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.
God has revealed so much about the events of the end times in such minute detail that it seems odd that He wouldn’t have something to say about the current Palestinian/Israeli conflict. Or perhaps He does have something to say about it in those prophecies that have so far been misunderstood or ignored. Could they be the missing pieces to unveiling God’s blueprints for Israel in the last days?
In truth, I believe that is exactly what they are. I believe God HAS told us in His Holy Word not only that the Palestinian/Israeli conflict we are witnessing would occur, but He has also given us the outcome of this conflict. And it may not be what you expect.
Read with me, if you will, the first eight verses of Psalm 83 (NIV), “O God, do not keep silent; be not quiet, O God, be not still. [2] See how your enemies are astir, how your foes rear their heads. [3] With cunning they conspire against your people; they plot against those you cherish. [4] ‘Come,’ they say, ‘let us destroy them as a nation, that the name of Israel be remembered no more.’
[5] With one mind they plot together; they form an alliance against you – [6] the tents of Edom and the Ishmaelites, of Moab and the Hagrites, [7] Gebal, Ammon and Amalek, Philistia, with the people of Tyre. [8] Even Assyria has joined them to lend strength to the descendants of Lot.”
Psalm 83 is a cry to the Lord for help and protection of His people the Jews. The psalmist is petitioning God on behalf of the nation of Israel because its enemies are coming together in an alliance against them with the sole purpose of totally destroying them.
This is an interesting Psalm. It was written by a prophet and musician named Asaph during the reign of King David. What is interesting to note is that at the time of its writing Israel was experiencing a time of great prosperity and peace. They were living in their Promised Land under a king, which God had chosen for them. Their hearts were turned toward God and as a nation they were under His blessing and protection.
Yet this Psalm is written about the enemies of God coming against Israel as a coalition, determined to totally destroy them. This is how we know that this Psalm is prophetic in nature. It’s written at a time of peace, about a terrible event that will occur sometime in the unforeseen future. It is a warning about a threat to the then blessed and prosperous people about a time when their very survival would be in question.
In fact, I believe this Psalm is speaking of Israel’s situation today. Now, some may argue and say that Israel has always been surrounded by neighbors that wanted to get rid of her. How do we know that this prophecy wasn’t fulfilled thousands of years ago when Israel was a nation the first time? The answer to that is because there has never been a coalition of these specific nations and peoples coming together at one time with this specific purpose in mind.
Look at what these enemies of God are doing in these verses. They are conspiring and plotting against the Jews. They are forming an alliance against the nation of Israel the purpose of which is to destroy Israel so completely that they no longer exist as a people or entity of any form. Doesn’t that sound an awful lot like what is occurring in the Middle East today?
The Members of the Coalition
For the next few weeks we will be talking specifically about this event in Psalm 83, which I believe will be a culmination of the present Israeli/Palestinian conflict. We will study its outcome and timing, and perhaps how this impacts our understanding of other end time events. But for today, let’s first identify who exactly it is that is trying to destroy the nation of Israel. Verses 6 through 8 list these enemies. [Edom, Ishamaelites, Moabites, Hagrites, Gebal, Ammonites, Amalekites, Philistines, Tyre, and the Assyrians.]
To the modern ear this list is probably nothing but gibberish. It might as well be in a foreign language or written in secret code, because those names mean nothing to the contemporary world. That is because the countries, cities, and peoples these names refer to go by different names today. The psalmist didn’t know the 21st century equivalents of these names, so he called them by their ancient titles – the names he was familiar with when he received this prophecy.
So, in order for us to understand who Israel’s enemies are in this passage, we must first convert their ancient names to their modern equivalents. [If you look at the handout in you bulletins you will see that I’ve included a map as well as a list of these enemies.]
The Tents of Edom
The first enemy to be listed is Edom. Edom and the Edomites are the nation and its people who were the descendants of Esau, Jacob’s twin brother. Edom is also called Seir or Mt. Seir in the Bible and is located in what is today southern Jordan. [This is marked by a number 1 on your map.]
Today, some of the ancient Edomite descendants are likely located in this same area. However, with migration over the centuries it is also believed that many Edomite descendants can also be found amongst today’s Palestinians. So, when the Bible refers to Edom, it is referring to the geographical area of southern Jordan. But when it is talking about the people that once lived there, we assume a strong connection to the Palestinians of today.
This is not to say that all Palestinians are Edomites. They are actually an ethnic mix of several local peoples including, Lebanese, Arabs, Persians, Assyrians, Egyptians, etc. But when looking for the remnant of the Edomite people, we will most likely find them among the Palestinians of the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
Another interesting fact to note is that verse 6 uses the phrase the “tents of Edom.” “Tents biblically represent a population assembled in refuge, and/or military encampments.” According to Mr. Salus, both definitions make sense when you connect the Edomites with the modern Palestinians.
