As of this moment, Israel has not yet begun the ground invasion of Gaza. This invasion was to have begun several days ago. Why the delay? Iran’s threat to attack them if they invade Gaza is forcing Israel to prepare its forces in the north against a major attack by Iranian-backed forces, Hezbollah, in Lebanon. This military terrorist group has been preparing for a major attack against Israel for many years. It is reported that they have 150,000 missiles they are ready to launch against Israel when given the orders from Iran. It is thought that Israel may also be planning a pre-emptive strike against Hezbollah’s positions in Lebanon before they begin the ground invasion in Gaza. Furthermore, Israel may also be planning a daring rescue mission to free the 203 hostages being held in Gaza. The removal of these hostages from Gaza would make Israel’s ground invasion less complicated. Pray for Israel and its leaders as they contemplate these options.
As you pray, consider this, the world is asleep and does not know that a religious war is being waged against all nations. The radical leaders of Islam, being led by Iran and others, are promoting a religious war against all “infidels” (non-Muslims). Israel is on the Front lines of the global war against radical Islam. What happens in this war will impact the entire global population.
“Israel is at the forefront of the global war on terror. While America’s adversaries are 7,000 miles away, ours are less than 7,000 feet away. This is a battle between civilization and barbaric terrorists who want to fundamentally change the way we live. If Israel does not succeed, the whole world will be forced to suffer the consequences because terror organizations across the globe will be emboldened and inspired. The free world must unequivocally support Israel just as it is united in the fight against Al-Qaeda and ISIS” (Israel Today, October 18, 2023).
According to Israel Today, about 50 Jewish communities near Gaza and in the north near Lebanon have been evacuated due to the war with Gaza, and the threat of war in the north. This means that a total of about one-half million Israelis have been displaced by war. This represent just a small fraction of the pain and suffering that the Israeli public is enduring at this hour (Israel Today, October 17, 2023).
In the midst of all of their misery, death, and destruction, the Israelis are beginning to realize who they at war with. Israel Today describes how the Israeli public views this current crisis and war, “The Palestinian Arabs and their supporters want to eliminate the State of Israel, and they want to kill every single Jew—but these are two separate objectives. They will kill, torture, and maim as many of us as they can, whenever they can, even if it has absolutely nothing to do with achieving the objective of statehood.
“It’s worth noting that the purportedly ‘secular’ Palestinian Authority begins each of its official communications with the words, ‘In the Name of Allah,’ and actively supports both objectives—death to Jews and replacement of the State of Israel with an Islamic Arab entity.
“Another thing that should be clear is that the distinction between Hamas, the PA [Palestinians on the West Bank], Palestinian Islamic Jihad, the Muslim Brotherhood, Hezbollah, the Palestinian Front for the Liberation of Palestine and all the other ‘factions’ is an artificial and meaningless one. This enables the United States, the European Union, and ‘enlightened’ countries around the world to play a deadly shell game.
“There is no difference between these groups; They share objectives, support one another in every possible way, and are all equally dedicated to the destruction of the Jewish, democratic State of Israel” (Israel Today, October 17, 2023). Therefore, any attempt to create a Palestinian State on the land West of the Jordan River would be asking Israel to commit political suicide. In the minds of Israelis, the idea of a two-state solution to the Arab/Israeli conflict is dead. It has never worked, and it cannot work due to religious hatred promoted by the Arab Muslims for centuries. Furthermore, according to the prophetic Word of God, this conflict and war over the land of Israel will not end until Jesus comes to establish His physical kingdom upon this earth. Only then will the acts of violence, terrorism, and war against Israel end once and for all.
The world is currently sympathetic toward Israel. However, when Israel’s war against Iran and its Islamic militant groups begins, the world will change its tune. They will all call for an immediate cease fire that would force Israel to continue to endure many more attacks like what happened on October 7th. This would indicate that either the world has forgotten about Israel’s suffering, does not care about its suffering, or really hopes that this ongoing war will end with the eventual elimination of the Jewish state of Israel in the Middle East. The bottom line is that anti-Semitism is flooding the global population, and this is fueling the rejection of the nation of Israel.
