Rumble
Israel’s Last Hostage Returned
After 843 heart-breaking days, the October 7 hostage crisis is over. Ran Gvili has been laid to rest in Israel.
The IDF received information that led them to a cemetery. One by one, they exhumed and examined hundreds of bodies searching for the remains of the Israel’s beloved son. Then, the call rang out. Ran had been found. Battle-hardened soldiers broke into tears, while others danced and sang in a bittersweet chorus. After he was brought home, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated, “If we had not believed, we would not have found. But we believed and found.”
Now that Ran is home, Netanyahu is determined to ensure Hamas lives up to the truce agreement. The terrorists in Gaza must disarm and the whole region must be demilitarized. Anyone who understands anything about Hamas knows that they will never follow through with this commitment. They should, though, because now the only thing standing in the way of the prime minister utterly destroying what is left of the terrorist group is global public opinion. And we all know how much Netanyahu cares about that.
The US, Israel, and Iran
There is still a huge volume of bodies being counted in Iran. The estimates of protesters slaughtered by the Iranian government range from 30,000 to 80,000. Many were shot in the streets, others were killed in hospitals, and still more were unofficially executed in jails and prisons. By far this is the largest slaughter of a civilian population by its government in this century.
But the leftist marchers around the world seem to either be silent or just too busy protesting against Israel and ICE to worry about tens of thousands of dead Iranians who were risking their lives for their rights. Islam is off-limits when it comes to criticism. Muslims can be victims, but you better not call them perpetrators.
President Donald Trump has said that help is on the way for the protesters. This has led to both bluster and action from the United States, Israel, and Iran. Iran has responded, “If our country is cornered, it will respond in a way it never has before.”
Knowing that the ayatollah’s threats were directed at Israel as well as America, Prime Minister Netanyahu promised, “Any attempt by Iran to harm us will be met with a decisive response. It will be a big mistake, a very big mistake, one mistake too many.” Other nations have joined the verbal fray. Some, like Germany, warning Iran, while others, like Turkey, warning the US.
As the words fly from one continent to the other, so do American arms. There has been a massive buildup of US power in the Middle East. Headed by the aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln, the sea and air power in the region is enough to level Iran many times over. Some reports are that Trump will institute a naval blockade of the Islamic regime.
In response, Iran has deployed their air-defense systems in three key areas. They have readied their thousands-strong arsenal of short-range Fateh-110 missiles and mid-range Qadr missiles. In addition, they have readied swarms of suicide drones along with coastal and cruise missiles. These assets can be used with deadly consequences against US bases in the surrounding nations and waters.
President Trump has said that he is ready to make a deal with Iran, the implication being that this will take place only if ayatollahs play by his rules. These rules are simple: first, abandon the military nuclear program; second, reduce dramatically the ballistic missile production capabilities; and third, completely halt the terror financing of proxy militias. This is likely a deal that the ayatollahs cannot and will not accept. In fact, the latest reports state that the regime has already rejected any stipulation that demands they stop their military nuclear program. What will President Trump’s next move be?
Israel, Iran, and Bible Prophecy
Reports are that the Iranian regime is at its most vulnerable since the overthrow of the shah in 1979. For those followers of biblical prophecy who worry about what a regime change might mean for God’s plan, particularly with regards to Ezekiel 38 and 39, let me set your minds at ease.
While some hold the theological viewpoint that the Church is now God’s chosen people, I disagree. I believe the Jewish people remain His chosen people, and that they play a key role in end times prophecy. I believe the Bible clearly foretold that Israel would be scattered and regathered—fulfilled on May 14, 1948, and that’s when the prophetic time clock began to tick. It was not just a sign, but a super sign.
Scripture also predicts that in the last days, a great coalition from the north—including Persia (modern-day Iran)—will rise up against Israel (Ezekiel 38–39). While the Middle East conflicts we’ve seen are not the full fulfillment of that prophecy, it is certainly a foreshadowing.
The Bible has more to say. Not only will the Jews be regathered together in their homeland, but they will be increasingly isolated. That’s happening.
The Bible also predicted the rise of anti-Semitism in the end times. That is happening.
The Bible also predicts a leader named Gog will come down with his armies from Magog, a large nation to the north of Israel. This amazing prophecy is simply an Old Testament description of the Battle of Armageddon. Gog in Scripture is identified as Antichrist and in Ezekiel, Magog is a reference to modern-day Turkey. We should pay attention to both Turkey and Iran, who will be allies in the final coalition against Israel.
Turkey Eyes Jerusalem
Speaking of the Ezekiel War coalition, the pieces just seem to keep falling into place. For over 500 years, the Ottoman Empire led the Islamic Caliphate, of which Jerusalem was a part. But then the Ottoman Empire ended in WWI, and with it any hold Turkey had on the holy city.
When Turkey ruled the Ottoman Empire, they were the leaders of Sunni Islam and today they want that status back. Unfortunately, they aren’t Arab. Islam began as an Arab religion, and Arab Muslims are considered superior in the Muslim order. For Turkey to take the lead in Islam again, there may need to be some kind of Arab connection.
This is what makes it especially interesting that Bilal Erdoğan, son and possible successor of the president, assured viewers in an interview this past week that his mother is Arab and that his maternal grandparents regularly spoke Arabic to one another. In another story, a far-right Turkish politician encouraged President Erdoğan to seriously consider taking military action against Israel with the goal of ultimately taking back Jerusalem. Once again, it all fits back into the Ezekiel 38-39 prophecy.
Israel’s Economic Surge
Israel’s economy is booming because God is blessing Israel. The rise in the stock market has surpassed even that of the United States, and the shekel has strengthened against the dollar. Israel’s Leviathan gas fields off the Mediterranean coast have more energy in them than they know what to do with, and their technology sector is the envy of the world. This soaring economy, along with the shocking rise in global antisemitism, has led to a surge of Jews making Aliyah back to Israel in fulfillment of Ezekiel 36-37.
What Happens Next?
What is taking place in the Middle East is cause for us to sit up and pay attention.
Let me give you just a quick flyover of end times events chronologically. Number one, I think the next event on the prophetic calendar is the Rapture of the Church. After the Rapture, Antichrist emerges on the scene and the 7-year Tribulation period begins. The Tribulation ends with the Second Coming of Christ, and then the Lord establishes the Millennium (the 1,000-year reign of Christ).
This should not make us fearful. Bible prophecy is not given to scare us, but prepare us.
Are You Ready?
