Attack on Israel—Where Will It End? - Part 1

Does Hamas’ brutal attack have prophetic significance? Does God’s Word say anything about the situation in Israel?

I’d like to respond to these questions with the help of a psalm of Asaph: Psalm 83, one of Israel’s songs that is highly prophetic and has strong parallels to current events in the nation.

The introduction in verse 1 is simple and informative: “A Song. A Psalm of Asaph.” Asaph was one of three lead singers or music directors from the tribe of Levi; they were appointed by King David to organize the temple choir. Under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, Asaph sees through world history until the time of Jesus’ return.

In the first verses, we hear his urgent plea:

1. A DEVASTATING PLAN FOR DESTRUCTION
“O God, do not keep silence; do not hold your peace or be still, O God! For behold, your enemies make an uproar; those who hate you have raised their heads. They lay crafty plans against your people; they consult together against your treasured ones. They say, ‘Come, let us wipe them out as a nation; let the name of Israel be remembered no more!’” (Ps 83:1-4).

Isn’t that exactly what Israel experienced in Hamas’ “Operation al-Aqsa Flood” on October 7th? Simchat Torah was being celebrated on that Sabbath, right on the heels of the Feast of Tabernacles. It’s the festive day of joy celebrating the Torah (Law). The Islamist terrorist organization Hamas chose precisely that day to carry out a massacre to exterminate the Jews. It was planned far in advance, and with military precision.

At dawn, Hamas terrorists from the Gaza Strip used cunning and violence to break through the border with Israel. They destroyed over 20 Israeli towns in a terrible bloodbath. They took over 230 hostages, including over 38 children—even a baby less than a year old. They abused, tortured, and murdered over 1,300 Jewish people. There has never been a day since the Holocaust in which more Jews were murdered—except this Black Shabbat.

“There were scenes of horrendous cruelty, barbarism, mutilation, dismemberment, rape. Couples and family members were bound together and immolated alive; while still alive, whole families had their organs removed; children were made to watch as their parents were tortured and killed; parents forced to look on as their children had their eyes gouged out and their heads bashed in. Living rooms, kitchens, children’s bunk beds and toys, babies’ cradles, baths, lawns, cars—everywhere was splattered and smeared with the congealed blood of murdered Jews” (Stan Goodenough, Israel Today, October 26, 2023).

The Israeli Defense Force showed a 45-minute uncensored video to journalists and politicians. They left the screening shocked, distraught, and weeping, some after just a few minutes. Some are saying that this was one of the most brutal bloodbaths in human history … but isn’t that a bit of an exaggeration? There have always been atrocities and massacres, and some on a much larger scale. But what Israel experienced on October 7 hasn’t even occurred to the most extreme Hollywood filmmaker.

In the Bible, we read that Israel’s enemies have killed men, women, and children—even cutting open pregnant women—throughout Israel’s history. But Hamas didn’t stop there. The terrorists didn’t just cut open a pregnant woman, but they also removed the fetus, a small unborn child, and decapitated it.

At a hearing in Washington, Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said the following about a Jewish family of four: “The father’s eye gouged out, the mother’s breast cut off, the girl’s foot amputated, the boy’s fingers cut off before they were executed, and then their executioners sat down and had a meal. That is what this society is dealing with.” These bestial murderers increased their atrocity beyond measure when they sat down at the table that had been set for the murdered family’s own Sabbath breakfast and ate the meal themselves. They were still filming.

The Arabic word “Hamas” means zeal, strength, or bravery. The word also has a meaning in Hebrew: violence. Its first two uses in the Bible appear in Genesis 6:11 and 13: “Now the earth was corrupt in God’s sight, and the earth was filled with violence … And God said to Noah, ‘I have determined to make an end of all flesh, for the earth is filled with violence through them. Behold, I will destroy them with the earth.’” And it later says in Obadiah 10, “Because of the violence done to your brother Jacob, shame shall cover you, and you shall be cut off forever.” This is precisely the character of Hamas, prophetically recorded in the Bible 3,500 years ago.

Amid all the political reports and media discussions about what Israel is doing, and has done, in the Gaza Strip, please don’t forget this fact: Israel is now defending itself against what was a horrific attack. Perhaps an example will help us understand the extreme situation we’re dealing with:

If the September 11th terrorist attacks were compared to the October 7th attack on Israel and adjusted proportionally for population (331M vs. 9M), there wouldn’t have been 3,000 deaths in the US but over 40,000.

While a mass murderer tries to avoid detection, these Islamist butchers exposed their actions before the entire world. And in return, they’ve received approval and applause! An outbreak of global anti-Semitism like this wouldn’t have been thought possible. Worldwide, both in the streets and on social media, the rallying cry is heard: “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.” What it really means is, “From the Jordan River to the Mediterranean, Palestine will be free of Jews.”

