Though the events of 1948 and 1967 in Israel were momentous in their day, in retrospect they are even more momentous. Already the events of 2023 are understood as momentous. There are many who speak of the 'right side of history' as if they see the future – but the Bible student knows the Heavens laugh.
Bible Focus marked out 2023 as significant in 2009 and 2013.
Even with Bible prophecy as unfolding history, we 'see a glass darkly', yet 2023 was marked out.
In 2009 we showed the 2023 era is 2300 years after the Phyrric victory that saw power of Rome emerge as the 'little horn' (horns as nations in prophecy are an analogy as to how animals dominate a herd). It is also now 2300 years since Antochus I over ran Judea.
In 2013 we last updated the times as a day for a year for the 7 times of the nations.
We had hoped our Lord would return at Tabernacles 2014, but we had Gaza rocket attacks on Israel in March leading in July 2014 to a Gaza war lasting 50 days. We see in 2016 Brexit and then Trump also in 2016 - 7 lunar /solar day for year 'times' from Cyrus' death ends in 2023. We return to the theme of God ruling the rulers of the superpowers.
Perpetual hatred of Israel
I will lay thy cities waste, and thou shalt be desolate, and thou shalt know that I am the LORD. Because thou hast had a perpetual hatred, and hast shed the blood of the children of Israel by the force of the sword in the time of their calamity, in the time that their iniquity had an end: (Ezekiel 35:4-5)
We suggest that this Gaza war of 2023 will be as significant as status quo changers as the wars of 1948, 1967 and 1973. The quote from Ezekiel sums up so aptly events now, as it prophesies about now. Much of north Gaza is reported to be waste and desolate grey rubble because they shed the blood of the children of Israel. We here were reading Ezekiel in our Bible reading portion as events played out.
When we first heard of the rocket fire and call to prayer by some in Israel on October 7 evening, the last day of Sukkot, we wondered what it might signify, but had the feeling that this was important. We were reading Ezekiel 33 as we heard of the events, as they were playing out.
Israel had no watchman!
Son of man, speak to the children of thy people, and say unto them, When I bring the sword upon a land, if the people of the land take a man of their coasts, and set him for their watchman: If when he seeth the sword come upon the land, he blow the trumpet, and warn the people; (Ezekiel 33:2-3)
Then we heard that as 'the sword' of Hamas comes upon Israel they had no warning, despite reputed intelligence capability, and supposed readiness of the armed forces. Many could reasonably cry that those appointed to warn had not. They had not 'blown the trumpet'. In a fraught context Netanyahu apologizes for statement blaming defense forces for October 7. We then go on to read Ezekiel 34
Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel, prophesy, and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD unto the shepherds; Woe be to the shepherds of Israel that do feed themselves! should not the shepherds feed the flocks? (Ezekiel 34:2)
Then we hear directly after reading this of the failure of Israel's government as shepherds that surely 'feed' themselves. There were calls for accountability for the failure to have the people prepared. Israelis blame gov’t for Hamas massacre, say Netanyahu must resign – poll
Consider that Israel was bitterly divided due to matters of what was considered oppression in rule in due to the judiciary's powers over the Government, and yet still their own people were suffering and some were even dying due to terror attacks. Then we read of the shepherds:
The diseased have ye not strengthened, neither have ye healed that which was sick, neither have ye bound up that which was broken, neither have ye brought again that which was driven away, neither have ye sought that which was lost; but with force and with cruelty have ye ruled them. (Ezekiel 34:4)
Consider that Israel rules the civilians on the Mountains of Israel with it's own military. Consider that they have destroyed the buildings and dragged their own people out of illegal houses and not many Arab illegal houses in the Israeli controlled area. Even as the war progresses the Jewish boder police demolish an outpost in Samaria
Israel transformed!
In this context of this fulfilled prophecy of Ezekiel – how great a change will the Hamas invasion and war achieve? How momentous is it?
We have an Israeli opinion
Hamas October 7 massacre was God stopping an Israeli civil war – opinion Nathan Lopes Cardozo
Without any claim to prophecy, I cannot escape the feeling that what is happening at this moment is not just another Israeli-Palestinian war but something radically different.
After the terrible internal fights that tore apart the Israeli nation, in which Jews were on the verge of going to war against each other, nearly destroying the State of Israel, it is as if a divine voice appeared and said: “Enough! This far and no further! ..I will force your hand and compel you to make peace among yourselves
Zionism – and its promise that the State of Israel will be a secure haven for any Jew and a guarantee of liberty for its citizens – has been badly undermined. It has been shaken and trembles on its foundations. the Israeli army received a major blow when it could not even defend Israel’s citizens. … But just at the moment when all looked black, an almost open miracle took place.
As if from the valley of the dead, Israel rose up, and in a matter of a moment the nation healed itself. Massive numbers of soldiers reported to recruiting stations and military outposts. Instead of waiting to be conscripted, they arrived in multitudes of their own free will. Haredi men volunteered, were quickly trained.. Tzitziyot, prayer shawls, and tefillin were distributed, and many secular soldiers donned them, dressed in religious garb for the first time.
The nation came together.. all realized that they are one united family. They collected enormous sums of money for the evacuees and touched a level of unity that was unheard of.
We know that we must be exceptional in order to live in a world that is neither propitious for – nor sympathetic to – our survival. We know that to be a Jew, one must be holy. There has never been a greater need for Judaism’s message than in our time.
All of Jewish history proves that Jews are a nation “dwelling apart and not to be reckoned among the nations” (Numbers 23:9)..
