ALLEEN, CONFRONTEERT ISRAËL GEVREESDE HIZB' ALLAH

Een ruthless, insidious Hizb' Allah, die door praktisch elk regime van het Midden-Oosten wordt, gleed in Libanon achter het teruggaan van vorig jaar Syriërs gevreesd uit & ruilde Libanon één bezettend kracht voor een andere. Het maakte deel uit van de campagne van Iran om het Midden-Oosten over te nemen, en Libanon was het tweede slachtoffer, na Irak. (Het noodlot van Iran zal veel later als deel van de rampaging gastheer Gogian van komen Ezekiel 38 [+/-]Ezekiel 38 [38: 1] het woord van LORD kwam aan me: [2] de „Zoon van de mens, plaatste uw gezicht naar Gog, van het land van Magog, de belangrijkste prins van Meshech en Tubal, en prophesy tegen hem [3] en zegt, zegt dus Lord GOD: Behold, ben ik tegen u, O Gog, belangrijkste prins van Meshech en Tubal. [4] en ik zal u ongeveer draaien en zal haken in uw kaken zetten, en ik zal u, en al uw leger, paarden en horsemen uitbrengen, allemaal gekleed in volledig pantser, een groot elk van gastheer, hen die met schild en schild, zwaarden hanteren. [5] Perzië, Cush, en Gezet is met hen, allemaal met schild en helm; [6] Gomer en al zijn hordes; Beth -beth-togarmah van de uiterste delen van het noorden met al zijn hordes--vele volkeren zijn met u. [7] „ben klaar en houd klaar, u en al uw gastheren die over u worden geassembleerd, en ben een wacht voor hen. [8] na vele dagen zal u worden verzameld. In de laatstgenoemde jaren zult u tegen het land gaan dat van oorlog, het land wordt hersteld de waarvan mensen van vele volkeren op de bergen van Israël werden verzameld, die een voortdurend afval waren geweest. Zijn mensen werden uitgebracht van de volkeren en blijven stilstaan nu veilig, allemaal. [9] u zult vooruitgaan, vorderend als een onweer. U zult als een wolk zijn die het land behandelt, u en al uw hordes, en vele volkeren met u. [10] „zegt zo Lord GOD: Voor die dag, zullen de gedachten in uw mening komen, en u zult een kwade regeling [ 11] bedenken en zult zeggen, 'ik zal tegen het land van unwalled dorpen uitgaan. I will fall upon the quiet people who dwell securely, all of them dwelling without walls, and having no bars or gates,' [12]to seize spoil and carry off plunder, to turn your hand against the waste places that are now inhabited, and the people who were gathered from the nations, who have acquired livestock and goods, who dwell at the center of the earth. [13]Sheba and Dedan and the merchants of Tarshish and all its leaders will say to you, 'Have you come to seize spoil? Have you assembled your hosts to carry off plunder, to carry away silver and gold, to take away livestock and goods, to seize great spoil?' [14]"Therefore, son of man, prophesy, and say to Gog, Thus says the Lord GOD: On that day when my people Israel are dwelling securely, will you not know it? [15]You will come from your place out of the uttermost parts of the north, you and many peoples with you, all of them riding on horses, a great host, a mighty army. [16]You will come up against my people Israel, like a cloud covering the land. In the latter days I will bring you against my land, that the nations may know me, when through you, O Gog, I vindicate my holiness before their eyes. [17]"Thus says the Lord GOD: Are you he of whom I spoke in former days by my servants the prophets of Israel, who in those days prophesied for years that I would bring you against them? [18]But on that day, the day that Gog shall come against the land of Israel, declares the Lord GOD, my wrath will be roused in my anger. [19]For in my jealousy and in my blazing wrath I declare, On that day there shall be a great earthquake in the land of Israel. [20]The fish of the sea and the birds of the heavens and the beasts of the field and all creeping things that creep on the ground, and all the people who are on the face of the earth, shall quake at my presence. And the mountains shall be thrown down, and the cliffs shall fall, and every wall shall tumble to the ground. [21]I will summon a sword against Gog on all my mountains, declares the Lord GOD. Every man's sword will be against his brother. [22]With pestilence and bloodshed I will enter into judgment with him, and I will rain upon him and his hordes and the many peoples who are with him torrential rains and hailstones, fire and sulfur. [23]So I will show my greatness and my holiness and make myself known in the eyes of many nations. Then they will know that I am the LORD. (ESV)
