ISIS/ISIL: the New Islamic Threat
Imagine your area is invaded by a rogue Islamist military group. They manage to defeat your local law enforcement force and barbarically behead the leaders in your local government. They then announce their new Islamic government enforcing sharia law. This leaves you and the other members of the community with a choice: Convert to Islam or face the sword. (Unless you have the money to pay the jizyah poll tax under the "dhimma" contract. And you must pay it in gold.) That's exactly what ISIS (the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria) has done through vast swaths of northern Iraq and Syria. Their plans are to establish an Islamic caliphate, or state, across the region. Led by Abu Bakr al Baghdadi, "the next Osama Bin Lauden," this Al-Qaida splinter group has been growing rapidly. Thousands of Christians have fled Iraq and Syria as it advances. Thanks to the release of their videos of the beheading of American journalists James Foley and Steven Sotloff, most Christians in America are well aware of them, too. Some Americans fear that the porous borders with Mexico will allow ISIS cell groups to strike the US like Al Queda did. One report suggests that US power grid is vulnerable to such a terrorist attack, something ISIS has done in Yemen already.Is ISIS In Bible Prophecy?
Christians have more worries than local ISIS terror attacks. Some have in mind what Bible prophecy says about end time events in the Middle East. Could ISIS play a role? Could their sudden influence be a sign that the prophesied Middle East war is nigh? And the end after that? Seeing how ISIS has treated Christians, others wonder something even bigger. Will ISIS or other extremist muslim groups become the main forces persecuting the Christian church in the last times? Let's consult the Bible on these theories.The Persecution of the Saints?
When prophecy-savvy Christians hear of a Christian-hating group executing using decapitation or beheadings, it is hard not to think of end time prophecy:Revelation 20:4 (ESV) - Then I saw thrones, and seated on them were those to whom the authority to judge was committed. Also I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for the testimony of Jesus and for the word of God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years.Indeed the end time saints are going to be hunted down and beheaded for not worshipping the Beast. The beheading does remind one of radical Islam. But the verse above shows, it's the Beast or Antichrist who is responsible for beheading the martyrs.
Islamic Antichrist?
Then how about the idea that the Antichrist comes out of Islam, the fastest growing religion in the world? Perhaps a extremist group like ISIS will give rise to him? The Antichrist beheads. Muslims behead. So it's a lock, right? However, the use of decapitation is just one detail about the Antichrist, and it is not even really a personal or identifying characteristic. Anyone can choose to use decapitation. It's just an old, cheap, low-tech method of execution. Further, there are many other details about the Antichrist that one should check before accepting a Muslim Antichrist theory. The hard truth is that not one of them plainly points to a connection between the Antichrist and Islam. On the contrary, when you look at the prophetic characteristics of the Antichrist and receive what they plainly say, they point away from Islam.Antichrist's Homeland - Not a Muslim Country
For example, we already have good indication where the Antichrist rises from thanks to Revelation and Daniel. There is literal evidence that the False Prophet will be the last pope of Rome. About this "second beast" the Antichrist chapter of Revelation says:Revelation 13:11 (ESV) - Then I saw another beast rising out of the earth. It had two horns like a lamb and it spoke like a dragon.For the False Prophet to be coming to Israel from "the earth" fits a pope as the Vatican in Italy is reachable by land from Israel. Contrast this to what it says about the Antichrist (first beast of Revelation 13):
Revelation 13:1 (ESV) - And I saw a beast rising out of the sea, with ten horns and seven heads, with ten diadems on its horns and blasphemous names on its heads.The Antichrist comes from "the sea." What does that mean? In some contexts the sea represents "peoples" but not this one where we have a contrast with another beast out of "the earth." Obviously both leaders come out of "peoples" thus the sea is not redundantly saying that (something that is not helpful anyway). Sea and earth are communicating something else here, and their literal meaning makes perfect sense: a helpful clue at geography. This literally points to an island nation such as Iceland, Australia, or Great Britain. Which is it? Daniel also gives a detail on the Antichrist homeland in relation to Israel:
