top of page

BIG, BIG Developments!

There are many big things happening now, and although it is simply not possible to discuss every item, I try to comment upon a few to show their context with what is going on in the world in relation to prophecy. Please bear with me as I try to write for both old and new readers so it’s comprehensible to all.

Allies Collide – The United States and Israel

The United States has always been Israel’s largest and most important ally, yet this is changing rapidly thanks to the Hamas war. It’s a subject we’ve followed consistently as it’s an important piece of the prophetical puzzle, for prophecy shows Israel as remaining on their own against their Arab enemies. The Lord declares,

Isaiah 63:3 – I have trodden the winepress alone; and of the people (that is, the people of the world) there was none with me: for I will tread them in mine anger, and trample them in my fury; and their blood shall be sprinkled upon my garments, and I will stain all my raiment.

This passage details how the multitudinous Christ executes the judgment written upon the nations of Psalm 83 who come against Israel. That this is the multitudinous body of Christ comprised of immortalized saints and not just Christ himself is borne out by many other passages in Scriptures and is worthy of brief comment. Two of these passages are Obadiah 19-21 and Zechariah 14:5. The Obadiah passage shows the Abrahamic lot being inherited by Israel, and this is accomplished by “saviours” (plural) executing judgment on the house of Esau. Zechariah 14:5 clearly tells us that Christ is not alone in carrying this out and even goes so far as to name the group who accompanies him: “the LORD my God shall come, and all the saints with thee.” This being established, we conclude that no carnal nation will come to Israel’s aid in her most desperate time of need. This includes the United States.

For most of history, the concept of the US abandoning Israel seemed outrageous and difficult to imagine, for they were nearly inseparable due to their shared interests. But recent years have seen cracks in the bond, and these continue to grow. The Hamas war has caused these to widen in drastic ways! 

This is largely because of the issue of a two-state “solution”. At this stage of the Hamas war, the world is calling for Israel to cave to Hamas’s demands in the hopes of stopping the war. The US, Saudi Arabia, and basically every other nation are calling on Israel to recognize a Palestinian state. But Netanyahu and most other Israeli politicians aren’t so foolish and recognize the fatal error of a two-state solution, for not only would it be more dangerous for Israel, it would cause more problems than those which already exist. The significant thing is that both the US and Israel are hardening in their opposing positions, which means that their alliance is increasingly under friction. Part of the reason for this relates to trying to solve the Hamas issue, but perhaps a bigger portion relates to elections.

Elections are on the mind of both Biden and Netanyahu, for both are not doing well in polls and will soon have to face the public. If Biden were to abandon the idea of a two-state solution, this would alienate him from his party’s ideals and essentially kill his chances for re-election (though they seem fairly slim to this writer as it is). Not only this, but his personal position is in favor of a two-state solution. Nothing has changed his view up to this point, so it is only reasonable to say that nothing will.

In the same way, if Netanyahu were to support a two-state solution, this would estrange him from his party's ideals and cause him to lose significant support with Israeli voters. Given his significant drop in polls due to the Hamas war, this is a loss he simply can't afford. And just like Biden, Netanyahu's personal stance happens to line up perfectly with his party’s. Netanyahu understands that a two-state solution will never work, but will only mean more war for the foreseeable future to come. It is for this reason that I believe we are truly seeing at least the partial reason as to why Israel is shown in prophecy as receiving little or no carnal aid in the Arab war to come.

Against all logic, Israel is now being portrayed as the bad guy and the Hamas war and is receiving criticism from all nations. Has everyone forgotten that it was Hamas who surprise-attacked Israel and took hostages? It would appear so! As frustrating as it may be to behold, this is just one of many chess moves in the direction which prophecy foretells and is a certain sign we are approaching the return of Our Lord.

We must state that in order for this prophecy to come to pass, it does not mean that the United States has to completely disown Israel. All it has to do is to not come to their aid in their time of need, or at least to do so in such a minimal fashion that prophecy doesn't even warrant mentioning it. Given the increasing criticism that Israel is receiving from the United States and how more and more liberal it is becoming, I believe this is an incredibly realistic scenario in the near future. There is already talk of withholding aid to Israel or withholding the US veto power at the UN in the event of an anti-Israel resolution. We should follow this closely in the days ahead.

For a few articles on some of the problems between the two nations, consider the following articles:

Intimately connected to these issues is the nation of

Saudi Arabia

It is with great excitement that we report on this subject, for it appears to me that this is one of the final large puzzle pieces that needed to be set in place. The Psalm 83 war between Israel and the Arab nations roundabout includes 10 Arab entities which are said to come against Israel with a united front. At this present time, every one of these nations is reasonably poised to assume this prophesied position at any time except for one. This is Saudi Arabia.

Some believe that the Saudis are not included in the prophecy at all, while others believe that they are. As of this writing, I am firmly in the latter camp. I believe an answer is fairly easy to reach, for all we have to ask is whether any of the nations of the day who were mentioned in the prophecy geographically correlate to today’s Saudi Arabia. This is the primary method of how prophecy describes latter-day powers. 