Palestinian refugee camps are often large tent encampments. And these same tent encampments have a history of producing willing suicide bombers, terrorists and jihadists, which are in a sense the Palestinian militias. So, this phrase the “tents of Edom” implies that at the time of the fulfillment of the Psalm 83 prophecy, the Edomites will be refugees who have assembled themselves into a militia, which is exactly what we see when we look at today’s Palestinian populations.
And one last thing about Edom. There is significance connected to the fact that among the ten enemies of Israel listed in this passage, Edom is named first. It clues us in to the fact that the events of Psalm 83 and its coalition against Israel are centered around “the tents of Edom” or the Palestinian refugees and terrorism. This tells us that this prophecy concerns the Israeli/Palestinian conflict occurring in the Middle East today.
Ishmaelites
The next group listed is the Ishmaelites. If you are familiar with the story of Abraham and Sarah in the book of Genesis, this name will ring a bell. Ishmael was Abraham’s oldest son born to Sarah’s servant Hagar (Genesis 21:14-21). The Ishmaelites, then, are Ishmael’s descendants.
They settled in the territory, which we know today as Saudi Arabia – specifically the more northern parts of this country [marked by a number 2 on your maps]. Today we would call them Arabs instead of Ishmaelites.
Moab (Moabites) and Ammon (Ammonites)
The next group, Moab and the Moabites can be grouped together with Ammon and the Ammonites. These two groups are descendants of Lot’s two sons, Moab and Ben-ammi or Ammon (Genesis 19:30-38). The land attributed to Moab is central Jordan [number 3 on the map]. And the ancient territory of Ammon is northern Jordan [number 6 on the map]. In fact the capital of the country of Jordan today is still called Amman after this ancient ancestor.
Hagarites
Then we have listed a name of a group of people, which is not often heard, the Hagarites or Hagarenes. These people are the descendants of Sarah’s Egyptian handmaiden, Hagar. While not much is known about these people they are most generally associated with Hagar’s land of origin, Egypt. For the sake of our study the Hagarites therefore, stand for today’s Egyptians [number 4 on the map].
Gebal and Tyre
Next, are Gebal and Tyre. I’ve grouped these two together because, unlike the others, they are not titles of groups of people. They are the names of two cities both in the modern day country of Lebanon. Gebal was located in northern Lebanon and is called Jebeil today, [number 5 which is a little farther north than what our map shows]. Tyre is a city in southern Lebanon, which is closely associated with the terrorist group Hezbollah [number 9 on the map].
Amalek
Then we have Amalek. Amalek was a grandson of Esau (Gen. 36:12; 1 Chron. 1:36). The Amalekites were his descendants. Though they were a nomadic people, their main dwelling place was the Negev desert in present-day southern Israel [number 7 on the map].
Philistia
Philistia is the ancient homeland of the Philistines. Today Philistia is what is known as the Gaza Strip [number 8 on the map]. While there is no biological connection between the ancient Philistines and today’s Palestinians they do occupy the same territory and even share a name since Palestine is the Latin word of Philistia. Today the Gaza Strip is the headquarters for the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas, another one of Israel’s most violent enemies.
Assyria
And finally, we come to the last enemy listed, Assyria. Assyria was an ancient empire, which preceded the Babylonian Empire. Their ancient area of control is located in the modern country of Syria and northern Iraq [number 10 on the map].
So, if we were to reread Psalm 83 with its list of Israel’s enemies by using their modern names we would see that those who are conspiring together in an effort to destroy the nation of Israel are: Lebanon, Syria, northern Iraq, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and the Palestinian refugees of the Gaza Strip and West Bank.
By looking at the map, you can see that this coalition of hatred is made up of predominately Muslim countries all of which surround and for the most part share a portion of their borders with Israel. These are the nations that have been trying to destroy Israel since she was reborn in 1948. This is a highly dangerous situation for the nation of Israel to be in. The potential for true annihilation is very real, and that is what Asaph, the psalmist, saw the truth of thousands of years ago and why he is crying out to God for help and protection.
Now this psalm, as we said, is a lament or a cry for help. It gives us the details of the dire situation that is forming right before our eyes. We can assume that since these nations and peoples do come together that eventually they are going to attack in order to fulfill their purpose. A battle between this coalition and Israel is imminent.
I would not be a bit surprised to go home today and turn on my television and hear that such an alliance has formed and Israel is at war with her neighbors. It is just that close.
But what this psalm doesn’t tell us is God’s response to the psalmist’s plea. It doesn’t tell us what the outcome of this battle will be. God can’t stand by and watch His people be annihilated by their enemies. That would mean the covenant He made with Abraham over the land and his children would be broken and useless. So, what will He do?
And even though we know this battle will be occurring very soon, we don’t know where this fits in the whole timeline of endtime events. Those are some of the things we are going to be looking at in the following weeks of this study when we dive into some more of those ignored and misunderstood prophecies of the endtime.
Sermon Sources:
Salus, Bill. Isralestine. (Crane, HighWay, 2008) pp 92, 134, 175, 219.
The New Compact Bible Dictionary. (Grand Rapids, Zondervan, 1967) pp 34, 141, 190, 256-257.