And the UN, with a two-thirds majority, adopted a resolution against Israel that doesn’t even mention Hamas. The United States was one of just 14 dissenting nations, with 121 voting in favor.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer once said, “Only he who cries [out] for the Jews is permitted to sing Gregorian chant.” It means that a Christian cannot both praise God and remain silent about His people! Isaiah 62:1 puts it this way: “For Zion’s sake I will not keep silent, and for Jerusalem’s sake I will not be quiet, until….” We must not remain silent when God’s people are being threatened and brutally slaughtered!

After the Holocaust and World War II, “Never again” became the slogan. But what’s left of it now? We need to stand up for Israel, pleading like the Psalmist, “O God, do not keep silence; do not hold your peace or be still, O God!” (Ps 83:1).

What is this attack on Israel really about? An attack on Israel is always an attack on Israel’s God. Israel’s enemies are first and foremost God’s enemies. Asaph’s Psalm clearly says, “For behold, your enemies make an uproar; those who hate you have raised their heads. They lay crafty plans against your people; they consult together against your treasured ones. They say, ‘Come, let us wipe them out as a nation; let the name of Israel be remembered no more!’” (Ps 83:2-4).

This conflict in the Middle East isn’t about land. The Arabs possess roughly 360 times more land than Israel. And it’s not about injustice or politics either; otherwise, the problem would have been solved long ago. This conflict is purely a religious dispute. It’s a spiritual battle against God and His plan of salvation.

This fundamental clash began in Genesis 3:15: “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.”

Who is this seed? The Jew, Jesus Christ! Jesus was born a Jew, died a Jew, and will return a Jew. The battle that runs through human history is directed against Him.

In the time of the Egyptian captivity, Pharaoh tried to exterminate every Jewish newborn boy, but was himself exterminated (Ex 1:16; Ex 14:27-28). As the nation of Israel wandered in the desert, Amalek tried to exterminate the people by slaughtering the weakest and sickest among them (Ex 17; Deut 25:17-19). Haman tried it in Persia while the Jews were in exile, as recorded in Esther. And Hitler tried again in modern times. They all failed. An attack on Israel is a frontal attack on the God of Israel. Zechariah 2:8 affirms this: “For thus said the LORD of hosts … he who touches you touches  the apple of his eye.”

When Islamists fight against the Jews, it’s about the ultimate question of who the true God is. The Allah of Islam, who is said to have no son, or the God of the Bible, who involves His Son in everything.

Under Islam, Sharia (a doctrine based on the Koran and Hadith) divides the world into two domains. This information is freely available on Wikipedia (search “Divisions of the world in Islam”). Dar-al-Islam (Arabic: “House of Peace”) refers to all territories under Muslim rule. The Arabic term Dar-al-Harb literally means “Territory of War.” This refers to all parts of the world not under Islamic rule that need to be conquered.

The Islamic creed is written on the visually eye-catching Saudi Arabian flag: “There is no deity but God; Muhammad is the Messenger of God.” The flag also depicts a saber: the sword of Islam that must conquer the world.

According to Islamic teaching, once an area has been under Islamic rule, it is forever Dar-al-Islam. Because the Koran is the final revelation of Allah, and Muhammad is the seal of the prophets, it will remain that way. Because Allah will ultimately prevail. It’s believed among Muslims that the Bible has been falsified and invalidated by Jews and Christians, and so a Jewish state within Dar-al-Islam is unthinkable, let alone one situated precisely where the Old Testament Jewish prophets predicted. This is the only way we can make sense of Islamist hatred of the Jewish State. This is why former Iranian President Ahmadinejad said that “the violent and unjust rule of the Israeli regime over the Palestinian Muslims contradicts the will of the Almighty, according to the Koran.”

This mindset is also evident in the oft-quoted Islamic call to prayer Allahu akhbar, which the media translates as “Allah is great.” But that isn’t accurate. We have two Arabic-speaking coworkers here at Midnight Call International, and I asked them what this call to prayer means. Allahu akhbar literally means “Allah is the greatest” or “is greater.” “Allah is great” would be stated as Allah Kbir, which isn’t a phrase that’s used. The cry of Allahu akhbar, which Islamist terrorists utter at every opportunity, shows the mentality at the core of the entire dispute. It’s not about autonomy, settlements, or partial restitution of territory, but about the absolute Islamic claim that Allah is the greatest. Everyone must submit to him. Tolerance and equality cannot exist.

However, this absolute claim to power is called into question so long as the Jews as a nation inhabit this patch of land. The truth of Genesis 17:8 and 21 is on display before the whole of humanity: “And I will give to you and to your offspring after you the land of your sojournings, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession, and I will be their God … But I will establish my covenant with Isaac, whom Sarah shall bear to you at this time next year.” Or Deuteronomy 6:4-5: “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.”

News from Israel - 06/2024