Prophecy Letters
"Blessed are your eyes, for they see: and your ears, for they hear. For verily I say unto you, That many prophets and righteous men have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen them; and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them." Matt. 13:16-17
The Prophecy Letter is a circular letter that we send out relating to the development of latter-day prophecy.
November 2023
Psalm 83, the United States, and Ezekiel 38
TGP Prophecy Letter – November 10, 2023
Brothers, Sisters, and friends,
My schedule for that past month with work and ecclesial duties has prevented me from writing as I desired, but I now have a short span to scrap together a few comments on these incredible things happening now! I did not have time to organize these thoughts as well as I wish and you may find some grammatical errors, but I earnestly pray that some benefit is derived from them and trust that the reader will see the overall message behind these thoughts.
It’s hard to believe, but the war with Hamas is now a month old, and many exciting things have taken place! What’s striking is the how much of the world is speaking out against Israel, not Hamas!
Pro-Palestine Protesters Worldwide Call For Israel's Elimination – I24NEWS
Global antisemitism soars by 1,180% amid war with Hamas – The Jerusalem Post
Antisemitic incidents up 800% in the Netherlands since Oct. 7 – The Jerusalem Post
Israel warns citizens not to travel as antisemitic incidents soar across globe – FOX News
When we think of the nations rebelling against the authority of Christ, this is precisely the attitude we would expect them to take: hate toward the Jews. It is in part for the salvation of Israel that Christ will destroy the Arab nations. The hope of mankind is the hope of Israel (John 4:22, Acts 28:20). When Christ establishes his kingdom, he will be King of Israel. He will send out his Gospel dictate and order for submission, but we’re told that “The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD, and against his anointed, saying, Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us” (Psalms 2:2-3). Many nations will rebel rather than submit, and as Christ will have declared himself as KING of Israel, the present world hostility toward Israel is one of many things that makes it easy to see why they’ll reject him.
Hamas initiated a savage attack on Israel, and now much of the world agrees that Israel must be eliminated. If this has caused such world opposition to Israel, how much more so will the nations seethe when Christ, the saints, and Israel destroy all of the “nations round about”? We don’t have to imagine – we are told!
Yet not only is this world-disposition prophesied, but the effect it is having is working to further other prophecies as well. With the increase in antisemitism, Jews all around are seeking refuge. And where are they considering going?
Israel sees surge in immigration interest from US, France since Oct. 7 – The Jerusalem Post
Isaiah 43:5-6 – …I will bring thy seed from the east, and gather thee from the west; (6) I will say to the north, Give up; and to the south, Keep not back: bring my sons from far, and my daughters from the ends of the earth;
This prophecy and many others show the Jews being regathered to their ancient homeland, and the current rise in persecution is contributing to its fulfillment.
What we wish to do now is very quickly discuss the effect that this war has had on a few different facets of latter-day prophecy, how it has furthered God’s plan, and what we might expect to happen next.
The Development of Psalm 83
The 83rd Psalm is one of the prophecies which most directly relates to the events we’re seeing. Referred to as
“the Philistines”, Hamas is described as being one of ten local entities which come against Israel. So when this war began, we wondered whether it could expand to include the rest of these nations. While it has yet to reach maturity, the situation is continually building in that direction! We wait for Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Iraq, and Saudi Arabia to join in if this is indeed the Psalm 83 war we are witnessing. I believe that Iran will be main instigator of the war as well. Here are a few items that show the current stage of development.
So far Iraq has sided with Hamas and began attacking US troops nearby. US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken was recently in Iraq in an attempt to negotiate a “humanitarian pause” in the war (FOX News).
Lebanon has exchanged heavy fire with Israel for weeks, and Hezbollah claims that they have already entered the war (Yahoo! News, All Israel News). Israeli strikes in Syria continue as well.
Jordan is growing in frustration and has recalled their ambassador to Israel over the Gaza conflict (World Israel News).
Saudi Arabia has been critical of both Israel and Gaza, but supposedly they currently still desire normalization with Israel.
As to Iran, the situation continues only to escalate:
Iran warns of 'harsh consequences' if Gaza attacks continue – The Jerusalem Post
New attacks hit US bases in Iraq, Syria as Iran ups threats over Gaza – Al-Monitor
Iran foreign minister warns Israel-Hamas war expansion ‘has become inevitable’: report – FOX News
Iran begins diplomatic offensive against Israel and US – The Jerusalem Post
My position on Iran is that they will not be directly involved in the Psalm 83 war as Persia is only mentioned in Ezekiel 38. Yet their role in the current conflict cannot be denied, for these enemies surrounding Israel at present are considered Iranian proxies. They do the bidding of Iran:
Hezbollah, Iran-backed groups step up attacks on Israel as Gaza death toll grows – NBC News
And so even though Iran is involved in the conflict, these Psalm 83 nations are the ones that are visibly attacking Israel, and so only they are named in the prophecy. Yet when it comes time for Gog to descend, then we see Persia taking a direct, physical role.
The point of these ill-organized thoughts of mine is that the prophecy of Psalm 83 is maturing before our eyes, and if this conflict continues to grow, it’s possible that you and I have already witnessed the beginning of this war! If that is the case, then the implications for us believers is profound: get ready for our Lord Jesus Christ!
US Involvement and Motives
Briefly, we must mention the United States and their role in this conflict thus far. At the outset, it appeared that the US was going to fight alongside Israel as a strong ally. Many political moves and speeches were made in this regard, but it turns out that the support was not as solid as conveyed. In short, a survey of the situation shows that America has dual-interests and is not the sturdy ally for Israel that it once was.