Daniel 8:9 (ESV) Out of one of them came a little horn, which grew exceedingly great toward the south, toward the east, and toward the glorious landIf the Antichrist goes southeast to reach Israel in relation to Israel, he must come from the northwest. Antiochus Epipanes IV, the type of the Antichrist who also stopped the sacrifices at the Temple (Dan 8:11) fulfilled this characteristic. He came from Greece which is due northwest of Israel. We can reasonably expect his antitype, the Antichrist, to come from the same direction before he arrives in Israel to also stop the sacrifices that will be going again in the Third Temple. Great Britain and Iceland are the only island nations that one finds along the northwest direction from Israel. Neither are Muslim and Iceland only has a population of 300,000 people and very little politlcal power. Great Britain, on the other hand, has tremendous historical political and financial power. One of the leading Antichrist candidates happens to come from there, Prince Charles. Now, whether the Antichrist comes from Great Britain is not the point here. The point is that of all the directions that the Antichrist comes to Israel from, he comes from the nearly the only direction pointing to non-Muslim lands. None of the directions where Israel is surrounded by Muslim nations and jihadists like ISIS. There are other reasons why we should not expect the Antichrist to be Muslim. See my article on the Antichrist Myths for more details.
"Wars and Rumors of Wars"
The place where I do see Islam described in end time Bible prophecy is found elsewhere. Take a look at where Revelation 6 and Matthew 24 parallel each other:Revelation 6:4 (ESV) - And out came another horse, bright red. Its rider was permitted to take peace from the earth, so that people should slay one another, and he was given a great sword. Matthew 24:6 (ESV) - And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, for this must take place, but the end is not yet.The red horseman is a literal evil spirit that went out into the earth spreading a certain kind of influence. The remaining of the "Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse" spirits did the same. All four have already ridden and shaped the development of history. Just as Jesus said, you'll hear of wars and rumors of wars but the end is not yet. It's already happened before the end time we are now in. Increased wars were predicted by these prophecies and it came to pass through Islam, Communism and other satanic ideologies. So you can see that Islam does have a major role in prophecy. Think of how peaceful the world would be without Islam (and Communism). If every nation on earth were Christian democratic republics like America, how many wars would we have? But Islam's role ends when the Antichrist arises, just like all religions and ideologies roles will, including Communism. They must because with the help of the last pope, the Antichrist convinces the world that he is God (2Th 2:4) (not Christ). The religion will not be worship of Allah, but worship of the Antichrist himself as God on earth. The government will not be communism either but obviously a religious dictatorship or (twisted) theocracy.
ISIS: Middle East War Soon?
Given that Islam is in prophecy as taking peace from the earth, what about the big Middle East war where Damasacus ceases to be a city? Could that be near now that ISIS is stirring up trouble and changing the balance of power and political map there? Again, the answer is no. It's no for the same reason that Al-Qaida or any terror campaigns for decades has ever brought the fall of Damascus. Yet another terrorist organization is not going bring the regional war that results in the end of Damascus (and many other Arab capitals). It's going to take national armies going at Israel, together. A coalition. Something that has not happened now for over 40 years after it happened three times in the 25 years from 1948 to 1973. Why did the Arabs stop attacking Israel together? Because of the new threat that appeared in 1973, the last time they attacked, a threat they have yet to have developed an answer for. It is common knowledge that Golda Meir ordered Israeli forces to load nuclear bombs on their fighter jets while it looked like they were losing the Yom Kippur war in October of 1973. Israel was ready to "push the button" of the Samson Option. The Arabs would lose their way of life for even coming close to defeating and occupying Israel. The Arabs have not formed a coalition to overrun tiny Israel ever since. They know it would be sure national suicide...until they have an answer for the nuclear deterent Israel has.Not Soon: Try the 2020s
