks into thy jaws, and I will bring thee forth, and all thine army, horses and horsemen, all of them clothed with all sorts of armour, even a great company with bucklers and shields, all of them handling swords: 5 Persia, Ethiopia, and Libya with them; all of them with shield and helmet: 6 Gomer, and all his bands; the house of Togarmah of the north quarters, and all his bands: and many people with thee. 7 Be thou prepared, and prepare for thyself, thou, and all thy company that are assembled unto thee, and be thou a guard unto them. 8 After many days thou shalt be visited: in the latter years thou shalt come into the land that is brought back from the sword, and is gathered out of many people, against the mountains of Israel, which have been always waste: but it is brought forth out of the nations, and they shall dwell safely all of them. 9 Thou shalt ascend and come like a storm, thou shalt be like a cloud to cover the land, thou, and all thy bands, and many people with thee.
This I believe is referring to a war with Israel
10 Thus saith the Lord God; It shall also come to pass, that at the same time shall things come into thy mind, and thou shalt think an evil thought:
I think that this is referring to something else in addition to the attack on Israel.
11 And thou shalt say, I will go up to the land of unwalled villages; I will go to them that are at rest, that dwell safely, all of them dwelling without walls, and having neither bars nor gates,
This I believe refers to the USA. Today about 49% of the world's Jews live in Israel and 49% in the USA. It is like Israel is divided into two nations just as it was in the OT. The USA is the land of unwalled villages without bars or gates. When I lived in Taiwan every apartment was fully covered with bars and gates. When I went to Mexico it was the same thing. There are very few places on earth like the US where there are no bars or gates or walls. It is very important to realize this because it changes everything, instead of thinking this must be a prophecy far into the future it could be something referring to today.
12 To take a spoil, and to take a prey; to turn thine hand upon the desolate places that are now inhabited, and upon the people that are gathered out of the nations, which have gotten cattle and goods, that dwell in the midst of the land.
Cattle? Israel? Israel has about 0.03% of the world's cattle. The USA has about 10%. This word cannot be referring to Israel, it must be referring to the USA.
13 Sheba, and Dedan, and the merchants of Tarshish, with all the young lions thereof, shall say unto thee, Art thou come to take a spoil? hast thou gathered thy company to take a prey? to carry away silver and gold, to take away cattle and goods, to take a great spoil?
Sheba and Dedan refer to Saudi Arabia, Tarshish is the UK, these are two allies of the USA.