When a cold heart forgets Joseph

As anti-Semitism explodes across the Western world, it’s now commonplace to see formerly thoughtful media commentators aiming arrows of Jew-hatred in every direction. New and rabid conspiracy theories accuse Jews of all the old medieval blood-libels – and then some! From false charges of dual loyalty and treason, to allegations of world Jewish conspiracy led purportedly by the Israeli intelligence agency MOSSAD – these dog-whistle smears are now fair game, coming mostly from the unhinged and unbalanced side of America’s right wing. Not to be left out of the fray, strident woke elements on the left side of America’s political aisle are increasingly embracing Hamas and Islamist talking points, leveling charges of genocide as official Israeli governmental policy.

In an unusual activist maelstrom, elements of both Left and Right in the West are paddling their canoes into the center of the political aisle, crashing onto turbulent and rocky anti-Semitic waters. This dynamic reminds one the new forms of anti-Semitism which arose during the 1800’s. They focused on supposed secret Jewish societies which (so they said) control the world, all banks and all national economies; foster the spread of all non-Christian worldviews; dictate the direction of all media and movie companies, etc. Their teachings focused on a supposed Jewish occult secret society called ‘the Illuminati’ who, according to this satanic perspective, created both capitalism and communism in order to enslave all Gentiles. Another similar branch declared that the Jewish Rothschild family secretly controls the world’s economic system, raises kings and destroys governments, starts wars and ends wars. From this perspective, any anti-Christian development in popular culture is instigated by Jews; America’s banks and entertainment industries are secretly being directed by anti-Christ Jews; any American support of the Jewish state is another example of Jewish anti-Christ control of the superpowers. Such views were popular within the Nazi hierarchy and championed by Joseph Goebbels. They are widely held in the Islamic world, and have a strong measure of popular support in the former Communist Bloc. Many of these ideas have re-appeared in anti-Zionist and anti-Israel movements. Some Evangelical groups who advocate for BDS (boycott of Jewish products from Israel) do not see the irony that their own actions and beliefs are strikingly similar to those Nazi who boycotted Jewish shops and goods in Germany of the 1930’s.

These ideas crystallized in a forgery by Pavel Krushevan, an ultra-nationalist and stridently anti-Semitic journalist active in the Black Hundreds and in the Kishinev pogrom. In 1903 he published The Protocols of the Elders of Zion in Saint Petersburg, Russia. This booklet was a clumsy fabrication, with approximately 160 passages plagiarized from a French original that never mentioned Jews. The Protocols ostensibly reports discussions among a secret group of Jewish elders, regarding plans to subvert Christian civilization and erect a world-wide Zionist state. According to the book’s worldview, the rise of liberalism has provided Jews with the tools to destroy Christian institutions – the nobility, the church, the sanctity of marriage. Their plan is to take control of the world as revenge against Christianity. The text focuses on supposed Jewish control of banking, media and elections. It is stated that a new world order will be manipulated and directed by this cunning elite, who have purportedly schemed throughout the ages – planning to enslave humankind until the end of time. According to the authors of this anti-Semitic propaganda, the attempts to modernize Russia in the late 1800’s were actually a Jewish plot to control the world. Eventually the Protocols were used to blame Jews for the Russian Revolution. Elie Wiesel, Nobel Peace Prize Laureate once said, “If ever a piece of writing could produce mass hatred, it is this one . . . This book is about lies and slander.”

The blowback of these anti-Semitic floods in the 1930’s led to state-sponsored anti-Semitism, street attacks, the rounding up and imprisonment of Jews and eventually genocide – coming from both Hitler’s Reich and Stalin’s Soviets. Though many today are blind to the lengthening shadows, the world is about to revisit those days once again.

Moses unpacks similar dynamics in his own day. A formerly friendly pro-Semitic Pharaonic Empire morphed into an anti-Semitic and genocidal dictatorship. The resulting slavery and torturous treatment of the Jewish people by Egypt jump-started the ‘blessing-cursing’ dynamic of the Abrahamic Covenant in Genesis 12:3: “I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed!” The evil transition in Egypt started through cold-heartedness in the heart of imperial leadership. Fear of the Jewish people opened the door to callousness, and eventually to a murderous ruthlessness on the part of the Pharaohs:

