Unleashing the Beast

166 / U NLEASHING THE B EAST

any fear or intimidation. W HEN I SRAEL D WELLS IN U NWALLED V ILLAGES And thou shalt say, I will go up to the land of unwalled villages; l will go to them that are at rest, that dwell safely, all of them dwelling without walls, and having neither bars nor gates (Ezekiel 38:11). In Ezekiel's time, the cities of Israel were built on high mountains and hills. They were surrounded by large stone walls and watchtowers. One example is the tel (hill) of Megiddo located in the Jezreel valley. In Ahab and Solomon's time, this fortified stronghold was a city surrounded by huge hand cut, limestone rocks with large gates and guard towers. Today, no modern Israeli city has a protective wall surrounding it. The unwalled villages will be a target to the invading armies during the coming war. W HEN D ESOLATE P LACES ARE I NHABITED 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 (Ezekiel 38:12). Since 1985, 1 have traveled to Israel and observed