Israel at War (1): A Multi-Dimensional Conflict
Of all the many challenges we face as our ‘world is on fire,’ nothing has our attention more than the conflict between Israel and Hamas. My phone gets regular notifications of rocket sirens sounding across the country, from the South to the North. The war is definitely ‘On.’
The question: Will it be a multi-front war, especially in the North or beyond? Or will it stay contained? Here are at least four parts of this multi-dimensional conflict:
This is a Blood Feud
By definition, a blood feud is an inter-family squabble with a cycle of retaliatory violence. Arabs and Jews are cousins and neighbours, with a history of harmonious community interaction for centuries, even up to now. Yet, if violence erupts, vengeance is a possibility. Middle East memories are long and strong. A ‘tit-for-tat’ mindset could be a factor, but it’s not the most dominant.
This is a Civilisational War
The Israel-Hamas war may appear to be localised, but it really is a global conflict, bringing Western nations to the frontlines. More specifically, it is the ongoing war for the survival of Western civilisation. Based on Biblical Judaeo- Christian principles, the classic West represents some powerful and revered institutions like (monogamous) marriage, family, religious freedom, private property ownership, rule of law, equality of opportunity, minimal government, and maximum freedom. Contrast this with the neo- Marxist/Islamist front (a Berkley professor confirmed that Hamas and Hezbollah were part of the ‘progressive global Left’),[1] which detests the West and all that it stands for.
The neo-/cultural Marxists dream of a utopian world of equality of outcomes, of big government that wants to sever the individual’s allegiance to nation, faith, family, and freedom. In their place, neo-Marxism promises to meet your needs, keep you safe, and make you equal and happy. But to obtain these benefits, they demand total compliance. Dissent will not be tolerated. Coercion is their modus operandi. Those who fall out of line will be dealt with swiftly and severely. In short, the Left wants you to trust and obey big government like a Christian trusts in the Lord.
The Islamist is very similar to the neo-Marxists and also desires a global realm, except they dream of a worldwide caliphate with Jerusalem as the capital. If the neo-Marxist/Islamist-Jihadi alliance succeeds, there will be an inevitable power struggle between them. Which side do you think will prevail?
So, in summary, this is not merely a nationalist conflict but a global clash of civilisations. Israel, which represents the West, is merely the first pin in the bowling alley. Aim the bowling ball at the correct angle, roll it with skill, and not only will the first pin fly, but so will all the other pins with it. The West are the ‘pins.’
This is a Theological War
While the founders of modern Israel were staunch secularists, pious Jews and evangelical Christians saw a prophetic element in the rebirth of the Jewish state. Jeremiah 16:14-15, Isaiah 11:11, and Amos 9:14-15 speak of God gathering the dispersed of Israel for the ‘second time’ from all lands and planting them in their own land, never to be pulled out of it again.
Hamas and many mainstream schools of Islamic law have a very different theology. Their unchanged Charter calls for the elimination of the State of Israel and of all Jews worldwide. They believe that Palestine, captured by the Caliph Omar in 638 AD, became Islamic waqf, a sacred and perpetual trust to be reserved for future generations of Muslims until Judgment Day. For the waqf to fall into non-Muslim hands is unacceptable, if not blasphemous. Therefore, it is their duty to liberate Palestine from the occupation of the ‘infidel Zionists.’
This is a Spiritual War
For the mature, Bible-based and Spirit-led Christian, this should come as no surprise. According to Ephesians 6:10-18, we are to put on the whole armour of God because the fight is not with flesh and blood like Hamas, the ayatollahs, or the Western Left. It’s with invisible spiritual powers and hosts of wickedness in the heavenly realm.
Daniel 10 speaks of the ‘prince of Persia,’ who delayed Daniel’s angelic visitor. Decades later, this same spiritual principality instigated Haman’s devilish scheme to murder all the Jewish people in the Persian empire. Who knows what spiritual forces govern Gaza, once part of the ‘land of the Philistines’ in Biblical times?
We are seeing the most horrific manifestations of antisemitism in our lifetime. Unauthorised protestors at the Sydney Opera House chanted “Gas the Jews” less than eighty years after the ‘never again’ Holocaust. Since 7 October, global antisemitism has risen 1,180%,[2] and in London alone it has skyrocketed 1,350%.[3] If the Jewish people have an end-time prophetic future, then it is no surprise that the forces of darkness seek to destroy them so that these prophecies will not come to pass. They will fail despite the current fury (see Jeremiah 31:35-37).
It’s war, alright, a multi-dimensional one. In the latter arena—the all- important spiritual dimension—the Church is best equipped to fight. Its armoury is unbeatable (2 Corinthians 10:4-5; Ephesians 6:10-14; 1 John 3:8; 4:4).
Intercessors will save the world!
It’s time to be strong in the Lord, put on the whole armour of God, and go to work.
[1] https://www.frontpagemag.com/berkeley-professor- hamas-and-hezbollah-are-progressive-and-part-of- global-left/?mc_cid=f97040d210&mc_eid=7719dcc037 Accessed 01 November 2023.
[2] Jerusalem Post, 1 November 2023.
[3] The Daily Wire, 1 November 2023.