That is why the Muslims nations (like Iran) are working on nuclear weapons programs. We're not talking about a suitcase nuke or a single bomb which if they fail or get intercepted does not get the job done. We're talking about a nuclear arsenal they can deliver reliably to counter Israel's nuclear arsenal. By the way, Israel's arsenal can be delivered by diesel submarine, Jericho missile and F-16 fighter plane. Not an easy nuclear threat to develop an answer to, is it? For that reason this will yet take many years more. It will probably not not happen this decade, but could in the 2020s. And even after they have a nuclear answer to Israel, the Arabs may have to wait for the advantageous window to strike. (The day they attacked in 1973's Yom Kippur war was not only the Jewish fast day of Yom Kippur, but it also fell on a Sabbath rest day while the Islamic fast period of Ramadan coincided as well. A nice unique window of attack.) The Isaiah 17/ Psalm 83 war is not going to be fulfilled any day now or even soon. ISIS and the future prominent jihadist organizations will continue to behead people and make headlines and scare Christians into thinking the end is near. However, people have been thinking that for decades and we're still waiting. Why? Because Islam's place in prophecy is limited and about to end before the end even comes. When the Arab nations converge on Israel (only to lose) and the Antichrist comes from the sea to the northwest and replaces all governments and religions with his own, Islam will have run its course-and its role as the current go-to bogeyman for prophecy theorists.
Grave setbacks for Obama's strategy: Turkey backs out of US-led war on IS. Germany, UK say no to air campaign - http://www.debka.com/article/24262/Grave-setbacks-for-Obama's-strategy-Turkey-backs-out-of-US-led-war-on-IS-Germany-UK-say-no-to-air-campaign
The Turkish government inflicted a stunning blow to President Barack Obama's strategy for a broad US-led coalition for tackling and defeating the Islamic State, Thursday, Sept. 11 - just hours after the plan was unveiled in Washington. One of the 11 Sunni Muslim nations invited to Jeddah by US Secretary John Kerry Thursday to join the coalition's establishment, Turkey announced instead that it wants no part in the US strategy for destroying IS.
In his speech Wednesday night, President Obama specifically named Turkey as one of the "friends and allies" who would contribute troops to the mission.
However, an official in Ankara, who chose to remain anonymous, stated later: "Turkey will refuse to allow a US-led coalition to attack jhadists in neighboring Iraq and Syria from its air bases, nor will it take part in combat operations against militants." The statement continued: "Turkey will not be involved in any armed operation but will concentrate entirely on humanitarian operations."
debkafile's military and intelligence sources report that Turkey has knocked out one of the main props from under the Obama plan, which was its reliance on regional forces for combating the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, while the United States provided air strikes and cover.
As prime minister of Turkey eleven years ago, President Tayyip Erdogan confronted former US President George W. Bush with the same letdown when, on the eve of the US 2003 invasion of Iraq, he withheld Turkish bases for the deployment of 60,000 US troops to open a northern front against Saddam Hussein.
This act provoked a long crisis in relations between Washington and Ankara.
US sources report that, straight after the Jeddah meeting, Secretary Kerry will travel to Ankara on Friday, Sept. 12, to confront Turkish leaders.
But meanwhile, Germany and Britain have said they would not take part in the US air campaign in Iraq and Syria.
debkafile reported earlier: In his speech to the American people, Wednesday, Sept. 10, President Barack Obama unveiled a four-point strategy "to roll back, degrade and ultimately destroy" ISIS, at the head of "a broad coalition of friends and allies." The US would lead off with systematic air strikes against IS targets, while local forces would perform the fighting on the ground. "No US combat troops would be involved," he pledged.
He described the effort as a "comprehensive and sustained counter-terror mission," to hunt terrorists down wherever they are. "We will not hesitate to take action against IS in Syria as well as Iraq," said Obama. "There will be no safe haven for anyone threatening America." He therefore called on Congress to approve additional resources for training and equipping Syrian opposition forces to take part in the war on IS.
