And seven months shall the house of Israel be burying of them, that they may cleanse the land.
The verse means the house of Israel will spend seven months in thorough and complete burial of their slain enemies to cleanse the land from their bodies. It stands in the aftermath of God's overthrow of the northern host led by Gog and Magog advancing against Israel, perishing by fire and brimstone while birds feast upon them, in a day of bows and arrows, shields and spears, and of unwalled villages dwelling safely with cattle and wealth tempting invasion for spoil. That burial and cleansing was conditional on Israel yielding to God in faithfulness and true repentance, and because they did not comply only a meager restoration followed, so it never occurred and never will be literally fulfilled. Its fulfillment is divided between a national judgment of the aggregated nations before Christ comes, stated in clearer terms in Revelation 16-19, and the gathering against the saints and city at the end of the thousand years, when no cleansing by human hands remains but the fires of the last day consume sin, so that the seven months signify a cleansing lasting for all time and eternity. It will be fulfilled toward the true Israel of God including the Gentiles as fellow heirs and fellow partakers of the promise in Christ, under broader and more glorious conditions with the full immortal inheritance and God's promised glory for the land, city and sanctuary.
Words and Ancient Setting
The house of Israel spends seven months burying the slain enemies in order to cleanse the land from their bodies, the Hebrew word for cleansing being tahhar, and the burial is thorough and complete, requiring prolonged labor to make the land clean. This burying and cleansing belongs to the concluding scenes of the career of Gog after his final defeat. It is part of what God would do for His people if they yielded to Him.
Its setting is the aftermath of God's overthrow of the northern enemies led by Gog and Magog advancing against Israel from the north. They perish at God's presence in a storm of fire and brimstone, with birds feasting on their bodies. It is a day of wooden bows and arrows, shields and bucklers, spears and handstaves that Israel can use for fuel, of unwalled villages dwelling safely in peace and plenty, possessing cattle and goods and wealth that stirs the greed of the northern powers to think an evil thought of sweeping down to take great spoil. It speaks of divisions of nations and an aggregation of nations in a national judgment.
It belongs to the closing portion of Ezekiel on consolation, promise and restoration in chapters 36 to 48, first given to literal Israel under the old covenant after the seventy years in Babylon. God would bring back all His scattered people gathered out of all nations to the mountains of Israel, cleanse them from sin, show the resurrection of chapter 37, destroy the northern foes shown in Ezekiel 38 and 39 by plagues, make Jerusalem a praise in the earth, dwell among them in glory, and build the new far greater marvelous sanctuary where His presence would dwell as Jehovah Is There. It stands within God's direct and explicit promise of great blessings in the salvation of Israel His people and in the glory with which He will invest the land, the city and the sanctuary, and shows God's love for His house.
Conditional Prophecy Unfulfilled
The seven months of burying to cleanse the land belonged to what God would have done for Israel after the seventy years in Babylon if the people had yielded to Him and accepted His terms. The promise depended on Israel being faithful, truly repenting, being ashamed of iniquities, forsaking sin and returning to the Lord with all the heart, that they might be established in truth in their land and receive the promised good things. It was part of a conditional mixed prophecy in which He would have conquered their enemies, cut off all foes if they heeded, made Jerusalem a praise in the earth, and built the sanctuary shown at the end of Ezekiel. In that historical fulfillment Israel itself would have conquered and cleansed the land by human hands after the restoration from Babylon.
Because Israel did not comply and refused to be ashamed and to heed, the conditions were never met and the burial and cleansing described did not occur. Only about forty thousand returned from captivity in a meager restoration, with only a mere shadow or very small part of the promised prosperity fulfilled. The promised sanctuary was never built because Israel did not yield to God's plan. That literal seven-month burial work by the house of Israel after God overthrew the northern enemies led by Gog was therefore never literally fulfilled and never will be literally fulfilled.
Its ancient details fit that past time of wooden bows and arrows and spears and handstaves and great local slaughter, and they will not be true of modern weapons or of the last great war. In the greater final fulfillment connected with the second coming there will be no local conditions from the prophet's day and no cleansing of the land by human hands, but the fires of the last day will consume sin out of the world and melt the earth with fervent heat. The prophecy was not fulfilled in detail and will not be fulfilled in detail, but points in general to God's final punishment of those who seek to destroy His people. No specific calendar date for the seven months is given, the line between past and future in this obscure prophecy in Ezekiel 39:9-16 is hard to determine, and some accounts of the northern enemies perishing in fire and brimstone with birds feasting on their bodies leave the seven months of burial and cleansing unexplained.