“All the people who descended from Jacob were seventy people, but Joseph was already in Egypt. And Joseph died, and all his brothers and all that generation. But the sons of Israel were fruitful and increased greatly, and multiplied, and became exceedingly mighty, so that the land was filled with them. Now a new king arose over Egypt, who did not know Joseph. And he said to his people, ‘Behold, the people of the sons of Israel are too many and too mighty for us. Come, let us deal shrewdly with them, otherwise they will multiply, and in the event of war, they will also join those who hate us, and fight against us and depart from the land’” (Exodus 1:5-10)

“Now it came about in the course of those many days that the king of Egypt died. And the sons of Israel groaned because of the bondage, and they cried out; and their cry for help because of their bondage ascended to God. So God heard their groaning; and God remembered His covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. And God saw the sons of Israel, and God took notice of them” (Exodus 2:23-25)

The Jewish people – the heart of the matter

When a nation’s leaders or spokesmen and women aim their verbal spears at Isaac’s progeny, the foundations of that country are at risk. YHVH is emotionally invested in what happens to Jacob’s children:

“In all their affliction He was afflicted” (Isaiah 63:9)

“For YHVH of armies says this: ‘After glory He has sent me against the nations that plunder you, for the one who touches you, touches the apple of His eye’” (Zechariah 2:8)

God is all about the heart

The Scriptures keep driving this point home: the God of Israel spotlights the heart, and He is looking for a process which will lead to a changed heart in His followers:

“Do not let kindness and truth leave you! Bind them around your neck! Write them on the tablet of your heart” (Proverbs 3:3)

“Keep my commandments and live, and my teaching as the apple of your eye. Bind them on your fingers! Write them on the tablet of your heart!” (Proverbs 7:2-3)

“For this is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel after those days,” declares YHVH: “I will put My Teaching within them and write it on their heart. And I will be their God, and they shall be My people” (Jeremiah 31:33)

“Therefore say, ‘This is what ADONAI YHVH says: “I will gather you from the peoples and assemble you from the countries among which you have been scattered, and I will give you the land of Israel.”’ When they come there, they will remove all its detestable things and all its abominations from it. And I will give them one heart, and put a new spirit within them. And I will remove the heart of stone from their flesh and give them a heart of flesh”’” (Ezekiel 11:17-19)

“You are our letter, written in our hearts, known and read by all people, revealing yourselves, that you are a letter of Christ, delivered by us, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts” (2 Corinthians 3:2-3)

“For I will take you from the nations, and gather you from all the lands; and I will bring you into your own land. Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols. Moreover, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put My Spirit within you and bring it about that you walk in My statutes, and are careful and follow My ordinances. And you will live in the land that I gave to your forefathers; so you will be My people, and I will be your God” (Ezekiel 36:24-28)

A cold heart brings about a cold result

Messiah Yeshua gave us a way to take the pulse of our nation and our planet: When men’s and women’s heart grow cold, our world is in danger:

“And because lawlessness is increased, most people’s love will become cold” (Matthew 24:12)

“When the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on the earth?” (Luke 18:8)

Taking the temperature of the world’s heart concerning the Jewish people

Many people will be shocked to discover that Messiah Yeshua will be judging the nations when He returns (according to Matthew 25) – weighing the spiritual temperature of their hearts vis-à-vis the Jewish people.

“Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in; naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me.’ Then the righteous will answer Him, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry, and feed You, or thirsty, and give You something to drink? And when did we see You as a stranger, and invite You in, or naked, and clothe You? And when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it for one of the least of these brothers or sisters of Mine, you did it for Me’” (Matthew 25:34-40)

Matthew refers to the Jewish people as ‘the brothers of Yeshua’ and ‘the descendants of Abraham.’ These are New Covenant conceptual terms for the Jewish people (see Hebrews 2:10-16):

For both He who sanctifies and those who are sanctified are all from one Father; for this reason, He is not ashamed to call them brothers and sisters, saying, “I will proclaim Your name to My brothers; In the midst of the [Temple] Assembly, I will sing Your praise!” . . . Therefore, since the children share in flesh and blood, He Himself likewise also partook of the same, so that through death He might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and free those who through fear of death were subject to slavery all their lives. For clearly, He does not give help to angels, but He gives help to the descendants of Abraham!

A practical way to counter-act anti-Semitism in our day involves standing with and protecting the Jewish people in their hour of need. Matthew 25:31-46 can become a basis for meditation, encouragement and challenge regarding how we will stand with Yeshua’s Jewish brethren. If you are not quite sure how to go about this, here is an initial helpful idea: whatever talking heads like Tucker Carlson or Candace Owen suggest what to believe, what to think or what to do regarding the Jewish people or the Jewish state – do just the opposite!