Another 475 US military personnel had been assigned to Iraq, he said, but not in combat missions. They would provide training, intelligence and equipment and judge how best to support the Iraqi military. "America can make a difference,: he stressed, "but Iraqis must do the job of fighting IS themselves."
According to US sources, the Obama administration has earmarked the small sum of $25 million dollars for training the Iraqi and Kurdish armies.
In the past six weeks, the US has conducted 154 air strikes against IS - a relatively low number which debkafile's military sources note is far below the fire power needed to "degrade" the Islamists.
Moreover, Washington has scarcely delivered on its promises for three years to arm the Syrian opposition adequately to contest Bashar Assad and his Iranian, Russian and Hezbollah-backed war machine.
Now, it will take months if not years to bring the pro-Western Syrian rebel militias up to scratch for their new mission of fighting IS.
As for the broad coalition of friends and allies, US Secretary of State John Kerry stated in Baghdad Wednesday that it would consist of 40 nations. So far only 10-15 governments have signed up. At the same time, President Obama appeared to be firm and determined in his resolve the eradicate the terrorist scourge that calls itself the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, but he made no bones about a mission that would start slowly and stretch out over a long period.
Islamic State's goal is to conquer Jerusalem, just like Hamas - Yaakov Lappin - http://www.jpost.com/Arab-Israeli-Conflict/Islamic-States-goal-is-to-conquer-Jerusalem-just-like-Hamas-374758
Kadima party chairman and former defense minister Mofaz says "Islamic State and Hamas are one"; warns that if Gaza isn't disarmed through an arrangement, it will have to be disarmed by force.
The Islamic State's goal is to conquer Jerusalem, Kadima party chairman and former defense minister Shaul Mofaz said Monday. Speaking at a conference held by the International Institute for Counter-Terrorism in Herzliya, Mofaz said Islamic State terrorists are active throughout the region, and are looking to move in to Jordan, Gaza and Lebanon. "But their goal is Jerusalem, just like Hamas.
Islamic State and Hamas are one, let us make no mistake. They are from the same village, and they are branches of the same tree," he said.
"The Islamic State beheads its victims, and Hamas operates with the same cruelty. True, this is not photographed. But anyone who heard the recording of the murder of the Israeli teenagers kidnapped three months ago, and the laughter of the Hamas men who shot them, understands that Hamas is no less barbaric than the Islamic State," Mofaz said. "Hamas is much more advanced. It uses rockets and attack tunnels. The Islamic State isn't there yet, but it's seeking to get there." Hamas employs terrorism as part of its strategy to head a Palestinian state in place of Fatah and PA President Mahmoud Abbas, Mofaz argued.
"Hamas is parked on our border. Two months ago, I turned to the prime minister in the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, and proposed that we demand the disarmament of Gaza in exchange for its rehabilitation. Disarmament is a must. We can't not negotiate with the Palestinians on one channel, while allowing Hamas to dominate the lives of millions of Israelis in the second channel," he added.
He called for a demilitarized Palestinian state, with no army, missiles, or armored vehicles that can threaten Israel. "Hamas is stronger and bigger than the Islamic State. The Islamic State has about 15,000 members. Hamas is made up of 25,000 members. It can continue to function despite the very severe blow it absorbed [this summer]," said the Knesset Member and ex-IDF chief of staff.
In exchange for disarmament, Gaza could receive 50 billion dollars over five years for reconstruction, he said. This would "disconnect Hamas from [Gazan] civilians and give the Palestinian Authority an opportunity to move into Gaza, together with reconstruction." But if no arrangement that includes disarmament is reached, Israel will have no choice but to disarm Gaza by force, he warned. "Before we send in the army and our sons, we must try it through an arrangement.
