Ezekiel 38, Joel 2 Follow Up

Q. Could I ask a follow up on the question about Joel 2 and Ezekiel concerning Armageddon?  Could Ezekiel 39:9-13 simply be talking about the clean up after Armageddon?  Burning the weapons would seem appropriate seeing how they wouldn’t be needed anymore?  I know that biblical scholarship see’s these two events as separate.  However, does the old testament speak of Armageddon if Ezekiel is not it? And vice-versa, does the NT speak of Ezekiel’s battle?  We accept that during the four gospel accounts of Christ’s life, each gospel of Jesus can sometimes provide very unique information, yet we know them as the same event.  Could this not be the case with Revelation and Ezekiel?

A. Here are a couple of reasons why I think Ezekiel 38 and Armageddon are different.  First, the list of countries who attack Israel in Ezekiel 38 is very specific, naming only a handful from the general region of the MidEast.  But Zechariah 12:3 says that for the Battle of Armageddon the Lord will  gather all the nations of the world against Jerusalem.

Second, and more important, The Battle of Ezekiel 38 is where the Lord re-awakens Israel, creating the conditions for the 70th Week of Daniel to begin. As you know, the Battle of Armageddon is at the very end of the 70th Week.

As far as the Old Testament speaking of the Battle of Armageddon, the answer is not by name. But it is referred to in places like Zech. 12:1-9,  Zech 14:1-4 and others.