WSJ Suggests that Israel Should Destroy Iran; Ezekiel 38?
Jerusalem
In the Wall Street Journal, Bret Stephens had the following:
Wall Street Journal – February 7, 2012, p. A11….Diplomacy has run its course, sanctions are too late, and Israel can’t cry wolf again..Can Israel attack Iran?.Should Israel do it? If the U.S. has no serious intention to go beyond sanctions, Israel’s only alternative to action is to accept a nuclear Iran and then stand by as the rest of its neighbors acquire nuclear weapons of their own. That scenario is the probable end of Israel..Then again, if Israel is going to gamble so much on a strike, it should play for large stakes. The Islamic Republic means to destroy Israel. If Israel means to survive, it should commit itself similarly. Destroying Iran’s nuclear sites will be a short-lived victory if it isn’t matched to the broader goal of ending the regime
Bret Stephens seems to be calling for Israel to eliminate Iran or at least enough of its top leadership that Iran will not in the future be able to threaten Israel again. His position is somewhat consistent with those of certain other analysts as well as some positions speculated here.
Actually, yesterday I posted (Israeli Cabinet Mulls Military Options for Iran):
My reading and re-reading of Bible prophecy simply does not show that Iran will be a major player in Daniel 11:21-44 nor the deal of Psalm 83:4-8. Since Iran does not seem to be identified in those particular passages, and Iran has a loud voice now, those facts have somewhat led me to conclude that Iran will somehow be “neutralized.”
“Neutralizing” Iran would allow most of the other Islamic states (like Saudi Arabia and Egypt) to continue to exist (Syria might not do well per Isaiah 17:1) and allow for the rising of the prophesied leader (revolution in Iran, is also another possibility, for its “neutralization”).
Perhaps I should add that I disagree with certain writers who claim that Ezekiel 38 is or may be on the verge of being fulfilled. Notice an article by Donald L. Blake, Sr.:
Washington Times – Feb 5, 2012
Modern Iran is the biblical Persia…
The Hebrew Prophet Ezekiel describes a dictator called Gog (often associated with Russia) who will form a military coalition with Iran, Sudan, Libya, Middle Eastern, and Central Asian countries in “the last days” (Ezekiel 38:16). Could this be a reference to modern day events in the Middle East?
No, it is not.
Let’s look at many of the passages from Ezekiel 38 to put this all in context:
1 Now the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 2 “Son of man, set your face against Gog, of the land of Magog, the prince of Rosh, Meshech, and Tubal, and prophesy against him, 3 and say, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “Behold, I am against you, O Gog, the prince of Rosh, Meshech, and Tubal. 4 I will turn you around, put hooks into your jaws, and lead you out, with all your army, horses, and horsemen, all splendidly clothed, a great company with bucklers and shields, all of them handling swords. 5 Persia, Ethiopia, and Libya are with them, all of them with shield and helmet; 6 Gomer and all its troops; the house of Togarmah from the far north and all its troops — many people are with you.
7 “Prepare yourself and be ready, you and all your companies that are gathered about you; and be a guard for them. 8 After many days you will be visited. In the latter years you will come into the land of those brought back from the sword and gathered from many people on the mountains of Israel, which had long been desolate; they were brought out of the nations, and now all of them dwell safely. 9 You will ascend, coming like a storm, covering the land like a cloud, you and all your troops and many peoples with you.”
