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World Updates & How We Should Respond

Recent weeks have required my attention to other matters in the truth, and while I do not believe anything earth-shattering has happened in that timeframe, I believe it important to share a concise update on what has transpired.

Gaza and Israel Update

The Gaza conflict is still not over, and we know that conflict between Israel and this small strip of land will not be over until “saviours (Christ and the immortalized saints) shall come up on mount Zion to judge the mount of Esau; and the kingdom shall be the LORD'S”, for it is at this time that Israel will safely inhabit “the plain the Philistines” which is the Gaza Strip today (Obadiah 1:21, 19). Until that occurs, the Lord has told Israel that the Gaza Strip and the other Islamic nations “round about” will continue to “be pricks in your eyes, and thorns in your sides” (Numbers 33:55).

Some hostages have yet to be returned, and Israel actually began a new offensive which has been slowed to a standstill, even though Trump has shown support for Israel (The Jerusalem Post, Fox News). The ceasefire that went into place has essentially been stalled, and it’s likely that unless hostages are returned, Israel is going to seek to acquire more of the land (Reuters). As already shown, the Spirit prophesies that Israel will eventually possess this land for an eternal inheritance under Christ’s rule, for that strip of land is part of the land promised to Abrahm and his seed forever (Genesis 13:15). It seems that the Gaza Strip could be one of the first lands acquired under Christ’s rule, for when the “root of Jesse” stands “for an ensign to the people” to gather the “outcasts of Israel” and the “dispersed of Judah”, these “shall fly upon the shoulders of the Philistines toward the west; they shall spoil them of the east together: they shall lay their hand upon Edom and Moab; and the children of Ammon shall obey them” (Isaiah 11:12-14). The conquering of the Gaza Strip therefore leads to the conquering of the other territories in the Abrahamic lot like Jordan (Edom, Ammon, and Moab).

There are other factors contributing to the tension in this arena. In a move that has bolstered the terrorist enemy, France has expressed intent to recognize a Palestinian state (World Israel News). While it’s unlikely that the “Palestinians” will agree to any state that does not include the elimination of the Israeli state, this nevertheless shows where the nations of the world stand on the issue. I believe it helps us see why when Christ and the saints “drive out all the inhabitants of the land” so “there shall be no more the Canaanite” in the land, the nations respond with anger and rebellion (Numbers, 33:52, Zechariah 14:21). The Scriptures say that when the Lord “hast taken to thee thy great power, and hast reigned”, the nations do not rejoice, but rather, “the nations were angry” (Revelation 11:17-18). As Psalm 2 records,

Psalms 2:1-4 – Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing?  (2)  The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD, and against his anointed, saying,  (3)  Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us.  (4)  He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision.

Unfortunately, the nations will rebel against God and His anointed son who will sit on the throne of David, and I believe that the nations who are siding with the Palestinian cause will be easily motivated to this hate of Christ, for he will have just absorbed that land into his kingdom. These moves by Christ will almost certainly be used by the liberal news agencies as validation of their present criticism of Israel – that Israel is an oppressor and has no “right” to the land. Therefore, when Christ proclaim his Gospel to the earth and requires the nations to submit, they will rage and rebel as the Scriptures show.

While it can be frustrating to witness the nations lining up against Israel, we must remember that it is God who is making these chess moves to fulfill His prophecy. For that reason, when “men’s hearts” begin “failing them for fear” because of all of the signs of trouble in the world, those same signs engender in the faithful a feeling of consolation and happy excitement, for Christ has said, “when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh” (Luke 21:26, 28).

Iran: Nuclear Ambitions and Alliances

We look at Iran because of the role they are to play in the latter-day conflicts, specifically that of Ezekiel 38-39. They are prophetically and, until recently (1935), known as Persia, and this nation is to be one of the nations allied with the Russian Gog who will come against Israel. Iran has been of great interest to us because of their bitter hatred of Israel and their connection with the Psalm 83 nations. As we’ve written on many times, we find that the Psalm 83 Islamic nations will come against Israel before Russia and Iran do, and while Iran has been the largest sponsor of the Psalm 83 nations, it is peculiar that Iran is not named among those Islamic nations. We have therefore concluded that somehow, Iran must be excluded from that conflict. The most likely scenario in our minds since 2021 has been an Israeli strike on Iran – such that wouldn’t destroy, but simply maim so Iran is temporarily an ineffective fighting force. News of these exact plans by Israel have recently been released:

It has been revealed that Israel had plans to strike Iran in the very near future, but this was prevented by Trump, and now the information has leaked. Nevertheless, this shows that Israel is capable of striking Iran – a feat which many said was impossible due to the distance between the two nations. As to what will happen in the future, we cannot say. It is clear though that Iran is not backing down from its nuclear ambitions (Times of Israel), and an Israeli strike is therefore still a possibility. It has even been posed whether the US would assist Israel in such a strike, and a new US aircraft carrier has recently been deployed near Iran to this send this message (Newsweek). If negotiations between the US and Iran fail, perhaps we will see this happen.

Such is what we hypothesize from the Word, but there’s no reason to insist that it must occur this way. All that we’re told in Scripture is what will happen, not necessarily what leads up to it or how it will happen.

As a final note on Iran, we do see that their relationship with Russia continues to strengthen just as prophesied:

American Positions

We have noted in previous letters that the Trump administration has taken what many call an “isolationist” view of the world, meaning that Trump is sticking true to his “America First” promise and is acting almost solely for the interests of America instead of the world at large. To this effect, we noted how this is actually creating unity in Europe as the Scriptures foretell in Revelation 17:9-13 (as just one example). The US has declared that they will no longer be funding some of the defense institutions, and the following further development was recently reported:

America’s actions have also been cause for fear in Israel, and the thinking is, “If America is willing to leave their European allies out to dry because their interests don’t align with US interests, then it’s possible that they will do the same to us (Israel) if our interests do not align.” This fear is well founded, for while Trump certainly has done a number of incredibly pro-Israel things, he has shown signs of wavering as well. Just one example was seen in Syria and Iran:

We must wait to see what happens, but the trajectory I’m seeing things go leads me to conclude that Trump will continue to isolate America from their allies, and as a result, America’s position in the world will be weakened. For years now, we have been discussing a diminished American presence on the world-scene because of what we find in the Bible. The Scriptures show that Israel will stand alone against their Islamic enemies and will be aided by none except Christ and his saints, and for that to happen, that means something must separate America and Israel (Isaiah 63:1-3, Habakkuk 3:13). This could either result from America being too weak to help Israel or simply unwilling, but we wait to see. It is worth noting, though, that while Bible students have been discussing a weakened America for years, the secular news agencies are now saying the same thing:

What it Means for Us

As always, we must stress the impact these signs should have on believers. These signs all point to the very near return of Christ, and while his return will come as a thief to the world, we’re told that it should not be so for us who have, know, and love him and the light of his Word. All is summed up by Paul in 1 Thessalonians 5, and we cite his words here to close our thoughts and find instruction for the remaining time ahead:

1 Thessalonians 5:2-11 – 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.  (4)  But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief.  (5)  Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness.  (6)  Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober.  (7)  For they that sleep sleep in the night; and they that be drunken are drunken in the night.  (8)  But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation.  (9)  For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ,  (10)  Who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with him.  (11)  Wherefore comfort yourselves together, and edify one another, even as also ye do.


In the Hope of Israel,

Tanner Hawkins

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