Does the Bible say anything about the current war in Israel? Yes! Several Scriptures below suggest Bible prophecy may be fulfilling before our eyes. Some news commentators predict Syria and Iran will soon officially enter this war, but the Bible predicted this 3000 years ago. Jordan and Saudi Arabia will be part of the confederacy fighting Israel. Iraq also appears to be included in this Psalm 83 war, perhaps after the US withdraws. However, air access for Iran to Israel will be an immediate issue. The Bible also says Damascus will be destroyed and made uninhabitable. Jerusalem and much of Israel will suffer much damage but will survive.

No other countries appear to be included in Bible prophecies for this particular war. It will mostly be a localized war which will lead up to a much wider war later involving Russia, many nations formerly in the USSR, Turkey, and other nations referred to in Ezekiel 38-39, but not in Psalm 83.

So, you may be saying, “Does the Bible really say that? Give me chapter and verse!” Suggestions for this article are drawn from Psalm 83, Isaiah 17, and other Scriptures used below. Read them and see what you think.

The center piece is Psalm 83, which I believe refers to the current conflict. Asaph, the author, cries out to God “…behold Your enemies make a tumult; and those who hate You have lifted up their head. They have taken crafty counsel against Your people, and consulted together against your sheltered ones. They have said, ‘Come, and let us cut them off from being a nation, that the name of Israel may be remembered no more’” (Psalm 83:2-4).

Sounds a lot like what Iran’s President Ahmadinejad has been saying; e.g., “wipe Israel off the map.” Of course, he is not the first to say this. It is just in current news so much.

Asaph speaks of these enemies of God’s people as enemies of God. In verse 2, “Your enemies make a tumult.” The Hebrew word for “tumult” is “hamah,” which means “to roar, to complain, and to make war.” It appears to be the same root as “Hamas,” the name of the ruling Palestinian party, long identified as a terrorist group, and incidentally, who are the ones who started this war.

Asaph goes on to identify these enemies in verses 3-8, calling them a “confederacy”:
“For they have consulted together with one consent; they form a confederacy against You: The tents of Edom and the Ishmaelites; Moab and the Hagrites; Gebal, Ammon, and Amalek; Philistia with the inhabitants of Tyre; Assyria also has joined with them; they have helped the children of Lot. Selah.”

The tents of Edom refer to the descendents of Esau. The Ishmaelites refer the descendants of the son of Abraham by Hagar. Most Arabic Muslim groups come from these two men, but particularly those south of the Dead Sea and east of Israel. This overlaps with Moab and the Hagrites, the descendants of Lot, also east of Israel. Gebal, Ammon and Amalek would include the nations of Jordan and Saudi Arabia. The capital of Jordan is Amman, modern spelling of Ammon.”

Israel’s ancient foe, Philistia had a city named Gaza (Josh. 13:3), which was the same area as modern Gaza and where the current war started. It is also noteworthy that the word “Philistines” is the ancient name for Palestinians.

Tyre is a principal city in southern Lebanon and is a stronghold for the Hezbollah terrorists. Assyria occupied the areas which now include Syria, Iraq and Iran.

But you may be thinking these same countries were involved in Israel’s 1948 war for independence, the1967 six-day war and the 1973 Yom Kippur war. True, however, Egypt was the leading nation in all those wars. Egypt is not even mentioned in Psalm 83. If Psalm 83 was speaking of those earlier wars, Egypt would have been included.

Why is Egypt not mentioned? In 1978, Egypt signed the Camp David peace treaty with Israel. Of course, they could tear that up, but they are scared of Israel. They have been bloodied by Israel’s Air Force several times. With the continuing improvement in Israel’s air power, Egypt has a veritable “sword of Damocles” hanging over them. It is now clear that in any future war with Egypt, Israel could easily bomb Egypt’s Aswan Dam on the Nile River. Nasser Lake, behind that dam, would then empty 168,000 million cubic meters of water on the Nile delta, virtually destroying Egypt. Isaiah 19:1 & 5-10 suggests that the Nile will be drained some day. Verse 17 could reflect this fear, “And the land of Judah [Israel] will be a terror to Egypt; everyone who makes mention of it will be afraid in himself, because of the counsel of the Lord of hosts which He has determined against it.”

Many Bible scholars say that this major war, described in Psalm 83, has not occurred yet. While we cannot say for sure this is it, it seems to have remarkable similarities. Philistia (Gaza) and Tyre are involved directly. Unhappily, Lebanon is in it. The Hezbollah terrorists are clearly puppets of Iran and Syria. These puppet masters are supplying Hezbollah with arms, intelligence and even on site troops.

