When God Abandons Society - Part 2 Series

Dr. Bradford Reaves

Crossway Christian Fellowship

Hagerstown, MD

www.mycrossway.org

Prophecy Updates:

The Israel War (October 2023)

1 O God, do not keep silence; do not hold your peace or be still, O God! 2 For behold, your enemies make an uproar; those who hate you have raised their heads. 3 They lay crafty plans against your people; they consult together against your treasured ones. 4 They say, “Come, let us wipe them out as a nation; let the name of Israel be remembered no more!” 5 For they conspire with one accord; against you they make a covenant— (Psalm 83:1–5)

Antisemitism

Israel became a sovereign nation in 1948 when the United Nations officially recognized its existence. Immediately, Israel’s neighbors attacked the new nation, seeking to destroy it before it. The main difference between Israel and Palestine is that Israel is a nation, and Palestine is a geographical region. Palestine has never been a nation - ever.

Biblically speaking, Israel has every right to possess, occupy, and build homes on its land. All of those territories are well within the borders of the land that God promised to the nation of Israel. However, when the situation involves Israel, the international community has always been on the side of the Palestinians and Israel’s Arab neighbors. Why is this? Latent anti-Semitism and the powerful Arab influence in this part of the world.

Black Lives Matter - “We Stand with Palestine” (Graphics)

I believe the antisemitic rhetoric will increase, and support for Israel will dissolve.

Current Key Players in this war against Israel:

1. Iran

The Wall Street Journal reports Iran gave the final approval to the war waged by Hamas and Jihad last Monday in Beirut.

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps officers have been working with Hamas to plan the air, land, and sea invasion since August.

Ismail Haniyeh, the leader of the political wing of Hamas, wrote to the president of Iran: “The battle on the Temple Mount is still at the beginning and will end in a decisive victory.”

The former French ambassador to the US claimed in an interview with the "Figaro" newspaper that Iran is behind Hamas's unprecedented attack on Israel, and its goal is to destroy the Israeli-Saudi normalization agreement.

Iranian Newspaper Celebrates Hamas’ terror plot (picture from Iranian Newspaper)

2. Russia

Vladimir Putin blames Israel: “The Palestinian problem is in the heart of every Muslim and is considered an injustice. At the time of the establishment of the State of Israel, a Palestinian state was also supposed to be established, but this did not happen.

The Kremlin’s spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, answered “no” to the question of whether Russia would recognize Hamas as a terrorist organization.

Russia's standing by the Palestinians in this war is the final stamp on the divorce papers between her and Israel. From this point on, expect hostilities from the Russian side that will culminate with the war we all know from Ezekiel 38-39!

3. Turkey

Turkish President Erdogan made an aggressive and scandalous statement against the Biden administration: The US is sending an aircraft carrier to Israel. What is it doing in Israel, what does it deserve to do? They will attack Gaza with their fighter jets and commit a massacre." He also accused that "when it suits our partner (the US), it trains terrorists."

4. Lebanon/Syria

Part of the growing northern front in Israel. Hezbollah will continue to attack Israel in the north. This will eventually lay Damascus to waste. Commanders from the Iranian Revolutionary Guards are already in southern Lebanon coordinating attacks. Lebanon's government says they are not sanctioning this. Yet they are allowing these people in their country and doing nothing to stop it!

5. Scriptural (Ezekiel 38)

In my opinion, this is the birth stage of the war talked about in Ezekiel 38. The names have changed, the demonic spirits behind them have not changed. Ezekiel 38 mentions a war that most biblically-based scholars agree is the final culmination that will bring about the 7-Year Tribulation. This war will happen just before or just after the Rapture of the Church.

The word of the Lord came to me: 2 “Son of man, set your face toward Gog, of the land of Magog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal, and prophesy against him 3 and say, Thus says the Lord God: Behold, I am against you, O Gog, chief prince of Meshech and Tubal. 4 And I will turn you about and put hooks into your jaws, and I will bring you out, and all your army, horses and horsemen, all of them clothed in full armor, a great host, all of them with buckler and shield, wielding swords. 5 Persia, Cush, and Put are with them, all of them with shield and helmet; 6 Gomer and all his hordes; Beth-togarmah from the uttermost parts of the north with all his hordes—many peoples are with you. 7 “Be ready and keep ready, you and all your hosts that are assembled about you, and be a guard for them. 8 After many days you will be mustered. In the latter years you will go against the land that is restored from war, the land whose people were gathered from many peoples upon the mountains of Israel, which had been a continual waste. Its people were brought out from the peoples and now dwell securely, all of them. 9 You will advance, coming on like a storm. You will be like a cloud covering the land, you and all your hordes, and many peoples with you. 10 “Thus says the Lord God: On that day, thoughts will come into your mind, and you will devise an evil scheme 11 and say, ‘I will go up against the land of unwalled villages. I will fall upon the quiet people who dwell securely, all of them dwelling without walls, and having no bars or gates,’ 12 to seize spoil and carry off plunder, to turn your hand against the waste places that are now inhabited, and the people who were gathered from the nations, who have acquired livestock and goods, who dwell at the center of the earth. (Ezekiel 38:1–12)