Preface

History may repeat itself again this summer, with a single-front proxy war that grows into a regional
conflagration of biblical proportions. With the Middle East anticipating pre-emption and poised on a
hair-trigger, apparently lessons learned from historic battle theatres have been overlooked yet again.

And given our assumed place in prophetic history, with reborn Israel now in its 63rd year as a nation and
surrounded by well-armed enemies, the scene appears to be set for what biblical scholars believe to be
the fulfillment of the Psalm 83 War – a prelude to greater global conflict prophesied for the end times.

Whether we have actually arrived at this critical juncture in history is left for the reader to decide, as we
pose both parallels to previous world war and provide current assessment of pending aggression. With
geo-political context established, we close with compelling commentary, noting prophetic significance.

The Guns of August, a best seller by Barbara Tuchman, provided a history

of WWI, from the declaration of war through the start of the Franco-British
offensive against Germany. The book also highlighted the plans, strategies,
world events and international sentiments prior to and during the war.

It was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for General Non-fiction for publication
year 1962. Throughout the narrative, Tuchman constantly brought up the
numerous misconceptions, miscalculations, and mistakes that she believed
ended with the tragedy of trench warfare. Among these were:

Economic miscalculation: In Tuchman's view, both European intellectuals

and leaders overestimated the power of free trade. These individuals
believed that the interconnection of European nations due to this trade
would stop a continent-wide war from breaking out, as the economic consequences would be too great.
In a like manner, western trade-ties and dependence upon OPEC oil was expected to rally diplomatic
solutions for Middle East peace, rather than risk disruption to global energy markets.

Over-reliance on morale and the offensive: Tuchman also detailed, in depth, how the leaders of the
major powers, before the war, developed a philosophy of warfare based almost entirely on morale,
constant offensive, and retaining the initiative. Leaders refused to consider a defensive posture, even
when the realities of the battlefield demonstrated that initiating attacks were not working. Likewise, the
state of Israel has either turned-back or routed all previous Arab incursions since its founding in ‘48.

Failure to consider political backlash: Many war planners did not take into consideration the political
and treaty-based consequences of their offensive actions. It also follows that any offensive against the
Jewish nation today, would reflexively invite a broader retaliation by their US and NATO allies. But as
we’ll read in the article that follows, the once secure relationship enjoyed between the US and Israel has
since experienced considerable strain under the Obama administration, as a result US appeasements.
Time to Plan for War (excerpts)
By Caroline Glick

The US's abdication of its responsibility, as the leader

of the free world to prevent the most dangerous
regimes from acquiring the most dangerous weapons,
means that the responsibility for preventing Iran from
acquiring nuclear weapons has fallen on Israel's
shoulders. Only Israel has the means and the will to
prevent Iran from becoming a nuclear power.

And the message the NPT follies convey is that Israel must develop contingency plans for attacking Iran
as quickly as possible. Daily reports of weapons build-ups and military exercises in Iran and among Iran's
clients Syria, Hizbullah and Hamas expose the contours of their war plans.

Syria and Iran have armed Hizbullah with some 40,000 missiles and rockets, including hundreds of Scud
missiles and guided surface-to-surface solid fuel M600 missiles with a 250 km range and. This week
Hizbullah threatened to attack Israel with non-conventional weapons. Syria itself has a formidable
chemical and biological arsenal as well as a massive artillery and missile force at its disposal.

As for Hamas, since Operation Cast Lead Iran's Palestinian proxy Hamas has expanded its own missile
arsenal. Today it reportedly has projectiles capable of reaching Tel Aviv and beyond.

As for Iran, as its seemingly endless military exercises make clear, the mullocracy has the capacity to use
conventional weapons to imperil global oil shipments from the Persian Gulf. So too, this week's report
that Osama Bin Laden may have decamped to Iran in 2003 merely served to underline Iran's ability to
utilize jihadist terror forces throughout the world.

From the open preparations for war that Iran and its clients have undertaken, it is clear that if they
initiate the next round of fighting they will fight a four front war against Israel. That war will be
dominated by missile attacks against the entire country aimed at breaking the will of the Israeli people
while forcing the IDF to divert vital resources away from Israel's primary target — Iran's nuclear
installations — to contend with Iran's proxies' missile stores.

