Attack

In the book of Revelation, chapter 3, we read in the letter to the Church at Philadelphia, the faithful church:
10 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.
11 Behold, I am coming quickly! Hold fast what you have, that no one may take your crown.
12 He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, and he shall go out no more. And I will write on him the name of My God and the name of the city of My God, the New Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from My God. And I will write on him My new name.

When we see conflict between nations arising and prophecy that is being fulfilled, we can recognize that events are unfolding just as God tells us in the Scriptures. When the world descends into hopelessness, we know that the time set aside for the Church to ascend into glory is drawing near. We have to ascertain our readiness and live each day as if it could be our last on earth, and be filled with the hope and assurance of salvation that we can have through Christ.

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Recent developments can certainly be yet another "sign" of the times in which we live, and when we see chaos, especially as it concerns Israel what I have referred to as a "barometer" regarding the fulfillment of Bible prophecy, we can be reminded of the future that God has predicted. In 1st Thessalonians chapter 4, we can read:

13 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.
14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus.
15 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.
16 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.
17 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.

It was an attack that was so surprising in its timing, swift in its execution, and severe in its consequences.  As it's been pointed out, on almost the same day as a surprise attack 50 years ago in the Yom Kippur war, the terror group Hamas unleashed an attack on Israel from the South. CBN News reported: 

The attack comes at the end of the biblical Sukkot holiday. Known as Simchat Torah, it’s the day Jewish people celebrate the Word of God.

It also comes one day after the 50th anniversary of the 1973 Yom Kippur War when Israel was taken off guard by a massive attack from an Arab coalition.

The article from CBN described the events of this past Saturday:

"Israel is at war," Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced after Israelis woke up under attack by air, land, and sea on Saturday, their Sabbath.

Sirens blared as thousands of rockets launched at Israel from the Gaza Strip attempted to pummel the Jewish state, and Israelis ran for bomb shelters early on Saturday. By evening, Gaza terrorists had launched roughly 3,000 rockets at Israel. At the same time, a combined offensive including truckloads of dozens of armed terrorists infiltrated through the border into southern Israel by land, paragliders entered by air, and others by sea.

The account goes on to say:

From about 6:30 a.m., sirens blared first in southern Israel around the Gaza Strip and then in the Negev Desert, Tel Aviv area cities, and Jerusalem.

Many of the rockets were intercepted by Israel’s Iron Dome anti-rocket system. But there are reports of rockets having landed inside populated areas. Israel’s State-run public broadcaster KAN mentioned unconfirmed reports of Israeli soldiers kidnapped and taken into Gaza.

Media reports said dozens, dead or alive is unknown, had been taken hostage and carried into Gaza.

But, it did not take long for Israel to retaliate.  CBN News reported earlier today:

The Israel Defense Forces on Tuesday said they have finally secured the border with Gaza and found the bodies of 1,500 Hamas terrorists four days after they invaded southern Israel and killed or kidnapped more than 1,000 Israelis.

“In the last day, not a single terrorist entered via the fence,” said the IDF’s top spokesman, Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari.

Speaking in an address to the nation Monday night, Prime Minister Netanyahu said Israel is in “a war to ensure our existence, a war that we will win.”

“We have always known what Hamas is. Now the whole world knows. Hamas is ISIS,” Netanyahu said. “We will defeat [Hamas] precisely as the enlightened world defeated ISIS.”

The IDF has called up a record 360,000 reservists to prepare for what many expect is a ground invasion of the Gaza Strip.

So far, Israel has used its air power to "bombard Hamas targets inside Gaza." According to the article, "There are more than 160 hostages in Hamas' hands, and Hamas has warned they will kill one hostage on live TV every time Israel attacks 'without prior warning.'”

Joel Rosenberg, Editor-in-Chief for All Israel News, writes:

We don’t know what will happen to the hostages, and many fear they could be used as human shields, be used in a ransom deal to free jailed terrorists or possibly be murdered on camera in an attempt to destroy Israeli morale.

It is already clear that this was the deadliest day Israel has suffered in decades. If one would compare the number of victims in Israel in relation to the United States, it would be as if 26,000 Americans were killed in a day.

In another article at the All Israel News website, Rosenberg wrote:

Saturday, Oct. 7, was Israel’s 9/11.

It was Israel’s Pearl Harbor.

It was an attack so brutal, so bloody, and so unexpected that the entire nation is in shock.

We are grieving.

And we are angry.

Think about it - here we have an invasion of Israel by an opposing force.  It reminds me of my numerous conversations over the years with the late Jimmy DeYoung, who was a regular guest on The Meeting House.  He and I talked about an "alignment of nations," that is detailed in Ezekiel 38, that would come against Israel. And, indeed, when you consider the Hamas terror organization and the country that is enabling it - Iran, who is making deals with Russia and China, who is attempting to be the dominant force in the Middle East, even to the extent of trying to make peace with longtime nemesis Saudi Arabia, you can see the puzzle pieces coming into place, as Jimmy would say, "the stage being set" for Bible prophecy to be fulfilled.

Greg Laurie writes at Harvest.org:

On the heels of the Holocaust, who would have ever thought that these Jewish people who lost six million lives to the Nazis would somehow regather in their homeland, but it happened, against all odds. And on May 14, 1948, Israel became a nation. I’m proud to say the United States was the first nation to acknowledge that.

But after Israel was regathered, the Lord said she would come under attack. Specifically in Ezekiel 37 and 38, the Bible speaks of the regathering of Israel, and then it speaks of a large force from her north attacking her. That force is identified as Magog. Who is Magog? Listen, no one can say with absolute certainty.

But many Bible students and prophecy teachers believe it’s modern-day Russia. I think you can make a very good case for that. If you get out a map of the Middle East and look to the north of Israel, you will find Russia. Why would Russia ever want to invade Israel? Well, there’s another thing the Bible says about Magog, if she is indeed Russia, and that one of her allies that will march with her is Persia.

Persia is the ancient name for modern Iran. So the Bible predicted hundreds of years ago that this large force from the north of Israel would attack her after she was regathered, and one of the allies that would attack Israel with Russia or Magog, whoever it is, would be Iran or Persia.

Not once in the past 2,500 years has Russia formed a military alliance with Persia, Iran, but they have recently developed a special connection. Russia has signed billion dollar deals to sell missiles to Iran, and the Iranians have helped the Russians, providing them with drones, weaponized drones to use in the Ukraine war.

And, as Laurie points out, the U.S. government has provided six billion dollars to Iran recently. 

So, how do we respond? Greg Laurie offers some suggestions:

Jesus said, “Now when these things begin to happen, look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption draws near” (Luke 21:28 NKJV). That’s what we need to be doing, looking for the soon return of Jesus Christ.

But we also need to pray. The Bible tells us to pray for the peace of Jerusalem (Psalm 122:6). We want to pray that they arrive at some kind of peace. We want to pray that this horrific terrorism stops, and that they’re able to get their hostages back. And we want to pray that God places His hand of protection on the nation of Israel during this unprecedented war.

We are certainly in the midst of "these things" to which Jesus is referring - a world in chaos and widespread conflict - I believe these are the signs that He will come soon to take His Church, and we will, as 1st Thessalonians 4 teaches us, meet Him in the air.  The world will descend further, into a time of Great Tribulation, the Antichrist will come, the wrath of God will be expressed, and ultimately, Jesus will return to earth and set up His millennial kingdom.  We can be convinced of that timeline, and we can also be determined to be people of hope.  Even when there is widespread darkness, we can be secure in Him.