If the world unites around this issue, and Israel works to unite the world around this, it can be achieved. If not, this will be done by force." Mofaz said Israel must convert the achievement of Operation Protective Edge to a series of diplomatic arrangements, including seeking a long-term arrangement with the Palestinian Authority. "It's true that we are a power, and can deal with our neighbors. But we need a long-term arrangement with the Palestinians. There is no other option.
This is the safeguard of Israel's future." Earlier, the Minister for Science, Technology and Space, and former head of the Shin Bet [Israel Security Agency] Yaakov Peri addressed the conference.
He argued that the biggest threat to Israel's welfare is still Iran, despite the brutality and growing scope of threats like the Islamic State.
"Iran succeeded in the past, and is now succeeding in building land bridges to Middle East states. It is strengthening extremists, and its proxies are in the Golan Heights," Peri said. "Despite the media quiet that has reigned here about this, especially from the chief spokesman [a reference to Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu], our motto must remain stopping Iran's expansion in Syria and Lebanon, and stopping its nuclear program," he stated.
Meanwhile, a new Middle East is taking shape rapidly, Peri said, noting a new clear division between two camps; a radical Islamic camp versus moderate regional countries. "There is a clear and very disturbing rise of terror organizations, both Shi'ite and Sunni," he said.
Israel must "change its defense perceptions" to fit the new era, the minister said. "The struggle will mostly be asymmetrical. Threats and opportunities have to be differentiated," he added. Defensive components like Iron Dome air defenses must be strengthened, and money must be invested in intelligence and the creation of banks of enemy targets. At the same time, the former intelligence chief said, the "threat of classic all-out war hasn't fully passed." On the other hand, Peri said, a new regional coalition is emerging, made up of Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan, the PA and Israel. He cited close military and diplomatic cooperation with Egypt, and the refusal of many Middle East states to endorse Hamas's demands. Recent calls by the Saudi foreign minister for peace with Israel can't be ignored in Jerusalem, Peri said.
He called for a regional conference with moderate Middle East states, and for the launching of a "general, regional maneuver that will include a solution to the Palestinian - Israeli conflict, and the rebuilding of a system of ties and forces in the area. This should start as soon as possible."
Is ISIS' caliphate a harbinger of the Antichrist? - Joel Richardson - http://www.wnd.com/2014/09/is-isis-caliphate-a-harbinger-of-the-antichrist/
Joel Richardson lists theologians who agree 'little horn' will arise from same area
Seven years ago, Al Gore was warning us that all of the polar ice caps would be completely gone by now. I was warning of a caliphate.
For the past 10 years, I've diligently sought to awaken the Church to the fact that the Hebrew prophets point to a Middle Eastern Antichrist who will emerge from the region of Turkey, Syria or Iraq. Some have examined the evidence and recognized the solid scriptural basis for this view. Others have questioned, debated, or even maligned this perspective. The truth, however, is that although some naysayers have tried to cast this view as a "lone ranger" perspective, in broad historical terms, I have been far from alone in espousing it. In fact, many great Christian expositors have recognized the biblical evidence for this view. Many even foresaw that a last-days caliphate would be established in the region of Turkey, Syria and Iraq. In light of the astounding re-establishment of an Islamic caliphate for the first time in over 80 years in Iraq and Syria, let us consider a few of the great Christian expositors and teachers who foresaw precisely what we are witnessing today.
The first was Hippolytus of Rome (170-235). Hippolytus was an important theologian of the early third century. In speaking of the Antichrist, he said this:
"That these things, then, are said of no one else but that tyrant, and shameless one, and adversary of God, we shall show in what follows. But Isaiah also speaks thus: 'And it shall come to pass, that when the Lord has performed His whole work upon Mount Zion and on Jerusalem, He will punish (visit) the stout mind, the king of Assyria, and the greatness (height) of the glory of his eyes.'" (emphasis added)
The second theologian who foresaw the Antichrist as emerging from the region now controlled by ISIS was Victorinus of Pettau (240-304). Victorinus was an early Christian bishop and the author of the most ancient complete commentary on the book of Revelation in our possession. In this ancient commentary, Victorinus identified the Antichrist as "the Assyrian" mentioned in Micah 5:5 who would invade the land of Israel only to be destroyed by Jesus upon His return.