Final Meaning and Doctrine
In its final meaning the seven months of burying to cleanse the land points in general to God's judgment against the wicked nations controlled by Satan who seek to destroy His people. It stands within His direct and explicit promise of great blessings in the salvation of Israel His people and in the glory with which He will invest the land, the city and the sanctuary. The purposes represented by the prophecy will still be carried out even though its original detail will not be fulfilled in its original setting, for Gog and Magog, representing northern nations, will be punished partly in this world and ultimately at the end of the thousand years. What God would have done for Israel after the return from Babylon therefore becomes His final punishment of those who seek to destroy His people, to be fulfilled in the last days under different, broader, stronger and more glorious conditions.
Its fulfillment is divided, part before Christ comes and part at the end of the thousand years. Before He comes there is a national judgment of divisions of nations and an aggregation of nations, stated in clearer unconditional terms in Revelation 16-19 by plagues, pestilence, hail, fire and brimstone, not at the time when all the dead of all ages are raised and national boundaries and distinctions are completely eliminated. At the end of the thousand years Satan's followers gather to attack the saints and the city of God and meet their final doom. Then there are no local conditions from the prophet's day and no cleansing of the land by human hands, but the fires of the last day consume sin out of the world and melt the earth with fervent heat. In that final view the seven months signify a cleansing that lasts for all time and eternity, carried out by the whole house of Israel who have passed through the cleansing fires and are beyond the power of the second death, with Gog and his host meeting final doom in the valley of eternal death on the far side of the second resurrection.
It will be fulfilled toward the true Israel of God, including the Gentiles as fellow heirs and fellow members of the body and fellow partakers of the promise in Christ through the gospel, while the faithful receive the full immortal inheritance. This shows God's love for His house and His promised blessings and glory for the land, city and sanctuary. There can be no literal fulfillment in the last days in the literal setting of mountains inhabited by a people God calls His own gathered out of all nations, all dwelling safely in villages without walls, possessing cattle and goods and wealth to tempt the greed of northern powers to sweep down to take great spoil with wooden shields and bucklers and handstaves and spears that Israel can use for fuel.
The burial and cleansing of land defiled by the bodies of the slain is not the cleansing of the sanctuary. The slaughter of Ezekiel 38 and 39 belongs elsewhere than Gehenna in the valley of Hinnom, though Gehenna has been and is to be a place of punishment and may again be a place of punishment by fire. One reading identifies the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal, called Rosh, as Russia, turned back by Japan and brought forth in the present European war, foretelling present-day conditions in European affairs together with Daniel, Joel and Revelation.
The verse means the house of Israel will spend seven months in thorough and complete burial of their slain enemies to cleanse the land from their bodies. It stands in the aftermath of God's overthrow of the northern host led by Gog and Magog advancing against Israel, perishing by fire and brimstone while birds feast upon them, in a day of bows and arrows, shields and spears, and of unwalled villages dwelling safely with cattle and wealth tempting invasion for spoil. That burial and cleansing was conditional on Israel yielding to God in faithfulness and true repentance, and because they did not comply only a meager restoration followed, so it never occurred and never will be literally fulfilled. Its fulfillment is divided between a national judgment of the aggregated nations before Christ comes, stated in clearer terms in Revelation 16-19, and the gathering against the saints and city at the end of the thousand years, when no cleansing by human hands remains but the fires of the last day consume sin, so that the seven months signify a cleansing lasting for all time and eternity. It will be fulfilled toward the true Israel of God including the Gentiles as fellow heirs and fellow partakers of the promise in Christ, under broader and more glorious conditions with the full immortal inheritance and God's promised glory for the land, city and sanctuary.
Words and Ancient Setting
The house of Israel spends seven months burying the slain enemies in order to cleanse the land from their bodies, the Hebrew word for cleansing being tahhar, and the burial is thorough and complete, requiring prolonged labor to make the land clean. This burying and cleansing belongs to the concluding scenes of the career of Gog after his final defeat. It is part of what God would do for His people if they yielded to Him.
Its setting is the aftermath of God's overthrow of the northern enemies led by Gog and Magog advancing against Israel from the north. They perish at God's presence in a storm of fire and brimstone, with birds feasting on their bodies. It is a day of wooden bows and arrows, shields and bucklers, spears and handstaves that Israel can use for fuel, of unwalled villages dwelling safely in peace and plenty, possessing cattle and goods and wealth that stirs the greed of the northern powers to think an evil thought of sweeping down to take great spoil. It speaks of divisions of nations and an aggregation of nations in a national judgment.
It belongs to the closing portion of Ezekiel on consolation, promise and restoration in chapters 36 to 48, first given to literal Israel under the old covenant after the seventy years in Babylon. God would bring back all His scattered people gathered out of all nations to the mountains of Israel, cleanse them from sin, show the resurrection of chapter 37, destroy the northern foes shown in Ezekiel 38 and 39 by plagues, make Jerusalem a praise in the earth, dwell among them in glory, and build the new far greater marvelous sanctuary where His presence would dwell as Jehovah Is There. It stands within God's direct and explicit promise of great blessings in the salvation of Israel His people and in the glory with which He will invest the land, the city and the sanctuary, and shows God's love for His house.
