The prelude (something serving as an introduction to something more important ) to the Ezekiel 38 war has baffled many Bible scholars because it speaks about a time when the nation of Israel has recovered from war. When has that ever happened in the modern day history of Israel ? The list of wars begin with the War of Independence in 1948 which broke out as soon as the nation of Israel was established, followed by the Sinai war in 1956, the Six day war in 1967, Wars of Attrition from 1967-70, Yom Kippur war in 1973, First Lebanon war from 1982-85, First Intifada from 1987-93, Second Intifada from 2000-05, Second Lebanon war in 2006 to name a few, not to mention the numerous escalations and operations. Nevertheless, the prophet Ezekiel had prophesied precisely the would-be circumstances in Israel before the Ezekiel 38 war. “Son of man, set your face against Gog, of the land of Magog … and say: ‘… In future years you will invade a land that has RECOVERED FROM WAR, whose people were gathered from many nations to the mountains of Israel … They had been brought out from the nations and now all of them LIVE IN SAFETY … You will say, “I will invade a land of UNWALLED VILLAGES; I will attack a peaceful and unsuspecting people – all of them LIVING WITHOUT WALLS AND WITHOUT GATES AND BARS … rich in livestock and goods living at the centre of the land …” – (Ezekiel 38:8-12) This has never been true about the nation of Israel during its 75 years of existence as a modern state. And now with Hamas and Hezbollah at their borders threatening to annihilate the Jewish state, the prospect of safety seems so bleak and the prophecy too far-fetched (unlikely and unconvincing)! But like the missing piece of a puzzle, this war seems to be the precursor (thing that comes before another of the same kind) to the Ezekiel 38 war, because it would be nations then and not terrorist groups! This war might have come as a surprise to many but it was totally expected, because Hamas and Hezbollah have been preparing for a major confrontation with Israel for a long time, but for the timing !
There remains many prophecies that have been partially fulfilled and awaits their total fulfillment because prophecy tends to repeat itself several times over different times frames until it finds total fulfillment. One of the prophecies in the context of the Israel-Hamas war is found in the book of Zephaniah. Prophesying against Philistia, the prophet said: “Gaza will be abandoned and Ashkelon left in ruins. At midday Ashdod will be emptied and Ekron uprooted.” – (2:4) Has Gaza ever been completely destroyed before in the past? The known history of Gaza spans 4,000 years. Gaza was ruled, destroyed and repopulated by various dynasties, empires, and peoples. Originally a Canaanite settlement, it had changed hands and have been ruled by Egyptians, Philistines, Assryians, Greeks, Seleucids, Ptolemies, Hasmoneans, Romans, Early Muslim invaders, Crusaders, Mamluks, Ottomans, British, Egyptians until Israel occupied it during the six day war in 1967 but left in 2005 to Palestinian rule. That brings to question the veracity (conformity to facts; accuracy) of the claim that the Palestinians are the descendants of Philistines. Alexander the Great besieged and captured the city in 332 BCE. Most of the inhabitants were killed during the assault, and the city was resettled by nearby Bedouins. The name “Palestine” was first used by ancient Greek historian Herodotus in the 5th century BCE when he wrote of a district in the province of Syria, called Palaistinê meaning the “land of the Philistines” and later the Latin name Palaestina was used by Roman writers to refer to the land between the river Jordan and the Mediterranean sea. Following the Muslim conquest of land, place names that were in use by the Byzantine administration generally continued to be used in Arabic. (Since there is no hard P sound in Arabic or Hebrew, but the softer F sound, Palestine is therefore pronounced as Falastīn proving that the name “Palestine” is neither Arabic nor Hebrew in origin and is not found in the Quran or the Bible.) Though, the current inhabitants of Gaza are called “Palestinians”, they are not the descendants of Philistines but they are an ethnonational group descending from people who have inhabited the surrounding regions, and are culturally and linguistically Arab.
But the sins of the inhabitants seem to be the same through the centuries though occupied by different people groups. “For three sins of Gaza, even for four, I will not turn back my wrath. Because she took captive whole communities and sold them to Edom. I will send fire upon the walls of Gaza that will consume her fortress.” – (Amos 1:6-7) That describes the current conflict and the savagery committed by Hamas which parallels with the sins committed by early inhabitants of Gaza. Will this war with Hamas and Islamic Jihad result in the destruction of Gaza? No prophecy can be said to be completely fulfilled as its commonly said: “History repeats itself.” So does prophecy! Are we about to see the fulfillment of this ancient prophecy once again because its an ancient war that’s being replayed? If the conditions in Ezekiel 38 have to be met before the event unfolds, then there has to be a tranquility on the northern border with Lebanon as well. But with Hezbollah in Lebanon threatening to join the war, the escalation of the war looks very likely! “Open your doors, O Lebanon, so that fire may devour your cedars!” – (Zechariah 11:1) Moreover, a third front to this war has opened up in Syria! Will we see the fulfillment of yet another prophecy in this context? “See, Damascus will no longer be a city but will become a heap of ruins …” – (Isaiah 17:1-3) Has the old city of Damascus ever been destroyed completely? Since Damascus is considered to be among the oldest continually inhabited cities in the world, this prophecy has never been fulfilled completely. The fallout from the destruction of Damascus will affect Israel too! “In that day the glory of Jacob will fade; the fat of his body will waste away … In that day men will look to their maker and turn their eyes to the Holy one of Israel … in the day of disease and incurable pain.” – (Vs 4-11) The reaction of the world to this catastrophe has also been prophesied! “Oh the raging of many nations – they rage like the raging sea! Oh, the uproar of the people’s they roar like the roaring of great waters! Although the people roar like the roar of surging waters, when he rebukes them they flee far away driven before the wind like chaff on the hills …” (Vs 12-13)
In these last days Jews are being gathered from the nations of the world, never to be scattered again! “I will plant Israel in their own land, never again to be uprooted from the land I have given them.” – (Amos 9:15) Nor will their nation be destroyed ! ‘This is the Word of the Lord concerning Israel, “I am going to make Jerusalem a cup that sends all the surrounding peoples reeling. Judah will be beseiged as well as Jerusalem. On that day, when all the nations of the earth are gathered against her, I will make Jerusalem an immovable rock for all the nations. All who try to move it will injure themselves … I will keep a watchful eye over the house of Judah … They will consume right and left all the surrounding peoples, but Jerusalem will remain intact in her place.” – (Zechariah 12:1-6) ‘Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: “May those who love you be secure. May there be peace within your walls and security within your citadels.” For the sake of my brothers and friends, I will say, “Peace be within you.” For the sake of the house of the LORD our God, I will seek your prosperity.’ – (Psalm 122:6-9) Amen
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