Biblical Implications of the War In Israel…That We ALL Need to Know About

I know I usually come to you with health and fitness information, but because of the seriousness of what is happening in the world, I have to share something a little different with you today. 

It was one week ago yesterday that I woke up to some of the most horrific news I’ve ever heard in my lifetime- that innocent Jews all over Israel were being slaughtered by terrorists that had invaded their nation.  

I’m sure you have seen the images and heard the stories. People of all ages, from holocaust survivors in their 80’s, to little helpless babies- were murdered in this cold-blooded rampage. Families were tortured and burned alive, communities were destroyed, and many people were taken hostage to be used as bargaining chips.  

The terrorists call themselves “Hamas”, which is fitting, given that “hamas” is a Hebrew word that means “violence.”  In fact, this word is even used in the Bible 60 different times, with the first mention being in Noah’s day. 

“Now the earth was corrupt in the sight of God and the earth was filled with violence (hamas)”  Genesis 6:11

In response to this barbaric attack, many people have asked “why would Hamas do this?” Well, there are multiple answers to that question, some broad and some specific. 

More broadly, much like the Nazi’s of the early 20th century, hamas terrorists have a perpetual burning hatred for the Jews. Most have them have been raised in a culture of hatred and violence and have been conditioned from birth to zealously desire a life of causing harm to the Jewish people. I honestly feel sorry for them though, because had they been raised by normal families with normal values, I’m virtually certain they would not have become like this as adults.  

But, because of this brainwashing, they are ALWAYS looking for ways to cause harm to the Jews…and looking for excuses to do so.  

As for this specific attack, the direct reason they gave for it was that it was meant to be retaliation for Jews praying in a Mosque on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. This has been written about in many publications, but here is one screenshot of an article where it was spelled out pretty clearly:  

So, you might be wondering “what’s the big deal about Jews praying on the Temple Mount??” Well, in order to understand that, you must first understand a few things about Bible prophecy.  

In case you’re not familiar, a prophecy is something that God speaks to someone about a future event. For example, the Bible contains close to 300 prophesies about Jesus’ first coming, His life, His death and His resurrection- written hundreds of years before He came. Arguably, the most famous is from Isaiah 53, written in the 700’s BC.

“Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered him punished by God, stricken by him, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed. We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth. Yet it was the Lord’s will to crush him and cause him to suffer, and though the Lord makes his life an offering for sin…For he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.”

Doesn’t it blow your mind that God can reveal to His prophets such great detail about what will happen hundreds of years in the future??  It blows my mind too.

So, back to the Temple Mount..

The Bible clearly says that Jesus will come once to Israel to give His life for our sins, and then He will come again to Israel to establish righteousness on the earth. It also says that the earth will get progressively more wicked as we approach that day.  

It also says that in the days approaching His return, 3 things will happen in Israel that will tell us that we’re getting close.

1. The Jews will return to the reborn nation of Israel (which happened in 1948 following the Holocaust), 
2. That the Jews will have control over Jerusalem (which happened in 1967 after the Israeli’s miraculously defeated four invading armies in the 6-day war) 
3. That they will have a rebuilt Temple on the Temple Mount.

Israel’s last Temple was destroyed by the Romans in 70 AD and the rebuilding of their Temple is the last of the 3 major signs to be fulfilled.  

Here’s some more recent context on that. Since 1967, although the Jews have had political control over Jerusalem, the “religious activities” on the Temple Mount have been controlled by the Jordanians.  Strangely though, the Israeli’s have been in charge of security on the Temple Mount, so for decades they have had to tell their own people not to pray there so as not to upset anyone.  Despite them enforcing these rules though, they were still getting attacked almost daily.

So, beginning in 2019, Jews began to break with the status quo and began allowing small amounts of quiet prayer on the Temple Mount for the first time in decades.

They said that their goal is to prepare the way for the rebuilding of the Temple and ultimately for the coming of the Messiah (Jesus). 

This has angered many across the middle east and was a major reason given for Hamas’ 11-day war with Israel back in 2021. The reason they are so mad is because this behavior has also enraged Satan (who is the one ultimately behind these attacks and ALL other forms of evil in the world), and Satan has effectively transferred his anger onto Hamas.  That’s the only way to explain their barbaric actions.

The reason Satan is so mad is because the Bible says that once the Temple is rebuilt, Jesus will return, set up His throne in this Temple, and condemn Satan to eternal punishment in hell.

“And I saw an angel coming down out of heaven, having the key to the Abyss and holding in his hand a great chain. He seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil, or Satan… who deceived them, (he) was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet had been thrown. They will be tormented day and night for ever and ever.”  Revelation 20: 3,10

In simple terms, this terrorist attack is Satan’s way of delaying his ultimate destiny. But thank God, he will not prevail.  

My encouragement to you is this- if you haven’t given yourself fully to Jesus, do it very soon. We will ALL need His protection and His guidance in the days to come, because the Bible is clear that evil will continue to increase until His return.  It is also clear that we could see World War 3 before this conflict is over.

On top of that, we ALL need to have our sins forgiven, which only He can do.  That is the only way to avoid going to the same place that Satan is going, which God DOES NOT want for ANY of us.  

Also, please keep all those involved in this conflict in prayer, and please share this information with others to help wake them up to the times that we are in.  

If you want to go deeper into this subject, you can listen to a message I gave at our church this week, which was all about this.  I give many scriptures for your reference too.  You can see that by clicking here- Message About Israel and the Return of Jesus

Hope that blesses you!

Chris

P.S. Keep in mind that although God uses Israel for His purposes, that doesn’t mean that He endorses everything they do or say.  The people of Israel will be judged by the same standard that we will, but the sovereignty of God is great enough that He can use many weak and broken people to accomplish His purposes.  Thank God that’s true, or there would be no hope for any of us!!

P.P.S. In the coming days, you will more than likely see most of the media and many global leaders begin to turn against Israel and paint them as evil for defending themselves, even though they told every civilian in Gaza to evacuate. This is yet another way that Satan tries to come against the plans of God- by turning hearts and minds across the world against Israel.   

“It will come about in that day that I will make Jerusalem a heavy stone for all the peoples…and all the nations of the earth will be gathered against it.”

Zechariah 12:3