As they consider Israel's options going forward, Israel's political and military leaders have to take two
considerations into account. First, the side that initiates the conflict will be the side that controls the
battle space. And second, there is a real possibility that the Obama administration will refuse to resupply
Israel with vital weapons systems in the course of the war. The fact that Israel will be roundly
condemned by the UN and its component parts is a certainty regardless of who initiates the conflict and
therefore is irrelevant for operational planning.
Armed with these understandings, it is apparent that Israeli contingency plans for war must have limited
goals and should be guided by the overarching aim of beginning and ending the war quickly. Luckily,
Israel excels at limited, swift campaigns.

Responding to one of Syrian President Bashar Assad's recent threats, Foreign Minister Avigdor
Lieberman promised last month that if Assad attacks Israel, Israel will bring down his regime. While
bringing about the utter defeat of Iran's regional proxies is a reasonable goal, it cannot be Israel's goal in
the coming war.

In the coming war, Israel will have only one goal: to destroy or seriously damage Iran's nuclear
installations. Every resource turned against Iran's proxies must be aimed at facilitating that goal. That is,
the only thing Israel should seek to accomplish in contending with Syria, Hizbullah and Hamas is to
prevent them from diverting Israeli resources away from attacking Iran's nuclear installations.

This means that Israel must launch a preemptive strike against Hizbullah's missiles and missile launchers,
Syria's missiles, artillery and launchers, and Hamas's missiles and launchers. As for their short-range
rockets, Israel should do its best to intercept them and otherwise hunker down to weather the storm of
Katyushas and Qassams. Life of the homefront won't be easy. But it won't be impossible either, as we
saw in 2006.

Almost every assessment of a possible Israeli strike on Iran's nuclear installations has assumed that
Israel will use its Air Force to strike. All that can be said of that analysis is that, just as there is more than
one way to skin a cat, so there is more than one way to destroy Iran's nuclear installations. An Israeli
strike should utilize all of them to keep the Iranians off balance and on the defensive.

These are dangerous times. Iran, which seeks to position itself as a regional superpower, has been
emboldened by the Obama administration's abdication of US global leadership. Only Israel can prevent
Iran from endangering the world. But time is of the essence.
 Psalm 83, a preview of coming
attractions…
by Jack Kelley

Hezbollah says that Israel’s disappearance after

the next war is an established fact. Iran’s
President has called Israel a dirty microbe and a
savage animal that will soon disappear in a flash.
The commander in chief of Iran’s army predicts
that millions will soon receive the joyous news of
Israel’s destruction. Israel’s chief of staff warns of
a “tough ordeal” coming soon.

With all the rhetoric flying around the Middle East

about a major war this summer and with multiple
countries (including the US) rapidly beefing up
their military preparedness, a quick review of
Psalm 83 is in order to refresh our minds on the
prophetic details of this coming attack against
Israel.

Psalm 83 was probably written some time after the end of King Solomon’s reign (about 900 BC) but the
Bible contains no account of such a coordinated effort by all of Israel’s neighbors to destroy them, either
during that time or since. A partial fulfillment may be in view in 2 Chron. 20 when Moab, Ammon, and
parts of Edom invaded Judah during King Jehosophat’s reign (872-848 BC) Interestingly, Jahaziel, a Levite
who prophesied Judah’s victory in that battle was a descendant of Asaph, who wrote Psalm 83. Applying
one of his favorite tactics, the Lord set Israel’s enemies against each other and they defeated
themselves. Ezekiel 38:21 tells of a future use of this same tactic.

But the Battle of 2 Chron. 20 doesn’t fully meet the requirements of Psalm 83, having many fewer
antagonists, so on that basis we’ll assume its fulfillment is still in the future, perhaps the very near
future. If so, it could be the bridge between the current state of affairs in Israel and the conditions
necessary for the Battle of Ezekiel 38 to happen. Let’s find out.

Psalm 83
O God, do not keep silent; be not quiet, O God, be not still. See how your enemies are astir, how your foes
rear their heads. With cunning they conspire against your people; they plot against those you cherish.
“Come,” they say, “let us destroy them as a nation, that the name of Israel be remembered no more.”
With one mind they plot together; they form an alliance against you- the tents of Edom and the
Ishmaelites, of Moab and the Hagrites, Gebal, Ammon and Amalek, Philistia, with the people of Tyre.
Even Assyria has joined them to lend strength to the descendants of Lot. (Ps. 83:1-8)
The language is out of today’s headlines and the countries lined up against Israel in this Psalm inhabited
the lands of Israel’s current neighbors. Edom and the Ishmaelites were in land occupied by southern
Jordan today while the territories of Moab and Ammon make up the rest of that country. Ahman, the
modern spelling of Ammon, is the capital of Jordan. (While the government of Jordan has a peace
treaty with Israel, we should remember that some 70% of Jordan’s population is “Palestinian” and in fact
the country was originally formed to be the Palestinian home land) .