The Jewish people have had enough suffering. They are adamant that the idea of a Palestinian State on the West Bank is dead. It is impossible due to the Arab hatred for Israel that has existed for more than 4,000 years, and continues to this day! According to the Bible, the nation of Israel will continue to be at odds with the world concerning the conflict over the Promised Land. This conflict with the nations will fester and become very painful for Israel. This conflict will produce wars and rumors of wars. It will ultimately lead the world to declare war on Israel to force them out of their land. That is the purpose of the Battle of Armageddon at the end of the Tribulation.
From where we are today, we can see the light at the end of the tunnel. Soon, the church will be raptured and the global conflict with Israel will intensify. “Pray for the peace of Jerusalem” (Psalm122:6). Be ready for the shout that will take us out!
Israel’s ground invasion on Gaza is still on hold for now. With Iran’s threat to open another attack upon Israel from the North, it is apparent that leaders in Israel are studying all their options before they invade the Hamas stronghold in Gaza. They must be ready to fight on more than one front.
The Times of Israel gives the following update: “It seems inevitable that Israel will embark on a massive ground operation in Gaza in the coming days, potentially its largest in four decades.
“Israeli leaders haven’t exactly tried to hide what’s coming. The IDF said on Saturday it was finalizing its preparations for a ‘coordinated attack from the air, sea and land.’
“The Israeli Air Force has been flying top ground forces commanders over the Gaza Strip to familiarize them with the territory and provide them a bird’s eye view of the territory in which the military is expected to maneuver, … Brigade and battalion commanders were shown, from combat helicopters, where ground troops are expected to enter and advance during the looming ground offensive.
‘“Our responsibility now is to enter Gaza, to go to the places where Hamas is preparing, acting, planning, launching. Attack them everywhere, every commander, every operative, destroy infrastructure,’ IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi said while visiting soldiers in southern Israel. ‘In one word: win’” (www.timesofisrael.com, October 16, 2023).
For 75 years the nation of Israel has been a nation that has had a proven track record of being militarily strong. Their military forces have been powerful enough to win the victory over nations and terrorists that were stronger and had the backing of a population that significantly outnumbered the tiny nation of Israel. Israel’s intelligence gathering and analysis has been impeccable. However, the recent attack by Hamas has come as a shock to Israel and the entire world. What happened to Israel? How did they fail to anticipate Hamas’ surprise attack?
Many are asking these kinds of questions. However, the bottom line is that the One who keeps Israel, and neither slumbers nor sleeps (Psalm 121:4) permitted the enemy of Israel to successfully attack His people. Why would the God of Israel do this? We cannot pretend to have a complete answer to this question. Israel did fail in many ways. However, the real answer lies in the hands of the God of Israel. Perhaps He is allowing His people to suffer to teach them to be humble and trust Him. Most of the people in Israel are secularists, who reject the Word and are not longing for Messiah to come. This was the foundational problem for the last 10 months that brought deep division and hatred in Israel, that brought the nation to the brink of civil war.
According to the Word of God, during the wars of the last days, the Lord will display His power to defeat the overwhelming forces that will come against Israel. This work of God will humble Israel. It will be a display of power in which the Lord will glorify Himself before the eyes of Israel and all the world. Read Ezekiel 38:23; 39:7, 21-22. This work will ultimately bring tens of thousands of Israelis into a personal relationship with Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God (Ezekiel 36:25-27; Joel 2:28-32; Revelation 7:1-8).
In light of this, would you please join me in prayer? I am praying that the Lord will continue to lovingly humble His people. This humility is important to bring them to repentance to be saved. Repentance is not produced in a heart of pride. Repentance grows out of a personal spirit of brokenness over our personal weakness and sins.
