One year.
Monday morning, 6:29 AM, October 7, everything here stopped as we remembered what took place 366 days ago. That was the moment that the terrorist-group Hamas began its barrage that eventually sent thousands of rockets toward Israel. At the same time that the projectiles were soaring toward the border, there were blood-thirsty men breaching the barrier with violence, lust, and murder in their eyes. Throughout the morning, thousands poured into Israel to carry out the worst sorts of brutality, assaults, tortures, kidnappings, and butchery that my people have experienced since the Holocaust.
It's been a hard, hard week. Emotional for me, for my family, for my nation. So many were lost on that day. So many have been lost since. Heartbreak is the legacy of evil acts. In Israel, we are drowning in heartbreak.
While we mourned, our enemies celebrated. Hamas did their best to rub it in our faces. It was interesting to note, however, that while last year’s attack contained just under 4000 rockets, Monday’s attack consisted of 14. That gives you a pretty good picture of how it was for Hamas then and how it is for them now. Over the past year, Hamas has been decimated. And, because of the way that the terrorist organization imbedded themselves within the civilian population, both above and under the ground, the region of Gaza has also been devastated. Hamas’s intentions were to destroy our country; instead, they destroyed their own.
It has taken me many months to be able to accept any positive aspects to October 7, but I can now recognize at least two good outcomes. First, it quashed the inner divisions within Israel that were tearing the country apart. At least, it did for a time. There are still elements within the political, judicial, and military structure that are toxic for the nation. An even more important outcome, however, was that the attack exposed the criminal neglect of the surrounding threat on our borders. How else could Hamas have poured in the way that they did? There were over 200 places along the fence line with Gaza that allowed the terrorists and Gazan citizens to rush in, brutalize and slaughter innocent civilians, then kidnap 250 Israelis back over the border. It never should have happened, and I’m appalled that our military let it occur.
But we are in a new phase of our nation. There are no ostriches in our citizenry hiding their heads in the sand to the surrounding threats of our genocidal enemies. We woke up to the echoes of gunfire and realized that the attackers were in our own backyards. That is what has held this nation together through the harshness of the war in Gaza. We’ve done more than any other country in history to try to protect the innocent civilians. But there, undoubtedly, have been many deaths due to Hamas’s soulless habit of using their own population as human shields. Still, our country has kept fighting.
Now, the fighting has focused on the north, and that war has been nothing short of miraculous. Never in my wildest dreams did I think that Hezbollah would be crippled in two-and-a-half weeks. Hezbollah was the terrorist group that I dreaded most. It was better funded, better armed, better trained, and was fully imbedded into Lebanese society and politics. Then came the beepers, and Hezbollah lost its balance. After that were the bombs that took out the group’s leader, Hassan Nasrallah, along with a host of other terrorists and Iranians, and Hezbollah collapsed to the ground. In less than three weeks, 85% of their feared rocket launching capabilities were damaged or destroyed. This is not the power of Israel or the United States that has done this. It is the power of God.
And speaking of the power of God, how’re things going in Tehran right now? The largest ballistic missile attack in the history of planet earth, and Israel lost one Arab who was crushed by a blown-out missile husk while wandering around outside in Jericho. God said He would protect His people, and that is exactly what He did.
Now, Iran is in trouble. They are bracing for a response, as they spout off threats and even spread rumors of a nuclear test. And they are right to be scared. Israel is going to retaliate. But where? One option is to go after oil and gas facilities in a harsh economic attack. A second possibility is to hit missile and military bases. Third, we could assassinate key leaders, a skill for which we’ve shown a certain penchant. Or, four, we could wipe out Iran’s nuclear program. While I think it will likely be options one and, maybe, two, I wish it could be four. But with the current administration in the United States White House, it can’t happen. Biden and Harris are too afraid to make Iran mad, and we quite simply cannot destroy Tehran’s nuclear program without the help of the United States. The types of bombs needed, and the specific delivery systems are not part of our current arsenal.
So, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is kind of stuck between what he can do and what he knows really needs doing. Imagine what might have happened just this past week if Iran already had nukes. While Bibi mulls over his decision, the Biden White House is doing all it can to undermine him. The president invited Defense Minister and Netanyahu rival, Yoav Gallant, to the White House to discuss strategy. When word got to the prime minister, he put a kibosh on that trip. It is undermining U.S. actions like this that demonstrate why so many in Israel are anxiously watching November’s elections in America. The person in the White House matters greatly to us. I would suspect that if Donald Trump makes it back into the Oval Office, then by January 2025 Iran’s nuclear scientists better start scurrying from their underground bunkers.
