GNITN - Special Edition

Israel At War – Day 232

The Prophetic Puzzle Of Israel

Things Are Getting Interesting

There are so many moving parts in the Middle East region that trying to figure out how things will work out can be complex. The International Court of Justice (ICJ) hands down a hard to follow ruling that Israel can go into Rafah but according to some they have to stop all fighting in Gaza. Hamas is left to do whatever they want without any restraints, Iran loses their president, the one in charge of their nuclear program and people think that they are getting ready to make nuclear bombs. Antisemitism continues to rise with so many people turning on all Jews for just about any reason. Inside Israel there is political infighting with one person demanding that the Prime Minister investigate why Israel missed knowing about the attacks on October 7th and protests to release the hostages who’ve been held since then, many who are feared to be dead as three more bodies are found. It all seems so chaotic with no end in sight. There are pitfalls and potential snares from all over and uncertainty is the only certainty for many. For those of us who are Christians and believers that Israel is at the middle of Bible prophecy it can also be difficult to know what is happening next and how to pray for the peace of Jerusalem. Fortunately, this is one area we don’t need to be confused about.

Israel Is Still The Super Sign

The late Tim Lahaye is given credit for calling Israel the super sign of Bible prophecy. If you want to gauge where we are on the prophetic timeline, look to the Jewish nation and then to the various Bible predictions for them and you can get a little more clarity and hopefully feel more peace and even hope about things. To be honest, it’s not going to be a pretty timeline, but we students of the Scriptures know the whys of prophecy, the when’s for the most part and even the how’s. Like a huge puzzle, we have more and more pieces with every passing day it seems. Sure, there are still going to be debates on pieces that don’t seem to fit like we thought and there are pieces we’ve put off to the side and still wonder where they go, however things are getting clearer if we take a step back and see how many parts are exactly where they need to be. Why so many questions, then? Well we have pieces to a puzzle, but only God has the box with the starting picture on it and for reasons only known to Him, He isn’t making it easy for students of prophecy to get a clearer view. He is opening the world to more and more and I for one am seeing that the pace of fulfillments is ramping up quickly.

What’s Next?

I and others see two wars in prophecy that appear to be on the horizon. I know that the Psalm 83 war is open for debate, but the pieces to that puzzle are in place. And the current war in Israel shows me that the people on the puzzle pieces are gathering from those that were set aside earlier in history. Iran, former Persia is always in the mix, but people seem to agree there are more than one piece with their name on it. One in the Psalm 83 war and another more generally recognized in the War of Gog and Magog war seen in Ezekiel 38. They can look a lot alike hence the reason for not knowing which piece fits where. But whichever way you look at Iran, they aren’t going away anytime soon. Russia and Turkey are looming, but Russia won’t get involved in my opinion with the war in Ukraine dragging on. Turkey would love nothing better than to be seen as the kingpin in the area and supplant all this talk of Iran. And Turkey has the top military in the area with Iran in the number three spot only because Israel is second. Some think that Israel should be higher on the list and I think if not now, they will be soon. For now, The Turkey puzzle piece is waiting for its spot but it is looking more and more like its place is better defined now than ever before. Egypt is harder to pin down and Lebanon, Jordan, Syria and even Iraq are being fiddled with by prophetic teachers and students as they seem to fit in the Middle East part of the overall puzzle, but that part of the picture either has part of it already placed from 1948 when Israel became a nation again or those pieces look similar, but not quite the same. There are colors and shapes that just don’t seem to fit clearly, however, just like we look for similar colors and shapes on a physical puzzle, these countries seem to look like they fit, but they don’t. For me, the Psalm 83 war is next with the War of Gog and Magog on the docket for the next conflict with Armageddon the last in the series of three wars involving Israel. Your end times mileage may vary.

What About Another World War?

Just like both previous world wars aren’t defined in the Bible, so another one isn’t seen unless you make the war at the end of the Tribulation that one. Right now politicians are pointing to the Middle East as the place where the next global conflict will break out and for good reason. All the literal pieces are there. Border disputes, nation disputes, even financial disputes. The peoples living there have a history of fighting going back a very long way. And in prophecy Israel always shows up as one of the constants in the region. But so far, any fighting in the area hasn’t drawn in all the global players at one time. If you study history, Germany would be the place to look on the puzzle of wars section and they could be involved in the War of Gog and Magog to some. Another world war could very well happen next, we simply don’t know and the Bible isn’t giving us any clues apart for that fateful time when the Antichrist decides its time to take down God once and for all. He loses, but in trying he will get everyone involved. If you’re looking to build a case for the next worldwide battle, Armageddon is as good of a picture of the puzzle as any.

Where Does That Leave Us Now?

As we continue to pray for the peace of Israel, we can focus on a few pieces that make some sense in light of their war against terrorism, whether it is Hamas, Hezbollah, Houthis, the Palestinian Authority or even Iran. All of them and lesser spoken of proxies of Iran are currently planning the next great attack to wipe Jews off the face of the earth. Am I making all of this up? No, I’m not. They aren’t hiding it at all. If I wanted to I could give you quote, after quote, after quote using their very own words. And if you like, I could point you to the various nations and groups like Hamas that have statements and goals saying exactly what I am stating here. From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free isn’t a metaphor for just getting along with Israel. No, it is call to annihilate all Jews from the Mediterranean Sea to the Jordan river. Take out a map to see what that means. That’s the eastern and western borders of current Israel. At some point this terrorist threat against God’s people must be dealt with and I believe it will be as the proxies and even Iran will grow impatient as Hamas is being decimated as they should be for how they viciously and cruelly attacked Israel. They have stated they are there for Hamas and even for prides sake they will help out. Can Israel fight back and win against such overwhelming odds? The major piece of the puzzle that many are forgetting to put in the middle of this section of prophetic view are two very important words: But God. As in the recent wars involving Israel, they had no military or even human reasons to win those attacks in 1948, 1967, and 1973. In America, West Point Academy doesn’t even study the wars to learn because from a military and strategic standpoint they can’t factor in the miraculous. How do you plan for God’s intervention when you unroll the plans of battle? It’s easy to answer: You can’t. In short, God is still in control and the Jews are still His chosen people. Yes, they are wayward and yes, they need to turn the hearts back to Him. But all of the current and future events have in them ways to get them to do just that. As you survey the prophetic map, never leave out the God pieces. Trust me when I tell you that when it comes to the nation of Israel, it will always fit.