Israel At War

Saturday morning, it was too early to get out of bed, I rolled over. While lying there, something inside me (the Holy Spirit) kept telling me to get up and look at the news. Within minutes, I was watching Benjamin Netanyahu declaring war on Hamas. I watched i24 (an Israeli 24-hour news station) throughout the day. Horrific scenes of rockets flying from Gaza, the kidnapping of civilians, and skylines that were more smoke than outlines of buildings filled the television screen all day long. It is war.

My concern was another invasion coming from Lebanon in the north and another coming from Syria and Jordan from the east. Some in Israel were thinking the same thing. As the day progressed, reporters asked why Israel was taking so long to respond. The frustration showed on their faces and in their voices.

Israeli military experts explained that the IDF would secure the borders with Lebanon and along the West Bank before moving on to Gaza.

If the military experts knew of Biblical prophecy, they never mentioned it. Still, the reason for my concern is Psalm 83.

In Psalm 83, Israel is invaded from inside Gaza, down from Lebanon, and across the West Bank by Syria and Jordan.

The invasion of Psalm 83 has one purpose – “They have said, Come, and let us cut them off from being a nation; that the name of Israel may be no more in remembrance” (Psalm 83:4). The invaders want to obliterate Israel so completely that no one will even remember she existed.

The list of the attackers is listed in Psalm 83:6-8. We can see who the Bible is talking about by comparing a Bible time map with a modern map and following the ancestry line.

“The Tabernacles of Edom” = Biblical Edom is the area of southern Jordan today.

“Ishmaelites” = Arabs.

“Moab” = Central Jordan.

“Hagarenes” = A group of descendants of Ishmael.

“Gebal” = A city in Lebanon.

“Ammon” = The area of northern Jordan and the nation’s capital city.

“Amalek” = The area bordering southern Israel.

“Philistines” = The Palestinians and the area of the Gaza Strip.

“The inhabitants of Tyre” = Tyre is a city in Lebanon.

Psalm 83 describes the battle’s outcome with no good news for the invading armies. Psalm 83:13-15, “O my God, make them like a wheel; as the stubble before the wind. As the fire burneth a wood, and as the flame setteth the mountains on fire; so persecute them with thy tempest, and make them afraid with thy storm.”

Israel’s attackers are reduced to “stubble” by fire.

The first two chapters of Amos tell the story of the same battle. Instead of giving us a list, Amos mentions each invader separately and explains that each one is destroyed by fire (Amos 1:3-2:16). However, Amos tells us something that Psalm 83 does not – Israel suffers extensive damage. Amos 2:5, “But I will send a fire upon Judah, and it shall devour the palaces of Jerusalem.”

By using the word “palaces,” God could be referring to the government of Israel. Palaces were the seat of governments in Biblical times.

What you have already read is pretty much what the Bible tells us of the battle of Psalm 83. The following is my educated guess of what fills in the details.

When the Psalm 83 invasion occurs, Israel is taken by surprise. It will be more swift and decisive than seen over the weekend. After all, Israel’s enemies will learn that the next surprise attack will need more firepower. For example – instead of 3,000 missiles, 100,000 or more are required. It gets so bad the government of Israel (“the palaces”) is overrun. At that point, the generals on the battlefield will be making the decisions.

Since Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, and Gaza are reduced to stubble by fire, one can conclude that the Generals enact the Samson Option. The military strategy that teaches, if I cannot win, kill as many of the enemy as possible.

When the battle of Psalm 83 is over, Israel’s military is the only one left standing, and Israel is without a government. The region, as the Bible says, is reduced to stubble.

Everyone in the world will have their head spinning. Nations will be in an uproar. Most will point their finger at Israel as a great murderer. A few will defend her, saying she acted in self-defense. The world will need a miracle to settle the situation.

Step in the Antichrist and the covenant of Daniel 9:27 and the beginning of the Tribulation Period.

As of this writing (Monday morning), we know what is currently happening is not Psalm 83. There is no invasion from the north or east; not all the nations mentioned are involved, and the government of Israel is still intact. However, it is obvious to all involved that if the invasion were more intense, if it came from more than one front, it would have been more crippling to Israel.

Israel, as always, will take care of business. How long will the war last? How devastating will Israel’s response be? How soon before Hamas waves the white flag? Will Israel stop when they see the white flag of surrender? Time will answer all these questions.

Saturday’s invasion indicates that the parties involved are considering such a scenario. How soon are we to the actual battle of Psalm 83? God will answer that question.