One year in and we’re now fighting on direct fronts. We have the battle in the West Bank that keeps spilling over into individual terrorist attacks. Just yesterday in Hadera, a West Bank Arab went crazy with a knife and stabbed six people, two of them critically, before he was permanently put out of commission. In Gaza, the IDF is pushing the population through the humanitarian area to the south, in order to establish a northern Gaza buffer zone. There will no longer be any terrorists on our southern border.
In Lebanon, Hezbollah is finally interested in a ceasefire without connecting it to any ceasefire in Gaza. Israel, however, responded, “Not so fast. You want a ceasefire in Lebanon? Get our hostages back from Gaza.” This was brilliant, because when you take a step back you can see who is really on the spot. It’s Iran, the puppet master of the proxies. Truly a genius move!
God has given humanity free will. When people use that free will to do evil, God will step in and say, “Yeah, you’re going to pay dearly for that. However, in the meantime, I will use for good what you intended for bad.” That theological truth is on bold display in the Middle East. If the planned terror attacks had gone according to Iran’s timetable instead of Hamas’s inexplicable, attention-seeking premature start, the results could have been devastating for the entire nation of Israel. If the necessarily impossibly-precise interworking of Israel’s missile systems – Iron Dome, David’s Sling, and Arrow – hadn’t miraculously worked with such impossible precision during Iran’s April and September attacks, hundreds and maybe thousands of Israelis would have been killed or wounded. And, perhaps, most amazing of all, what might have happened if God hadn’t taken a mass of conscripted Gen-Z young adults and melded them into what might possibly be the most powerful fighting force our nation has ever seen? This is a generation of lions, of victors. They are truly incredible.
Bible believers should not be surprised at what they are seeing in the Middle East right now. It fits into God’s prophetic timeline hand-in-glove. Iran needs to be beaten down so that they won’t trust their proxies anymore. That is what will turn them to a stronger coalition made up of Russia, Turkey, and some African countries. United together, they will attack Israel. When they do, it will not be the IDF or the prime minister or America who will fight the battle. It will be the Lord of Hosts, and it will be a supernatural victory that God will win for us. The people of Israel will be astonished and will begin looking for the Messiah. That’s when a new leader will arise who will be strong and wise enough to work out a deal for a new temple. The Jewish people will flock to him and celebrate him, at least until he demands that he be worshipped as a God. Panic will arise among many, and a number of the Jews will flee to a place that God has prepared for them until the time of that antichrist is over. It is then they will see Jesus returning with His church. They will recognize Him as the one that their ancestors pierced, they will mourn for Him and what they did to Him, and they will repent and receive Him one by one as their Messiah. That, my dear friends, is what the Bible says is in store for Israel.
As we watch the events in the Middle East, what can the church do to help? Let me put it this way. If you take all the rockets that fell on Israel from the beginning of the war and all the ballistic missiles that flew from Iran – both times – and you accumulate all their power to kill, then you look at how many Israelis actually were killed, it doesn’t even make sense. Just like the birth of Israel doesn’t make sense to some people, so the survival of Israel doesn’t make sense to others. My only explanation is that the effective and fervent prayer of a righteous person avails much.
When you pray for Israel, you are carrying out the most powerful act possible. Stronger than the weapons from France or Britain or America or Germany, the prayers of the church are what will keep Israel together and safe. So, that’s what I’m asking of you. When two or three of you are gathered together in God’s name, pray for Israel. You will be amazed at the power your faith wields.
The Ministry
As I was writing Telegram posts about tunnels between Metula, Israel, and Kfarkela, Lebanon, I couldn’t help thinking about Nir and his squad using those very same tunnels in my upcoming thriller, The Sick Man’s Rage. This book is pulled right from the headlines, beginning with October 7 and moving on to what’s taking place in Turkey, Lebanon, and Syria today. The novel is a thrill ride that will have you gasping for breath. Preorder your copy today, so that we can ensure that this book and its Gospel message reach all the big box stores before Christmas!
Tomorrow night, October 11, begins Yom Kippur, the most solemn day on the Jewish calendar. Most people recognize the name but know little about its true meaning and how it will find its ultimate fulfillment when the Messiah returns and the Jewish people recognize Him for who He is. Learn more about this special day when you read, “The True Meaning of Yom Kippur.”
For those of you in the Toronto area, our Director of Behold Israel – Canada, Nick DiGiovanni, will be preaching at the Sunday Morning Service at Calvary Chapel Oakville at 10:30 AM. Come meet Nick and his amazing wife, Tina, and hear about what God is doing in and through Behold Israel around the world.
Prayer is a gift from God. It allows us to communicate with Him directly, without the need for an intermediate or a ritual. Thank you for using some of your prayer time to lift our ministry before the Lord. As we’ve already seen, God hears and He acts. Praise His name!
Awaiting His Return,
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