Some other countries mentioned in Psalm 83 are not in this war yet. In 1994, Jordan also signed a U. S.-sponsored peace treaty with Israel, which they could also break and may do so this time. They are not under the same threat Egypt is, but Amman is only 70 miles east of Jerusalem and Israeli Jets can be there in minutes. If hostilities continue to rise, it would be hard for them to stay out. In fact, there may be a coup if they don’t. The Palestinians with help from Syria and Iran could encourage and participate in a Jordanian coup. Most of the Palestinians are from Jordan, and they have many sympathizers there.

Saudi Arabia has not been known to actually send troops to any of the Arab-Israel wars mentioned above; however, they have generously bankrolled the participating nations for armaments. Also, they have spent billions from their rich oil income on beefing up their own armaments as well. They have already spent more on this “Jihad for Allah” than any other country. –And remember, the most sacred Islamic sites, like Mecca, are in Saudi Arabia. They can not stand idly by.

So, what if this current Israeli war is the Psalm 83 war being played out? What else does the Bible tell us about it? There are some interesting suggestions in Isaiah 17:1-2. “The burden against Damascus [Syria]. Behold, Damascus will cease from being a city, and it will be a ruinous heap. The cities of Aroer are forsaken; They will be for flocks which lie down, and no one will make them afraid.”

This suggests Damascus will only be inhabitable by flocks of sheep or goats, and no humans will even disturb them. There is no record of this prophecy being fulfilled. Damascus a present population of 3.5 million claims to be the oldest continuously inhabited city in the world. So, when will it be fulfilled? It could happen in this war.

How will this war affect Israel? Verse 3 suggests that Ephraim [Northern Israel] will be greatly damaged. This is happening right now. Verse 4 says, “The glory of Jacob will wane, and the fatness of his flesh grow lean.” I believe the “glory of Jacob” refers to Jerusalem. If so, this could mean that Jerusalem will be hit hard and significantly damaged and greatly weakened, but not destroyed. Vs. 4 continues, “And the fatness of his flesh grow lean.” Verse 9 says, “In that day his strong cities will be as a forsaken bough and an uppermost branch, which they left because of the children of Israel; and there will be desolation.” This is also happening now, particularly in northern Israel. Several cities there have been deserted.

But Israel will survive. Verse 6 says, “Yet gleaning grapes will be left in it, like the shaking of an olive tree, two or three olives at the top of the uppermost bough, four or five in its most fruitful branches, says the Lord God of Israel.

Isaiah 17:13 records God’s intervention: “The nations will rush like the rushing of many waters; but God will rebuke them and they will flee far away, and be chased like the chaff of the mountains before the wind.”

The defeat of Damascus is also recorded in Jeremiah 49:23-27: “Against Damascus. Hamath and Arpad [cities of Syria] are shamed, for they have heard bad news. They are fainthearted; There is trouble on the sea; It cannot be quiet. Damascus has grown feeble; she turns to flee, and fear has seized her. Anguish and sorrows have taken her like a woman in labor. Why is the city of praise not deserted, the city of my joy? Therefore her young men shall fall in her streets, and all the men of war shall be cut off in that day, says the Lord of hosts. I will kindle a fire in the wall of Damascus, and it shall consume the palaces of Ben-Hadad.”

Jeremiah also describes the total destruction of Damascus like Isaiah 17:1-2. If it is not at this time, when?

If this doesn’t all transpire this time, I am confident it will in the next few years. God’s word is true and will be fulfilled.

The encouraging word is that God is allowing these things to get the attention of Israel and the world. Isaiah 17:7 says, “In that day a man will look to his Maker, and his eyes will have respect for the Holy One of Israel. He will not look to the altars, the work of his hands.”

In Psalm 83, Asaph cries out to God for victory in this war (9-17). In verse 16 he prays, “Fill their faces [the enemies] with shame, that they may seek Your name, O Lord.” He continues in verse 18, “That they may know that You, whose name alone is the Lord, are the most High over all the earth.”

A remnant from every nation, even the enemies of Israel, will someday come to Jesus. He showed it to John, “After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could number of all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, saying ‘Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb! [Jesus Christ]’” (Revelation 7:10).

So, does God have your attention? If you have not come to Jesus, do it now! If you have Jesus as your personal Savior, rejoice, you are on the winning side! Amen.

© 2006 D. B. Martin

Footnotes: While I maintain a copyright, please feel free to forward this blog and quote from it as needed, but with credit and without change.

I am greatly indebted to David Dolan, a Christian journalist who has lived in Israel and Lebanon since 1980. Much of the content of this article is from his book, Israel in Crisis, House of David Publishers, Colorado Springs, CO, 2001. He is a great source for Middle East news & Biblical insights on current events. For his free website updates click here

Another great resource is Jimmy DeYoung’s Website , also listed as www.prophecytoday.com. DeYoung also spent many years in Israel and is one of the best authorities on end time Bible prophecy in the world today.

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