The next witness is Lucius Caecilius Firmianus Lactantius (240 - 320). Lactantius was yet another early Church writer from the third century who wrote much on the end times. Amazingly, Lactantius specifically stated that the Antichrist would come from the Roman Province of Syria:
"A king shall arise out of Syria, born from an evil spirit, the overthrower and destroyer of the human race, who shall destroy that which is left by the former evil, together with himself. ... But that king will not only be most disgraceful in himself, but he will also be a prophet of lies ... and power will be given to him to do signs and wonders, by the sight of which he may entice men to adore him. ... Then he will attempt to destroy the temple of God and persecute the righteous people." (emphasis added)
Many are surprised to discover that Clarence Larkin (1850-1924), the great dispensational teacher, also foresaw these things. Larkin was an American Baptist pastor, Bible teacher and author whose works continue to sell to this day. In his book "Dispensational Truth," Larkin wrote, "It is clear that the Antichrist is to come from Syria. ... We are to understand therefore by the 'King of the North' the King of Syria, which also included Assyria. This fixes the locality from which the Antichrist shall come. ..."
One of my favorite commentators is G.H. Lang (1874-1958). Lang was a magnificent British expositor whose commentary on the book on Daniel received the highest endorsement from the legendary biblical scholar F.F. Bruce. In Lang's "The Histories and Prophecies of Daniel," he said the following:
Therefore the Antichrist will be the king of Assyria with Babylon as his capital, which of old was in the dominion of Seleucus, who gained the eastern area of the empire of Alexander. Thus when the Antichrist arises, he will not come at Rome, or any where else in the west. Had this been understood, many vain and misleading speculations would have been avoided, such that of the pope, or the Papacy, or Napoleon, or others being he. And when he comes, his military efforts will be expended mainly upon Egypt and the south, the east, and Palestine.
Arthur W. Pink (1886-1952), an English evangelist and biblical scholar also well-known for his work "The Antichrist," likewise identified the Antichrist as coming from the Middle Eastern region of the former Assyrian Empire:
"We have seen that the scriptures which help us to determine the direction from which he will arise, speak of him under the title of the 'Little Horn.' Now the first thing this title denotes is that he is a king, king of Assyria. ... [After he] acquires the crown of Syria he will speedily enlarge his dominions."
Now, to be clear, the various references to the Antichrist as "the Assyrian" are not ethnic denotations. Instead, it points to the region from which the Antichrist will likely emerge. In the same way that, for example, the prophet Joel speaks of the destruction of Philistia in the Day of the Lord (Joel 3:4), he was not speaking of the judgment of ethnic Philistines when Jesus returns, but of those enemies of His people, who occupy the region of ancient Philistia. So also do the biblical references point to Assyria as the region from which the Antichrist will emerge, but do not indicate that he will ethnically be an Assyrian. Today, the majority of the Assyrian people are Chaldean Christians. Most of those who had continued to live in the region of ancient Assyria have now been forced to flee the onslaught of ISIS.
All of these men of God foresaw the Antichrist and his empire as arising from the same region where we have now witnessed the re-establishment of an Islamic caliphate. All of these men looked to the words of the Hebrew prophets and came to similar conclusions. They foresaw in quite a remarkable way what has now unfolded before all of us. As radical Muslims continue to murder, kidnap, rape, behead, crucify and slaughter their way across the Middle East, now it the time for the Church to wake up and diligently study the Scriptures to discern if all of these events indeed provide us with a genuine harbinger of the coming Antichrist and the soon coming return of Jesus.
