Joel, you said the following above: For Him to supernaturally step in would be to remove faith from the equation and would effectively end the age of grace. Very good point! Something to note also is that if this is the Psalm 83 war it would seem likely that Israel would deplete much if not all of her Iron Dome defense missiles and ammunition given the campaign they had to wage against their enemies. So that would be taken into account by the Ezekiel coalition when deciding to strike and then ONLY God could truly save Israel. an opposite view from an author I really like that states that Psalm 83 isn't a prophecy like Ezekiel 38 is. Definitely worth a read either way. He quotes Amir Tsarfati in it quite a few times: https://www.alittlestrength.com/articles/2023/2310-where-is-this-going.htm Excellent article, thanks Joel. I hope everyone reads it. At the risk of sounding haughty, I've read Psalm 83 umpteen times and every time I thought it can't possibly be a prophecy of a future war. Of course, I didn't have the courage of my conviction to say so publicly, for fear of being labelled argumentative and being jumped on like a chicken on a June bug. As for Damascus, the writer has a good point. However, there's is nothing to stop prophecy being fulfilled more than once. The lesson here for all of us, myself especially, is to stick to the Word and what it actually says. We can ask the Holy Spirit to help us understand it. Sometimes, in my experience, that understanding comes quickly and sometimes it doesn't. We don't see the bigger picture as clearly as He does. At times I've received answers to that request years after I've prayed it. I think it has something to do with the level of our spiritual maturity. We are also hampered by believing popular, or mainstream doctrines. The beauty of this forum is that we can help one another. I think we should acknowledge that we all make mistakes -- I know I do -- and that we should have the confidence and the assurance that we won't be treated like the village idiot when we do. Even the best of the best commentators and outstanding students of the Word have been wrong about some things. I've learned so very much from people like Derek Prince and Chuck Missler and many others, and yet they were not infallible. My theory is that some of these scriptural truths are revealed on a schedule and we are fortunate to be living in a time when many of them are being revealed to us now. Our responsibility, I think, is to be receptive. Amen Paul! And thanks for the Lauer article, Joel. I mostly pass on Psalm 83 discussions, but the subject does tend to rile me up some, especially given the certainty many people attach to their interpretations. I just try to go back and remind myself what the Bible actually says... and what it doesn't.
