What is really going on in Gaza and
Lebanon?
D.P. Weary, November 2024
[Jer 47:1
RSV] The word of the LORD that came to Jeremiah the prophet concerning the Philistines, before
Pharaoh smote Gaza.
While history records an early fulfillment of this prophecy,
our presupposition is that the historical fulfillment was a foreshadowing of
future events. Events that may be occurring in our day.
Though there is much historical controversy about
who the Philistines are and where they came from, many scholars believe that
they were Phoenicians. The Phoenicians succeeded the Bronze Age Canaanites and
were an ancient Semitic people.
“Phoenicia was an
ancient civilization composed of independent city-states located
along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea stretching through what is
now Syria, Lebanon and northern Israel. The Phoenicians were a great
maritime people, known for their mighty ships adorned with horses' heads in
honor of their god of the sea, Yamm, the brother of Mot, the god
of death.”
“The island city of Tyre and the city
of Sidon were the most powerful states in Phoenicia with
Gebal/Byblos and Baalbek as the most important
spiritual/religious centers.” (World History Encyclopedia)
[Jer 47:2
RSV] "Thus says the LORD: Behold, waters are rising out of the north, and
shall become an overflowing torrent; they shall overflow the land and all that
fills it, the city and those who dwell in it. Men shall cry out, and every
inhabitant of the land shall wail.
[Jer 47:3
RSV] At the noise of the stamping of the hoofs of his stallions, at the rushing
of his chariots, at the rumbling of their wheels, the fathers look not back to
their children, so feeble are their hands,
[Jer 47:4
RSV] because of the day
that is coming to destroy all the Philistines, to cut off from Tyre and Sidon
every helper that remains. For the LORD is destroying the Philistines, the
remnant of the coastland of Caphtor.
Note that the Lord is destroying all the
Philistines from Tyre, Sidon, and the remnant of the coastland of Caphtor.
Today that would include the territory from Gaza to Lebanon.
[Jer 47:5
RSV] Baldness has come upon Gaza,
Ash'kelon has perished. O remnant of the Anakim, how long will you gash
yourselves?
The Philistines, the remnant of the coastland of
Caphtor (Gaza to Lebanon) is called the remnant of the Anakim. Who are they?
[Num 13:33
ESV] 33 And there we saw
the Nephilim (the sons of Anak, who come from the Nephilim), and we seemed to
ourselves like grasshoppers, and so we seemed to them."
The Anakim or “sons of Anak” came from the
Nephilim.
[Gen 6:4
ESV] The Nephilim
were on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of man and they
bore children to them. These were the mighty men who were of old, the
men of renown.
The O.T. presents “the sons of God” as fallen angels
like Satan.
[Job 2:1 NKJV] Again there was a day when the sons of God came to
present themselves before the LORD, and Satan came also among them to present himself
before the LORD.
The Nephilim had corrupted DNA, part human, part
fallen angel. They were very evil, unredeemable creatures.
[Jos 11:22
NLT] None of the
descendants of Anak were left in all the land of Israel, though some still
remained in Gaza, Gath, and Ashdod.
Do
some of these descendants of Anak still remain in our world today? If so, that
would explain the despicable evil nature and behavior of the notable despots of
history, and some of the terrorists fighting Israel these days.
Now,
considering the ancient prophecies concerning the destruction of the
Philistines coming about in our day. Could this be what Israel’s battles in
Gaza and Lebanon are all about? It seems that Israel is about to defeat Hamas
and Hezbollah and establish a security zone around Israel. Could all this lead
to at least a temporary time of “security, peace, and safely” for Israel that
would fulfill the Prophecies of Ezekiel 38, the coming war of Gog and Magog.
[Eze 38:8 ESV] After many days you will be mustered. In the
latter years you will go against the land that is restored from war, the land
whose people were gathered from many peoples upon the mountains of Israel,
which had been a continual waste. Its people were brought out from the peoples
and now dwell securely,
all of them.
Securely – Hebrew, beṭaḥ: safely, securely
Added
to Israel’s defeat of Hamas and Hezbollah is the recent American election. Our
world is a mess these days. There are wars and rumors of war, lawlessness is
rampant, governments are in turmoil and filled with corruption, and just plain
evil is manifesting itself throughout the world. Israel is fighting terrorists
on all sides, Iran and most of the Islamic world is bent on destroying them.
The American government for the past many years has been a very bad joke
leading to bad economic conditions, corruption, and rampant deception and
deceit from the government and the mainstream media. Then came the elections of
2024! Almost miraculously a man named Trump was elected president and suddenly
there is a sense of hope and promise in the land. If the newly elected
president and the people he is bringing with him can keep their promises to
American and to Israel, at least a temporary season of “security, peace, and
safety” just very well be upon American, Israel, and even extending to many
parts of the world.
While
this “peace and safety” may exist for a season, it is naïve to think that it
will be a lasting peace and safety. The extent and scope of corruption, evil,
and just the nature of fallen mankind is so great that just one change of
leadership in America will not fix it all for very long. But, this season of a
false sense of peace, safety, and security just might be the season that
fulfills Bible prophecy that precedes the rapture of the Church and the second
coming of the Lord to the earth.
