Psalm 122:6-9 Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: May they prosper who love you. May peace be within your walls, and prosperity within your palaces. For the sake of my brothers and my friends, I will now say, “May peace be within you.” For the sake of the house of the Lord our God, I will seek your good.
On October 7, 2023 the terrorist thugs Hamas killed thousands of Israelis in Gaza, as well as many citizens of other nations including the United States! They have also taken in more than 130 hostages. Over 1300 Israeli’s are dead, close to 3000 injured, and over 2800 are missing due to these barbaric events over the past week! Over 300,000 Israeli reservists have been called up. Many bodies were simply lying on the streets or are being paraded around the streets. This is probably worse than America’s 9/11 for the small state of Israel. This is the greatest loss of Jewish life in a day since the Holocaust and the greatest in a day since the year 1948, Israel was established.
Many assume this weekend there will be an Israeli attack on Hamas to smash their strongholds. Most believe Iran worked directly with Hamas, which is a future blog. Hezbollah then began firing on Israel from the north in Lebanon. Hamas will have to now deal with an American backed Israel, and it will not be good for them! America has been sending Naval ships and military equipment to Israel since the attacks. Hamas will probably be decimated in the coming days, and rightfully so!
Who is Hamas?
I won’t even call them a terrorist organization, because it speaks of an officially organized respected group of people, but I call them terrorist thugs and the Gaza Strip is a training ground for these thugs. They are designated as terrorists by the United States government and by the European Union (see overview). They have fully controlled the Gaza Strip since 2005. From that control they have attacked Israel many times, usually through rockets. In Joshua 11:22, David never conquered 3 areas, one of those places being Gaza. The hardened hearts of the Arab people in Gaza want Israel off the map. We, as the American Christian Church, should pray for the spiritual entity of Israel, for Israel’s leadership, for innocent Palestinians and that the Palestinians hearts to be softened toward the Holy G-d, and for the Peace of Jerusalem.
See the Prayer for Israel from Pastor John Hagee on October 8, 2023:
We should also pray Psalm 102:13-15, Psalm 20 & Psalm 83:9-18.
Psalm 102:13-15 reads along these lines:
You will rise and have mercy on Zion; For the time to favor her, Yes, the set time, HAS COME! For Your servants take pleasure in her stones, and show favor to her dust. So the nations shall fear the name of the Lord, and the kings of the earth Your glory.
See the Prayer for Israel from Pastor Lynne Hammond on October 9, 2023:
Why the attack?
First, the Gaza strip had been rebuilt for 40 years since 1967. It had gone from nothing but desert land to a beautifully developed area until 2005 when Jews were pushed out of Gaza, the Bush administration was sadly to say – part of this. It was a desert that had blossomed as a rose (Jeremiah 35:1). Free elections were to happen, but Hamas won one election and then took over the Gaza Strip! But Israel is resilient and continues to develop their land and have become known as the model of a start-up nation. They are not only resilient but also innovative and entrepreneurial, some research says the most innovative and entrepreneurial people in the world are right in that sliver of a nation called Israel. The militant terrorist groups despise this because of their hate for the Jewish people.
Second, the press is NOT reporting this, but this is a direct attack on the Jewish identity. Hamas does not appreciate the Jewish people in any way, shape, or form. Just for perspective there are about 14 million Jews in the world, in relation to 1.5 billion Christians and 1.4 billion Muslims. The Jewish people have been wiped off much of the earth. The media leaves out antisemitism as a reason for the killings and brutality, but this IS THE REASON! This truly is about ideology and of course about some land too.
This war in Gaza may not be the direct war spoken of in Revelation 16, but it is related, that I can tell you! Of course, to escalate the war into another dimension – this is a spiritual battle – the battle of the ages – and will be the type of war which leads to the final battle on planet earth in the plains of Megiddo, the Gog and Magog war! It will be called “Armageddon.”
Further Resources:
Start-Up Nation: The Story of Israel’s Economic Miracle by Dan Senor & Saul Singer.
