APOCALYPSE NOW?
Apocalypse is one of those words that has changed its meaning in modern times due to its usage in popular films, books and in the media. It has come to mean a total, devastating, world destroying war such as those prophesied in the Bible, especially in the Book of Revelation (which in Greek is the Book of the Apocalypse). The meaning of 'apocalypse' in Greek however is simply 'revelation' or 'unveiling'. The Book of Revelation is the prophetic account of the end-times revelation of Yeshua (Jesus) culminating in his second coming as conquering king.
Joel Rosenberg, in a recent interview with Janet Parshall on Moody Radio, claimed that "we are facing an apocalyptic war" and said that God is "shaking Israel" (1).
Rosenberg was referring to the current situation Israel is facing in the north in which Hezbollah is firing rockets, missiles and suicide drones into Israeli territory and communities, a situation that is escalating daily. Since Hezbollah began attacking Israel on 8th of October it has fired at least 5,000 rockets, missiles and armed drones into Israel forcing the evacuation of around 80,000 of the inhabitants of the border regions. These people have left their homes, farms and businesses and have been living for over 8 months now in hotels or rented apartments at the government's expense, and they have no idea when they will be able to return. At least 1000 homes have been destroyed or seriously damaged.
Although most residents have left these northern settlements there remain two groups of people. The police, first responders, fire fighters, volunteer 'home guards', and those maintaining essential infrastructure and services are one group, but the other comprises many elderly who prefer to 'die in their own homes' and those families whose financial resources are insufficient to enable them to relocate (even with government help). Most of these are living in bomb shelters and surviving on food brought in by various volunteer organizations.
THE MINISTRY OF THE KIRYAT SHMONA CONGREGATION
One of those volunteer organizations is the Messianic Congregation of Kiryat Shmona. Most of the 23,000 residents of this northern city were evacuated and the members of the congregation relocated to Poriya, near Tiberias. Some however remained, or travel each day, to cook between 500 -1250 hot meals every day for soldiers and others who are still in the area.
On the 24th of May, a rocket fired by Hezbollah in Lebanon landed just outside their newly acquired premises, causing considerable damage. All the workers had already gone home for the day, and there were no injuries. Straight away these brave people began to clear up the mess, and even before repairs were begun, they were back in production. You can see and hear more about this amazing ministry in the video link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0omb6UzBCcQ
THE NORTH IS BURNING
We are experiencing a hotter than normal summer this year. In the intense summer heat the vegetation is tinder dry and even a small, red-hot piece of shrapnel from an intercepted rocket can ignite a fire. Many fires are burning every day, and an estimated 20,000 acres of beautiful oak forest and Mediterranean shrubland, much of it in national parks, have already burned. Orchards and farmland have also been burned and homes threatened by fire. One farmer lost his entire summer grazing land for his 1000 head of cattle. Another lost thousands of chickens when his farm was hit by a missile this week. Yesterday (29/06) a missile killed a horse and its foal belonging to a 14-yr-old girl. This situation cannot continue, and no nation should have to tolerate it.
Until now both Hezbollah and Israel have been operating on a kind of 'tit for tat' policy, but the kind and intensity of attacks is escalating daily. Israel has been trying to keep the north 'on hold' while it concentrates its efforts in Gaza.
THE IDF CONTINUES TO FIGHT IN GAZA
Yesterday (24 June) the IDF announced that its operation in Rafiah (in southern Gaza) was essentially complete and the remaining Hamas militants there can no longer operate as a coordinated army. This means that Israel can now scale down the fighting in Gaza, but it does not yet mean the end of the war there. There are still many groups of Hamas fighters continuing a guerilla-type war, popping up from hiding places and attacking Israeli forces, and booby trapping roads and buildings. Hamas operatives are still managing from time to time to fire rockets and missiles into Israeli territory from Gaza. The IDF is continuing to search for and destroy these isolated groups of fighters and the tunnels and ordnance remaining. This process will probably continue for some months.
There are even reports (2) that Hamas is attempting to recruit and train 16-18 year old boys to replace the approximately 14,000 terrorists that Israel has eliminated so far, the 4000 captives and the many more who have been wounded.
120 HOSTAGES REMAIN IN GAZA
We are all hoping and praying that the remaining 120 Israeli hostages held in Gaza can be rescued somehow. It is estimated that only around 50-60 of these remain alive, but it is important for the families, and for national conscience, to rescue all the living hostages and return the dead bodies for proper burial. The fear is that, as the IDF closes in, Hamas may simply kill the remaining hostages, or that they will be accidentally killed by our forces.
As each day passes, the physical and mental condition of the hostages is deteriorating. They are being held in inhumane conditions, with little food, no medicine, poor hygiene, and no access to fresh air and sunshine. As we have learned from those hostages rescued they are being physically, sexually and emotionally abused, and some are being held in family homes where they are essentially treated as slaves. It is believed that some of the women, raped by Hamas terrorists, are now pregnant, and as we approach the 9th month since they were captured, their babies may be born soon.
