Is there a connection between Bible prophecy and the war in Gaza?"

[Scott]

An interesting Article by Joel C. Rosenberg (Christian Author)

Is there a connection between Bible prophecy and the war in Gaza?"

I'm getting asked that everywhere I travel here in the epicenter, in Israel and here in Iraq, where I have been for the past several days, working on our INSIDE THE REVOLUTION documentary film, slated for release later this year. It's an intriguing question, and there are two quick answers -- no, and yes.

A.) No, there is no specific passage of Scripture that points to this specific war between Israel and terrorists in Gaza in the "last days," though there are certainly some passages that are evocative of the current conflict. The Lord once said through the Hebrew Prophet Amos, for example, "I will send fire upon the wall of Gaza and it will consume her citadels....I will even unleash My power upon Ekron, and the remnant of the Philistines will perish." But this was fulfilled between 760 and 750 B.C.

B.) That said, the current war between Israel and the terrorist leaders and fighters of Hamas in Gaza could be preparing the way for the coming "War of Gog and Magog" described in Ezekiel 38-39. In that prophecy (as well as chapters 36 and 37), Ezekiel says that:

1. The State of Israel will be resurrected in the last days

2. Jews will pour back into the Holy Land after centuries of being scattered in exile all over the world

3. By God's grace, the Jews will rebuild the ancient ruins in the land of Israel

4. By God's grace, the Jews will see the land of Israel blossom and bear fruit like never before

5. Ezekiel also says that prior to the alliance against Israel led by Russia (Magog) and Iran (Persia) to destroy Israel, the people of Israel will be "living securely, all of them." (38:8b). the text, however, never uses the word "shalom," the Hebrew word for peace. So Ezekiel does not seem to be referring to full and complete peace. Rather, he seems to be suggesting that there will be a sense among Israelis that they are safer than they previously had been.

6. In most respects, Israelis are today living more safely and securely than any time since independence in 1948. Consider that Israel has formal and reasonably effective peace treaties with Egypt and Jordan. Saddam Hussein is gone. Yasser Arafat is gone. Suicide bombers are largely a terror tool of the past. Israel has the most powerful air force in the region. Israel has the most advanced missile defense system in the world. The U.S. is on offense against radical Islamic terrorists in the region. No wonder most Israelis - even today - feel more secure and relaxed than ever before, given the modern history of the Jewish people. They're going to the malls, to the movies, to the beaches. They are getting married and having bar mitzvahs and growing their businesses and sending their kids to college. Normal stuff, like normal people, despite all the wars and rumors of wars that continue to plague the region.

7. In my first novel (written in 2001 before 9/11, but published in November 2002), The Last Jihad, I wrote that in order for Israelis to feel secure enough to set into motion Ezekiel's "War of Gog and Magog," Saddam Hussein could no longer be the ruler of Iraq. After all, Iraq is not mentioned as one of the countries that is part of the Russian-Iranian alliance against Israel. Moreover, how could Israelis feel secure with the "Butcher of Baghdad" in power, a man who fired 39 Scud missiles at Israel and threatened to use chemical weapons to "scorch half of Israel" back in 1990? They couldn't, which is why I wrote about a kamikaze attack by radical Islamic terrorists against an American city that would lead to a war between the U.S. and Saddam Hussein over fears of a link between Iraqi-sponsored terrorism and weapons of mass destruction. Remarkably, these events have actually come to pass in real life. In my second novel, The Last Days, I wrote about the death of Arafat and a civil war that would ensue afterwards between the secular nationalist forces of the Palestinians (Fatah) and the Islamic Jihadists in the West Bank and Gaza (Hamas), vying for control in Arafat's absence. That was fiction, but in real life Arafat ended up dying 13 months after the novel was published, and the battle between Fatah and Hamas erupted almost immediately.

8. That said, in The Last Days, a moderate Palestinian rises to power and create real (though temporary) peace with Israel. In real life, a moderate by the name of Mahmoud Abbas (aka, Abu Mazen) has emerged in the West Bank, and the West Bank is very quiet. But Hamas gained control of Gaza in 2006, and Israel has remained threatened by rockets, missiles and mortars coming in from Gaza ever since. According to Ezekiel, all Israelis must be living securely before the conditions are set for the "War of Gog and Magog." If that war is to happen in our lifetime - much less in the next few years - that would have to mean that rockets, missiles and mortars are not being fired from Gaza day after day, week after week, year after year at innocent civilians in southern Israel. Thus, this war - if it is truly effective in stopping the rocket barrage - could, in fact, prove to be a precursor to the coming Russian-Iranian alliance against Israel in that it may help create a secure southern border for Israelis for the next year, or the next several years.