Suppressors of the truth

“In war, truth is the first casualty,” said the Greek playwright Aeschylus. The Apostles Paul and John added some thoughts here which speak directly to our fast-morphing society:

Therefore, Pilate said to Him, “So You are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say correctly that I am a king. For this purpose I have been born, and for this I have come into the world: to testify to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to My voice.” Pilate said to Him, “What is truth?” (John 18:37-38)

Then YHVH saw that the wickedness of mankind was great on the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of their hearts was only evil continually . . . Now the earth was corrupt in the sight of God, and the earth was filled with violence. And God looked on the earth, and behold, it was corrupt – for humanity had corrupted its way upon the earth . . . Then God said to Noah, “The end of humanity has come before Me; for the earth is filled with violence because of people; and behold, I am about to destroy them with the earth . . . So YHVH was sorry that He had made mankind on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart . . . But Noah found favor in the eyes of YHVH . . . Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his generation. Noah walked with God (Genesis 6:5-13)

But evil people and impostors will proceed from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived (2 Timothy 3:13)

For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of people who suppress the truth in unrighteousness (Romans 1:18)

For they exchanged the truth of God for falsehood, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen! (Romans 1:23)

For the word of God is living and active, and sharper than any two-edged sword, even penetrating as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart (Hebrews 4:12)

How shall we then pray?

As we pray for our country, our city, our congregation, our family and our friends, let us ask God to soften the hearts of all these people

Let us ask the God of Jacob to have mercy on all these people

Let us ask the God of Israel to keep our own hearts tender, and not become bitter as lawlessness increases

Pray for the raising up of Ezekiel’s prophetic Jewish army throughout the earth

Your prayers and support hold up our arms and are the very practical enablement of God to us in the work He has called us to do.

In Messiah Yeshua,

Avner Boskey

Donations can be sent to:

FINAL FRONTIER MINISTRIES

BOX 121971 NASHVILLE TN 37212-1971 USA

To donate online visit: https://davidstent.org/give

Gaza – its history, its inhabitants and its prophetic future

The last place Western politicians look for wisdom and strategy is the Bible. Yet the Hebrew Scriptures offer a helpful foundation for those who would attempt to make sense of Gaza’s history, its strategic significance and its prophetic future.

The Wild West Bank

Most children learn in Sunday School that the Canaanites were the original people-group that lived in the Promised Land, and that they were also Semitic people.

Both points are incorrect. Semites are actually descendants of Noah’s first son, Shem; but the Canaanites were Hamites – descendants of Ham, Noah’s second son (see Genesis 6:10). Ham’s sons included Cush (Ethiopians), Mizraim (Egyptians), Put (Libyans) and Canaan. Genesis 10:15-19 tells us about Canaan’s progeny: “Canaan fathered Sidon, his firstborn, and Heth, the Jebusite, the Amorite, the Girgashite, the Hivite, the Arkite, the Sinite, the Arvadite, the Zemarite, and the Hamathite. And afterward the families of the Canaanite were spread abroad. The territory of the Canaanite extended from [modern Lebanese] Sidon going toward Gerar, as far as Gaza; and going toward Sodom and Gomorrah, Admah, and Zeboi’im, as far as Lasha.”

The Five Books of Moses mention that the Promised Land was also identified with various non-Canaanite peoples – not just with the Canaanites:

“Abram passed through the land as far as the site of Shechem, to the oak of Moreh. Now the Canaanites were in the land at that time” (Genesis 12:6)

“And there was strife between the herdsmen of Abram’s livestock and the herdsmen of Lot’s livestock. Now the Canaanites and the Perizzites were living in the land at that time” (Genesis 13:7)

“Then Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, ‘You have brought trouble on me by making me repulsive among the inhabitants of the land, among the Canaanites and the Perizzites; and since my men are few in number, they will band together against me and attack me, and I will be destroyed, I and my household!’” (Genesis 34:30)

“On that day YHVH made a covenant with Abram, saying, ‘To your descendants I have given this land, from the river of Egypt as far as the great river, the river Euphrates – the land of the Kenite, the Kenizzite, the Kadmonite, the Hittite, the Perizzite, the Rephaim, the Amorite, the Canaanite, the Girgashite, and the Jebusite” (Genesis 15:18-21)

“For My Angel will go before you and bring you into the land of the Amorites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Canaanites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites; and I will completely destroy them” (Exodus 23:23)

