February 5, 2025 - A. V. Rauf
All Eyes on Gaza!!!! A Prelude to An Acceleration of Prophetic Events: the Building of the Third Temple, The Battle of Gog-Magog, the War of Psalm 83?
The Year 2025 A.D. began with a whirlwind of events that included strange malfunctions and crashes in airplanes, a devastating fires in California, the takedown of Syria, a new regime change in the United States just to name a few things. As we move into the month of February rather startling incident took place that may have very strong prophetic implications.
President Trump called for the U.S. to take long-term control of Gaza and for nearly two million Palestinian residents to permanently leave for neighboring countries. In this announcement, alongside Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Trump went on to declare that the United States would seize control of the Gaza Strip, secure it with thousands of armed troops, and rebuild it.
If you recall back in 2017 , In his first term, Donald Trump moved the United States Embassy to Jerusalem, declared Jerusalem to be the capital of Israel, and signed the Abraham Accords which simply put was an initiative to bring a peace covenant between Israel and her Muslim neighbors. Now here at the very beginning of his second term, President Trump has stated that America will now control Gaza, quite possibly setting the table for the building of a Jewish Temple. What does have to do with the building of a Jewish Temple? Enter current Secretary of defense Pete Hegseth, who back in 2018 went on record to say it was very possibly to build a temple on the Temple Mount In Israel:
Our responsibility is to pray for the leaders of the nations. 2 Timothy 2:1-4 commands us to pray for all that in authority:
I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men;2 For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty.3 For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour;
Back to Gaza. If/and or/when executed, would deeply involve the U.S. in a development project that Trump officials said earlier in the day could take 10 to 15 years. He left unaddressed how the U.S. would convince Palestinians to voluntarily surrender that they claim to be their land and whether Israel would ultimately exercise sovereignty in the territory.
In response, the Saudi foreign ministry said the kingdom rejected “any violation of the rights of the Palestinian people, whether through settlement, land annexation, or attempts to displace them.” Egypt, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar have also rejected evictions, while the Palestinian Authority and Hamas say they wouldn’t support an evacuation of Gaza
In a year that has had had so much transpire just a month in, now all attention is being diverted once again to the Middle East. Is it possible that President Trump’s return to the White House may actually accelerate the movement toward the fulfillment of Gog-Magog, the War of Ezekiel 38-39. Remember after the collapse of Bashir Assad in Syria, Iran, Russia and Turkey (all three countries mentioned in this battle) are well aware of the situation.
A year ago, Iran was threatening Israel through their powerful, well-armed proxies like Hamas and Hezbollah. This is what the Gaze War in October of 2024 involved. Furthermore, they were rapidly nearing their goal of developing nuclear weapons with which to destroy the Jewish nation, and they clearly envisioned doing it all by themselves: The Iranians saw themselves as the heroes of the Muslim world who would finally wipe the evil Zionist occupiers from the face of the earth once and for all. I foresee a possibility where Israel will in fact destroy Iran’s nuclear weapons sites, and I tend to think that’s not too far off in our future. I’m sure Israel doesn’t want to wait any longer than necessary to pull this off and Iran is quite aware of this. I also believe that as a result, the Gog-Magog coalition would quickly coalesce and join forces to attempt to respond collaboratively to Israel for such an attack. Also, eschatologically speaking, God’s intervention on behalf of His people Israel in the attack of Gog-Magog must necessarily come after the removal of the Church from the earth
The LORD will first rapture the faithful Church but He ultimately returns with it. The period that commences after the rapture of the Church will also usher in what is known as the “Time of Jacob’s trouble”:
Jeremiah 30:4-7 —–And these are the words that the LORD spake concerning Israel and concerning Judah. For thus saith the LORD; We have heard a voice of trembling, of fear, and not of peace. Ask ye now, and see whether a man doth travail with child? wherefore do I see every man with his hands on his loins, as a woman in travail, and all faces are turned into paleness? Alas! for that day is great, so that none is like it: it is even the time of Jacob’s trouble, but he shall be saved out of it.
