On October 7, 2023, Israel was savagely attacked by Hamas from Gaza, and many suspect that the ensuing war will be long and arduous.
The atrocities committed by Hamas terrorists on Israeli citizens are truly beyond words to try and communicate. We will not be going into the specifics of the brutality except to say that kidnapping, rape, torture, and murder of innocent civilians was on a scale most would not have ever believed.
Men, women, children, and the elderly were abused, tortured, and slaughtered as if they were animals; yet, if animals had been treated as the Israeli people were, there would no doubt have been a collective worldwide cry for justice and retribution. The “religion of peace” – the Islamic world – and even many socialist leftists, on the other hand, celebrated. Evil knows no bounds.
I wanted to take a moment and offer my thoughts on what we have witnessed, briefly consider any prophetic implications, and offer a prayer for Israel, her people, and the body of Christ.
Iran
Iran, it has been reported, actually planned these horrid events with Hamas — a surprise to virtually no one who pays attention to the number one state sponsor of terror. Iran is dedicated to the eradication of the Israeli people and has vowed to destroy God’s people.
Iran better be prepared because Israel, once they have completed operations in Gaza, has every right to hit the Iranian regime hard. As Bible prophecy students, we know this response will undoubtedly have prophetic implications.
Hezbollah in Lebanon
As Hamas is a vassal of Iran, so, too, is Hezbollah in Lebanon, and she is armed to the teeth. And just as Iran gave Hamas the orders to carry out the attack, I suspect Hezbollah is waiting for their orders to attack as well. Reports have shown that Hezbollah has already fired rockets into Israel’s north.
It should not surprise anyone that, as Israel is attempting to retaliate against the barbarians and trying to rescue their people from Gaza, Iran may give the orders for Hezbollah to pull the trigger with an all-out assault in Israel’s north in an effort to confuse, confound, terrorize, and overwhelm the Jewish nation.
Psalm 83?
If Psalm 83 is a prophecy, and if Psalm 83 was not fulfilled in Israel’s early wars of 1948, 1967, and 1973, then we could be looking at the initial stage of this multi-pronged war. Israel, though, will have the upper hand and will ultimately prevail.
Nations that appear to be needed to participate in this war would include Egypt, Syria, and possibly Iraq and Saudi Arabia. But the nation of vital interest to me, and that I am personally keeping an eye on, is Jordan. The nation of Jordan houses the territory of ancient Edom, Moab, and Ammon. This nation is essential to any possible Psalm 83 prophetic coalition.
The Body of Christ
My main concern for the body of Christ in this and other like situations is that we do not allow our flesh and emotions to get the best of us as we see the images and hear the stories coming out of our beloved Israel and our empathizing, undying love for God’s chosen people.
We must allow God’s Holy Spirit to override any feelings we may have of desiring revenge, retribution, or vengeance on Israel’s enemies. This is ultimately a spiritual battle, and we must allow God’s Spirit to lead and guide our hearts, minds, and emotions.
Prayer
Let us offer a collective prayer to our heavenly Father regarding His beloved people, Israel, her land, and God’s holy city of Jerusalem.
Father God, Adonai Avinu, we thank You, Father, from the bottom of our hearts for all You have done for us – saving us by Your precious Son, Messiah Yeshua, Jesus Christ, and His loving sacrifice on the cross for our sins and redemption back to You. We praise, honor, and love You dearly for all You have done, all You are doing, and all You will do.
Father, we lift up Your chosen people, Israel, in their time of need. Truthfully, we should always pray for Your people, Israel, and the holy city of Jerusalem, but today, Lord, Your people are desperately hurting and in need of Your love, compassion, and shalom. We pray for those who have been kidnapped and are in the possession of evil men who would do them harm, and we ask that You protect them and bring them back home.
Father God, we pray for the children who have witnessed unspeakable evil, lost parents and siblings, grandparents, and other family members — that You be with them as their only true Consoler and Counselor. We also pray for the many other people who have lost family members and dear friends to these atrocities. Only You, Father, can give them hope and settle their hearts in their time of need, trial, and tribulation.
And Father, we would be remiss in our prayer to You if we did not mention that we pray earnestly for every Israeli’s salvation. We understand that many will not come to Your Son until the end of the Tribulation, but we also know that many Israelis do come to faith in Your Son, so we ask that You send Your Holy Spirit, the Ruach HaKodesh, to convict them all of their desperate need for salvation through their once rejected Messiah. Messiah Yeshua is the only way to You and life everlasting.
Lord God, we also pray for ourselves that we do not get distracted by our fleshly emotions, that we give our entire being to Your Spirit, dear Father, and that You remind us that vengeance is Yours, You will repay. Our privileged job is to be Your hands and feet and to do Your perfect will, loving and serving You and loving and serving others.
Your will truly be done, holy Father. Again, we pray for Israel, Your people, and the peace of Your holy city, Jerusalem.
Father God, thank You for hearing our prayer and all the prayers Your servants will pray in their lifetimes. You are a gracious God, desiring to hear from Your people, and we yearn to be those people who fill You with joy at our sincerity to always commune with You in and through everything.
Thank You, Father God, for hearing our Prayer. In Messiah Yeshua’s holy Name we pray. Amen.
Saint, please keep Israel and her people in your prayers and pray for the peace of Jerusalem. She needs God, she needs her Messiah, and she needs our prayers.
May we all keep Answering the Call of The Great Commission, and giving an answer to every man and woman who so desperately needs Jesus and asks us, “Why Am I Here and What Is It All About?”
Love, grace, mercy, and shalom in Messiah Yeshua, and Maranatha!
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