The Hagrites were part of Aram, whose capitol was Damascus in modern Syria. Gebal (also called
Byblos) and Tyre can still be found in present day Lebanon. The Amalekites lived in Israel’s southern
desert and Philistia settled in Gaza on Israel’s southern border. Assyria would conquer Aram shortly
after Psalm 83 was written and the descendants of Lot is another reference to Jordan. Remember,
Moab and Ammon were the sons of an incestuous union between Lot and his two daughters.
So here we have all of Israel’s next door neighbors, all of them sworn to Israel’s destruction, and all of
them being whipped into a frenzy by Syria and Iran.

Do to them as you did to Midian, as you did to Sisera and Jabin at the river Kishon, who perished at
Endor and became like refuse on the ground. Make their nobles like Oreb and Zeeb, all their princes like
Zebah and Zalmunna, who said, “Let us take possession of the pasturelands of God.”
Make them like tumbleweed, O my God, like chaff before the wind. As fire consumes the forest or a flame
sets the mountains ablaze, so pursue them with your tempest and terrify them with your storm. Cover
their faces with shame so that men will seek your name, O LORD. May they ever be ashamed and
dismayed; may they perish in disgrace. Let them know that you, whose name is the LORD—that you
alone are the Most High over all the earth. (Psalm 83:9-18)

Asaph, the Psalm’s writer, can’t resist telling the Lord exactly how he’d like Israel’s enemies to be dealt
with. In that sense he’s just like you and me. Midian was defeated by a vastly outnumbered force under
the command of Gideon. It was another case of the Lord turning Israel’s enemies against each other and
causing them to defeat themselves. (Judges 7)

Jabin was a king of the Canaanites and Sisera was the commander of his army. The Lord lured the
Canaanite army into a trap and the Israelites destroyed them.(Judges 4) The commander of Israel’s army
was named Barak, just like Israel’s current Defense Minister. Probably a coincidence.

Oreb, Zeeb Zebah, and Zalmunna were all leaders of the Midianite army defeated by Gideon.
Asaph’s prayer was that Israel’s current enemies will be just as soundly defeated as were the Midianites
and the Canaanites, their armies scattered and their leaders executed.

Thousands of missiles and rockets located in Lebanon, Syria, and Gaza are positioned to strike strategic
targets everywhere in Israel. As of this week, Syria has moved 800 long range missiles into firing
positions, placed them on combat readiness, and given them updated target coordinates. This was done
in response to Israel’s nationwide civil defense drills. To avoid duplication in targeting, Iran has created
and will direct a unified command center in Damascus to coordinate the massive simultaneous
deployment of these weapons upon the outbreak of hostilities. Their thought is that the Israelis will not
be able to protect themselves against such an all out attack and will be effectively disabled.
But Israel might pick this opportunity to launch a preemptive attack against the command center, wiping
out Damascus in fulfillment of Isaiah 17. Losing their command and control abilities could cause the
enemy attack to degenerate into a confused and chaotic effort that Israel will soundly defeat just like
Gideon defeated the Midianites.

Should this be the case, Israel will become larger, not smaller, with the contention over the ownership
of Gaza, the West bank and the Golan put to an end. Israel will become stronger, not weaker, its military
reputation restored and even enhanced. The divided land will be divided no more, and Jerusalem will
remain a unified city. The controversial security fence will likely come down, since the borders on all
three sides will be safe and the threat of terrorist attacks eliminated. 60 years of war will have finally
ended. It will be the perfect opportunity for Israel to be lured into a false sense of security and become a
peaceful and unsuspecting people living in a land of un-walled villages as Ezekiel 38 requires. And it
could all happen this summer.

Meanwhile, the Russians and Iranians, who will have fought this battle primarily by proxy, will study
their defeat and learn from their mistakes, lying in wait for the next opportunity to strike. It won’t be
long in coming. You can almost hear the footsteps of the Messiah. 05-29-10

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