ISRAEL IS FACED with a dilema.
They have tried to placate Hamas and it has failed. They gave the Gaza strip of land away in 2005 and expelled Jewish settlers to do it.
Then Hamas took political and governmental control and ousted Fatah from Gaza in 2007. Since that time they have received enormous amounts of aid from many countries. They only have 2.3 million people yet I counted 19 hospitals, 11 Universities, 41 Private Schools and about 130 other schools.
The Israelis allow 10,000 Palestinians to enter Israel daily for employment; supply electricity, fuel and water as well as other supplies and in return receive thousands of rockets fired at Israel’s towns. Israel’s crops are set on fire and Jewish lives are continually threatened.
It is quite obvious to Israel’s leadership that no amount of assistance will placate the inbred hatred that these terrorist have for Jews and they are supported in their acts of terror by Iran and Russia. With such substantial support Hamas believes it is only a matter of time before they will be able to totally destroy Israel.
The invasion of Israel by Hamas on October 7th was well planned, well supplied and well executed. It has cost Israel more than 1,000 lives; mostly unarmed civilians and the material costs to repair buildings damaged by Hamas rockets has yet to be assessed.
Israel has no other option but to utterly destroy Hamas so that it can never again build tunnels, fire rockets, invade Israeli towns and murder civilians. But how?
Gaza is one of the most densely populated places on earth. High rise residential buildings are built over a maze of underground tunnels and the human cost to track down Hamas operatives would be a heavy price to pay. But this price must be weighed against the prospect of another invasion and slaughter of Jewish citizens in the future.
Already the Palestinians are paying a terrible price as Israeli planes pound buildings and the casualty list grows. Palestinians are used by Hamas as human shields for their gunmen.
Nations are calling for peace talks but never again will Israel surrender her security and risk a repetition of the events of October 7 2023. Some are saying that it would be better to leave Hamas in control of Gaza for fear that some worse Islamic terror group might replace them.
One thing is certain. Israel would never enter any peace agreement without iron-clad security agreements. But who would be eligible to provide such security. It would have to be a powerful military nation competent to provide security.
If we look around for nations sufficiently powerful militarily to control Hamas and Iran we soon realize that the options come down to just two: the US or EU. Russia and China are already supporting Hamas via Iran so they don’t qualify. Even the US under the Biden Administration has shown itself to be a friend of Iran and inspite of assurances by President Biden it is doubtful if the US Government would sign a defense agreement with Israel. Nor would Israel want to risk a defense agreement with the US.
Under the Trump Administration sanctions were imposed on the sale of Iranian oil but since Biden came to power Iran has sold $40 billion of oil to China. In the past Israel has considered a defense agreement in which US troops would be stationed in Israel but Mr Netanyahu has considered the risks to Israel to be too high. It is only recently that he has changed his mind and favoured a defense agreement. If Israel wanted to take action they could be constrained by the US under the terms of a defense agreement. And at the moment US politics are very volatile and uncertain.
So this leaves the EU and its powerful NATO army as the only possibility to be able to offer security to Israel and even there we can see difficulties. The US and UK are major providers in the NATO alliance but if the EU were to become the United States of Europe (USE) with its own army and if the USE became dependent on Israel for the supply of gas they would have a common security interest.
In recent days we have been pointing out that Europe is adopting Israeli technology for its defense forces and Germany is supplying submarines for Israel. Israeli rockets systems are being manufactured under licence in Poland and Germany. Israel is starting to supply military equipment to Ukraine and her reluctance to offend Russia seems to have evaporated.
The fact is that Iran almost daily vows to totally destroy Israel; she already has 150,000 rockets in Lebanon, troops in Syria and has trained Hamas operatives. Iran is supplying drones to Russia in Ukraine and blind Freddie could see that it is only an amount of time before Israel will have to face a massive invasion by Iran, Russia and Turkey. The stage is being set for the fulfilment of Ezekiel’s prophecy in chapters 38 and 39 of his prophecy!
Sooner than later, Israel must enter a security agreement with a major power for her own survival and it looks like that agreement will be with Europe otherwise known as the Revived Roman Empire!
It is right here that world affairs merge with Bible prophecy and the scenario would be as follows:
1) Islamic terrorism increases and the threat from Iran and Russia becomes so great that Israel will be willing to sign a defense agreement with Europe (Dan.9:27) and allow foreign troops on Israel’s soil – especially if Europe shows it can support Ukraine against Russia.
2) The Rapture will occur when the 7-year security agreement is signed and that could leave the US crippled. Many US military men are born-again believers and her defense might be impaired at the Rapture. It has been estimated that there could be 60 million believers in the US but even if there are only half that number their departure would be crippling.
2) Such an agreement will provide the promise of peace in the Middle East and a Temple will be built.
3) This peace will be broken when the Islamists, led by Egypt, invade Israel (Dan.11:40). Israel and the Europe will destroy Egypt but “tidings out of the east and north” (Iran/Turkey/Russia) (Dan.11:44) cause the Europe to withdraw leaving Israel exposed. Russia then leads Iran and Turkey into Israel slaughtering two thirds of the people in the land (Zech.13:8) before the nation calls on the Lord (Joel 2:17) and God destroys the invaders (Ezek.38:22).
4) The land of Russia will be burned and one sixth of her army will return to Siberia (Ezek.39:2-6; Joel 2:20).
5) The conversion of Israel will be great and “all Israel shall be saved” (Rom.11:26; Jer.31:34; Isa.54:13; 60:21; Ezek.39:25).
6) Seven months later, after Israel has cleansed the land of bodies (Ezek.39:11) Europe’s President, will be established by ten heads of the nations and will be demon-possessed (Rev.17:8-13). He will turn on Israel “with great fury to destroy, and to utterly make away many” (Dan.11:44).
7) The Godly remnant of Israel will be forced to flee from Jerusalem as Antichrist sets up his image in the Jewish Temple (Matt.24:15-21) and for the final 42 months will be fighting for their survival (Zech.12:6-8).
8) At the end of the Tribulation the Lord Himself will appear in the heavens with the armies of heaven (Rev.19:11-21; Matt.24:29-31). Antichrist and all his followers will be cast into the Lake of Fire and the Jews, with all who stood with them during the Tribulation, will “inherit the kingdom” of Christ (Matt.25:34).
The conflict in Gaza could be the trigger that sets the entire plan of God in motion and the Rapture could be very close!