10 ‘Thus says the Lord God: “On that day it shall come to pass that thoughts will arise in your mind, and you will make an evil plan: 11 You will say, ‘I will go up against a land of unwalled villages; I will go to a peaceful people, who dwell safely, all of them dwelling without walls, and having neither bars nor gates’ — 12 to take plunder and to take booty, to stretch out your hand against the waste places that are again inhabited, and against a people gathered from the nations, who have acquired livestock and goods, who dwell in the midst of the land. 13 Sheba, Dedan, the merchants of Tarshish, and all their young lions will say to you, ‘Have you come to take plunder? Have you gathered your army to take booty, to carry away silver and gold, to take away livestock and goods, to take great plunder?'”‘
14 “Therefore, son of man, prophesy and say to Gog, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “On that day when My people Israel dwell safely, will you not know it? 15 Then you will come from your place out of the far north, you and many peoples with you, all of them riding on horses, a great company and a mighty army. 16 You will come up against My people Israel like a cloud, to cover the land. It will be in the latter days that I will bring you against My land, so that the nations may know Me, when I am hallowed in you, O Gog, before their eyes.” (Ezekiel 38:1-17)
And while Ezekiel 38 does mention Persia (which would equate to modern Iran), Israel is not now a “land of unwalled villages” with “a peaceful people who dwell safely” (Ezekiel 38:10-11) . Furthermore, there simply is not a plan to take a lot of gold and silver out of Israel right now by the power of the far north, nor does the current nation of Israel have enough of it to likely justify an attack for that purpose. Those who believe otherwise are in error (more on Ezekiel 38 is included in the article Russia: Its Origins and Prophesied Future).
A regional war, that somewhat gets out of control and may involve Syria (who is becoming a closer Iranian ally at this time) and others (including many based in Lebanon), beyond Iran and Israel is something I have warned could happen for some time now and really could be a factor that ultimately leads to the fulfillment of Daniel 9:27.
If Iran believes it is going to be attacked, this may encourage Iran to first attack Israel or at least more directly provoke Israel to attack. If Iran believes that attacks from Israel will be super serious, it will not only strike back hard against Israel, it may also (perhaps indirectly) strike against US targets. If a “dirty bomb” (a bomb with radioactive materials), nuclear bomb, and/or EMP bomb were to be detonated in the United States because of Iran, this could cause the USA major problems. And while it is possible that Iran would not survive well what ever retaliation that the USA would likely provide, the USA could be partially crippled by some of its possible actions.
If there is a regional war and Syria is highly involved, then there is a chance its capital will be destroyed as ultimately Damascus will be (Isaiah 17:1)–and that is one reason that I believe supports the idea that Israel may hit Iran hard.
Events are heating up in the Middle East. “And what I say to you, I say to all: Watch!” (Mark 13:37). Ezekiel 38 is not about to be fulfilled, but other prophecies are getting closer to being fulfilled.
Some articles of possibly related interest may include:
Anglo – America in Prophecy & the Lost Tribes of Israel Are the Americans, Canadians, British, Scottish, Welsh, Australians, Anglo-Southern Africans, and New Zealanders descendants of Joseph? Where are the lost ten-tribes of Israel? Who are the lost tribes of Israel? What will happen to Jerusalem and the Jews in Israel? Will God punish the U.S.A., Canada, United Kingdom, and other Anglo nations? Why might God allow them to be punished first?
Will the Anglo-Nations be Divided? Will the lands of the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand be divided? What about Jerusalem? What does Bible prophecy teach? Are there non-biblical prophecies that support this idea? Who will divide those lands? Who will end up with the lands and the people?
End of Mayan Calendar 2012–Might 2012 Mean Something? Are there Mayan calendar predictions for change in 2012? Changes were centuries ago predicted by the Hopi Native Americans. Do Mayan/Hindu/Hopi/Buddhist/New Age/Nostradamus prophecies have any value here? Why might Satan have inspired this date? Does the Dresden codex show destruction of the earth by flood? Can the great tribulation start before 2012? How might Barack Obama and Julia Gillard be involved in 2012? Have predictions written by Bob Thiel related to Barack Obama and Julia Gillard began to come to pass?
Russia: Its Origins and Prophesied Future Russia in prophecy. Where do the Russians come from? What about those in the Ukraine? What is prophesied for Russia and its allies? What will they do to the Europeans that supported the Beast in the end?
Is Russia the King of the North? Some claim it is. But what does the Bible teach?
Is There A Future King of the South? Some no longer believe there needs to be. Might Egypt, Islam, Iran, Arabs, or Ethiopia be involved? Might this King be called the Mahdi? What does the Bible say?
The Arab and Islamic World In the Bible, History, and Prophecy The Bible discusses the origins of the Arab world and discusses the Middle East in prophecy. What is ahead for the Middle East and those who follow Islam? What about the Imam Mahdi? What lies ahead for Turkey, Iran, and the other non-Arabic Muslims?
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