The Prophecy Letter is a circular letter that we send out relating to the development of latter-day prophecy.

January 2024

BIG, BIG Developments!

TGP Prophecy Letter – January 23, 2024

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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:

Israel-Hamas War: Biden Ally Says Netanyahu Isn’t Aligned With Peace Quest – Bloomberg

Biden threatens Netanyahu's drive to destroy Hamas – World Israel News

US and Arab states push Israel to accept new deal for hostage release, end of war – All Israel News

Netanyahu again rejects Palestinian sovereignty amid fresh US push for two-state solution – CNN

EU pushes for Palestinian statehood, rejecting Israeli leader's insistence it's off the table – Associated Press

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 Arabia 'unequivocally' rules out peace with Israel without Palestinian state – World Israel News

“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 announces increased presence on Syrian-Israeli border to ‘monitor the situation’ – All Israel News

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

The Prophesied Arab Confederacy Grows - The Role of Iran

TGP Prophecy Letter – January 6, 2024

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One of the most wonderful things about prophecy is that it’s how the Lord tells His servants where they reside on the time-table of His eternal plan. The omnipotent God has revealed that certain events would come to pass, and as the Lord’s servants, it is our great privilege, indeed our duty, to examine the political heavens to discern at what point we reside. Brothers, Sisters, and friends, the present time is an unspeakably exciting time to do this! A review of the past has shown that there have often been significant individual years in history, and it appears that 2024 may well be one of those years.

Nearly every Prophecy Letter is centered upon the subject of the final Arab-Israeli war, and this one will be no different. I have wondered whether some tire of reading on the subject, and I’ve considered whether the few prophecy articles I’ve been able to disperse lately could be better focused on a different subject. Yet when I consider the direct import and relevance of this subject, I consistently find it to be the most pressing and important issue for us believers to keep up with. The movements of Russia are important to watch. The utterances of the Pope – that great False Prophet – and his impact on the nations requires our attention. Yet as far as urgency and immediate import goes, neither of these carry the weight as does the subject of Israel’s war with the Arab “heathen round about”.

The reason for this is simple. Those who are familiar with the Prophecy Letter know the reason, but as there are some new readers, I will briefly explain: the Scriptures show that the Arab nations which presently surround Israel and occupy the lot promised to Abraham’s seed are dealt with by the Lord first. The Russian confederacy and the Babylonian Harlot system will be terminated in time, but only after Christ has established himself as King of Israel. This concept of chronology is enough for us to be looking for this first battle before the others (of course), yet the main reason we focus so heavily on this subject is because of how we – the saints – are talked about at this future time.

Prophecy shows that Israel will be saved from the Arab confederacy of Psalm 83 by the direct intervention of Christ and his immortalized saints (Zechariah 14:5, Obadiah 21, Habakkuk 3:13, Psalm 83:9-18, and others). The Zechariah 14 reference states that when Israel flees from the enemy, “the Lord my God shall come, and all the saints with thee.” As the saints are those who have presently entered into covenant through baptism (1 Corinthians 1:2 – omit italics), this necessitates that we be gathered, judged, and immortalized before Christ goes forth to save Israel. Therefore, if we see the Arab nations beginning to take their prophesied roles against Israel, we must logically and soberly conclude that our in-gathering to Christ will take place at any moment. It is for this reason that we will continually and unapologetically report on this most exciting topic!

The Arab Federacy Continues to Form

So the question is, What is the situation with the Arab nations now? To our joy, they are joining together just as prophecy foretold!

It has long been wondered what might spark this conflict, but it appears that the Hamas war could be it. The conflict which originally started between just Israel and Hamas is escalating instead of de-escalating, and more nations are now becoming involved. And they are not just any nations of the world; they are ones which are specifically called out in the prophecy! As shown on the map, the nations outlined in Psalm 83 are those of Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, and in my studied opinion, the Bedouins in the Negev (southern Israel). It’s important to note that these enemies are not only described in the Word by the lands they inhabited, but also collectively by a more succinct title: the “heathen/nations round about” (Zechariah 12:2, 14:14, Ezekiel 28:26). The aptness of this title is clear from the map, for these nations literally surround Israel. This title was also the one applied to these nations in ancient times (Leviticus 25:44, Numbers 32:33, Deuteronomy 6:14, 12:10, 13:7, and others). This war will therefore take place on nearly every one of Israel’s fronts. And so, if the Hamas war is indeed the beginning of the greater war to come, the rest of the listed nations must become involved.

