“And you, son of man, thus says the Lord Yahweh, Speak to the birds of every kind, and to every beast of the field. ‘Assemble yourselves and come. Gather yourselves on every side to my sacrifice that I sacrifice for you, even a great sacrifice on the mountains of Israel, that you may eat flesh and drink blood'.”

This is the feast of the wild beasts. They are called together to partake of it (compare Revelation 19:17). And we are called on to consider this great gathering of scavengers descending on the prey. It likens the destruction of Gog and his forces to a great sacrificial feast. And it is for the scavengers. No man would be told to drink blood. That makes it the more dreadful. But this is a sacrifice fit only for the wild beasts and birds. The sight of vultures circling dead bodies and scavengers tearing at a carcass would be a common sight in Israel. It is not in itself glorious but horrific. The very thought of it would make men shudder. It spoke of the most ignominious of deaths. But it was to be the fate of the wicked. Compare Ezekiel 32:4; Ezekiel 29:5; Ezekiel 31:13; Jeremiah 7:33; Jeremiah 16:4; Jeremiah 19:7; Jeremiah 34:20. The idea of ‘eating flesh and drinking blood' is, however, elsewhere metaphorical for enjoying the fruits of victory.

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