“Nevertheless, the people who live in the land are strong, and the cities are fortified and very large. And indeed, we saw the descendants of Anak there. Amalek is living in the land of the Negev, the Hittites, the Jebusites, and the Amorites are living in the hill country, and the Canaanites are living by the sea and by the side of the Jordan” (Numbers 13:28-29)

“Now when these things had been completed, the officials approached me, saying, “The people of Israel and the priests and the Levites have not separated themselves from the peoples of the lands, as to their abominations, those of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Jebusites, the Ammonites, the Moabites, the Egyptians, and the Amorites” (Ezra 9:1)

Not all dwellers in the Land of Canaan were Canaanites

Other ethnic groups lived in the Promised Land. These included the Avvim (near Gaza; see Joshua 13:2-4): “And as for the Avvim, who lived in villages/hatzerim as far as Gaza – the Caphtorim, who came from Caphtor, destroyed them and lived in their place” (Deuteronomy 2:23). The people of Caphtor (probably Crete) who destroyed the Avvim were the Philistines. Caphtor is described by Jeremiah 47:4 and Amos 9:7 as the homeland of the Philistines (see also Genesis 10:13-14). The Philistines established trading colonies in the Phoenician/Lebanese cities of Tyre and Sidon, as they also did in Gaza, Ashdod, Ashkelon, Ekron and Gath (see Joshua 13:3). The Avvim faded off the scene.

Another non-Canaanite people-group were the Anakim. They were mentioned by the Twelve Spies as having been seen on Israel’s original intelligence foray to ‘spy out the Land’: “Where can we go up? Our brothers have made our hearts melt, by saying, ‘The people are bigger and taller than we. The cities are large and fortified up to heaven. And besides, we saw the sons of the Anakim there’” (Deuteronomy 1:28).

Moses declares to the Jewish people just before they enter the Promised Land:

“Hear, Israel! You are crossing the Jordan today, to go in to dispossess nations greater and mightier than you, cities that are great and fortified to heaven, a people who are great and tall, the sons of the Anakim, whom you know and of whom you have heard it said, ‘Who can stand against the sons of Anak?’ So be aware today that it is YHVH your God who is crossing over ahead of you as a consuming fire. He will destroy them and He will subdue them before you, so that you may drive them out and eliminate them quickly, just as YHVH has spoken to you” (Deuteronomy 9:1-3)

Joshua destroyed 99% of the Anakim, eliminating their presence from what is today called Judea (what the world usually calls ‘the West Bank’). Only a handful – a tiny remnant – of Anakim remained in three Philistine cities (one of which was Gaza):

“Then Joshua came at that time and eliminated the Anakim from the hill country, from Hebron, Debir, Anab, and from all the hill country of Judah and all the hill country of Israel. Joshua utterly destroyed them with their cities. There were no Anakim left in the land of the sons of Israel; only in Gaza, Gath, and Ashdod some remained” (Joshua 11:21-22; see also Joshua 14:15 and Joshua 15:13)

Moses describes various peoples who lived in what is today Gaza, Israel and Jordan:

The Horites lived in Seir, but Esau/Edom dispossessed them, destroyed them and settled in their place. Moses explains that Israel did the same regarding the Land of their possession which YHVH had given them (see Deuteronomy 2).

The people of Ammon (Lot’s descendants) lived in the land that the Bible also calls ‘the Land of Rephaim’ (see Joshua 17:14-16; today it is called Jordan) where the Rephaim had originally lived. The sons of Ammon also called these Rephaim ‘the Zamzummim’ (see Deuteronomy 2:19-21) and described them as being tall like Anakim. Moses declared in Deuteronomy 2 that “YHVH destroyed the Anakim [at the hand of Ammon] and Ammon dispossessed them and settled in their place.”

A people called the Emim (see Genesis 14:5-6) were considered very similar to the Anakim. The Moabites (also descendants of Lot) called these people ‘Emim’ and considered them also ‘Rephaim.’

Truck stop between Egypt and Damascus

During the reign of Tuthmosis III (1479–1425 BC), Gaza had become a stop on the Syrian-Egyptian caravan route. It was mentioned in the 14th-century Amarna letters as ‘Azzati.’ Gaza later served as Egypt’s administrative capital in Canaan, the ‘gateway to Canaan.’

