Friday, October 13, 2023
Israel has declared war on Hamas terrorists. “Exactly 50 years and a day after being taken completely off guard by a coordinated military attack by its neighbors – Egypt and Syria – [that was 50 years ago, but early last weekend]…Israel was again caught by surprise….Early on Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas militants invaded southern Israel by land, sea and air, and fired thousands of rockets deep into the country. Within hours, hundreds of Israelis were killed, hostages taken and war declared. Fierce Israeli reprisals have already taken the lives of hundreds of Palestinians in Gaza, and many more will surely be dead by the time this war is over.” (Source) This war has all the potential of escalating to a full blown Middle East war, and propel “the man of sin…the son of perdition” (2 Thess. 2:3), Antichrist, to make his seven-year peace “covenant” of Dan. 9:27.
The entire world is literally awash with headlines about the Israeli – Hamas war. Israel at war is a flashpoint of international interest unlike any other war…and with good reason. World leaders know that Israel, reborn as a sovereign nation in May 1948, holds great prophetic significance in the Christian faith. Unlike any other nation, Israel at war is a catalyst to end-time prophecy. It’s a sign that the end of this age is indeed near, while globalists in their hubris think they can thwart the prophetic Word of God. The elite, however, no matter how much they try to drive God out of government and the culture, will soon come to their horrible unbelieving end unless they repent, confess their sins and unbelief, and truly believe on the Lord Jesus Christ in true saving faith.
Do not underestimate the intrigue of this war as it has great potential of involving many nations, e.g. the United States, Russia (the Bear from the North), Egypt, Syria and Iran. Iran is believed to be “pulling the strings” of this war. If Iran and Syria are found invested in this war, the world can expect an ancient prophecy to be fulfilled. “The burden against Damascus. [the capital of Syria] ‘Behold, Damascus will cease from being a city, and it will be a ruinous heap’” (Isa. 17:1). What would account for that? Nuclear destruction! Damascus, Syria, has a 2023 population of around 2.6 million people. It’s considered one of the oldest and continually-inhabited cities in the world. One member of Israel’s Knesset is calling for the “Doomsday” nuclear missile option. “It’s time to kiss doomsday. Shooting powerful missiles without limit. Not flattening a neighbourhood. Crushing and flattening Gaza. … without mercy! without mercy!” (Source) This is horrible!
From the Washington Examiner, “Saudi Arabia blames Israel for ‘unprecedented’ Hamas terror attack”. Well, of course; many Middle East nations blame Israel for everything that goes wrong. And from the express.co.uk/news “Taliban ‘vows to conquer Jerusalem if Iran, Iraq and Jordan allow passage to Israel’”. In truth, both the Islamic nations and Israel obsess over Jerusalem, for in their unbelief they reject that Jerusalem is the place to which Christ returns with His elect saints at the resurrection rapture and entirely destroys the beast-kingdom of Antichrist. In their unbelief they reject that the Land of Israel is the everlasting covenant Land belonging to the elect saints of God in Christ. Islamic nations and Israel reject the truth that God sent His Son Jesus Christ to die for the sins of all who would by faith believe Jesus Christ for salvation.
Also, Israel, as a nation, is just as wicked, blasphemous and unbelieving as are Islamic nations, among others. Unbelieving, Orthodox Jews hate Jesus Christ. They also deny that Messiah, the Christ, has already come. They too, will perish in their unbelief unless they repent and believe. And something that every believer should know is that Dispensational Christianity, the pre-trib rapture heresy, still believes and teaches that unbelieving Jews are yet God’s chosen people, but that’s entirely false. Dispensational preachers will never tell you what God said of ancient Israel: “Then I [God] saw that for all the causes for which backsliding Israel had committed adultery, I had put her away and given her a certificate of divorce; yet her treacherous sister Judah did not fear, but went and played the harlot also” (Jer. 3:8). [My bold emphasis added]
For her infidelity, God gave Israel “a certificate of divorce”. And He never remarried her! But through faith in Christ true believers are married to God in Christ and we are “the Israel of God”. Ours is the inheritance of the Land of Israel “as an everlasting possession” (Gen. 17:8; 48:4). It’s so because the Holy Spirit said, “And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise” (Gal. 3:29). The Land of Israel does not belong to unbelieving national Jews, nor does it belong to unbelieving Christ-denying Muslims or Islamic nations, nor to other unbelieving peoples or false religions, but it belongs only to those true, believing, elect, saints of God in Christ, whose sins are washed in the blood of the Lamb. Before we get to our inheritance, however, we must pass through the seven-year tribulation. And this present war between Israel and Hamas signals that the revelation of Antichrist and his tribulation is indeed drawing near.
Christians need to understand that war is an instrument of Satan to destroy people made in the image of God. War is one of Satan’s tactics to remove the opportunity of people coming to faith in Christ before being destroyed by war, because Satan knows that every person has the free-will of coming to faith in Christ, but his mission is to destroy even that opportunity. Thus, Christians should make every effort to separate from every warring effort of this wicked world regardless of how governments spin their deceits and fruitless military sales pitch of national pride and honor that destroys one’s fellowman. There is no love or honor in killing or maiming another person made in the image of God. Period! Jesus said, “But I say to you who hear: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you” (Luke 6:27). Acts of war are the antithesis of love for enemies.
Israel and Hamas are now engaged in all-out war. Russia and Ukraine have been at full blown war since February 24, 2023, into which the US has inserted itself. And China could soon be at war with Taiwan in its quest to bring Taiwan under its political and military control. Let’s not forget about North and South Korea, which are also a powder keg waiting to blow up. Both the Israel/Hamas and the China/Taiwan wars will likely draw in the US. Sadly, the US government has for many years asserted itself as the world’s police, and thus fought many wars where it had absolutely no business, but that constant warring spirit helps feed the insatiable money-lust of the US military industrial complex. But in the end God will destroy it all with fire and brimstone.
Jesus said of the end-times that “you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom” (Matt. 24:6–7). Regardless of the UN and WEF’s planned utopia of a New World Order, the end-times will be ravaged by continual wars and destruction of humanity, because that’s Satan’s agenda, to kill and destroy by any means, humanity made in the image of God. But by grace through faith, we true believers have this great promise from Christ: “Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid” (John 14:27). Believe Christ. Live in true peace.
Marlin J. Yoder
