For many years, I have been fascinated and intrigued by current events and how they are often the fulfillment of the Bible’s prophecies. In other words, as one prominent Bible scholar and teacher of eschatology (the doctrine of the last and final days) once said, “Bible prophecy is pre-written history. Only God, who is eternal and transcends time (existing in the past, the present, and the future), can declare the end of things from their beginning. At this point in my article today, I am going to share with you how my fascination and study of Bible prophecy started.
Dr. Richard “Dick” Alderman
When I was a junior at Gordon High School, the school district hired a man named Richard Alderman to teach a curriculum on the Bible as a valid form of World History. Back then, there were no restrictions or serious opposition that prohibited things like prayer, Bible teaching, and the Pledge of Allegiance to the flag from being practiced in the public schools. A devout atheist named Madalyn Murray O’Hair, through her satanically inspired campaign, was almost single-handedly able to make prayer in public schools unconstitutional. The full effect of her evil deed had not fully spread throughout the nation when Richard Alderman taught a class at both Dillon High School and Gordon High School. To be honest, it was my brother, Cliff, who was in the 10th grade and enrolled in his class, I learned from his second-hand information and enthusiasm about what was being taught and especially the part about Bible prophecy. I had never heard such teaching, even though it came in an indirect fashion in my life. Nevertheless, a little over six years later, after my first encounter with Bible prophecy in 1968, I plunged feverishly into the study of Bible prophecy in 1974 and have been a student and teacher of eschatology ever since. The spark and seed to my fascination and captivation with Bible prophecy was the fruit of the late Dr. Richard “Dick” Alderman, to the best of my knowledge, who never knew what the Lord had indirectly deposited in me through his teaching.
Does the Present War Between Israel and Hamas Have Any Prophetic Importance?
The question that the heading for this section asks is very essential and relevant to both our article and God’s prophetic calendar for the last days. I am going to respond to the question by answering “yes” with an explanation. However, before I do, I want to bring to your attention three very relevant passages of Scripture about the matter from the Old and New Testaments, respectively, each of which will give the Biblical foundation that validates what we are discussing here:
And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week, he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate. (Daniel 9:27)
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:) (Matthew 24:15)
Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God. (2 Thessalonians 2:3-4)
Due to the fact that I lack the space in this article to truly delve into the interpretation and meaning of these passages that concur and complement one another, I will share with you why Israel’s war with Hamas is important to God’s end time prophetic scenario. In my opinion and interpretation of end time events from a Biblical perspective, the little nation of Israel plays the most prominent role than any other nation on the face of the earth. It is both the lead nation and powder keg from a prophetic perspective. Nations are either mentioned by name or figuratively as they relate to the nation of Israel. As the power keg, it is the nation that will be the focal point and bone of contention of the major wars of the last days culminating in the Battle of Armageddon. This war between Israel and Hamas is a precursor to wars to come that will involve Israel and make the world ripe for the entry of the Anti-Christ who will make a treaty that assures peace for the little nation for seven years. In a great act of betrayal, he will break his covenant with the nation of Israel after 3 ? years and show his true colors.
Why Am I an Ally
of Israel?
Before I address and comment on why I am an ally of Israel in their war against Hamas, I want to say that I am not against all the citizens of Gaza and Palestine. These people are victims themselves of terrorist groups, like Hamas, who are hell-bent on the total extermination of all Jews and the nation of Israel. My heart and empathy are with these very unfortunate and innocent citizens of Gaza. Nevertheless, as a Christian, I owe a debt of gratitude to the Jewish race for being the human instruments that God used to give us His written word through the Old and New Testaments, respectively. To my knowledge, there were only two books in the New Testament (Acts and the Book of Luke) that were written by a non-Jewish person. Without controversy or debate, our greatest debt to the Jewish race was that they were chosen by God to send us His Only Begotten Son as the seed of Abraham through whom all the nations of the earth would be blessed (Genesis 12:1-3 and Galatians 3:16).
So, as I bring this article to its conclusion, I want to reemphasize, without any ambiguity, that I am an ally and friend of the Jewish people and the little nation of Israel. This does not mean that I am in full agreement with how the innocent Palestinians are being treated in Gaza. They are (perhaps) just as much victims of the brutality and cruelty of Hamas as my Jewish friends are. I am encouraged that one day (and I believe very soon) that peace will come to all the world, especially Jerusalem. Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace, is coming soon and then and only then shall there be peace on earth and goodwill toward all men.