God’s borders of the Land of Israel include Gaza

The God of Israel lays out for the Jewish people the biblical borders of the Promised Land. The south-west corner includes Gaza:

“Then YHVH spoke to Moses, saying, ‘Command the sons of Israel and say to them, “When you enter the land of Canaan, this is the land that shall fall to you as an inheritance, that is, the land of Canaan according to its borders. Your southern region shall extend . . . to the Brook of Egypt [i.e., the wadi el-Arish], and its termination shall be at the [Mediterranean] Sea. As for the western border, you shall have the Great [Mediterranean] Sea, that is, its coastline; this shall be your western border” (Numbers 34:1-6)

“Now the cities at the extremity of the tribe of the sons of Judah toward the border of Edom in the south were . . . Ekron, with its towns and its villages; from Ekron even to the sea, all that were by the side of Ashdod, with their villages; Ashdod, its towns and its villages; Gaza, its towns and its villages, as far as the brook of Egypt and the Great Sea, even its coastline” (Joshua 15:21-47)

It’s all Greek to me

The Philistines of the Bible would probably be called Greeks today. Their archeological remains are Mycenaean Greek in nature, and their material culture (figurines, pottery, fire-stands, etc. – ‘Philistine Bichrome Ware’) reflect Aegean-Greek origins. This means that the original inhabitants of Gaza were neither Semitic nor Arab, but instead Hamitic or Japhetic. They were named ‘the Sea Peoples’ by the Egyptians, with whom they fought for many years. These tribes are mentioned by the Egyptians – Peleset, Tjeker, Shekelesh, Denyen, and Weshesh. The modern word ‘Philistine’ comes from the ancient Aegean ‘Peleset.’

Gaza was where Samson the Judge was blinded and enslaved, and where the God of Israel supernaturally gave him back his strength to wreak destruction on 3,000 Philistines as they had gathered to mock Samson and to celebrate their idol Dagon (Judges 16:20-33).

Here are other biblical and historical references to Israel past conquests of Gaza:

“So Joshua struck all the land, the hill country and the Negev and the lowland and the slopes, and all their kings. He left no survivor, but he utterly destroyed all who breathed, just as YHVH, the God of Israel, had commanded. Joshua struck them from Kadesh Barnea even as far as Gaza, and all the country of Goshen even as far as Gibeon” (Joshua 10:40-41)

“Then Judah went with his brother Simeon, and they struck the Canaanites living in Zephath, and utterly destroyed it. So the name of the city was called Hormah. And Judah took Gaza with its territory, Ashkelon with its territory, and Ekron with its territory. Now the Lord was with Judah, and they took possession of the hill country; but they could not drive out the inhabitants of the valley, because they had iron chariots” (Judges 1:17-19)

“For [Solomon] was ruling over everything west of the Euphrates River, from Tiphsah even to Gaza, over all the kings west of the River; and he had peace on all sides surrounding him” (1 Kings 4:24)

“And YHVH was with [Hezekiah]; wherever he went he was successful. And he revolted against the king of Assyria and did not serve him. He defeated the Philistines as far as Gaza and its territory, from watchtower to fortified city” (2 Kings 18:7-8)

From Alexander the Great to Hamastan

In 332 BC Alexander the Great besieged Gaza for five months before capturing it. Ten thousand Gazans were killed and the rest of the population was taken into captivity. A Christian bishopric was later established at Gaza in the 300’s AD. A Jewish community operated a large synagogue which existed in Gaza in the early 500’s AD century. After the jihadi conquest in July 634 Arabs began to settle in Gaza, and Islam became the dominant religion. In 796 Gaza was destroyed during a civil war between the Arab tribes of the area. The Crusaders conquered Gaza in 1100, while in 1187 the Ayyubids, led by Sultan Saladin, captured Gaza, destroying the city’s fortifications in 1191. Ayyubid rule ended in 1260, after the Mongols under Hulagu Khan completely destroyed Gaza. In 1663 Nathan of Gaza married and moved to that city, becoming the ‘herald’ of a Jewish messianic pretender Shabtai Zvi. This indicates that there was a thriving Jewish community at that time. In November 1956 and again in June 1967 the IDF conquered the Gaza Strip. US and Russian pressure caused Israel to withdraw from Gaza in 1956, and American pressure caused PM Ariel Sharon to complete the disastrous ‘disengagement’ from Gaza in 2005. The 2006 Hamas jihadi election (overseen by former POTUS Clinton) has led to 20 years of war between Israel and the jihadi terrorists of Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad.

