The scriptures do not teach a tribulation followed by a war on Israel. The last stage of Armageddon is the war against Israel. Jeremiah 30:7, “Alas! for that day is great, so that none is like it: it is even the time of ‘Jacob’s Trouble.’” Zechariah 14:1-3 (NIV), “A day of the LORD is coming, Jerusalem, when your possessions will be plundered and divided up within your very walls. I will gather all the nations to Jerusalem to fight against it; the city will be captured,. . . Half of the city will go into exile,. . . Then the LORD will go out and fight against those nations, as he fights on a day of battle.” 

The Jews do not run; on the contrary, the LORD fights for Israel.

Now to consider your question about Ezekiel 39:9 (ESV). “Then those who dwell in the cities of Israel will go out and make fires of the weapons and burn them, shields and bucklers, bow and arrows, clubs and spears; and they will make fires of them for seven years.”

More details about this prophecy are found in Ezekiel 38:1-4. These verses identify the enemies of Israel: “Gog, the land of Magog, the chief Prince of Meshech and Tubal, who come with horses and horsemen, all of them clothed in all sorts of armor, even a great company with bucklers and shields, all of them handling swords.” Verses 5 and 6 continue to enumerate the enemies: “Persia, Ethiopia and Libya, Gomer and Togarmah of the north quarters.”  

So now we know who came with the weapons, but in verses 11-13, we are told why. (NIV), “You will say, ‘I will invade a land of unwalled villages; I will attack a peaceful and unsuspecting people–all of them living without walls and without gates and bars. I will plunder and loot and turn my hand against the resettled ruins and the people (Israel) gathered from the nations, rich in livestock and goods,’. . . ‘Have you gathered your hordes to loot, to carry off silver and gold, to take away livestock and goods and to seize much plunder?’” 

After Jacob’s Trouble, the armaments of war will be cleaned off the land, and gathered and melted down and converted into agricultural tools. This is prophesied in Isaiah 2:4 (NIV), “They will beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks, nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.”

The 7 years may symbolically mean that this work is divine and perfectly completed. In the creation of the world, “God blessed the 7th day, and sanctified it.” Genesis 2:3 (NIV).

What happens to the bodies? Ezekiel 39:11(NIV), “ ‘On that day I will give Gog a burial place in Israel, in the valley of those who travel east of the Sea. It will block the way of travelers, because Gog and all his hordes will be buried there. . .For seven months the Israelites will be burying them in order to cleanse the land, . . .’ declares the Sovereign LORD.” This area is called the land of Gilead.

For a more detailed study, download the free PDF: "Will Israel Survive the End Times?"