& Ezekiel 39 [+/-]Ezekiel 39 [39:1]"And you, son of man, prophesy against Gog and say, Thus says the Lord GOD: Behold, I am against you, O Gog, chief prince of Meshech and Tubal. [2]And I will turn you about and drive you forward, and bring you up from the uttermost parts of the north, and lead you against the mountains of Israel. [3]Then I will strike your bow from your left hand, and will make your arrows drop out of your right hand. [4]You shall fall on the mountains of Israel, you and all your hordes and the peoples who are with you. I will give you to birds of prey of every sort and to the beasts of the field to be devoured. [5]You shall fall in the open field, for I have spoken, declares the Lord GOD. [6]I will send fire on Magog and on those who dwell securely in the coastlands, and they shall know that I am the LORD. [7]"And my holy name I will make known in the midst of my people Israel, and I will not let my holy name be profaned anymore. And the nations shall know that I am the LORD, the Holy One in Israel. [8]Behold, it is coming and it will be brought about, declares the Lord GOD. That is the day of which I have spoken. [9]"Then those who dwell in the cities of Israel will go out and make fires of the weapons and burn them, shields and bucklers, bow and arrows, clubs and spears; and they will make fires of them for seven years, [10]so that they will not need to take wood out of the field or cut down any out of the forests, for they will make their fires of the weapons. They will seize the spoil of those who despoiled them, and plunder those who plundered them, declares the Lord GOD. [11]"On that day I will give to Gog a place for burial in Israel, the Valley of the Travelers, east of the sea. It will block the travelers, for there Gog and all his multitude will be buried. It will be called the Valley of Hamon-gog. [12]For seven months the house of Israel will be burying them, in order to cleanse the land. [13]All the people of the land will bury them, and it will bring them renown on the day that I show my glory, declares the Lord GOD. [14]They will set apart men to travel through the land regularly and bury those travelers remaining on the face of the land, so as to cleanse it. At the end of seven months they will make their search. [15]And when these travel through the land and anyone sees a human bone, then he shall set up a sign by it, till the buriers have buried it in the Valley of Hamon-gog. [16](Hamonah is also the name of the city.) Thus shall they cleanse the land. [17]"As for you, son of man, thus says the Lord GOD: Speak to the birds of every sort and to all beasts of the field, 'Assemble and come, gather from all around to the sacrificial feast that I am preparing for you, a great sacrificial feast on the mountains of Israel, and you shall eat flesh and drink blood. [18]You shall eat the flesh of the mighty, and drink the blood of the princes of the earth- -of rams, of lambs, and of he-goats, of bulls, all of them fat beasts of Bashan. [19]And you shall eat fat till you are filled, and drink blood till you are drunk, at the sacrificial feast that I am preparing for you. [20]And you shall be filled at my table with horses and charioteers, with mighty men and all kinds of warriors,' declares the Lord GOD. [21]"And I will set my glory among the nations, and all the nations shall see my judgment that I have executed, and my hand that I have laid on them. [22]The house of Israel shall know that I am the LORD their God, from that day forward. [23]And the nations shall know that the house of Israel went into captivity for their iniquity, because they dealt so treacherously with me that I hid my face from them and gave them into the hand of their adversaries, and they all fell by the sword. [24]I dealt with them according to their uncleanness and their transgressions, and hid my face from them. [25]"Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: Now I will restore the fortunes of Jacob and have mercy on the whole house of Israel, and I will be jealous for my holy name. [26]They shall forget their shame and all the treachery they have practiced against me, when they dwell securely in their land with none to make them afraid, [27]when I have brought them back from the peoples and gathered them from their enemies' lands, and through them have vindicated my holiness in the sight of many nations. [28]Then they shall know that I am the LORD their God, because I sent them into exile among the nations and then assembled them into their own land. I will leave none of them remaining among the nations anymore. [29]And I will not hide my face anymore from them, when I pour out my Spirit upon the house of Israel, declares the Lord GOD." (ESV)
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Lebanon was helpless, the UN helpless, and when Hizb’Allah launched rocket attacks on Israel’s northern cities, Israel had no alternative but to confront Hizb’Allah. Many nations breathed a sigh of relief. At last someone would do the dirty work. Israel miscalculated the opposition’s strength and set over-ambitious objectives, but it did stop the north border rocket attacks.