Daniel 12:1 —And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book.
Matthew 24:15-22 —When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:) Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains: Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take any thing out of his house: Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes. And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days! But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day: For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened.
The age of the Church will end and the Time of Jacob’s trouble and the salvation of the nation of Israel will become the central element in the purpose of God on earth. Israel and the Jews will be in the worst turmoil ever and the surviving remnant of the Jews and Gentiles will enter the Millennial Kingdom after the Day of the LORD comes to pass.
The Day of the LORD is not a 24 hour day, but rather a series of events in which the wrath of God is poured out on those who are not raptured, including the persecutors of the true Church and the haters of the nation of Israel. It will also culminate in God’s prevailing justice of the kingdom of AntiChrist.
Amos 5:16-20—Therefore the Lord, the God of hosts, the Lord, saith thus; Wailing shall be in all streets; and they shall say in all the highways, Alas! alas! and they shall call the husbandman to mourning, and such as are skilful of lamentation to wailing. 17 And in all vineyards shall be wailing: for I will pass through thee, saith the Lord. 18 Woe unto you that desire the day of the Lord! to what end is it for you? the day of the Lord is darkness, and not light. 19 As if a man did flee from a lion, and a bear met him; or went into the house, and leaned his hand on the wall, and a serpent bit him. 20 Shall not the day of the Lord be darkness, and not light? even very dark, and no brightness in it?
Each day that passes by we see the nation of Israel becoming more alienated from the rest of the world. Several nations that once were considered allies are no longer supporting her. Israel is beginning to find that she has no allies. This was all spoken of in the Bible.
Joel 3:1-2—–For, behold, in those days, and in that time, when I shall bring again the captivity of Judah and Jerusalem, 2 I will also gather all nations, and will bring them down into the valley of Jehoshaphat, and will plead with them there for my people and for my heritage Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations, and parted my land.
Did you see that? parted the LORD’s land. Did I hear “Land for Peace” deals?? Or will the current crisis in the Middle East lead to a full scale war that will result in the splitting up of Jerusalem to appease followers of Islam and Judaism and establish peace? We have now witnessed the United States declaring to take control over Gaza.
Zechariah 12: 2—-Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of trembling unto all the people round about, when they shall be in the siege both against Judah and against Jerusalem. 3 And in that day will I make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all people: all that burden themselves with it shall be cut in pieces, though all the people of the earth be gathered together against it. 4 In that day, saith the Lord, I will smite every horse with astonishment, and his rider with madness: and I will open mine eyes upon the house of Judah, and will smite every horse of the people with blindness. 5 And the governors of Judah shall say in their heart, The inhabitants of Jerusalem shall be my strength in the Lord of hosts their God. 6 In that day will I make the governors of Judah like an hearth of fire among the wood, and like a torch of fire in a sheaf; and they shall devour all the people round about, on the right hand and on the left: and Jerusalem shall be inhabited again in her own place, even in Jerusalem. 7 The Lord also shall save the tents of Judah first, that the glory of the house of David and the glory of the inhabitants of Jerusalem do not magnify themselves against Judah. 8 In that day shall the Lord defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem; and he that is feeble among them at that day shall be as David; and the house of David shall be as God, as the angel of the Lord before them. 9 And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem. 10 And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn.
What is for unbelieving Israel is not for the faithful Church. We need to understand that tribulation is one thing. Whereas the wrath of God is entire something else. Once the Rapture of the Church commences, those who have not been removed will find themselves in the Day of the Lord and may be objects of His wrath. Even from this only a few will survive and be saved.
Zechariah 14:1-9 —–Behold, the day of the Lord is coming, And your spoil will be divided in your midst. 2 For I will gather all the nations to battle against Jerusalem; The city shall be taken, The houses rifled, And the women ravished.
