Could "Unwalled Villages" have a different meaning?

[eclipse]

Just adding this, I'm pretty sure John could recognize a horse when he saw one. If he had seen a tank or a truck or a car I think his description would have been as :scratch as the description for the locusts beginning here Rev 9:7.

ISong thanks for that info. As to your question, we owned horses on our farm and all I can say is this. AZ Cowboy is right. I will also add that horses, have minds of their own, and some broke horses are forever temperamental and difficult, in short never broke. While others are a complete :scratch mystery. We owned a stallion that had never been broke and he accepted a rider right from the first. No problem, no argument, he didn't even fight the bit. Our only problem with him was that once we had him gelded he still thought he was a ladies man. His amorous ways posed some unusual problems when you rode him. :heh

[WatchandPray]

I have a firm belief that the "unwalled villages" of Ezekiel 38:11 are none other than the present Jewish Settlements in particular those of the Galilee region! There is a clear distinction given by the Prophet Ezekiel, in Ezekiel 39:9 cities are identified, this helps us then conclude that the unwalled villages are rural settlements! In most cases these do not have protective defenses being outside of the security fence boundaries. Hezbollah has also declared their willingness to invade these settlements in the event of another clash with Israel! Though many sholars suggest that Israel must be dwelling securely and at peace, the context reveals the usage of the Hebrew word "betach" which has dual meaning is making reference to Israel having false confidence and false security, trusting in the military might as well as diplomacy!

In Ezekiel 38:14, the Lord God instructs Ezekiel to prophecy unto Gog and for this leader of this mighty coalition to take notice of Israel "dwelling safely", however the true meaning of the context is the same as that provided in Ezekiel 39:6 which denotes carelessness! The Lord God is asking "Gog", to take notice of Israel as prey, like a lamb being prepared for slaughter! The Lord has drawn the Gog/Magog coalition against his people Israel for they have polluted his holy name (Ezekiel 39:7), it is Israel that has sought to appease their enemies by dividing the Land which presently the Lord holds the deed!

In conclusion, I do not share the belief of many scholars in a Psalm 83 conflict, I believe it to exist not as a battle plan but a prayer for divine intervention, identifying the many ancient and modern enemies that continue to seek to destroy the Jewish State, I further believe that at present there is nothing to hinder the fulfillment of Ezekiel 38-39! The destruction of Damascus I believe will take place during the great earthquake of Ezekiel 38:19,20, for obviously the northern leg of the Gog/Magog coalition will have gathered in the ancient Plain of Bashan in Southern Syria adjacent to the Israeli held Golan Heights!

It is currently believed that there will be a Psalm 83 event to precede the Gog/Magog invasion creating a time of peace for Israel with expanded borders and great prosperity, yet when we examine the scriptures and current events we can only conclude this as a fable. The fact remains that Israel will not know peace until the Prince of Peace arrives, Joel 3:2 also identifies that the Land of Israel will continue to be divided by the international community even leading up to the time of the Battle of Armageddon! Though some scholars seek to identify Ezekiel 37:10 as describing the modern Israeli Defense Force (IDF), the context in Ezekiel 37:11 identifies with the entire nation or house of Israel, not a distinct military unit! Daniel the Prophet also declares that war and desolation is determined upon Israel until the end, this is in stark contrast to a believed expanded borders and great prosperity!

If Israel were to engage their close proximity enemies, the current strategic allignments identify that many of them are mere proxy militia's of greater states and their suppliers and these most certainly would not sit back and watch their interests be destroyed! I believe Ezekiel 38:21 clearly identifies with the current nations bordering Israel as the present battle for dominance between Shia and Sunni elements will conclude on the mountains (borders) of Israel! If a Psalm 83 conflict were to occur as outlined in the popular book entitled "Isralestine", it would bring about a security nightmare, the present situation with the Palestinians would then be 10 fold. The sheer magnitude or international outcry based on humanitarian concerns would not give Israel a moments rest, the threat of terrorism would be on levels never imagined for Israel! I think it safe to say under these circumstances that Psalm 83 remains a prayer for divine intervention that will find fulfillment during the Gog/Magog invasion when all the military and political enemies of Israel are dealt with simultaneously!

[iSong6:3]

...As far as training horses it depends just how trained you want them. In a couple weeks you can have them Green broke well enough to use them but you would need a lot of Cowboys, Vaqueros or Cossacks :lol2 to train enough for an invading Army!


ISong thanks for that info. As to your question, we owned horses on our farm and all I can say is this. AZ Cowboy is right. I will also add that horses, have minds of their own, and some broke horses are forever temperamental and difficult, in short never broke. While others are a complete :scratch mystery. We owned a stallion that had never been broke and he accepted a rider right from the first. No problem, no argument, he didn't even fight the bit. Our only problem with him was that once we had him gelded he still thought he was a ladies man. His amorous ways posed some unusual problems when you rode him. :heh

Thanks so much to both of you for this info. :hat

(eclipse- "he still thought he was a ladies man." :pound)

[Reason&Hope]

John the Carpenter brought up a point I had in mind: a severe solar storm or "coronal mass ejection" could wipe out a lot of electronics for years! 2012 is supposed to see a lot of solar storm activity.

I just looked this up and we should be expecting to experience some magnetic disturbance from a solar flare-up TODAY, Jan 21! This one will probably cause no more than some cell phone static.

As to horses. War horses need a lot of special training. Horses don't like to be in battle and have to be trained to handle the noise, the chaos, the closeness of everything. Horses are still used in areas where it's difficult to bring in tanks and trucks.

So, if these are true horses (which I lean toward), then a massive CME, or EMP, could lead a lot of countries to breed and train horses for battle. Right now, America seems to have military horses for ceremonial purposes only. Russia, however, because of some of their terrain, maintains cavalry.