The US has ulterior motives for deploying its forces in the region – The Jerusalem Post
Blinken arrives in Israel, attempts to pressure Netanyahu to 'pause' war – World Israel News
Israel resists US pressure to pause war, wants hostages back first – AP News
Bernie Sanders refuses to condemn congresswoman's call to wipe out Israel – World Israel News
Biden White House says it opposes Israeli 'reoccupation' of Gaza after war – World Israel News
The US is largely divided over the issue of Israel. In general, the far right supports Israel while the left supports Hamas. At this time, a leftist is Commander-in-Chief, and so he ultimately determines US policy. We watch to see how things develop, but given that the Word shows Israel as standing alone against her enemies when it matters most, I expect US support for Israel to continue to wane.
Ezekiel 38 and Psalm 83
What’s exciting is the current Hams war is also helping set the chess table for the Ezekiel 38 war with Russia, Turkey, Iran, and her other allies. Perhaps to the surprise of some, when Israel was seeking statehood in 1947-1948, it was often Russia that stood up for the unborn nation at the United Nations. At times, their support was greater than America’s! But today, Russia takes the opposite stance:
Israel has no right to defend itself, says Russia at UN – The Jerusalem Post
What this current conflict is doing is causing the larger world powers to reassess how they can retain the most control over the Middle East. Wars throw everything off kilter, and so when one piece of the puzzle moves, the nations try to counter-move to offset the difference. It’s very much so like chess. If there is uncertainty in one region, a nation will reallocate forces to that region to shore up their hold on it. The result of this is the increase of Russian presence and influence in nations which are specifically listed in Ezekiel 38!
For instance, Russia has long been an ally of Turkey and Iran, and so it is easy to see why they would accompany Russia when they descend toward Israel. Yet some of the other Ezekiel 38 nations were more puzzling to work out. They were not strong allies of Russia, and so we wondered what would cause this alliance to form. Libya was one of these nations. But now, as a result of the new Hamas war, look what has happened:
Putin’s move to secure Libya bases is new regional challenge for US, European allies – Al Arabiya
Russia plans to build a military base in Libya – RBC-Ukraine
Russia is now increasing their presence in Libya, and I believe this is a significant step toward the fulfillment of the prophecy. Russia is a supporter of the Arab nations around Israel because they represent opposition to western thinking and influence. In relation to Libya, Russia’s thinking is this: if things with Israel and her Arab enemies turn south an harm Russian interests, Russia wants to be close enough to intervene before their foothold in the region is completely ousted. It is all about control. Whoever controls the Middle East essentially controls the world, and it is this desire to retain sway over the region that has coerced Russia to increase their presence in the Ezekiel 38 nations. I believe this motive will continue to be the main driving force behind the formation of the alliance prophesied in Ezekiel 38.
A recent article from World Israel News explains some of these things:
“Since the invasion, China, Russia, and Iran have all used their state-controlled media outlets to promote Hamas claims downplaying or outright denying the terrorist organization’s atrocities, while accusing Israel of persecuting Palestinians and even committing genocide.
“While Iran has been a patron of the Gaza-based terrorist organization for decades, China and Russia have only recently thrown their support behind Hamas, viewing the current war with Israel as a vehicle for undermining the West generally and the U.S. specifically.”
In relation to Turkey, we have seen some very exciting developments in their stance on Israel. While it seemed like their relationship with Israel was improving a few months ago, any progress that might have been made has now vanished!
Turkey recalls envoy to Israel, 'writes off' Netanyahu – Yahoo! News
Erdogan threatens war on Israel in terrifying warning – Express
ARE WE AT THE END? Turkey Threatens Israel, Iran Prepares To Enter Conflict – Israel Unwired
What’s fascinating is that we are seeing how the Psalm 83 war and that of Ezekiel 38 are connected, though not the same event. One is the result of the other. When Christ comes to claim the Abrahamic lot, the Psalm 83 nations will be vanquished as they are presently in that land. When that happens, I believe Russia will see that their hold on the Middle East will have been nearly eliminated, and they will act. As we are witnessing now, they will have prepared for such a scenario and will attempt to advance on the new Kingdom of God from all sides. Yet we know the end of the matter: the utter destruction of those nations!
While there are other things that could be said about this alliance and how it continues to form just as the Lord says it will, we have written enough for now. But the message we must all take away from these developments is very simple: the Lord Jesus Christ is returning soon, and he will only do so once. The Kingdom will not wait for you and I to be ready for it. Now is the time to look inwardly at ourselves with blunt honesty and ask, Am I ready to appear before Christ? If I were called to stand before him at this moment, would I rejoice at the realization of my faith, or would I fear and sorrow, knowing that the comfortable, pleasure-filled life I’ve been given is over as I know it? Will we not want to go? Will we turn back as did Lot’s wife? It’s a question which can rattle us to the core and expose the true state of our faith and love for the Hope we have. Yet it is far better to ask this question now and use the remaining time to improve than it is to kick it down the road, intending to “think about it more later”. As Paul says, “if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged” (1 Corinthians 11:31). Let us use the short time remaining to make the necessary adjustments in our lives, so that when we are called to go, our hearts burst with an inner joy we have yet to feel, for only the return of our bridegroom could give us such exultation
In the One Hope of Israel,
Tanner Hawkins