Dear friends and readers,
ISRAEL is in big time preparation for war footing on at least three fronts as I type this. No one knows for certain what may happen but things do seem to be coming to a head rapidly and it is important to understand why.
A lot of speculation is being made about a possible war that seems to be spoken of in Psalm 83. Some people decry this as having been done centuries ago. Others believe this is a war for the near future. I will not be dogmatic about this but I am in the "FUTURE CAMP"!
PSALM 83 begins with the writer "ASAPH" crying out to God. He recites Israel's enemies "making a tumult" and clearly states that these enemies hate Israel's God. Question? Who's is the largest group on the planet, not to mention preeminent in the Middle East who hates the God of Israel? The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob (name changed by God Himself to ISRAEL), the God of creation called by many names including (to name but a few 1). YHWH 2). ELOHIM 3). EL SHADDAI ?
The answer, Extreme elements within ISLAM!
NOTE: There is a great misconception by many even within the church that the name ALLAH (god of Islam) and ELOHIM (God of the Judaic/ Christian Bible) are one in the same. That is simply not true. While this article is not about that specific subject, please know that this misconception has been fostered by people to encourage the thinking that Islam is somehow the future replacement for Christianity and that someday all Christians will be made to convert. Please do not be sucked into that vortex of misinformation. It is nothing more that false propaganda coming at us like waves of the ocean in an attempt to deceive believers who are really not serious students of the Bible. Allah is NOT ELOHIM!
The group worldwide who claim ALLAH as its god is Islam, the adherents of which are Muslim. It is the shadowy underbelly of ISLAM, that are now referred to as radical Islamic terrorists. Not all Muslims fall into this terrorist category and worldwide the number of radicalized Muslims is actually a small percentage of the whole. BUT, after Christianity with nearly 2 1/2 billion followers, Islam is the second largest religion with an estimated 1.8 billion and nearly 50 countries of the world (out of about 200 total nations) have populations which are largely Muslim. If only 1/2 of 1
% of 1.8 Billion Muslims are radicalized that would mean that somewhere in the world, multiple MILLIONS of people have as its agenda, wiping out Israel, killing all Jews, hating the United States and all it stands for not to mention every other democratic form of government on the planet.
To be certain not all Muslim people have hate filled hearts and minds but for those who do hate Israel and her God, they are thriving in an atmosphere sucked dry of freedom, tolerance and diversity. We call them today the fundamentalist terror loving faction of Islam. We have to be careful these days because we might accidentally say something that could hurt the feelings of these killers, murderers who have, according to Psalm 83, taken crafty counsel against the Jewish people. It is they whom have said, "come, and let us cut them off from being a nation---that the name of Israel may be remembered no more".
Why do we have to be careful of telling it the way it really is? Because this generation have somehow fallen prey to the unbiblical notion that political correctness is the way to handle all human hatred, genocidal thinking, intolerance and even antisemitism. In reality the Bible calls for frank truth. And it should never be a matter of confusion that Biblical "GRACE" is the same as political correctness (PC) because it is not. Frankly most PC is based upon lies, falsehoods and a desire to deceive while making people feel good about things the Bible clearly claims are NOT good for humans to participate in. But PC on a much broader scale is the subject of another article.
The scriptures in Psalm 83 describe the folks who will be active in this war against Israel. They are the descendants of "Edom, the Ishmaelites, of Gebal, Ammon and Amalek; Philistia with the inhabitants of tyre; And also Assyria has joined with them as they have helped the children of Lot"!
ASAPH goes join to ask God to destroy these people. "To make them like whirling dust". "To pursue them with tempest and frighten them with storm. To be confounded and dismayed forever, to be put to shame and PERISH"! I know that Psalm 83 is still future because these people have NOT perished and still inhabit vast portion of countries throughout the Middle East and perhaps also parts of northern Africa and Eastern Europe.
The final outcome of this future war will be devastating for the participants. But how can we understand the not understandable? How can we possible recognize peoples represented by such ancient names and lineages? SPECIAL NOTE: Much argument has ensued over the centuries regarding the actual migration of ancient people groups and few historians absolutely agree. Please know that when I list migrations and end destinations it is based upon my own studies and should not be taken as absolute because no one on this planet, least of all myself, has any more than a rudimentary grasp of this subject because of constant movement, desire to settle new areas, marriage, inter marriage and so forth.
It is actually easier to track the destinations of Noah's 3 sons because there are several Biblical references. I will not spend too much time on this but it is interesting. Noah's 3 sons were 1) Eldest--SHEM from who it is believed the following areas were eventually populated; Arabia, Assyria, the Lydian's, Armenia, Mesopotamia, Syria and in total at least parts of 26 nations including West Asia. SHEM was believed to be "DUSKY" in complexion 2). Noah's middle son was JAPHETH from whom sprang (among others) Greece, Rome, France, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Russia, Bulgaria, Poland, India, Persia, Germany and Afghanistan. JAPHETH was believed to be "fair skinned". 3). Noah's youngest son was HAM (the one who sinned by uncovering his fathers nakedness), and he is described in Psalm 105:23 as the probable founder of Egypt. It is believed that 30 nations sprang from HAM and his descendants. Genesis 9:18 describes HAM as the father of CANAAN. It is thought by many that Ham had a complexion that was very dark and that his descendants settled the areas that would have been to the western and southwestern directions from ancient Israel including Sudan, Ethiopia (ancient Cush) and Libya (ancient Put).
Not so easy to track the migrations of later generations including the sons of Abraham. We know for certain that Abrahams second son Isaac was the father of Jacob (who's name was changed by God to Israel). All of the 12 tribes---(plus the 2 sons of Joseph) and clans of Israel sprang from this Lineage.