"It will be good for those servants whose master finds them watching when he comes." (Luke 12:37)
How Long Until ISIS...Is Not? - By Gene Lawley - http://www.raptureready.com/featured/lawley/lawley60.html
The point of this article is to highlight the plain truth that the sovereign God of the universe will not tolerate evil continually maintaining the upper hand. His patient, long-suffering attribute does not hold much room for the rule of evil, even though He tells us, in His long-suffering, that He is not willing for any to perish but that all would come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9). Eventually, as He wraps up this age in defeat for His enemies, He will destroy that man of lawlessness with the breath of His mouth (2 Thessalonians 2:8 and Revelation 19:11-21).
We are seeing the various factions of Islamic terrorism converge into one of much greater cruelty and evil-Muslim Brotherhood, Hamas, Hezbollah, Jihadists, Muslim extremists and now, ISIS or ISIL. All are pulled from the same bag, and show us, vividly, the contrast between evil and good that is expressed by Jesus in John 10:10:
"The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly."
Centuries ago the writer of Psalm 83, in making a plea that God would intervene against Israel's enemies by confusing and confounding them, identified those enemies with language that is almost a repeat of what we hear from the Middle East today. The hatred for Israel is still a burning fire in their bosoms, only now it reaches to Christians and the western world. That Psalm 83 has a prophetic kinship with Psalm 2, in which the Lord responds to those in the future who would conspire against Him and those who belong to Him in this manner in Psalm 2:4-6:
"He who sits in the heavens shall laugh; The Lord shall hold them in derision. Then He shall speak to them in His wrath, and distress them in His deep displeasure: 'Yet I have set My King on My holy hill of Zion.'"
It is a certainty, then, not "if" but "when," God will deal with this ground-swell of evil and cruelty that is beyond most people's imagination. It may be that God has answered those prayers many times over the centuries, already. Will He do it again in this current crisis? Will the people of faith call upon Him with prayer and fasting and surrender, as they did in those days?
This takes me back to the time when Jehoshaphat, king of Judah, was confronted by the descendants of the children of Lot (Moab and Ammon) and of Esau (Mount Seir), recorded in 2 Chronicles 20. From early in the history of the Jewish people, these people, along with the descendants of Ishmael (Abraham's son from the slave woman, Hagar), were their continual adversaries.
When Jehoshaphat learned that a great multitude of their enemies were ganging up on Judah and Jerusalem, he was afraid, and "set himself to seek the Lord, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah; so Judah gathered together to ask help from the Lord; and from all the cities of Judah they came to seek the Lord" (verses 3-4). The account continues with praises to God for His universal sovereignty and providential care in the past:
"Then Jehoshaphat stood in the assembly of Judah and Jerusalem, in the house of the Lord, before the new court, and said: 'O Lord God of our fathers, are You not God in heaven, and do You not rule over all the kingdoms of the nations, and in Your hand is there not power and might, so that no one is able to withstand You? Are You not our God, who drove out the inhabitants of this land before Your people Israel, and gave it to the descendants of Abraham Your friend forever?
And they dwell in it, and have built You a sanctuary in it for Your name, saying, 'If disaster comes upon us-sword, judgment, pestilence, or famine-we will stand before this temple and in Your presence (for Your name is in this temple), and cry out to You in our affliction, and You will hear and save.'
And now, here are the people of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir-whom You would not let Israel invade when they came out of the land of Egypt, but they turned from them and did not destroy them- here they are, rewarding us by coming to throw us out of Your possession which You have given us to inherit.
O our God, will You not judge them? For we have no power against this great multitude that is coming against us; nor do we know what to do, but our eyes are upon You."
Now all Judah, with their little ones, their wives, and their children, stood before the Lord.
Then the Spirit of the Lord came upon Jahaziel the son of Zechariah, the son of Benaiah, the son of Jeiel, the son of Mattaniah, a Levite of the sons of Asaph, in the midst of the assembly. And he said, "Listen, all you of Judah and you inhabitants of Jerusalem, and you, King Jehoshaphat! Thus says the Lord to you:
'Do not be afraid nor dismayed because of this great multitude, for the battle is not yours, but God's.'