Half of the city shall go into captivity, But the remnant of the people shall not be cut off from the city. 3 Then the Lord will go forth And fight against those nations, As He fights in the day of battle. 4 And in that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, Which faces Jerusalem on the east and the Mount of Olives shall be split in two, From east to west, Making a very large valley; Half of the mountain shall move toward the north And half of it toward the south. 5 Then you shall flee through My mountain valley, For the mountain valley shall reach to Azal. Yes, you shall flee As you fled from the earthquake In the days of Uzziah king of Judah. Thus the Lord my God will come, And all the saints with You. 6 It shall come to pass in that day That there will be no light; The lights will diminish. 7 It shall be one day Which is known to the Lord— Neither day nor night. But at evening time it shall happen That it will be light. 8 And in that day it shall be That living waters shall flow from Jerusalem, Half of them toward the eastern sea And half of them toward the western sea; In both summer and winter it shall occur. 9 And the Lord shall be King over all the earth. In that day it shall be— “The Lord is one,” And His name one.
Once again to put it into simplest terms, when the LORD comes and removes the faithful Church and unleashes His wrath on this earth and on the kingdom of AntiChrist, He will be intervening in the strategic conflict against the nation of Israel. This is the Day of the LORD. It is now very obvious to discern what is about to take place in the Middle East. In the map below the little red portion is Israel. The green portion is all the countries that are Islamic and are not too fond of Israel:
2 Corinthians 6:1-2—We then, as workers together with him, beseech you also that ye receive not the grace of God in vain. 2 (For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.) ——-tomorrow may be the day of wrath.
Antisemitism has reared its ugly head and has been Antisemitism has rising dramatically on a global scale since the pandemic began.
It very well could that we are also on the verge of witnessing the prophetic fulfillment of Psalm 83:
1 Keep not thou silence, O God: hold not thy peace, and be not still, O God.2 For, lo, thine enemies make a tumult: and they that hate thee have lifted up the head.3 They have taken crafty counsel against thy people, and consulted against thy hidden ones.
4 They have said, Come, and let us cut them off from being a nation; that the name of Israel may be no more in remembrance.5 For they have consulted together with one consent: they are confederate against thee:
6 The tabernacles of Edom, and the Ishmaelites; of Moab, and the Hagarenes;7 Gebal, and Ammon, and Amalek; the Philistines with the inhabitants of Tyre;8 Assur also is joined with them: they have holpen the children of Lot. Selah.9 Do unto them as unto the Midianites; as to Sisera, as to Jabin, at the brook of Kison:
10 Which perished at Endor: they became as dung for the earth.11 Make their nobles like Oreb, and like Zeeb: yea, all their princes as Zebah, and as Zalmunna:12 Who said, Let us take to ourselves the houses of God in possession.13 O my God, make them like a wheel; as the stubble before the wind.
14 As the fire burneth a wood, and as the flame setteth the mountains on fire;15 So persecute them with thy tempest, and make them afraid with thy storm.16 Fill their faces with shame; that they may seek thy name, O Lord.17 Let them be confounded and troubled for ever; yea, let them be put to shame, and perish:18 That men may know that thou, whose name alone is Jehovah, art the most high over all the earth.
Remember that the time of Jacob’s trouble is the exact same event Jesus Himself mentioned in Matthew 24 where He prophesies about the coming time of great tribulation that will target the entire world in general, and the Jews in particular.
Matthew 24:20-21–But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day: For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.
Historically, Israel was destroyed in 70 AD, and the Jews were scattered across the nations according to Bible prophecy. In 1948, they were miraculously regathered in exactly the same place from which they were dispersed. But their regathering was a physical one, not a spiritual one and there has been a mass “Aaliya,“or return of Jews from the Northern , Southern, & Eastern parts of the world. Now Jews from the West have been returning to Israel in massive numbers.
God’s covenant with Israel and the Jews is eternal, just like His covenant with the Church is eternal and it cannot be broken, and God is not going to leave them in their fallen condition. The time of Jacob’s trouble is going to be the means by which He restores His chosen people back to a right relationship to Himself.
Hosea 5:15-–I will go and return to my place, till they acknowledge their offence, and seek my face: in their affliction they will seek me early.
All eyes are on the Middle East…………
Stay tuned and Pray for the Peace of Jerusalem.