Israel at War: A Bible Prophecy Perspective

Israel is now at war after Hamas shocked Israel with a surprise attack that has killed hundreds and injured thousands. The situation is very fluid. As a result, I will not comment on the situation on the ground. Instead, I will analyze the situation from a Bible prophecy perspective.

The Covenant with Many

Daniel 9:27 indicates that the upcoming seven year tribulation, the 70^th week of Daniel, will start with the confirming of a “covenant with many”.

“And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.”

The name of the covenant implies many sides will be part of the agreement, including Israel. Isaiah 28:14 onward also discusses the covenant (known as the covenant with death). Verse 14-15 gives us a good idea of what the nature of this covenant is:

(14) Wherefore hear the word of the Lord, ye scornful men, that rule this people which is in Jerusalem. (15) Because ye have said, We have made a covenant with death, and with hell are we at agreement; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, it shall not come unto us: for we have made lies our refuge, and under falsehood have we hid ourselves:

The passage tells us that Jerusalem’s leaders will feel so secure that they will become complacent. We can infer from this that the covenant is a peace deal.

What does it take for a peace deal to arise that involves many signees and causes Jerusalem’s leaders to feel so secure that they become complacent?

A Regional War

I have long held the belief that it may take a regional war in the Mideast to get the parties in the region to seek a long-term peace deal. The type of war that I envision is one where Israel wages war with most of the powers in the region. It’s a war that ends with the belligerents deciding that it’s time to put an end to the volatility that has plagued the region for decades.

Could this new war be the war that I’ve just described? It’s too early to tell, but I currently do not expect this new war to escalate to that level. The reason is that I expect the regional war I’ve described to occur when the world is experiencing chaos far worse than what we are experiencing now.

The Fulfillment of Prophecy?

You will hear a lot of talk that this new war will lead to the fulfillment of Ezekiel 38 and Ezekiel 39, the fulfillment of Psalm 83, and/or the fulfillment of Isaiah 17. I strongly believe that this new war will NOT lead to the fulfillment of these events.

• I believe the Psalm 83 war is a war that will take place near the end of the tribulation.
• I believe that Ezekiel 38 concerns the attack described in Revelation 20, while the events of Ezekiel 39 will take place near and at the end of the tribulation.
• I believe that Isaiah 17’s prophecy about the destruction of Damascus will be fulfilled late in the tribulation rather than before the tribulation.

As a result, I am not looking for this new war to bring the fulfillment of key Bible prophecy passages. However, I would not be surprised if this new war alters the geopolitical landscape of the Mideast. For instance, Israel and Saudi Arabia were slowly advancing towards normalizing relations. Perhaps this new war puts a stop to this effort and other efforts like this (i.e. the Abraham Accords). Perhaps this current conflict will sow the seed of future conflicts. We will see…