[1Th 5:1 ESV] Now concerning the times and the seasons,
brothers, you have no need to have anything written to you.
[1Th 5:2 ESV] For you yourselves are fully aware that the day of the Lord will come
like a thief in the night.
[1Th 5:3 ESV] While people are saying, "There is peace and security,"
then sudden destruction will come upon them as labor pains come upon a pregnant
woman, and they will not escape.
If
these current events in America and Israel do produce a season of “security,
peace, and safety,” even if is for just a short season, then the war of Gog and
Magog and the coming of the Lord is close at hand.
[Luk
21:28 NKJV] "Now when these things begin to happen, look up and lift up
your heads, because your redemption draws near."
This leads us to Noah’s day.
[Mat 24:37 ESV] For as were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.
[Mat 24:38 ESV] For as in those days before the flood they
were eating and drinking,
marrying and giving in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark,
[Gen 6:5 ESV] The LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth,
and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil
continually.
[Gen 6:7 ESV] So the LORD said, "I will blot out man
whom I have created from the face of the land, man and animals and creeping
things and birds of the heavens, for I am sorry that I have made them."
[Gen 6:8 ESV] But Noah found favor in the eyes of the LORD.
This
led to the great flood of Noah’s day and the rescue of Noah and his family. Like
in Noah’s day, when the world seems to be secure, living normal lives then
suddenly God removes His children, His Church, the Lord’s Bride from the earth.
This occurs before Jesus returns to the earth in as King of kings and Lord of
lords in judgment and
wrath to really, and finally deal with a fallen world.
[Rev 6:12 ESV] When he opened the sixth seal, I looked, and behold, there was a
great earthquake, and the sun became black as sackcloth, the full moon became
like blood,
[Rev 6:13 ESV] and the stars of the sky fell to the earth as
the fig tree sheds its winter fruit when shaken by a gale.
[Rev 6:14 ESV] The sky vanished like a scroll that is being
rolled up, and every mountain and island was removed from its place.
[Rev 6:15 ESV] Then the kings of the earth and the great ones
and the generals and the rich and the powerful, and everyone, slave and free,
hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains,
[Rev 6:16 ESV] calling to the mountains and rocks, "Fall
on us and hide us from the face of him who is seated on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb,
[Rev 6:17 ESV] for the great day of their wrath has come, and who can
stand?"
But
God’s children, the Lord’s Bride, the true church are not destined for God’s
wrath.
[1Th 5:9 NKJV] For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation
through our Lord Jesus Christ,
[Rev 3:10 NKJV] "Because you have kept My command
to persevere, I also will
keep you from the hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world,
to test those who dwell on the earth.
Zep 2:3 Seek the LORD, All you
humble of the earth Who have carried out His ordinances; Seek righteousness,
seek humility. Perhaps you
will be hidden In the day of the LORD'S anger.
Isa 26:20 Come, my people, enter into your rooms And
close your doors behind you; Hide
for a little while Until indignation runs {its} course.
Isa 26:21 For behold, the LORD is about to come out from
His place To punish
the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity; And the earth will
reveal her bloodshed And will no longer cover her slain.
Psa 17:8 Keep me as the apple of
the eye; Hide me in the
shadow of Your wings
Psa 27:5 For in the day of trouble He
will conceal me in His
tabernacle; In the secret
place of His tent He will hide me; He will lift me up on a rock.
Psa 57:1 Be gracious to me, O God,
be gracious to me, For my soul takes refuge in You; And in the shadow of Your wings I will take refuge
Until destruction passes by.
Psalms 12:1 (NKJV) 1 To the
Chief Musician. On an eight-stringed harp. A Psalm of David. Help, Lord, for
the godly man ceases! For
the faithful disappear from among the sons of men.
Noah and his family entering the arc
before the great flood and Lot and his daughters being removed from Sodom
before God in His wrath rained down fire on Sodom and Gomorrah are
foreshadowing of the rapture of the true church.
The promise to the true church is
this:
[1Co 15:51 NKJV] Behold, I tell you
a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed--
[1Co 15:52 NKJV] in a moment, in the twinkling
of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will
be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
[1Co 15:53 NKJV] For this
corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal [must] put on
immortality.
[1Co 15:54 NKJV] So when this
corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality,
then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: "Death is
swallowed up in victory."
[1Th 4:13 NKJV] But I do not want
you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you
sorrow as others who have no hope.
[1Th 4:14 NKJV] For if we believe
that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep
in Jesus.
[1Th 4:15 NKJV] For this we say to
you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive [and] remain until the
coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep.
[1Th 4:16 NKJV] For the Lord Himself will
descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the
trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first.
[1Th 4:17 NKJV] Then we who are alive [and]
remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in
the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord.
[1Th 4:18 NKJV] Therefore comfort
one another with these words.
