Sound The Trumpet : Israel's Three End Time Wars

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“Israel's Three End Time Wars”
by Art Sadlier
June 1st, 2010

Since its birth as a nation in 1948, Israel has experienced three major wars. We believe that the prophetic scriptures indicate there will yet be three more major wars prior to the return of Israel’s Messiah.

In 1948, God began to work with Israel again. Paul said, in Romans 11, that blindness has come upon Israel during the time she has been set aside and that one day that blindness would be lifted and Israel would be redeemed. That day of redemption will not come until the end of the tribulation period, see Zechariah 12:10, 13:1, 13:9.

In the three major wars of the last 62 years, God has been working to bring Israel to the point of redemption which has been foretold. Let me expand on this.

In the 1948 war of independence, Israel fought a war that she could never hope to win. A ragtag band of farmers and patriots with almost no weapons came up against five well equipped modern Arab armies. The war lasted six months; Israel trounced the Arabs and drove them out of Israel. God miraculously intervened to give Israel an amazing victory. At that point, in effect, God said to Israel, trust me and obey me and I will protect you and bless you.

In the war of 1967, the same scenario was repeated. For 19 years Russia rearmed the Arabs with the finest military weapons. They planned a war to utterly destroy Israel. It would be 200 million Arabs against 2 million Jews. The attack came from the combined armies of Egypt, Iraq, Syria, Kuwait, Algeria, and Lebanon. This was another war that Israel could never hope to win. The tiny little nation of Israel responded and within 6 days drove out their enemies and conquered the Sinai, the Golan Heights, the West Bank (Judea & Samaria), East Jerusalem and the Temple Mount. In this astounding, miraculous victory, God gave into Israel’s possession all of the land that David had ruled over and the land He had promised to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

Zechariah 12:6 was fulfilled; “In that day I will make the governors of Judah like an hearth of fire among the wood , and like a torch of fire in a sheaf; and they shall devour all the people round about, on the right hand and the left: and Jerusalem shall be inhabited again in her own place, even in Jerusalem.” Jerusalem was restored to the Israeli’s in that war, a fulfilment this prophecy. Again God was saying to Israel, in effect, obey me and trust me and I will protect you and bless you. Sadly, Israel has not yet learned that lesson.

In the 1973 Yom Kippur war, a large majority of the Jewish army was on leave on this High Holy Day. The Arabs launched their greatest assault on Israel; 1000 plains, 4000 tanks, 800,000 troupes. They penetrated deep into Israel before Israel could mobilize! Again Israel should have been annihilated! Within two weeks the bulk of the Arab armies were destroyed. Israel was poised to take Cairo and Damascus, which they voluntarily declined to do! Once again the Lord had intervened, and He, in effect, said to Israel again, “Trust me and obey me and I will protect you and bless you.”

Alas, again Israel did not respond to God in faith and obedience, but God continues to work on His people with patience and longsuffering.

I believe there are three more major wars facing Israel. In my opinion the first of these wars will take place prior to the Tribulation Period. I believe the second of these wars, the war of Ezekiel 38-39, will take place early in the tribulation period. The last war, the battle of Armageddon, will take place at the close of the Tribulation Period. Space here does not permit an exposition of my reasons for this timing.

These are three separate wars, clearly differentiated in scripture. For clarity of thought we will designate these wars as:

1 - The War of Psalm 83

2 - The War of Ezekiel 38-39

3 - The Battle of Armageddon

The war of Psalm 83 is also referred to in Isaiah 17 and Ezekiel 35-36. As you read these texts, keep in mind that the prophet switches back and forth at times between the near fulfillment and the far or future fulfillment, usually without warning. A classic example of this is found in Isaiah 9:6 where we have the two comings of Christ in one verse without any explanation.

We see the distinction between these wars.

The war of Psalm 83 occurs against a backdrop of persecution by the Edomites as they seek to strip Israel of her land. (See Ezekiel 36:2,5 – Psalm 83:2-5) A study by Jimmy De Young shows the Palestinians to be the descendants of the Edomites. That is the present scenario, which is the preparation for this war.

The war of Ezekiel 38-39 takes place as Israel is at peace, a contrast with Psalm 83. The war of Armageddon takes place in a period of great turmoil when Israel is being decimated by Antichrist.

The combatants in these wars are clearly distinct. In Psalm 83 the opponents of Israel are those that are within and immediately around her borders. They are designated in Psalm 83:6-8; the Arabs (Ishmaelites), the Palestinians (Edomites), Hamas (on the territories of the Philistines), Jordan (Ammon), Hezbollah (Lebanon-Tyre), Syria (Assur).

In the war of Ezekiel 38-39 the combatants are also named. They are on a wider perimeter, Russia, Turkey, Iran (Persia), Ethiopia, and Libya. Notice, the contestants in the first war are not mentioned here. Syria also is not mentioned, she is said to be destroyed in the first war, (Isaiah 17:1, 14), that would also indicate the timing of these two wars.

The Battle of Armageddon involves the armies of the whole world, Joel 3:2.

We conclude therefore, that the first of these wars which are yet to come, will take place prior to the Peace Treaty and the coming of Antichrist. Whether it takes place before or after the rapture we cannot know.