The spineless, hypocritical, fraudulent, pretentious UN dithered for a month and then passed a useless cease-fire resolution which it very well knew could not be implemented. Shades of the League of Nations unable to face up to Hitler. and look what happened then! No one can force Hizb’Allah to disarm or leave S .Lebanon, short of divine power, and that not yet. The UN followed this pronouncement with criticisms of Israel for daring to carry out the UN’s own resolutions.

A Lebanese reporter commented on his nation’s military. “The army might have a problem-not only with fire-power but mainly with entangled loyalties”. The report goes on, “The Lebanese fighting force more or less reflects the ethnic structure of the nation, meaning that 35% of its soldiers are Shi’ite Muslims, 27% are Sunni Muslims, 22% Christians & 7% Druze.

So the real question is :To who(m) then is the army loyal? And the hopeless UN says that this weak and splintered force is supposed to keep the Hizb’Allah in check! They live in dreamland!

The scene is now set for another future invasion by Israel. Obadiah guarantees that. “The Children of Israel will possess the land of the Canaanites as far (north) as Zarepath”, v.20. Zarepath is between Tyre and Sidon in what is now south Lebanon, but what will become north Israel! Rocket launching Gaza will also be incorporated into Israel.

Obadiah 1 [+/-]Obadiah 1 [1:1]The vision of Obadiah. Thus says the Lord GOD concerning Edom: We have heard a report from the LORD, and a messenger has been sent among the nations: "Rise up! Let us rise against her for battle!" [2]Behold, I will make you small among the nations; you shall be utterly despised. [3]The pride of your heart has deceived you, you who live in the clefts of the rock, in your lofty dwelling, who say in your heart, "Who will bring me down to the ground?" [4]Though you soar aloft like the eagle, though your nest is set among the stars, from there I will bring you down, declares the LORD. [5]If thieves came to you, if plunderers came by night-- how you have been destroyed!-- would they not steal only enough for themselves? If grape gatherers came to you, would they not leave gleanings? [6]How Esau has been pillaged, his treasures sought out! [7]All your allies have driven you to your border; those at peace with you have deceived you; they have prevailed against you; those who eat your bread have set a trap beneath you-- you have no understanding. [8]Will I not on that day, declares the LORD, destroy the wise men out of Edom, and understanding out of Mount Esau? [9]And your mighty men shall be dismayed, O Teman, so that every man from Mount Esau will be cut off by slaughter. [10]Because of the violence done to your brother Jacob, shame shall cover you, and you shall be cut off forever. [11]On the day that you stood aloof, on the day that strangers carried off his wealth and foreigners entered his gates and cast lots for Jerusalem, you were like one of them. [12]But do not gloat over the day of your brother in the day of his misfortune; do not rejoice over the people of Judah in the day of their ruin; do not boast in the day of distress. [13]Do not enter the gate of my people in the day of their calamity; do not gloat over his disaster in the day of his calamity; do not loot his wealth in the day of his calamity. [14]Do not stand at the crossroads to cut off his fugitives; do not hand over his survivors in the day of distress. [15]For the day of the LORD is near upon all the nations. As you have done, it shall be done to you; your deeds shall return on your own head. [16]For as you have drunk on my holy mountain, so all the nations shall drink continually; they shall drink and swallow, and shall be as though they had never been. [17]But in Mount Zion there shall be those who escape, and it shall be holy, and the house of Jacob shall possess their own possessions. [18]The house of Jacob shall be a fire, and the house of Joseph a flame, and the house of Esau stubble; they shall burn them and consume them, and there shall be no survivor for the house of Esau, for the LORD has spoken. [19]Those of the Negeb shall possess Mount Esau, and those of the Shephelah shall possess the land of the Philistines; they shall possess the land of Ephraim and the land of Samaria, and Benjamin shall possess Gilead. [20]The exiles of this host of the people of Israel shall possess the land of the Canaanites as far as Zarephath, and the exiles of Jerusalem who are in Sepharad shall possess the cities of the Negeb. [21]Saviors shall go up to Mount Zion to rule Mount Esau, and the kingdom shall be the LORD's.
lists 5 areas, lived in by Palestinians(called Edom & Esau by Obadiah) which Israel will reclaim by herculean efforts Obadiah lists them in order…

1. The Negev Israelis take S.Jordan. Oba 1:19 [+/-]Obadiah 1:19 [19]Those of the Negeb shall possess Mount Esau, and those of the Shephelah shall possess the land of the Philistines; they shall possess the land of Ephraim and the land of Samaria, and Benjamin shall possess Gilead.
   
2. Coastal Israelis take Gaza, Oba 1:19 [+/-]Obadiah 1:19 [19]Those of the Negeb shall possess Mount Esau, and those of the Shephelah shall possess the land of the Philistines; they shall possess the land of Ephraim and the land of Samaria, and Benjamin shall possess Gilead.
   
3. “They” also take the West Bank, Oba 1:19 [+/-]Obadiah 1:19 [19]Those of the Negeb shall possess Mount Esau, and those of the Shephelah shall possess the land of the Philistines; they shall possess the land of Ephraim and the land of Samaria, and Benjamin shall possess Gilead.
   
4. Benjamin (Israelis north of Jerusalem) takes north Jordan Oba 1:19 [+/-]Obadiah 1:19 [19]Those of the Negeb shall possess Mount Esau, and those of the Shephelah shall possess the land of the Philistines; they shall possess the land of Ephraim and the land of Samaria, and Benjamin shall possess Gilead.
   
5. Israeli exiles (see NIV, JB) take S Lebanon Oba 1:20 [+/-]Obadiah 1:20 [20]The exiles of this host of the people of Israel shall possess the land of the Canaanites as far as Zarephath, and the exiles of Jerusalem who are in Sepharad shall possess the cities of the Negeb.
   

Israel is the only power able and willing to confront its enemy, which also threatens other Middle East nations. Obadiah presents an early view of a God-upgraded Israel, together with the Lord Jesus Christ and the redeemed, that will rid the world of all those who oppose God’s will.