"Tomorrow go down against them. They will surely come up by the Ascent of Ziz, and you will find them at the end of the brook before the Wilderness of Jeruel.
'You will not need to fight in this battle.'
'Position yourselves, stand still and see the salvation of the Lord, who is with you, O Judah and Jerusalem!' Do not fear or be dismayed; tomorrow go out against them, for the Lord is with you.'
And Jehoshaphat bowed his head with his face to the ground, and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem bowed before the Lord, worshiping the Lord" (2 Chronicles 20: 5-17, emphasis added).
God has not relented in His regard for Israel in all of the days since restoring the Jews to their land. Almost from the very day of its new birth as a nation, Israel has had to defend its right to exist. Yet, against overwhelming odds the nation has had continual victories. Their arsenal of weaponry as a nuclear power has not been revealed, but I am certain that it is tremendous, and when unleashed, it would astound the whole world. Jewish scientific advances in several categories have won Nobel prizes in remarkable numbers. I recently read a piece on this and found that Jewish Nobel prizes now number 127, while those for Islamic countries, only seven.
In Zechariah 14 is a description of the effect of a future weapon of warfare that would melt the very flesh from the bones of a person. That is the description of a neutron bomb's effect, which is beyond imagination, even for this nuclear age. One can only hope that the forces of evil are not able to get their hands on it.
But will God need to use military forces as they exist today when these enemies of righteousness find their cup of evil filled to the brim and ready for judgment? Will it merely be a "rustling in the mulberry bushes" that sends fear rippling through their hearts, sending them on the run? Or, perhaps they will begin fighting each other, to their own deaths?
There is no prophetic announcement of a war in the imprecatory prayer of Psalm 83, or in Psalm 2, but the conspiracy of purpose based on hatred for Israel that is exposed there has fomented for all these centuries. Will this rage explode in the prophesied Gog-Magog war of Ezekiel 38-39 when Islam marches against Israel led by Russia?
"You will come up against My people Israel like a cloud, to cover the land. It will be in the latter days that I will bring you against My land, so that the nations may know Me, when I am hallowed in you, O Gog, before their eyes" (Ezekiel 38:16).
"And I will bring him to judgment with pestilence and bloodshed; I will rain down on him, on his troops, and on the many peoples who are with him, flooding rain, great hailstones, fire, and brimstone.
Thus I will magnify Myself and sanctify Myself, and I will be known in the eyes of many nations. Then they shall know that I am the LORD" (Ezekiel 38:22-23).
We see in Isaiah 17:1 that Damascus will be completely destroyed and left in a pile of rubble. That city is among the oldest continually inhabited cities, never having been destroyed before, so this declaration is definitely in the future. If ISIS is dealt with militarily in this current swelling of absolute cruelty, then Damascus could be a target. There is the continual question of what is to be done about Iran's deceptive advances toward nuclear capability for warfare and when will Israel or the West move against them. What was it that Jesus said about wars and rumors of wars?
There is an old folk tale about a scorpion and a frog that touches on the issue facing mankind at this point:
It seems the scorpion was held up at the bank of a swollen stream without a way to cross when the frog arrived there as well. The scorpion had an idea. "Why don't you swim across and let me ride on your back?" The frog says, "Of course not. You'll sting me and then we both will die out there."
After much discussion and negotiating, with promises by the scorpion that he would not sting the frog because it was in the best interest of the scorpion to reach the other side, the frog relented, and they started across the water. But halfway across, the scorpion suddenly stung the frog!
The frog exclaimed, "Why did you do that? Now we both will die!" The scorpion replied, "I am a scorpion; I sting things, that's what I do!"
You can substitute ISIS for scorpion, there, and make the case for all of the so-called peace agreements with terrorist organizations being an exercise in futility. Only the judgment of God will have any measure of finality to these threats and actions of hatred and cruelty. Only then can it be said that ISIS IS NOT!
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