Conditional Prophecy Unfulfilled
The seven months of burying to cleanse the land belonged to what God would have done for Israel after the seventy years in Babylon if the people had yielded to Him and accepted His terms. The promise depended on Israel being faithful, truly repenting, being ashamed of iniquities, forsaking sin and returning to the Lord with all the heart, that they might be established in truth in their land and receive the promised good things. It was part of a conditional mixed prophecy in which He would have conquered their enemies, cut off all foes if they heeded, made Jerusalem a praise in the earth, and built the sanctuary shown at the end of Ezekiel. In that historical fulfillment Israel itself would have conquered and cleansed the land by human hands after the restoration from Babylon.
Because Israel did not comply and refused to be ashamed and to heed, the conditions were never met and the burial and cleansing described did not occur. Only about forty thousand returned from captivity in a meager restoration, with only a mere shadow or very small part of the promised prosperity fulfilled. The promised sanctuary was never built because Israel did not yield to God's plan. That literal seven-month burial work by the house of Israel after God overthrew the northern enemies led by Gog was therefore never literally fulfilled and never will be literally fulfilled.
Its ancient details fit that past time of wooden bows and arrows and spears and handstaves and great local slaughter, and they will not be true of modern weapons or of the last great war. In the greater final fulfillment connected with the second coming there will be no local conditions from the prophet's day and no cleansing of the land by human hands, but the fires of the last day will consume sin out of the world and melt the earth with fervent heat. The prophecy was not fulfilled in detail and will not be fulfilled in detail, but points in general to God's final punishment of those who seek to destroy His people. No specific calendar date for the seven months is given, the line between past and future in this obscure prophecy in Ezekiel 39:9-16 is hard to determine, and some accounts of the northern enemies perishing in fire and brimstone with birds feasting on their bodies leave the seven months of burial and cleansing unexplained.
Final Meaning and Doctrine
In its final meaning the seven months of burying to cleanse the land points in general to God's judgment against the wicked nations controlled by Satan who seek to destroy His people. It stands within His direct and explicit promise of great blessings in the salvation of Israel His people and in the glory with which He will invest the land, the city and the sanctuary. The purposes represented by the prophecy will still be carried out even though its original detail will not be fulfilled in its original setting, for Gog and Magog, representing northern nations, will be punished partly in this world and ultimately at the end of the thousand years. What God would have done for Israel after the return from Babylon therefore becomes His final punishment of those who seek to destroy His people, to be fulfilled in the last days under different, broader, stronger and more glorious conditions.
Its fulfillment is divided, part before Christ comes and part at the end of the thousand years. Before He comes there is a national judgment of divisions of nations and an aggregation of nations, stated in clearer unconditional terms in Revelation 16-19 by plagues, pestilence, hail, fire and brimstone, not at the time when all the dead of all ages are raised and national boundaries and distinctions are completely eliminated. At the end of the thousand years Satan's followers gather to attack the saints and the city of God and meet their final doom. Then there are no local conditions from the prophet's day and no cleansing of the land by human hands, but the fires of the last day consume sin out of the world and melt the earth with fervent heat. In that final view the seven months signify a cleansing that lasts for all time and eternity, carried out by the whole house of Israel who have passed through the cleansing fires and are beyond the power of the second death, with Gog and his host meeting final doom in the valley of eternal death on the far side of the second resurrection.
It will be fulfilled toward the true Israel of God, including the Gentiles as fellow heirs and fellow members of the body and fellow partakers of the promise in Christ through the gospel, while the faithful receive the full immortal inheritance. This shows God's love for His house and His promised blessings and glory for the land, city and sanctuary. There can be no literal fulfillment in the last days in the literal setting of mountains inhabited by a people God calls His own gathered out of all nations, all dwelling safely in villages without walls, possessing cattle and goods and wealth to tempt the greed of northern powers to sweep down to take great spoil with wooden shields and bucklers and handstaves and spears that Israel can use for fuel.
The burial and cleansing of land defiled by the bodies of the slain is not the cleansing of the sanctuary. The slaughter of Ezekiel 38 and 39 belongs elsewhere than Gehenna in the valley of Hinnom, though Gehenna has been and is to be a place of punishment and may again be a place of punishment by fire. One reading identifies the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal, called Rosh, as Russia, turned back by Japan and brought forth in the present European war, foretelling present-day conditions in European affairs together with Daniel, Joel and Revelation.