9. It is early yet. It is not clear what the lasting effect of this conflict will be. We must first and foremost pray for peace, and pray for Hamas to be crushed and all Gazans to be liberated from their evil tyranny. We must pray for the physical and emotional recovery for Israelis and Palestinians who have been severely affected by this war and by previous terror attacks. And we must pray that the Lord would comfort those on both sides and draw them close to His heart.

10. At the same time, I do believe it is worth watching closely to see if we are getting closer to the events described by Ezekiel.

11. It is noteworthy to me that Egypt is playing a somewhat helpful role in opposing Hamas and offering to do more to stop arms smuggling into Gaza - not for Israel's sake, really, but to make sure Hamas doesn't become a terror force that could destabilize Mubarak's regime in Cairo. Ezekiel does not mention Egypt being part of the Russian-Iranian alliance in the last days, and currently Egypt's actions are consistent with the prophecy.

12. Over the past few weeks, Turkey has moved significantly away from Israel and the West and towards Russia and Iran, even calling for Israel to be banned from U.N. meetings. This is noteworthy because Turkey is "Gomer" in the prophecy and is a key player with Russia and Iran against Israel.

13. Let me conclude by reminding my readers that I have no idea when the "War of Gog and Magog" will occur. Many geopolitical events currently look consistent with Ezekiel's writings. But we must be cautious. Let us not overreact or speculate wildly. Let us calmly and prayerfully analyze these present times, and follow our Lord Jesus Christ to do now what we know is right according to the Scriptures.

He continues in a second part...

It's been a dramatic few days here in the epicenter, especially for those interested in the prophecies of Ezekiel 38-39.

Consider the following:

"LIVING SECURELY IN THE LAND" -- As I wrote about several days ago, there are intriguing implications of Israel's war against Hamas in Gaza for the fulfillment of major Bible prophecies. This war could lead to:

A) The toppling of Hamas in favor of a moderate leadership in Gaza (possible, but doubtful at this stage); or

B) a cease fire between Israel and a weakened Hamas that truly holds for the next several years, and provides Israeli citizens on the southern border a real measure of safety and security (still too early to say, but increasingly possible given the events of the last 23 days and the last 48 hours).

If either of these events happens, then a major precondition of Ezekiel 38-39 could come to pass in the not-too-distant future. The prophecy requires that: A) Israel is reborn as a nation (which happened in 1948);

B) Jews are returning to the Holy Land after centuries of exile (this has been happening since the end of the 19th century); and

C) Israelis are finally "living securely in the land" - meaning Israelis may not have true, lasting formal peace with all of its neighbors, but Israeli citizens feel more safe and more comfortable and relaxed than ever before. Most Israelis actually already feel this way today, except for those along the Gaza border.

Despite all the wars and rumors of wars in the region, the vast majority of Israelis are going to the malls, going to the movies, going to the beaches, going about their daily lives feeling that the Jewish State is more stable and secure today than at any time in the past sixty years. If Israelis in the south begin to feel this level of security, too, things could get quite interesting from the perspective of Bible prophecy.

RUSSIA IS BUILDING ALLIANCES WITH IRAN, LIBYA, SYRIA AND LEBANON, AS HATRED OF ISRAEL GROWS -- The prophecies found in Ezekiel 38-39 further tell us that Russia (Magog), Iran (Persia), Libya (Put), and Turkey (Gomer) will all form alliances together, before eventually trying to attack Israel from the North. To come from the North, they need to come through Syria and Lebanon, which means either Syria or Lebanon are active members of the coalition against Israel, or they have been overrun by military forces of the Russian-Iranian alliance. Again, I describe all this in detail in Epicenter, but it's worth considering the following headlines in recent days:

* Russia to complete Iran's Bushehr nuclear power plant in 2009

* Iran president says Israeli leaders face 'doomed end'

* Iran's Ahmadinejad demands trial of Israeli leaders for "war crimes"

* High-level Iranian cleric calls for shooting Israeli Foreign Minister

* Russia plans navy bases in Libya, Syria

* Russian navy eyes Tartous, Syria as base for Black Sea Fleet

* Russia's Gazprom increases oil holdings in Libya

* Recent Attempts to Form Strategic Regional Bloc: Syria, Turkey and Iran

* Turkey wants Israel barred from the U.N.

* Osama Bin Laden urges Jihad against Israel

* Anti-Israel mood prevails at summit

For me, it still remains too early to draw any definitive conclusions about what all this means. But it is worth noting that clearly several of the key countries that Ezekiel says will form alliances together - and against Israel - are, in fact, currently forming closer and closer ties, even as a wave of profound anti-Israel sentiment is rising throughout the region.

[Melody]

For me, it still remains too early to draw any definitive conclusions about what all this means. But it is worth noting that clearly several of the key countries that Ezekiel says will form alliances together - and against Israel - are, in fact, currently forming closer and closer ties, even as a wave of profound anti-Israel sentiment is rising throughout the region.

I agree with that much.