In addition to this, pray with me that the Lord will demonstrate His powerful presence and help to the Israeli soldiers as they enter into battle with the enemy. Help them, and all of us, to learn that the battle belongs to the Lord (1 Samuel 17:47; 2 Chronicles 20:15). Pray that the Lord will show His power and presence to the entire world (1 Samuel 17:45-47).
I want my Lord and God to demonstrate to all the wicked, unbelieving world that He is on the throne in heaven!
Just as many of us have expected, there seems to be much intelligence gathering that indicates Israel’s declaration of war against Hamas, an Islamic terrorist group that is funded and controlled by Iran, is about to erupt into a full-scale war in the Middle East, and perhaps WW III. Israel Today (published by Messianic Jews in Israel), reports, “There are strong indications that the attacks carried out by Hezbollah last week on were only a prelude to something much bigger. …The situation along Israel’s northern border is rapidly deteriorating after Hezbollah stepped up its attacks on the IDF and attempted to infiltrate Israel a number of times. Rockets were also fired at Israel from the Syrian Golan Heights.
“[There] are the indications that a major war is about to break out [on Israel’s northern border with Lebanon and Syria]. The commander of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Quds Brigade, Esmail Qaani, is in Syria overseeing the activities of Shiite militias there. These militias are now moving from eastern Syria to the border with Israel on the Golan Heights” (Israel Today, October 15, 2023). Is this the first movement of troops that will lead to Gog and Magog (Ezekiel 38-39)?
Rumors are being circulated throughout the radical Islamic world that Hamas’ stunning attack on October 7th has revealed that Israel is very weak and is not prepared for war. They believe that the growing presence of U.S. military forces in the Mediterranean also support their view. These radical Islamic elements are like sharks swimming in the water. They smell blood and they believe it is time to attack their enemy that is bleeding. Listen to their chatter, “Israel is on the verge of collapse,” and this is “the last war with Israel.” They believe it is their sacred duty to destroy Israel for the sake of Allah. The radical Islamic regime in Iran is telling their people that this war with Israel “is now or never” (Israel Today, October 15, 2023).
Israel believes that they must proceed with their planned ground invasion of Gaza. This invasion was to begin yesterday. However, they have delayed this invasion for reasons they are not disclosing. They are almost sure that when this invasion begins it will cause Iran’s proxy militia groups in Lebanon, Syria, Yemen, and even the West Bank to openly beginning their attack upon Israel. Israel has known about this planned attack against them for months. The events of October 7th appear to be the beginning of this multifront war against Israel. This intelligence was shared with the U.S. several weeks ago and that is why President Biden has committed three aircraft carrier divisions to be prepared off the coast of Israel in the event that Israel’s needs U.S. assistance.
The FBI sent out a warning this morning to all American citizens in the U.S. to be aware of a possible terrorist attack on American soil. It is believed there are many Iranian-backed sleeper cells already in the U.S. Many have come across our open southern border. Our intelligence is asking us to be vigilant as we watch our surroundings as we anticipate this possible development. This does not come as a surprise to me. One of Iran’s greater goals is to destroy the United States, whom they call “The Great Satan,’ while Israel, they say, is “the little Satan.” Iran is very deceptive. It would be just like them to conduct a ground war against Israel and the United States as a diversion, while they finalize their manufacturing of nuclear bombs. Just a few weeks ago, we were told that Iran has the ability to create the nuclear material they need for a bomb in about two weeks.
Friends, I am calling out to you to pray like you have never prayed before. It is obvious that our world is about to enter into a time of violence, danger, and war like we have never known. I hope I am wrong about this. However, there seems to be too much evidence to conclude anything otherwise. Our world is about to be thrust into the Tribulation Period. We must share the gospel with family and friends. Be compassionate and bold. Weep before God! Pour your heart out to Him for our unsaved friends and family members. Our time is short. We are going home in a short while. Prepare your soul to stand in our Lord’s holy presence. Occupy until He comes, but be ready for our imminent departure!