In light of these things, the following headlines are incredibly exciting! Syria and Lebanon are becoming more and more involved:

Israel-Iran Tensions Rise as Israeli Forces Trade Fire With Militias in Syria, Lebanon – WSJ

Attack in Syria kills 11 senior Iranian military officers, injures top advisor to Damascus – Yahoo! News

And most importantly:

Israel readies for war on 7 fronts as attacks recorded in several neighbouring countries – The Independent

“Israel has warned they are in a war on seven fronts as attacks recorded in a handful of neighbouring countries in the last 48 hours spark fears of the conflict escalating to the wider region. In an address to the Israeli government on Tuesday, Yoav Gallant, the country’s defence minister and one of only three members of its war cabinet, said they were coming under attack from Gaza, Lebanon, Syria, the West Bank, Iraq, Yemen and Iran. ‘We are in a multifront war and coming under attack from seven theatres,’ he said, before listing them all. Without specifying, he added that they were taking action on six of the fronts.”

The conclusion is easy to draw: we may be witnessing the beginning of the Psalm 83 war! The only two nations which have yet to get involved in any way are Saudi Arabia and Jordan, but if our understanding of the Word is correct and the events we’re seeing are indeed the beginning of this prophesied war, these nations will get involved at some point or another. In fact, the Jewish Press just reported:

IDF Document Warns the Next Major Attack Will Come from Jordan and Syria – The Jewish Press

It says,

“Hakol Hayehudi on Sunday revealed a new document issued by the Home Front Command detailing the dangers facing the State of Israel on the eastern border and raises the concern that all of Hezbollah’s activity in the north is only intended to distract from the real attack that will come from the east.

“Using only known sources, the document details the deployment of Iran’s forces in Syria and raises the concern that the Jordanian army is also preparing to attack from the east.”

The article goes on to mention that Jordan has been conducting military maneuvers near a location which would be the ideal spot for an invasion. If these reports are true, then it is only a matter of time before Jordan - the latter-day Edom, Ammon, and Moab - joins the conflict! So far, World Israel News and Israel365 News have substantiated these claims. If Jordan gets involved, then all that remains is Saudi Arabia.

How exciting is this! Things which believers have been talking about for many years are beginning to transpire! Those who knew Bro. Harold Lafferty (the creator of the Prophecy Letter) can only imagine his response were he able to see these things coming to pass!

While we must remember that no man knows the day nor the hour of Christ’s return, an honest evaluation of the present state of the Middle East lines up perfectly with what we expect from the Word. As fallible mortals, we must always temper our speech and admit the possibility that this conflict could die down and become simply another move of the chess piece in God’s plan, but to say this at this point would ignore all present facts. All that we can honestly and truthfully say is things are presently building precisely as prophecy says, and we must acknowledge this fact and the relevance to us. The message is clear: we could be gathered at any moment!

The Critical and Interesting Role of Iran

Now, there is something more that adds to the beauty of God’s revelation of these events. Central to the current conflict with Israel is Iran, a nation who is only mentioned in latter-day prophecy as coming down with the Russian Gog. Many honest studies have led me to the conclusion that this conflict takes place after the Psalm 83 war. In fact, I have found the Word to show that the Psalm 83 war sets up and largely causes the Ezekiel 38 war. This has been written on many times as well, and given how the Word speaks of Iran (Persia) as only coming directly against Israel at the same time Russia does, we conclude that their direct role with the Psalm 83 war will be minimal or at least not significant enough for Scripture to call it out. Yet Iran’s role in this current conflict cannot be ignored. In fact, Iran is the one who has been forming the Psalm 83 confederacy. As reported by The Jerusalem Post,

“Iran’s goal has been to “unify” the fronts or “arenas” against Israel. This means bringing together militias and proxies in numerous places; Gaza, the West Bank, Yemen, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, and other places. Iran has already been able to key most of these arenas into the conflict against Israel.”

Iran is the mastermind who is organizing the Psalm 83 nations into their confederacy. But as the Scriptures make no mention of Iran as being part of this confederacy, my thinking has been that they may be temporarily incapacitated, leaving them unable to fight as directly as they wish. They would rely solely upon their proxies to attack Israel. As to what might cause this incapacitation, there are multiple possibilities. My thinking is that it would involve taking out their nuclear program.

It's a subject we haven’t heard about as much in recent weeks, but it’s now one of the main concerns for Israel and is making headlines again. Iran has revamped their nuclear program:

2024: The Year Iran Will Go Nuclear If Western Powers Do Not Act – Gatestone Institute

IAEA says Iran has tripled production to 60% enriched uranium, has enough for 3 bombs – All Israel News

Iran Adds to Pressure on U.S. With Nuclear Program Acceleration – WSJ

Iran undoes slowdown in enrichment of uranium to near weapons-grade – The Jerusalem Post

US, France, Germany and UK call on Iran to de-escalate nuclear program – The Jerusalem Post

I believe Israel would be the most motivated to strike Iran, yet news appeared the other day stating that the United States might be forced to carry out an attack. The article was removed shortly after its publishing, so it could be that the information wasn’t well-founded. Yet it’s worth noting that tensions between the US and Iran are heating up. In a bold move, Iran has stationed a warship in the Red Sea precisely as a US Aircraft Carrier left the Middle East (The Jerusalem Post). With growing concern about Iran’s nuclear ambitions, perhaps the US will see no other option than to attack Iran? In my opinion, it seems unlikely at this present time, but we will see.