Modern Western pipe-dreams crash into the reality of jihadi terrorists

In recent days, there has been talk by some Western leaders (including POTUS Trump and former UK PM Tony Blair) of establishing a combination real-estate deal, population transfer and tourism resort in Gaza. Trump posted an AI clip commending such a move.

According to a July 22, 2025 article penned by Robert Johnson and published in the Gatestone Institute ‘Warnings to President Trump on the Future of Gaza’: “Meetings currently appear to be underway to create a possible ‘consortium’ of Arab and Muslim nations to govern the Gaza Strip – basically leaving in place many of the same radical Islamic adherents of Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood, of which it is an offshoot, as before – most likely to make sure that Israel can be attacked again in the future as many times as necessary to ensure its extinction.”

Qatar is one of the major players in this strategic development. “Qatar is at the top of funding terrorism worldwide, even more than Iran” says Udi Levy, former senior official of Israel’s Mossad spy agency, who is a specialist dealing with economic warfare against terrorist organizations.

A future Gazan war as prophesied by Isaiah

Isaiah prophesied about a time – which is actually happening in our day – the return of the Jewish people to their Promised Land A SECOND TIME. The first return was in the days of Ezra and Nehemiah. The second return has been going on since the 1840’s (see the article ‘First Aliyah’). This return to Zion will eventually bring healing to the divisions currently existing among the Jewish people – whether it be between Ashkenazi, Sephardi or Mizrachi; between secular, traditional, Orthodox or Ultra-Orthodox; whether between leftists or Rightists. A unified Jewish people will fly down (that is the Hebrew word) on Gaza (on the west), inflicting decisive military victory. They will crushingly defeat enemies which dwell to the east of Israel – whether it be Jordan (Edom, Moab and Ammon) or even further east (Iraq, Yemen, Iran, etc.). This prophecy is beginning to come alive before our very eyes in the recent military clashes with Gaza, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Iran and Yemen:

“Then it will happen on that day that YHVH will again recover with His hand the second time the remnant of His people who will remain – from Assyria, Egypt, Pathros, Cush, Elam, Shinar, Hamath, and from the islands of the sea. And He will lift up a flag for the nations and assemble the banished ones of Israel, and will gather the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth. Then the jealousy of Ephraim will depart, and those who harass Judah will be eliminated. Ephraim will not be jealous of Judah, and Judah will not harass Ephraim. They will swoop down (Hebrew, fly) onto the slopes/coastland of the Philistines on the west. Together they will plunder the people of the east. They will possess Edom and Moab, and the sons of Ammon will be subject to them” (Isaiah 11:11-14)

A destroyed Gaza will be resettled by Israel

Zephaniah prophesied about events which would be future to his own day: the first stage describes massive destruction of the Philistine pentapolis (the five-city confederacy) of Gaza, Ashdod, Ashkelon, Gath and Ekron. Then, years after that colossal devastation, the God of Jacob will restore His people to those same cities – originally part of the Land He had promised to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in days of old. The Jewish people will return to Gaza and will resettle there, while Israel’s enemies will be recompensed for their false claims, their arrogance, their taunts and their boastings. The fulfilment of this prophecy is coming about in the not-too-distant future:

“Gather yourselves together, yes, join together, you nation without shame, before the decree takes effect – the day passes like chaff – before the burning anger of YHVH comes upon you, before the day of YHVH’s anger comes upon you . . . For Gaza will be abandoned, and Ashkelon will become a desolation. The inhabitants of Ashdod will be driven out at noon, and Ekron will be uprooted. Woe to the inhabitants of the seacoast, the nation of the Cherethites! The word of YHVH is against you, Canaan, land of the Philistines. And I will eliminate you so that there will be no inhabitant. So the seacoast will become grazing places, with pastures for shepherds and folds for flocks. And the coast will be for the remnant of the house of Judah. They will drive sheep to pasture on it. In the houses of Ashkelon they will lie down at evening. For YHVH their God will care for them and restore their fortunes. I have heard the taunting of Moab and the abusive speech of the sons of Ammon, with which they have taunted My people and boasted against their territory. Therefore, as I live, declares YHVH of armies, the God of Israel, Moab will assuredly be like Sodom, and the sons of Ammon like Gomorrah – ground overgrown with weeds and full of salt mines, and a permanent desolation. The remnant of My people will plunder them, and the remainder of My nation will inherit them. This they will have in return for their arrogance, because they have taunted and boasted against the people of YHVH of armies” (Zephaniah 2:1-10)

These prophetic words are a sobering wake-up call. It’s time to intercede!