For example, the nation of Jordan did not exist in the days of David and Asaph which was when Psalm 83 was written. If the prophecy had been written long ago and mentioned the nation of Jordan, the hearers of the prophecy would have no idea who the prophecy was about. Instead, the wisdom of God has seen fit to reference a future nation by those peoples who resided in that geographical location at the time of the prophet. In the days of David and Asaph, the nations living in present-day Jordan were Edom, Ammon, and Moab. If we look at a map today, we find that the borders of these three nations are precisely those of modern-day Jordan, and we therefore understand that Jordan is the intention of the prophecy. The same rule applies to all nations, Saudi Arabia included.

The question then becomes, do any of the peoples or nations listed in Psalm 83 correlate to the domain of Saudi Arabia? My conclusion is that they are the only modern nation who could even remotely correspond to “the Ishmaelites” who are part of the Arab confederacy (Psalm 83:6). We have discussed this in separate sections before which I will link to HERE. I therefore conclude that Saudi Arabia is part of this Arab Confederacy and will come against Israel at some future time.

The problem has been that Saudi Arabia has been seeking peace with Israel for the past many months. There were times that it seemed that its realization was just around the corner, but given the Word of Truth, we had to conclude that such efforts would either fail or at least not last, for prophecy is not a guess, but rather a revelation of future events. We concluded therefore that Saudi Arabia would come against Israel, admitting that we didn’t know when or how. Yet it seems that we are seeing Saudi Arabia clearly changing their tune now, thanks again to the Hamas war. With Israel's outright rejection of a two-state solution, Saudi Arabia just announced they unequivocally withdraw their desire for normalization unless a two-state solution is part of the deal:

“Saudi Foreign Minister says Riyadh will never normalize relations with Israel without a ‘credible, irreversible path’ to Palestinian statehood.”

Normalization was based solely upon the basis that it would lead to a Palestinian state, and this is something that Netanyahu is unwilling to allow (as he should be). Now, we must say that this is not a declaration of war against Israel, but this change of position in Saudi Arabia is a significant chess move in that direction. What the Saudis and other Arab nations want is a secure Middle East which champions Arab interests. For a while, it seemed that normalizing ties with Israel would help achieve this for Saudi Arabia, and it therefore pursued that course. But that course appears to have reached a dead end, and so other avenues of stability and peace for the Arabs will now be explored.

The most ideal situation for the Arabs is the cessation of the Israeli state, for that is the crux of their woes. Knowing the history Israeli wars and how the Arab nations have made many of their decisions, Saudi Arabia could well be on their way to declaring war against Israel. We are not there quite yet, but we may be much closer than many may think. Again, at the end of the day, we do not have to know all the finite details, but can simply rest on what the Word says. The fact that present events are now turning in this direction are incredibly comforting and telling of the times in which we live, for the times of Gentile rule over this world quickly approaching an end.

Before moving on, I wish to share another scenario. What if Netanyahu is ousted from power and replaced with a Prime Minister who does agree to the formation of a Palestinian state? This could resume the “peace” process and potentially even lead to other Arab nations making “peace”. We know of a certainty that such would not be true peace, but it could easily be the fulfillment of a rather obscure prophecy:

1 Thessalonians 5:2-3 – For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night.  (3)  For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape.

Myself and others have interpreted this to refer to the nations seeking or declaring false “peace” with Israel. It’s important to note that it is not true peace, for the end thereof is destruction. Could Saudi Arabia and other Arab nations make a tentative “peace” deal with Israel that would soon fall flat and end in war? It’s a scenario which would answer well to this prophecy and still line up with everything else we know from the Word. Time will tell!

Could the US Strike Iran?

Any who have read the Prophecy Letter in the past months should be familiar with my belief that Iran is likely to be temporarily neutralized so as not to play a direct role in the Psalm 83 war. The reasoning for this is simple. (If you’re a regular reader and know what I’m about to say, then you can skip to the new paragraph. If not, continue on). Iran has been called the “octopus” that is behind the “tentacles” of the Psalm 83 nations. The nations of the Psalm are Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Jordan, the Gaza Strip (home to Hamas), southern Israel in the Negev, and Saudi Arabia. It is significant that most of these nations are considered “proxies” of Iran, meaning that they do Iran’s bidding since they are close enough to Israel to attack her. Yet Iran is prophetically named as Persia, and they are not listed in Psalm 83. The only war Persia is said to take part in is that which includes Russia. Ezekiel 38 shows her attempt to invade Israel along with a number of other nations, Persia being one of them. Their omission from Psalm 83 has lead me to believe that something will occur that will prevent Iran’s direct involvement in the Psalm 83 war, but still enable them to reorganize and fight in the later war of Ezekiel 38. I see a cause-and-effect relationship between the Psalm 83 war and the Ezekiel 38 war. I believe the Psalm 83 war will set up and cause the Russian invasion attempt.