HEZBOLLAH AND THE NORTH
As things are 'winding down' in Gaza our attention is shifting to the northern border situation which is reaching flashpoint. A full scale war with Hezbollah seems imminent. Months of negotiations have failed. Hezbollah is scaling up the number, kind and sophistication of weapons being used against us. It is also attacking deeper and deeper into Israeli territory.
One day last week they published drone footage demonstrating that they know the location of sensitive military bases and sites, and civilian infrastructure such as power stations, desalination plants, factories etc. They threaten to attack Israel's ports and airports, our offshore gas rig, the Dimona nuclear plant, the ammonia storage plant near Haifa, and other critical military and civilian installations. They boast that they have 150,000 missiles that can reach any target in Israel, even as far as Eilat, with pinpoint accuracy.
A few days ago Hezbollah leader, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah delivered his first public speech since October 7. I have not been able to find a full translation of his speech but he devoted a large part of his one and a half hour speech to warning Israel of the consequences should we attack. He also for the first time threatened another country, Cyprus, should Israeli military forces to use the British Airforce bases on that island. Cyprus is an EU member and any attack on it would therefore draw the entire European Union into the war.
The Iranian delegation to the United Nations threatened Israel with a "war of annihilation" if it attacked Lebanon, and stated that "Despite the fact that Iran sees Israel's propaganda about its intention to attack Lebanon as psychological warfare, if it launches a full-scale military attack, a war of annihilation will begin. All options, including the full involvement of all resistance fronts, are on the table.” The 'resistance fronts' referred to here include not only Hamas and Hezbollah but the Houthis in Yemen, the Iranian backed militias in Iraq and Syria, and of course Iran itself. I have also seen videos of Afghani and Pakistani fighters arriving in Lebanon to booster the Hezbollah forces, but Hezbollah denies this.
It is believed that Hezbollah can muster around 100,000 ground troops and has a massive arsenal of at least 150,000 rockets, missiles and unmanned aircraft all aimed at Israel. In addition Iran has cruise and ballistic missiles, and possibly even some nuclear warheads.
Today, Israel's Foreign Minister, Israel Katz responded by saying, "Iran threatens to destroy Israel if we fully respond to Hezbollah's attacks from Lebanon. My response to Iran is clear:
1. If Hezbollah does not cease fire and withdraw from southern Lebanon, we will act with full force until security is restored and residents can return home.
2. A regime that threatens destruction deserves to be destroyed."
As the rhetoric heats up and last minute attempts at negotiation are held, many governments are advising their citizens to leave Lebanon. France has already begun evacuating their citizens and it is estimated that there are around 23,000 French citizens in Lebanon. Canada has 45,000 citizens in Lebanon and the USA at least 5,000. These figures include bi-nationals, not all of whom will wish to leave, but even so, the evacuation of those who do is a massive undertaking. The US has already chartered a Greek cruise liner to evacuate its citizens.
Here in Israel war preparations are well advanced. Soldiers are training to fight on the very rugged and heavily wooded terrain of the northern border area, a very different situation to the mainly, flat, barren landscape of Gaza. On the Home Front we are being told to prepare our shelters, our 'grab bags' and our emergency supplies.
In the opening days of all out war with Hezbollah we can expect to be hit with thousands of missiles every day. This will overwhelm our defense systems and we can expect extensive damage to infrastructure (especially to electricity and water). Hospitals are preparing to receive thousands of both military and civilian casualties. The food industry is stocking up massive food warehouses and fortifying some supermarkets which will remain open 24/7 if needed. They are also checking the 'combat ration' packs which contain enough for a family for 3 days, and will be distributed to households if needed.
We ordinary inhabitants of Israel are all waiting with baited breath to see what will happen. Although we hope for a negotiated settlement, few believe it can happen. All sides claim they don't want a war, but Hezbollah also doesn't want to stop firing missiles at us, and Israel can no longer tolerate the situation in which 80,000 of its citizens cannot return to their homes. Something has to be done. There is no doubt that Iran means what it says and a war with Hezbollah may well escalate to a regional, if not world-wide, war of apocalyptic scale.
Israel however has a secret weapon. We are backed by the LORD God of Israel, and He has promised that no weapon formed against us will prosper (Isaiah 54:17), and the prophet Micah said,
Micah 4 : 11-13
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ss3LQFM8F6U situation in north
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5QZ-R_g_M6o&rco=1 How Hamas is abusing the Gazan people
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NcfHJ-yeaDY
https://www.terrorism-info.org.il/Data/pdf/PDF_06_032_2.pdf
history of Israel https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G5Uqy2elngA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NBwA4k6qvdY Alon Levy
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TzAzJHbjSe0 Melanie Phillips
References:
1. Joel Rosenberg tells Janet Parshall, ‘We are facing an apocalyptic war’ and says God is ‘shaking Israel’ | All Israel News