EVEN IF I were an atheist, I would not be able to deny that something exceptional is taking place. We are standing on the brink of a new world. We stand at a crossroads, and it seems that something unprecedented is happening. It is for all the world to watch.
I do not know whether we will ever forgive our enemies for killing our children, but what I do know for sure is that we will never forgive them for forcing us to kill their children, said Golda Meir. We Jews do not rejoice in victories. For us, a war won is a victory lost.
The Jews are God’s stake in human history. I am witness to a supreme moment in that history.
Is this voice alone in thinking, already, there is a miracle! They did not write 'woe is us God cannot exist as He didn't protect our young from Hamas – he wrote 'woe is us we were almost at civil war, the God is Israel was just.'
There are other voices speaking of the momentous events.
Gaza After the War: Biden Needs a Reality Check
To continue to believe — after all the unspeakable horrors of Oct. 7, after the reality that “Palestinian self-determination” in Gaza following Israel’s unilateral disengagement in 2005 resulted in the barbaric and genocidal (but democratically elected!) rule of an Islamist reich — in a “two-state solution” is to reveal oneself to be entirely out-of-touch to anything smacking of empirical reality.
We see already a remarkable change in the Arab world.
Bahraini crown prince condemns Hamas, calls to release hostages
Hamas gravely miscalculated how Israel would react
Hamas was not as successful as they hoped they would be – defeated by heroes on October 7
Even before the events played out when 2023 seemed bland as any other, we had noted 2023 should have been significant as the end of an era from the book of Daniel
Over in America God is glorified
It is of note that as events played out we began to read Daniel. It became even more amazing that as we read Daniel in our Daily Portion the new Leader of US congress quoted it.
How Mike Johnson Became Speaker 'Through Prayer, Not Politics'
I don’t believe there are any coincidences in a matter like this. I believe that scripture, the Bible, is very clear that God is the one that raises up those in authority. He raised up each of you. All of us. And I believe that God has allowed and ordained each and every one of us to be here at this specific moment,” the Louisiana Republican said.
The Louisiana Republican’s campaign for the speakership was “through prayer, not politics,” Mr. Perkins said. He has known Mr. Johnson for 25 years as a student, a state legislative colleague, and pro-family, pro-life advocate.
Something certainly seemed miraculous about Johnson’s sudden and unexpected emergence from the chaos and disruption that gripped the House Republican Conference in the wake of successive failures by Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.), Whip Tom Emmer (R-Minn.), and House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) to secure enough Republican votes to become Speaker.
There was a miracle.
As we were reading the book of Daniel …
he changeth the times and the seasons: he removeth kings, and setteth up kings: he giveth wisdom unto the wise, and knowledge to them that know understanding: (Daniel 2:21)
When this war in Gaza is over the previous order will crumble.
The war in Ukraine was the last great push of America against Russia. The outcome of the war in Ukraine is affected by the outcome of the war in Israel. America in action in Israel is shown to be weak and ineffective, with Israel determining the devastating outcome, not America. America and Europe's funded opposition to Israel will be devastated. The end was written of Mt Sier, Esau, Edom (the father of . Amalek whom Netanyahu has invoked)
I will make thee perpetual desolations, and thy cities shall not return: and ye shall know that I am the LORD. (Ezekiel 35:9)
Therefore, as I live, saith the Lord GOD, I will even do according to thine anger, and according to thine envy which thou hast used out of thy hatred against them; and I will make myself known among them, when I have judged thee. And thou shalt know that I am the LORD, and that I have heard all thy blasphemies which thou hast spoken against the mountains of Israel, saying, They are laid desolate, they are given us to consume. (Ezekiel 35:11-12)
God will Build Judea and Samaria into the Kingdom
All the nations who have called for a two state solution will hate the result of this Gaza war, which will be the utter failure of the violent Hamas fakestinian cause both in Gaza and the 'West bank'. Even avid 'peacenik' Jews were so revolted by the personal experience of Hamas Violence there is no support any more for any new Arab state. It will lead to success of the Jews on the Mountains of Israel despite nations banning the settlers.
Prophesy therefore concerning the land of Israel, and say unto the mountains, and to the hills, to the rivers, and to the valleys, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I have spoken in my jealousy and in my fury, because ye have borne the shame of the heathen: Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; I have lifted up mine hand, Surely the heathen that are about you, they shall bear their shame. But ye, O mountains of Israel, ye shall shoot forth your branches, and yield your fruit to my people of Israel; for they are at hand to come. For, behold, I am for you, and I will turn unto you, and ye shall be tilled and sown: And I will multiply men upon you, all the house of Israel, even all of it: and the cities shall be inhabited, and the wastes shall be builded: (Ezekiel 36:6-10)
This building will be the greatest miracle of all – unbelievable - as the enemies of Israel are ashamed by the massive mistakes of Hamas. Jews were deceived by peace, easily attacked as unarmed targets, but due to the unprovoked violence, now all the Jews who can possibly carry a gun, are armed, trained and ready to use their guns to kill. Arabs already are in fear- this resulted in the US and EU talking of 'settler violence' and bans.
Then Jews will dwell safely on the mountains of Israel,
After many days thou shalt be visited: in the latter years thou shalt come into the land that is brought back from the sword, and is gathered out of many people, against the mountains of Israel, which have been always waste: but it is brought forth out of the nations, and they shall dwell safely all of them. (Ezekiel 38:8)
Then it will be as written – the impossible – the kingdom of Israel.
And I will make them one nation in the land upon the mountains of Israel; and one king shall be king to them all: and they shall be no more two nations, neither shall they be divided into two kingdoms any more at all: (Ezekiel 37:22)
