In an episode of “Inside the Epicenter” – the Joshua Fund’s weekly educational podcast – host Joel C. Rosenberg explored the question: “Does the current Gaza war against Hamas have any connection to biblical prophecies about the end times?”
(The episode was originally recorded shortly before the ground campaign began in late October.)
Rosenberg addressed several questions: Is the war in Gaza part of an end-time prophecy? What does the Bible say about Gaza’s history and its future? How should Christians pray now and where can they donate to make a difference? And why haven’t Israeli leaders called for a national day of prayer when they absolutely should have?
Rosenberg linked these questions and answers to the Bible.
“The same hatred of God – the God of Israel, the God of the Bible, the God of the Jews, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ – the same hatred that existed in ancient times is still there today.”
He highlighted several important points related to the October 7 Hamas terrorist attack.
“Since the Holocaust, more Jews have died (in one day) than at any other time in modern world history.”
What was also shocking, however, was the intensity and hatred with which the attacks were carried out.
“Mothers and fathers have been murdered in front of their children; children have been murdered in front of their parents,” he said. “Hamas has murdered babies, even beheaded some. They have raped women and children. They have gunned down hundreds of young people at a music festival. They have burned Jews alive in their homes and in their cars,” Rosenberg stressed. “This is all so evil, so satanic. The images are so horrific, it is almost more than we can bear.”
Rosenberg spoke about the Israeli forces’ call for Palestinians in the north of Gaza, down to Gaza City, to evacuate and seek shelter in the south. He compared this to the Hamas leadership urging Palestinians to stay where they were. Rosenberg said Hamas leaders “want CNN, MSNBC, the BBC, the New York Times, the Washington Post, Al Jazeera and the rest of the international media to broadcast pictures of dead Palestinians all over the world. They want these media to put these photos on the front pages of their newspapers.”
According to Rosenberg, not only did Hamas declare war on Israel, but the mainstream media also declared war on Israel and accused the country of war crimes even before the first Israeli troops entered Gaza.
Rosenberg noted: “This is precisely why we launched the Rosenberg Report last year and All Israel News and All Arab News a little over three years ago – to provide Christians who love Israel and follow what is happening in this region with fair, honest and credible reporting that they can trust.”
In a prophetic warning, he declared: “The media war on Israel is going to get much, much worse.”
As for the question of the war in Gaza and its connection to the Bible, Rosenberg noted that Gaza is mentioned 20 times throughout the Bible. Most references to Gaza “are about how evil its people and leaders are, how much they hate Israel and the Jewish people, and how God must repeatedly send his prophets to warn of the impending judgment on Gaza.”
During the time of Joshua and the judges, Gaza was temporarily conquered by the Israelites. However, this situation did not last. According to the Bible, the Philistines regained control and became enemies of Israel.
Later, one of the Egyptian pharaohs conquered Gaza and took it away from Judah and Israel. Thus “began a very long and complicated relationship between Egypt and Gaza.”
Rosenberg noted that the relationship remains “complicated” even today.
He further explained that there are several places in the prophetic books – both before and after the Babylonian conquest of Judah – where the prophets predict a coming judgment on Gaza. These include Zechariah chapter 2 and chapter 9, which speaks of the destruction and death of Gaza’s leadership.
However, Rosenberg also pointed out that the last time Gaza is mentioned in Scripture is in the book of Acts, when the evangelist Philip travels to Gaza to preach the gospel.
“I love this story because it reveals an important truth,” Rosenberg said. “Yes, unfortunately, many of the leaders and people in Gaza are evil. They hate Israel and the Jews. Not all of Gaza, but some. And if they do not repent and turn to Christ, the Bible is clear, they will be condemned. But God loves the people of Gaza. Christ commands us to love Israel and its neighbors.”
“Jesus sends his servants to proclaim the gospel all over the world: to Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, to the ends of the earth, even to Gaza,” he noted. “Perhaps many Palestinians in Gaza will reject the gospel, but some will not. Some will accept Christ as their Savior and Lord. And in fact, that is already happening.”
Rosenberg discussed the results The Joshua Fund Work in Gaza and neighboring countries.
“I know that God can do anything, and I tell you, it is our job to pray without ceasing, not only for the salvation, healing and blessing of Israel, but also for God to perform miracles in the lives of Palestinians in Gaza, including the leaders and foot soldiers of Hamas. Because as the Holy Scriptures teach us, nothing is impossible for God.”
Towards the end of the podcast, Rosenberg turned to a passage that he sees as key to understanding the current Gaza war: Psalm 83. He pointed out that the verses aptly describe today’s events, saying it seems as if “today’s headlines are literally ripped straight from the verses in Psalm 83.”
Yet despite the hatred toward Israel described in the passages, Rosenberg notes that the Psalmist is not calling for the destruction of the nations that seek to destroy Israel.
“The author, filled with the Holy Spirit, prays to the Lord to judge these people,” he noted, but “he does not want them to be wiped out, he does not want them to be condemned, he wants them to be stopped… He wants justice to be done.”
The Psalmist also wants to tell them the name of God and make it clear to them that the God of Israel is “the God of the ends of the earth.”
Rosenberg calls on believers to pray for Israel and its leaders, but also for Israel’s enemies, especially the Palestinians “who live under the terror rule of Hamas.”
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