What Is Next After The Israel-Hamas War?
Pastor Leslie Chua
“They lay crafty plans against your people; they consult together against your treasured ones. They say, “Come, let us wipe them out as a nation; let the name of Israel be remembered no more!” For they conspire with one accord; against you they make a covenant—the tents of Edom and the Ishmaelites, Moab and the Hagrites, Gebal and Ammon and Amalek, Philistia with the inhabitants of Tyre; Asshur also has joined them; they are the strong arm of the children of Lot. Selah ”
“The word of the LORD came to me: “Son of man, set your face toward Gog, of the land of Magog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal, and prophesy against him and say, Thus says the Lord GOD: Behold, I am against you, O Gog, chief prince of Meshech and Tubal. And I will turn you about and put hooks into your jaws, and I will bring you out, and all your army, horses and horsemen, all of them clothed in full armor, a great host, all of them with buckler and shield, wielding swords. Persia, Cush, and Put are with them, all of them with shield and helmet; Gomer and all his hordes; Beth-togarmah from the uttermost parts of the north with all his hordes—many peoples are with you. ”
On 7 October 2023, the unthinkable happened. The world-renowned Israeli intelligence failed. It could not detect an imminent terrorist attack on its soil. Some 1,500 Hamas terrorists penetrated the Israeli security defence line, brutally massacred more than 1,400 civilians and injured many more others. It was a horrific bloodbath.
Once inside the Israeli territory, they ran amok slaughtering unarmed civilians indiscriminately. These terrorists butchered the most vulnerable, raped the women, and decapitated the children.
Several hundred, including the elderly, women, and children, were taken hostage and carried across the Gaza border. Videos shot and posted on social media by the terrorists show how the hostages were publicly shamed and abused.
The Hamas’ savage attack on the Israeli civilians and their brutal tactics shocked the world. They remind us of the pogroms suffered by the Jews in the past. One could never imagine that it would happen in our civilised world today.
The international community rightly condemned the actions of the Hamas. Many political leaders openly gave their support to Israel and declared that Israel had the right to defend herself.
Within hours of the incursion, Israel declared war on the Hamas. The Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, told the Israeli citizens, “We are at war.”
Israel quickly mobilized its defence forces and retaliated by bombing Gaza. To date, more than 9,000 Palestinians, including women and children, have been killed and many more thousands are injured.
This is the sad reality of war. War is ugly. There are casualties on both sides. Innocent civilians are the collateral damage. It is painful to watch the suffering on both sides.
Other Parties Involved
This is not just a conflict between Israel and the terrorist organisation, Hamas. Several other parties and powerful nations are also involved.
Hezbollah is another terrorist organisation that is fighting Israel. It is militarily more sophisticated and powerful than Hamas. Like Hamas, Hezbollah is also supported and funded by Iran. Iran is fighting with Israel through its proxies, Hamas and Hezbollah.
Two nuclear superpowers, the USA and Russia, are also involved. The United States is supporting Israel while Russia stands with Iran.
The Middle East is a geopolitically strategic region because it supplies the bulk of the oil to the rest of the world.
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Many Christian observers are also saying that this Israel-Hamas conflict may likely lead to the wars described in Psalm 83 and Ezekiel chapters 38 and 39.
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So, this Israel-Hamas war has a much wider implication than most people realise. This is the reason some political commentators believe that it could potentially lead to World War Three if things were to spiral out of control. Especially with the Russia-Ukraine war and the escalating tension between the United States and China in the backdrop.
Many Christian observers are also saying that this Israel-Hamas conflict may likely lead to the wars described in Psalm 83 and Ezekiel chapters 38 and 39.
So, what is next? Will this conflict lead to the wars described in Psalm 83 and Ezekiel chapters 38 and 39? Will this war lead to World War Three?
Psalm 83 War
Many Christians who are interested in eschatology believe that the war described in Psalm 83 will be fulfilled soon.
Psalm 83 is a prophetic psalm composed by Asaph. It speaks of several countries surrounding Israel conspiring to wage war against her. The intent is to ‘wipe them out as a nation’ and ‘let the name of Israel be remembered no more!’ (Psalm 83:4). It is a sinister agenda.
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Contrary to popular belief, I believe that Psalm 83 has already been fulfilled. It most likely describes the War of Independence that Israel fought in 1948. A day after Israel declared independence, all the surrounding Arab states launched a combined attack against the fledgling nation of about 600,000 people.
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The names of these nations given in the psalm are ‘Edom and the Ishmaelites, Moab and the Hagrites, Gebal and Ammon and Amalek, Philistia with the inhabitants of Tyre,’ and Asshur (Psalm 83:6-8). These are the names of nations surrounding ancient Israel. Look at the map.
Their modern equivalents are Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Gaza, and the Sinai Peninsula.
Contrary to popular belief, I believe that Psalm 83 has already been fulfilled. It most likely describes the War of Independence that Israel fought in 1948. A day after Israel declared independence, all the surrounding Arab states launched a combined attack against the fledgling nation of about 600,000 people.
Psalm 83 could also be describing the war that Israel fought in 1967, which is famously known as the Six-Day War. In this short but consequential war, Israel defeated all its enemies and captured territories four times its size, which included East Jerusalem, the Golan Heights, the Sinai Peninsula West Bank, and the Gaza Strip.
Here is another reason why I believe that Psalm 83 has already been fulfilled. Israel is technically at peace with Egypt and Jordan. Israel signed the Camp David Accords with Egypt in 1978 and a peace treaty with Jordan in 1994.
