The Psalm 83 Prophecy Series

A Coalition of Hate

Part 1: The Prophecy of Psalm 83

I don’t know how much any of you have studied Bible prophecy, but you probably know by now how much I enjoy it. But I’ll also be the first to admit just how difficult it can be to understand.

Have you ever sat down and tried to read through one or more of the prophetic books in the Old Testament? Did you understand what you were reading? The books of Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Hosea, Amos, etc. are fascinating and informative. But they are among the most difficult to get a good understanding of. To study them you need to know when they were written, what was happening in Israel and the Mid East when they were written, and have a working knowledge of Ancient Middle Eastern history.

You will find prophecies in these books that have already been fulfilled – although if you don’t know ancient history, you probably wouldn’t know it. You’ll also find prophecies yet to be fulfilled, as well as passages that have dual fulfillment – meaning they were fulfilled, at least partially in the past, but are still awaiting complete fulfillment sometime in the future.

There are certain prophetic passages that have been examined and studied almost exhaustively. And scholars and students usually have a pretty good understanding of their topics and future applications. However, there are just as many, if not more, prophetic passages of Scripture that are not so easily understood and have therefore been ignored or lumped together under the heading of something that will occur during the seven-year Tribulation.

So, you can see just how puzzling Bible prophecy can be, even to those who dedicate their lives to studying it. To the average layman, understanding comes only by revelation of the Holy Spirit and the teaching of others.

Now, I’ve said all this because this morning we are going to start another prophetic Bible study based on some of those less studied and understood prophetic passages. I seriously debated starting such a series so close to the holiday season, but found this topic so compelling, I really felt the desire to share it with you.

For quite awhile I have wanted to bring you a teaching based on Psalm 83. This is one of those prophetic passages that have not been studied often. It is a fascinating prophecy that once you understand the players involved, will raise several interesting questions.

However, the reason I haven’t brought this teaching to you before is because I didn’t know where this prophecy fit into the end time events that have already be revealed. In fact, there are many prophecies that haven’t been fulfilled, yet don’t appear to fit into known endtime events. The reason for this is because the Holy Spirit has not revealed the timing of the events they foretell, yet.

But a few months ago, James brought to my attention a book entitled Isralestine, by Bill Salus. In this book, Mr. Salus has painstakingly studied the prophecy of Psalm 83 as well as other connected prophetic Scriptures and has come to a startling, but in my opinion, accurate interpretation of these passages.

He gives us a greater understanding of present events occurring in the Middle East by explaining God’s message and plans for Israel and her neighbors. After studying and reviewing his scholarship I feel confident in using his work as a source in bringing you this new study. So, having said this, let’s begin our study.

The Israeli/Palestinian Conflict

The Israeli/Palestinian conflict occurring presently in the Middle East has gripped the world’s attention and involvement. Terrorism, a cowardly weapon developed in the Arab Muslim world, has affected most of the rest of world in one way or another. Our own military is engaged in war against terrorism halfway around the globe because of our country’s support of Israel, which in turn brought terrorism to our borders.

Trying to bring the conflict to an end, the Roadmap to Peace is a diplomatic effort to form two separate states or nations within the present borders of the country of Israel. One state would be Israeli and the other Palestinian.

But no matter how much peace is desired in the Middle East by the rest of the world, this plan or any other diplomatic solution will never succeed. Because no matter what concessions Israel may be willing to make, their Palestinian and Muslim neighbors will never accept their presence among them in what they consider Muslim territory. Israel’s neighbors will not be satisfied until the Jewish nation and people are wiped off the face of the map. They do not want to share the land and live peacefully next to Israeli neighbors. They want them gone completely.

This is where we are at presently in the world, and it makes you wonder if there is anything in Bible prophecy referring to these modern events. I firmly believe that we are living in what the Bible refers to as the “latter days.” God’s time clock for the end of the age began when Israel was restored as a nation in 1948 – an event foretold thousands of years ago. That means we are right now at the beginning of the end of the age.