The scenario around this first war is unique in all of history and it corresponds to what is happening right now in Palestine. The Palestinians are claiming the Temple mount, a claim which is unique to our present day. Ezekiel 36:2, “...the enemy hath said against you, Aha, even the ancient high place (Temple Mount) are ours in possession:” That is exactly what the Palestinians are claiming today, such a claim has never been made before. For some time the Palestinians have been stripping everything thing from the Temple Mount that would indicate a Jewish presence.

We read in Ezekiel 36:5, “...Idumea, which have appointed my land into their possession with the joy of all their heart, with despiteful minds, to cast it out for a prey.” Today the Palestinians will send their sons and daughters to blow themselves to bits in order to kill a Jew, then they will dance in the streets. That is the ultimate spiteful mind. This is not a factor in the other two wars; it is unique to this war. Hezbollah has 50-60,000 missiles and rockets of all types and ranges. Some of these missiles have payloads of up to one ton. Some of these are capable of carrying chemical and biological warheads. They can reach all of Israel. We also know that Syria has been seeking to obtain nuclear weapons from North Korea.

Retired US General Paul Vallely has been following the Mid-East situation closely. He has stated recently that there will be a war this summer! He warns of an imminent chemical attack against Israel. The Israeli army has begun to issue gas masks to the general population.

General Vallely says that Iran is planning some kind of a pre-emptive strike against Israel. The purpose, he says, is to destroy the Israeli airstrips and keep the Israeli Air force on the ground. The first goal is to prevent a strike against Iran’s nuclear installations; the second goal is to keep the IAF out of the war with Hezbollah and Syria.

The whole scenario has greatly changed, says Vallely, formerly the missiles and rockets were merely a nuisance. Now they are a potential for major destruction. This war will be a regional war with multi fronts. There will be Gaza on the south with Hamas, Syria on the east, Hezbollah on the north from Lebanon, the Palestinians from within and missiles possibly from Iran.

On the Israeli side they will need to target Iran’s nuclear installations and also Iran’s command and control centers. General Vallely says that Iran is not bluffing. They will not hesitate to use whatever means they have to defeat Israel. He goes on to say, “This war will change the world”, it will have far reaching consequences on the whole geo-political scene. He adds, especially if chemical or nuclear weapons are used!

The story broke some time ago that Israel had destroyed in Syria, a nuclear bomb or materials to build a bomb. Another story claimed that 28 Syrians and Iranians were killed in an explosion while loading Nerve gas into a scud missile. General Vallely reported that an Iranian sub recently docked in Beirut and those seen off loading it wore gas masks and protective suits. He claims that this is a cargo of chemical weapons to be transferred to Hezbollah for scud missiles.

Israel has what is known as the ‘Samson Option’, which means that if the Israeli’s discover that her enemies are about to attack her with weapons of mass destruction, Israel will pre-emptively use her nuclear weapons to destroy her enemies. Recently Israel has sent several warnings to Syria, “If you use chemical weapons on us, we will wipe you off the map”.

In relationship to that we read in Isaiah 17:1, (which is in conjunction to the imminent war of Psalm 83) “The burden of Damascus. Behold, Damascus is taken away from being a city, and it shall be a ruinous heap.” Damascus is the oldest city on earth and though it has been conquered many times it has never been permanently destroyed. Verse 14, “And behold at evening-tide trouble; and before morning he is not. This is the portion of those that spoil us, and the lot of them that rob us.” Could this be the nuclear destruction of Damascus at the conclusion of the next major war in the Mideast? We also see the distress of Israel during this war, much of the chapter reveals that northern Israel is in great distress as the war rages on.

We could be on the threshold of this cataclysmic war; we are hearing warnings from many sources. This war could trigger the whole end time scenario of events! It could be a war that would bring unprecedented fear and turmoil to the world. At this moment the world seems to be on the edge of a great financial meltdown. America seems to be in jeopardy of an economic collapse. All of these things could happen in rapid fire succession!

They could well prepare the world for two major events.

The rise of Antichrist – The world could be in chaos and turmoil and desperate for answers! The miracle working, charismatic, clever, deceiver will explode on the scene. The world will throw open her arms to receive him. .

The Peace Treaty – The war we have discussed could be raging and hard to stop. The exchange of nuclear weapons would create a great desire for peace! This war will bring great destruction upon the Palestinians, Hezbollah, Hamas and Syria (Ezekiel 36:5 – Psalm 83:12:17 – Isaiah 17:12-14). Their defeat will deplete Arab demands for a settlement and Israel will be ready for peace. The Peace Treaty which is now impossible will then be implemented by Antichrist.

Antichrist will deceive Israel, he will deceive the world and he will deceive Christendom. If this scenario is about to unfold, as seems possible, the trumpet is then soon to sound!

Noah preached for 119 years, he warned of coming judgment, no doubt after all those years the world was laughing at him. Noah, your an old fool, you have been saying the same thing for nearly 120 years, and there is no judgment in sight. I have been saying for many years the coming of the Lord is near at hand and he has not come. One day as Noah preached and the world laughed, the sky began to darken and the clouds came, the door of the ark was shut and it was forever too late!

Are you ready for the Rapture of the Church? Or will you be plunged into the Day of God’s wrath on an unbelieving world. Jesus said, “Except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish”. He also said, “He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him” John 3:36. In the most wonderful message Jesus ever gave He said, “But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name” John 1:12.

Looking for His glorious appearing! Titus 2:13