Burn the weapons

 

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How do weapons burn for 7 years? Is it due to quantity or quality?

Does this give us a clue as to the type of war Ezekiel is describing?

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When I first read Ezekiel 39:8-9, I had a hard time imagining Israel taking 7 years to burn “shields, bucklers, bows and arrows, and javelins and spears.”

I could see a few weeks or months, if there were many, but not 7 years. And why burn them? Why not keep them for its own use?

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I then tried to imagine the modern counterpart to these weapons, and their flammable properties, but I was still falling short. In ancient times, the weapons were made of metal or wood.

It seemed like most of the modern weapons were made of just metal, with only little or no flammable portion:

buckler –a small shield, worn on the body. = bullet proof vest?

Shields = tanks, helmet ??

Bows and arrows = guns?

Javelins and spears = missiles?

What kind of weapons would the attackers use, in the Ezekiel war?

I then studied the history of flammable weapons, and realized that it would not take 7 years to burn all of them, not only because they were so numerous, but also because the contents and fumes were toxic, that only a little could be burned at one time, to protect the local residents from harm.

The basis for most flammable weapons is gasoline, which could have other ingredients mixed in with it.

Gasoline is a witch’s brew of organic chemicals, many of which are toxic, but whose major danger is that it is an extremely flammable substance.

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– napalm bombs

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Napalm

Napalm is a mixture of benzene (21%), gasoline (33%), and polystyrene (46%). Benzene is a normal component of gasoline (about 2%).
…
Heated polystyrene softens at about 185 F. At higher temperatures it turns back into styrene, the chemical from which it was made.

Styrene has been tested as toxic to rats.

In air, polystyrene melts and burns with a yellow, sooty flame.

Styrene itself has a sharp, unpleasant smell that is easy to recognize.

White Phosphorous is included also. This is what is used to produce SMOKE.

Modern napalm is composed primarily of benzene and polystyrene, and is known as napalm-B.

The substance is formulated to burn at a specific rate and adhere to surfaces.

This later variant, napalm-B, also called “super napalm”, is a mixture of low-octane gasoline with benzene and polystyrene.

It was used in the Vietnam War.

Unlike conventional napalm, which burns for only 15–30 seconds, napalm B burns for up to 10 minutes with fewer fireballs, sticks better to surfaces, and offers improved destruction effects.

It is not as easy to ignite, which reduces the number of accidents caused by soldiers smoking.

When it burns, it develops a characteristic smell.

Also, the flammable substances can reach up to 1,200 °C (2,200 °F). Such a high heat indicates a need to only burn small quantities at a time as well.

Shields and bucklers describe equipment worn on or carried with the body.

Bows, arrows, javelins, and spears describe projectile weapons.

It does not seem that this Ezekiel war will be nuclear, but with cruder weapons, like flame throwers.

We are looking at chemical warfare, and this has a long history. It is crude, but effective.

Another useful (and dangerous) effect of napalm, primarily involving its use in bombs, is that it “rapidly deoxygenates the available air” as well as creating large amounts of carbon monoxide causing suffocation.

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thermite

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Incendiary Weapons

The purposes of incendiaries are to cause maximum fire damage on flammable materials and objects and to illuminate.

Incendiary agents are used to burn supplies, equipment, and structures.

Initial action of the incendiary munition may destroy these materials, or the spreading and continuing of fires started by the incendiary may destroy them.

Even experienced troops may suffer increased battle fatigue when confronted with a surprise enemy weapon, tactic, or attack. Examples include napalm bombs

The use of flame weapons, such as Fougasse, the M202A1 Flash, white phosphorous, thermobaric, and other incendiary agents, against military targets is not a violation of current international law.

Flame weapons are characterized by both physical (flame and overpressure) and psychological casualty-producing abilities.

Flame weapons can be used against fortified positions, interior buildings, tunnels (to include subways and sewers), and open areas.

They can also be used to control avenues of approach for personal and lightly armored vehicles.

Incendiaries produce intense, localized heat designed to ignite adjacent combustible target materials.

The true incendiary produces no fireball and relatively little flame.

The basic damage mechanism of firebomb weapons comes from the fireball and burning residual fuel globules, impact momentum of the fuel and container, and damage from fires started by the weapon.

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Incendiary Munitions

 

The main incendiary agents are thermite (TH), magnesium (MG), WP, and combustible hydrocarbons (including oils and thickened gasoline).

Thermite incendiaries are a mixture of powdered aluminium metal and ferric oxide and are used in bombs for attacks on armoured fighting vehicles.

Thermite burns at about 2000°C and scatters molten metal, which may lodge in the skin producing small multiple deep burns.

Magnesium (Mg) burns at about 2000ºC with a scattering effect similar to that of thermite. Its particles produce deep burns.

At ordinary temperatures, white phosphorus (WP) is a solid which can be handled safely under water.

When dry, it burns fiercely in air, producing a dense white smoke.

Fragments of melted particles of the burning substance may become embedded in the skin of persons close to a bursting projectile, producing burns which are multiple, deep and variable in size.

The fragments continue to burn unless oxygen is excluded by flooding or smothering.

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Combustible hydrocarbons fall into two categories:

1. flame-throwers, oil incendiary bombs.

During a flame-thrower attack, as flame and burning fuel fills an enclosed fortification, the oxygen content of the air is reduced and a hot toxic atmosphere containing large amounts of carbon monoxide, unburned hydrocarbons and smoke is produced.

2. fire bombs containing thickened gasoline.

A fire-bomb is a large tank containing thickened (gelled) gasoline that is air dropped.

When it strikes the ground, the fuel is ignited by phosphorus igniters and a large fireball of intense heat is produced, lasting about 4 to 6 seconds.

Also, a wide area of ground is covered with burning thickened gasoline, which may continue to burn for as long as 10 to 12 minutes.

The Marine Corps uses flame weapons systems, such thermobaric systems, that belong to a new class of fuel-rich compositions that release energy over a longer period of time (more so than standard explosives).

When detonated in confined spaces, a chemical reaction causes a vigorous evolution of heat, pressure, and flame or spattering of burning particles as the warhead cloud expands.

The result is a deflagration, a rapid [though sub-sonic] combustion process that gives off heat and light [in contrast to a detonation, which produces a super-sonic shock wave]. –

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Final Thoughts

Apparently, nuclear weapons will not be either available, or considered ideal for the Ezekiel war.

With all the nuclear detection devices, the enemies may not want to be apprehended as they sneak into place.

So they are willing to use more primitive, but effective weapons, especially if there is a large number of them.

Also, this may mean that Israel has destroyed nuclear weapon storage, and manufacturing sites, of its enemies by then, and those kinds of weapons are no longer available to use.

Current threats against Israel may push it into action, to disable its enemies, in a pre-emptive attack.

Most likely enraged, the enemies will retaliate with what weapons they have left.

This of course, does not make Israel the aggressor, since the enemies were planning to attack Israel anyhow, with more lethal, nuclear weapons to begin with.

If only rogue nations would understand the series of battles leading up to Armageddon, and realize that they will be the source of the most horrific wars ever predicted.

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References:

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Napalm

http://www.wonderhowto.com/how-to/video/how-to-make-homemade-napalm-fire-starting-goo-272244/

http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/systems/munitions/napalm.htm