Recently, in 2020, Israel signed the Abraham Accords with another four Arab countries – the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Morocco, and Sudan. The Abraham Accords normalised diplomatic relations between Israel and these countries.
Of late, Israel and Saudi Arabia have been working very hard towards normalising their relationship. The mood was optimistic until the Israel-Hamas conflict erupted.
The point that I am making here is Israel’s relationship with its surrounding neighbours has been improving steadily in recent decades. The war described in Psalm 83 had already been fulfilled.
I do not see a reversal of this trend. The threat against Israel presently comes from countries further away such as Iran, Turkey, and Russia.
Ezekiel 38-39 War
Many more Christian observers expect the Israel-Hamas conflict to lead to the war described in Ezekiel chapters 38 and 39.
In this war, several countries will invade Israel. The key players in this conflict are Turkey, Iran, and Russia, which are identified by their ancient names in the Ezekiel text (Ezekiel 38:1-6).
The speculation is valid because in recent years, these three countries are drawing closer to one another for the first time in history. They had held several high-level talks to bolster their political relationship.
Turkey, Iran and Russia are also hostile toward Israel.
Iran’s position is the most obvious. On countless occasions, Iran has publicly declared its intention to annihilate Israel, including during the United Nations General Assembly meetings. Currently, it is waging a war against Israel using its proxies, Hamas and Hezbollah.
Not many people took notice of Turkey until recently when the Israel-Hamas conflict flared up. President Erdogan of Turkey labelled Hamas a “liberation group” and Israel a “war criminal” in a massive pro-Palestine rally in Istanbul.
Russia stands with Iran. Iran has been supplying drones and missiles to Russia in its war against Ukraine.
So, we observe that the prophetic chess pieces are in the process of being put together for the Ezekiel 38-39 war, which is also commonly known as the Gog of Magog War.
Given that, is it possible that the current Israel-Hamas conflict may lead to the Ezekiel 38-39 wars?
Let me give you two scenarios.
In the first scenario, Iran decides to go head-on with Israel. It unleashes Hezbollah, which it has equipped with many weapons and high-precision rockets.
Israel will retaliate by dealing a crushing blow to Hezbollah and then going after Iran. Israel has been wary of Iran’s development of nuclear weapons. It cannot afford to have a nuclear-armed Iran. So, it will take the opportunity to destroy Iran’s nuclear capabilities.
This may potentially cause Russia and Turkey to get involved. A full-scale attack on Israel will ensue. That is when we see the Ezekiel 38-39 war takes place.
In the second scenario, Iran holds back for fear of reprisal by the United States. The United States has already sent two strike carrier groups led by the aircraft carriers, USS Gerald Ford and USS Dwight Eisenhower to the Eastern Mediterranean Sea. They serve as a deterrence, warning Iran and Hezbollah not to get into the fray.
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However, the condition for the Ezekiel 38-39 war to happen has not been met yet. According to Ezekiel 38:8, this war will take place at a time when Israel shall “dwell securely” in her land.
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Judging from the way things are developing presently, the first scenario seems to be a more likely outcome. The Ezekiel 38-39 war appears imminent.
However, the condition for the Ezekiel 38-39 war to happen has not been met yet. According to Ezekiel 38:8, this war will take place at a time when Israel shall “dwell securely” in her land.
Ezekiel 38:8 (ESV) - After many days you will be mustered. In the latter years you will go against the land that is restored from war, the land whose people were gathered from many peoples upon the mountains of Israel, which had been a continual waste. Its people were brought out from the peoples and now dwell securely, all of them.
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So, against the current sentiment of a widening war, I favour the second scenario. This present Israel-Hamas conflict is unlikely to escalate into the Ezekiel 38-39 war, much less World War Three.
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Israel might be a thriving country with a formidable military force. But it has never felt secure since its independence in 1948. Several wars were followed by a series of Palestinian violent uprisings known as intifadas. Israel is constantly on its toes and always vigilant against potential attacks.
So, against the current sentiment of a widening war, I favour the second scenario. This present Israel-Hamas conflict is unlikely to escalate into the Ezekiel 38-39 war, much less World War Three.
Peace Followed by War
This is what I think will happen. This is not a prophecy. It is my primary scenario of the likeliest trajectory based on current events and biblical prophecies.
Israel will emerge victorious in this present conflict. Its military will wipe out Hamas completely. Hezbollah operating in the north from Syria and Lebanon will suffer a crushing defeat. It is also likely that Damascus, the capital of Syria, will be utterly destroyed. It will “cease to be a city and will become a heap of ruins” fulfilling the prophecy in Isaiah 17:1. All this will take place in the next several months.
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After this war, Saudi Arabia will sign the Abraham Accords and normalise their diplomatic relations with Israel. Several other neighbouring countries will follow suit.
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Iran’s proxies will be utterly defeated and destroyed but Iran will not get into the war directly. The US military involvement will prove to be an effective deterrence.
After this war, Saudi Arabia will sign the Abraham Accords and normalise their diplomatic relations with Israel. Several other neighbouring countries will follow suit.
Overnight, there will be peace in the Middle East between Israel and her neighbours. Many high-level collaborations will take place and the region will thrive economically.
This is when Israel will let her guard down and become complacent.
Just when everyone thinks that this peace and prosperity will last for a long time, Russia, Turkey, Iran and several other countries will attack Israel. That will be the Ezekiel 38-39 war. It will eventually lead to World War Three, which is commonly known as the Battle of Armageddon.
This is what I think is most likely to happen next after the Israel-Hamas conflict. Again, please take note that this is not a prophecy, but a likely scenario judging from the current realities and biblical prophecies.