While it’s interesting and exciting to consider how exactly the angelic host will work amongst the nations, you and I do not need to be able to discern exactly how Iran will be sidelined for this first conflict. The clear testimony of the Word alone is more than enough to reach a solid conclusion. Many times in the past have Bible students known with certainty that particular events would take place, all the while not knowing how and what events would lead up to it. For example, Brother John Thomas and many others recognized from prophecy that the nation of Israel would be reborn and the Jews would be regathered to their ancient homeland. As to the details of how the Lord would accomplish this, they were uncertain, and many of their projections missed the mark. They did not foresee the Zionist movement, the events of WWI, and those of WW2 and the Holocaust; all of which contributed to the rebirth of the nation. Yet it was not necessary for them to know these particulars in order to confidently say, “The nation of Israel must be reborn.” The clear testimony of the Word was more than enough.

It's in this light that we must view all unfulfilled prophecy, and at this particular time, how I suggest we view Persia’s absence from the Psalm 83 war. We know that Iran will not be destroyed before that war, for they show up at a later time with Russia. Therefore, I believe we must conclude that something will occur which will force them to utilize only their proxy states to attack Israel. For the past many months, I have been expecting to wake up one morning and see the following headline in my email: “BREAKING NEWS: EXPLOSIONS AT IRANIAN NUCLEAR SITES – IRAN BLAMES ISRAEL”.

Interestingly, just as this article was being finished, the following breaking news was reported:

Explosion in Iran during terrorist General Soleimani remembrance ceremony kills at least 103, wounds 211 – All Israel News

There were not at Iran’s nuclear sites, but at the remembrance ceremony of the Iranian mastermind of terror who was taken out by Israel on January 3, 2020. We would expect Israel to be behind this, yet so far, it is the Islamic State that has claimed responsibility (WSJ). In spite of this, Iran is still blaming Israel (World Israel News).The days ahead will reveal more information as to who actually did it, but this act seems to send a message to Iran: you can be reached if we want to reach you! It further seems to validate that Israel could attack Iran’s nuclear sites if they pleased. Yet again, we must state: the only certain thing I believe we must conclude from the Word is that Iran will be largely left out of the Psalm 83 war. We wait to see how and why.

Perhaps this incapacitation will be one of the motivating factors for Russia to descend to Israel as described in Ezekiel 38-39. We must remember that the only motive given to us in Scripture for Russia’s invasion is “To take a spoil, and to take a prey; to turn thine hand upon the desolate places that are now inhabited, and upon the people that are gathered out of the nations, which have gotten cattle and goods, that dwell in the midst of the land” (Ezekiel 38:12). For Russia, there is no mention of hatred for Israel or religious antagonism. It is simply spoil that motivates her to war.

Yet this does not mean that spoil will be the motivation for Gog’s allies. We can say with absolute certainty that Persia’s involvement will include religious hatred for Israel. And if Iran has recently received a black eye from Israel or another Western power, do we not imagine they will prod their Russian protector to help avenge them?

In summary, we can gladly say that we are seeing the development of all of the major conflicts to come once our Lord reappears on the world scene. As the Psalm 83 nations gradually become more and more involved together, I believe we must soberly and joyfully conclude that our Lord’s return is indeed nigh! Very soon, we expect to hear the cry, “Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him” (Matthew 25:6). In the time remaining, our role as those who are “set apart” for the Lord is to ensure that we are accounted among the five wise virgins of the parable who had enough oil for their lamps, and were therefore blessed to partake in that great, eternal marriage we all so dearly long for!

Think of how wonderful it will be when we no longer have to wonder, “How much more must the world fill the cup of its iniquity? Is it not already spilling over?” How soothing it will be to not have to watch the news so carefully to look for signs of his coming, for he himself will be in our very midst. It is such a wondrous thought that it is difficult to comprehend at times, yet it is the certain hope which the covenanted of the Lord enjoy. May we never take it for granted, but instead devote ourselves completely and whole-heartedly to the Lord’s purpose with us and the earth. If we do, the Lord has promised, “I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth, and feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it” (Isaiah 58:14).

In the One Hope of Israel,

Tanner Hawkins