As to what might cause this neutralization, we have suggested an Israeli strike on Iran as the most likely scenario. Yet current events may point to another power taking that role: the United States. The US is increasingly striking positions in Arab territories as US soldiers are coming under attack. This article from The Jerusalem Post explains. Hints have been given that the US might directly attack Iran. It is therefore possible that the US could be the reason for Persia’s omission Psalm 83.

This concept of a cause-and-effect relationship between these two major wars is not only discernible from the Word (a subject that ought to be discussed in its own article), but from current events:

Russia has moved more of their military assets to Syria, and given how the Ukraine war is going for Russia, all Russian assets are important. Now, consider if the Psalm 83 war were to take place at this moment. The nation of Syria is included in the Psalm by the ancient territories of “the Hagarenes” and Assyria (vss. 6,8). Therefore, when Christ and the saints conquer this land, all of Russia’s assets in the region will be destroyed or acquired as well. This would be yet another motivation for Russia to seek to come against Israel as prophesied, although we must remember that spoil is the only named cause for Russia’s invasion (Ezekiel 38:11-12).

Prospects of WWIII

The last subject for these comments regards the prospect of a Third World War. For time’s sake, we’ll omit examples and simply state that tensions between Russia and China against the US have taken a steep incline in recent weeks. These eastern powers are looking for a global reset.

The past two World Wars show us that war is the fastest way to change the ruling powers of the Earth. With normal diplomacy, nations push and shove one another as they vie for the upper hand. This is a long and gradual process as all are trying to avoid war. We can think of this contention of the nations as the plates of the Earth, slowly pushing and buckling against one another and building up pressure. Each plate is moving, but it is doing so very slowly. Yet once pressure builds up to a certain point, it can no longer withstand it, and the result is an earthquake: a very sudden and catastrophic readjustment of the plates. This is the process we see going on with the nations now. Pressure is constantly building up, and it appears it will soon be too much to bear.

The ramifications of a Third World War have obvious implications for us students of the Word. It could very easily and very quickly set the few remaining pieces of the puzzle we have been expecting to witness. One thing I think we need to really consider is the possibility that the West could finally come out as the loser, leaving nations like Russia and China at the helm of the world. Whether this will actually happen is uncertain, but it would seem to give a very natural place to many things that we know will happen from prophecy.

For example, Ezekiel 38 shows a future time when Russia and her confederate nations will come against the newly established Kingdom of Israel after the Arab Nations have been destroyed. We read of no physical deterrence in Russia's advance from any nations of the world. There's no battle mentioned which she must fight in order to make her way southward. The only opposition she faces is simply verbal questioning of intent from the powers of Britain and Sheba and Dedan (which I believe refer to Yemen and Oman).

Some students try to make the question, “Art thou come to take a spoil?” out as a war between Britain and Russia, but this makes the text say far too much. Yet if we think about Russia making such advance against Israel at this present moment, we would expect direct intervention from the Western powers. However, if a World War occurs and the West comes out as the loser who is now weakened in position and military might, it’s much easier to fathom how Russia could make such movements and only incur verbal opposition. The West may oppose their movements or question them, but they won’t be stopping them.

Again, we must conclude that we don't know the exact details which will lead to this fulfillment, but a Third World War is just one of many possibilities.

What it Means For Us

We wish to conclude these thoughts by trying to apply these things to ourselves. It’s my firm belief and that of many others that we could be gathered to Christ at any moment! The time for excuses is long past. We should honestly examine ourselves with earnest joy and expectation as a bride preparing for her wedding, not as a criminal about to stand before the judge. Our attitude in this preparation speaks to where are treasure lies.

Do we think of Christ's return as the end of our lives as we know them, or do we see it as the climax of our lives that we have been yearning and preparing for? Are we genuinely looking forward to the return of Christ and the changes he is going to make in this earth and in us, or will we secretly miss certain aspects of this order of things?

We might also do well to prepare ourselves for some discomfort in the days ahead. Should a Third World War occur and the West indeed be minimized, it’s possible that our daily lives will be affected in a drastic way. Many of us have been relatively unaffected by the chaos in the world. We have not been persecuted for our faith. Although things are getting expensive, most of us have been able to afford food, raiment, and shelter.

But the time may come when servants of the Lord will be persecuted and suffer. If so, we should not be surprised at this, for we are clearly told that such may occur (Matthew 10:22-25). But we do not serve the Lord so we can have a comfortable life here. We do so because our eyes have been opened to the purpose of this life and the glorious future ahead. Through the eye of faith, we see what the earth will be like under the rule of Christ! We see that this life is to condition us for the one to come! It is for this purpose that we will suffer shame for Christ’s name if called upon to do so. Let us work to prepare ourselves so that if we are so called, our response is that of the early disciples who, after being beaten and cast out, went away “rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for his name” (Acts 5:41). The signs our Father is presently giving should certainly work to this end!

 

In the One Hope of Israel,

Tanner Hawkins

bottom of page