However Abraham also has a first son by the name of ISHMAEL from his mother HAGAR (an Egyptian woman) who was a handmaid to Abraham's first wife Sarah. Ishmael was loved dearly by Abraham but was eventually displaced by Abraham's second son ISAAC who received the Covenant promises of God. Both sons received blessings from the Lord. ISAAC as the seed from whom Messiah would eventually spring plus specified lands of the Middle East. ISHMAEL from whom would come 12 princes (tribes or people groups). It is believed by many followers of Islam that their prophet Muhammed was a descendant of the line from ISHMAEL. However generally speaking almost all of the modern day Islamic leaders regardless of country claim some heredity from Muhammed.
It is commonly believed among many scholars that the following areas were settled at least in part by the sons and grandsons of ISHMAEL. Psalm 83 mentions these folks. EDOM or Edomites were descended from Esau, the elder brother of Jacob both of whom were the sons of Isaac and Rebecca and the grandsons of Abraham and Sarah. This is where the line parts because Jacob became ISRAEL and Esau became the father of several people groups including the Edomites. In later generations these family members became bitter enemies and remain so to this very day. It's kind of like the old family feud between the HATFIELDS and the McCOYS only on nuclear steroids, and has lasted for thousands of years.
Esau was red haired and the word EDOM means red. Today these folks at least in main part dwell south and east of the Jordan river. Also it is believed that their descendants dwell in the Negev desert in southern Israel and parts of Egypt. Interestingly, there have been many ISIS members hanging around the southern Negev and have launched a few missiles into Israel. Edomites also dwell between the Dead Sea and the Gulf Of Aqaba.
The next group mentioned in Psalm 83 is AMMON or the Ammonites. They are descended from Ben Ammi who was the son of Lots younger daughter who had an incestuous one night relationship with her father lot (reported to have been dead drunk at the time). Modern day Ammonites dwell in the city of Ammon Jordan which is Jordan's capital and surrounding areas. Next is Moab or the Moabites. Many of these people today also live east of the Jordan River. MOAB was the son of Lots eldest daughter who also got daddy drunk and had a incestuous one nighter with him. It is interesting because the sons of both of Lots daughters were conceived in sin and have become extremely bitter enemies with Israel to this very day. The ancient Ammonites worshiped some very bad news false gods among whom was "chemosh---also called dagon" who demanded human sacrifice including babies and children.
Next on the Psalm 83 list are the HAGRITES, all of whom were descended from Hagar the mother of Ishmael. It is believed that their line also produced the ancient Philistine people who were bitter enemies of Israel. NOTE: Some folks today try and connect the ancient Philistines (who lived in the general area of GAZA) with todays Palestinian people who also in large part live in GAZA. It is not true and this myth was literally invented and perpetuated by the late Yasser Arafat. Todays HAGRITES are far flung and live in areas like Egypt, Northern Iraq and surrounding areas. Next is GEBEL who are most likely todays residents of Lebanon.
There are some other sub groups mentioned in Psalm 83 but to nail this down, the peoples forming a possible future confederacy against Israel are from the Middle East including Iran, Syria, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Egypt, the Negev Desert and portions of 50 countries with heavily Muslim populations.
No one but God Himself knows how all this will play out or exactly when. But think of this; Today Israel is on an extreme war footing because they have been the victims of hatred and threats of total annihilation from Iran (ancient Persia). Iran supports Hezbollah who currently has about 150,000 rockets pointed at Israeli cities from with Lebanon. Iran is also doing everything possible to develop military infrastructure in Syria with the goal of attacking Israel on multiple fronts. Plus Iran also supports and supplies Hamas, another terrorist group currently in political authority within Gaza. Then we have Turkey, Russia and Iran in an unholy military alliance working inside Syria, the capital of which is Damascus (only 50 miles north east of the northern Israeli boarder on the Golan Heights).
Russia, Turkey and Iran form a probably building block to the eventual invasion of Gog from the land of Magog extensively written about in Ezekiel 38-39. Israel is nearly 100% surrounded today by enemies seeking her total and complete destruction. Israel is a nuclear power, in other words they have ballistic missiles.
What do you think would or could happen if Israel suddenly found herself on the loosing end of a brutal area wide war with all these enemies attacking her simultaneously? It was reported as far back as the Israeli Prime Minister, Golda Meir that Israel had developed something called the "SAMSON OPTION", which basically was a last ditch nuclear effort in the case of Israel becoming inundated with enemies to the point of being over powered.
Do you think Israel would choose annihilation or would she strike back with massive weaponry? Remember that Iran is behind much of this and is a state sponsor of terrorism. Iran has chosen SYRIA during it's extremely destructive civil war to launch attacks against Israel and is attempting to build forward military bases from which to do so.
Which of course makes me wonder about another Biblical prophecy Isaiah 17, which is the total and complete destruction of the ancient city of Damascus in Syria. A city so large at this moment that it boasts a population of 1.7 million people. Also a city run by another totalitarian tyrant, President Bashar Al-Assad, yet another Middle East dictator who hates Israel with a passion! What other than a nuclear strike could totally destroy a city of that size?
Well, at least for now this is all speculation. But this could all get out of control PRONTO!!!
Stay tuned folks because things are definitely heating up in the Middle east. Not to mention other worldwide extreme threats with China, Russia, North Korea, Iran, Pakistan and Afghanistan to mention only a few REALLY REALLY hot spots.
As I complete this article, Israel and Iran are trading multiple missile attacks on each others military installations. WILL THE OTHER SHOE DROP?
Time for the church to pray big time
God bless,
Pastor Rance.
