When You’re Wrong, You’re Wrong

First things first:  Thanks to all the FRiends involved in this discussion. I’m often amazed by the amount of scriptural knowledge and insight to be found in the online world. To those who have shared that knowledge and insight on this topic, you have my gratitude.

I have long believed–and I have stated this in earlier entries–that the War of Gog and Magog (WOGAM) prophesied in Ezekiel 38 would be the next major event on the prophetic calendar. Over the past couple of days, I have come to believe that another prophetic event will likely precede WOGAM. Plainly put, I was wrong. Let’s take a look at the 83rd Psalm:

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O God, Do Not Keep Silence

83 A SONG. A PSALM OF ASAPH.

1 O God, do not keep silence;

do not hold your peace or be still, O God!

2 For behold, your enemies make an uproar;

those who hate you have raised their heads.

3 They lay crafty plans against your people;

they consult together against your treasured ones.

4 They say, “Come, let us wipe them out as a nation;

let the name of Israel be remembered no more!”

5 For they conspire with one accord;

against you they make a covenant—

6 the tents of Edom and the Ishmaelites,

Moab and the Hagrites,

7 Gebal and Ammon and Amalek,

Philistia with the inhabitants of Tyre;

8 Asshur also has joined them;

they are the strong arm of the children of Lot.   Selah

9 Do to them as you did to Midian,

as to Sisera and Jabin at the river Kishon,

10 who were destroyed at En-dor,

who became dung for the ground.

11 Make their nobles like Oreb and Zeeb,

all their princes like Zebah and Zalmunna,

12 who said, “Let us take possession for ourselves

of the pastures of God.”

13 O my God, make them like whirling dust,

like chaff before the wind.

14 As fire consumes the forest,

as the flame sets the mountains ablaze,

15 so may you pursue them with your tempest

and terrify them with your hurricane!

16 Fill their faces with shame,

that they may seek your name, O LORD.

17 Let them be put to shame and dismayed forever;

let them perish in disgrace,

18 that they may know that you alone,

whose name is the LORD,

are the Most High over all the earth.

The Holy Bible : English standard version. 2001 (Ps 83:title–18).

Wheaton: Standard Bible Society.

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The players listed in the confederacy likely equate to modern nations/groups/regions as follows (huge thanks to my new friend GiovannaNicoletta for research on this point!):

• Tents of Edom – Palestinians and South Jordan
• Ishmaelites – Saudi Arabia
• Moab – Palestinians and Central Jordanians
• Hagrites – Egypt
• Gebal – Hezbollah and Northern Lebanese
• Ammon – Palestinians and Northern Jordanians
• Amalek – Sinai Arabs
• Philistia – Hamas (Gaza Strip)
• Tyre – Hezbollah and Southern Lebanese
• Assyria – Syria and Northern Iraq

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When looking at these confederates on a modern map, it becomes clear that this group can be reasonably described as Israel’s neighbors, many of whom have been a thorn in Israel’s side for decades and most of whom have demonstrated time and again that they harbor a deep and seething hatred for the Jewish state. We can easily imagine the phrase, “Come, let us wipe them out as a nation; let the name of Israel be remembered no more!” coming from several of these groups, because we’ve already heard nearly identical language from them on countless occasions. Is it therefore difficult to imagine this gang of Israel-haters launching an attack against God’s chosen people? No. I think it’s safe to say that, given the opportunity, each and every one of these players would love to indulge the fantasy of annihilating Israel.

Is such an opportunity forthcoming? I believe so. I have laid out my belief in earlier posts that if Israel launches pre-emptive strikes to destroy Iran’s nuclear capabilities, she will become a global pariah. This would be even more true if Israel is forced to use tactical nuclear weapons to destroy Iran’s nuclear facilities. It won’t matter that such an attack is a clear case of self-defense. The world has never needed a reason to hate the Jews, and it won’t break tradition this time. A pre-emptive strike by Israel will result in immediate condemnation from all corners of the planet, including, I believe, the United States. Israel will stand alone, and the idea of the tiny country finally being without the might of the U.S. behind her will be too tempting for her enemies to resist. It’s the same scenario I’ve hypothesized in earlier posts, except the attackers are the confederacy enumerated in Psalm 83, as opposed to the Ezekiel 38 coalition.

How does the notion of an attack by the Psalm 83 confederacy affect Ezekiel 38’s War of Gog and Magog? I submit that it provides the perfect setup. Think about it:  Israel is attacked by a group of her neighbors–anyone remember 1967?–and Israel soundly defeats the attackers. (Yes, Israel wins. Big. More on this later.) She will have already taken out the direct Iranian threat. Now she will have dealt a crushing blow to those who have tormented her for so very long; the Palestinians, Hamas, and Hezbollah will be quiet. This situation plays perfectly as a setup for the War of Gog and Magog. Israel will feel a sense of security she has not felt in decades. She will likely have increased her land during the ordeal. Aside from the hatred of the world, which she is used to, things will be looking pretty good and Israel would feel safe relaxing just a bit.

Now imagine the situation from the perspective of the Ezekiel 38 players. They just saw Israel attack Iran. Then they saw Israel essentially wipe out the Palestinians, Hamas, and Hezbollah. They saw Israel capture yet more land. Now Israel is sitting back and relaxing, after having spit in the eye of the whole world. The Ezekiel 38 coalition will likely view this situation as utterly intolerable. They will view Israel, possibly accurately, as complacent. They will view it as the perfect time to attack, the perfect time to wipe out those pesky Jews once and for all.

Note that some prophecy followers believe the Psalm 83 action and the Ezekiel 38 action are one and the same. I’ve only scratched the surface of research on this topic, but at first blush, it seems to me more likely to be two separate events. That said, the Ezekiel action could come so closely on the heels of the Psalm 83 action as to appear to be merely a second component of the same war. There are also some who believe the 83rd Psalm is merely a prayer, and that no tangible action is prophesied. In the next post, we’ll see how Obadiah and Isaiah figure into the prophetic timeline that lies just ahead. Until then, pray hard and stay in the Word!