Jeremiah 47, NATO and the Palestinians

War rages on between Israel and Hamas. Israel has now gone into Gaza and they are currently destroying every stronghold Hamas has in the Gaza strip.

Meanwhile at the same time there are current border battles between Lebanon, Syria, and Israel. The rebels in Yemen and Iraq are also involved in this war firing rockets into Israel only to be intercepted by the USA who is parked in the Mediterranean seas watching along with its NATO allies the war to try and contain it.

Meanwhile Iran is spewing out its anti-Israel Anti-USA propaganda fanning the flames of war.

For years we have been saying bible prophecy reveals that NATO would come into save Judah-the Jews from her enemies, in Gaza, in Lebanon, in Syria and Iran.

In the book of Isaiah it speaks of the “root” (Isaiah 14:30); and that root is Iran and the branches are her proxies stationed in all of these nations.

Iran Proxy and Sanctions Map Dec 2020

“Iran’s Revolutionary Guards and the elite Quds Force provided arms, training and financial support to militias and political movements in at least six countries: Bahrain, Iraq, Lebanon, the Palestinian Territories, Syria and Yemen.” (Article: Iran’s Islamist Proxies in the Middle East by Ashley Lane)

For years we have been saying that according to Daniel 11:45 NATO (King of the North) will plant military bases in Israel to save the Jews and the reason they do this is because of “tidings out of the east and out of the north shall trouble him:” (Dan 11:44). The “East” and the “North” in this prophecy means “Persia.” These “tidings” meaning “troublesome” tidings or “reports” of war “Jihad” against Israel and the west will trouble NATO-the root of Judah-the Jews; and NATO will go into Israel to occupy it and save it. “for out of the serpent’s root shall come forth a cockatrice, and his fruit shall be a fiery flying serpent.” (Isaiah 14:29) (Read our booklet “Judah shall be Broken” for full details).

We are seeing this scenario starting to play out currently in this Israel-Hamas war!

The book of Jeremiah has end time prophecies about the coming “judgment” of the nations. God told Jeremiah, “Take the wine cup of this fury at my hand, and cause all the nations, to whom I send thee, to drink it.

“And they shall drink, and be moved, and be mad, because of the sword that I will send among them.

“Then took I the cup at the LORD’S hand, and made all the nations to drink, unto whom the LORD had sent me:” (Jer 25:15-17). Jeremiah was sent to all nations that are listed in his book and they shall drink the wine of the wrath of God. Judgment was coming to them and the “sword” war would begin inside their nations.

Among the nations are “Philistines, and Ashkelon, and Azzah, and Ekron, and the remnant of Ashdod,… And all the kings of Tyrus, and all the kings of Zidon,.. Dedan, and Tema, and Buz, and all that are in the utmost corners,

“And all the kings of Arabia, and all the kings of the mingled people that dwell in the desert,

“And all the kings of Zimri, and all the kings of Elam, and all the kings of the Medes,” (Jer 25:20, 22, 23, 25). All the nations are involved in this current war are listed here. And God gives specific prophecies of what would happen to them in the latter chapters of this book.

Jeremiah speaks of the “Philistines.” Most of the Palestinians in the Gaza strip today according to Genetic analysis and historical accounts suggest that the Muslims of Palestine are largely descendants of Christians and Jews from the southern Levant who converted to Islam during the Arab conquest of the 7th century A.D. These were Philistines during that time that were either Jewish or Christian by religion because of the two dominant religions during that time before the Arabs came, and now are Muslims. (Read our booklet Palestine in Prophecy).

In his specific prophecy about them God says, “Thus saith the LORD; Behold, waters rise up out of the NORTH, and shall be an overflowing flood, and shall overflow the land, and all that is therein; the city, and them that dwell therein: then the men shall cry, and all the inhabitants of the land shall howl.

“At the noise of the stamping of the hoofs of his strong horses, at the rushing of his chariots, and at the rumbling of his wheels, the fathers shall not look back to their children for feebleness of hands;” (Jer 47:2-3). This corresponds exactly to the prophecy of Isaiah about “Palestine” that the Palestinians were to “Howl, O gate; cry, O city; thou, whole Palestina, art dissolved: for there shall come from the NORTH a smoke, and none shall be alone in his appointed times.” (Isaiah 14:31).

In both prophecies we see from the “North” a huge army coming in like a flood and they are saving Judah from her enemies. “Rejoice not thou, whole Palestina, because the rod of him that smote thee is broken:” (Isaiah 14:29). Judah is broken (Read our booklet “Judah Shall be broken” for more details). Here is revealed what Daniel reveals, that “…he [the King of the North] shall plant the tabernacles of his palace between the seas in the glorious holy mountain;” (11:45).

In our booklet “Middle East in Prophecy” we have identified the “King” of the “North” as the President of the USA who leads the great military alliance called “NATO” the NORTH Atlantic Treaty Organization.

The rest of the prophecy reveals what will happen in the Gaza strip and Palestine as a whole.

God says, “Because of the day that cometh to spoil all the Philistines, and to cut off from Tyrus and Zidon every helper that remaineth: for the LORD will spoil the Philistines, the remnant of the country of Caphtor” (Jer 47:4).

First notice the time setting, “the day that cometh.” This is, “‘the day of the Lord’ that is meant, that revolutionary ‘shaking of all things’ (to use Haggai’s expression, Hag 2:21), as to which see further in note on Jer 46:10.” (Pulpit Commentary). This is an end time prophecy.

This day is the day “to spoil all the Philistines.” In this verse the sense is, “The destruction is represented as falling upon the Philistines… This suggests an expedition directed against this whole region of country.” (Wheadon Commentary, emphasis added).

Some translations say, “At the same tyme when he shalbe there to destroy the whole lande of the Philistines” (Bishop’s Bible).

And, “because of the day that cometh to lay waste all the [land of the] Philistines” (Darby’s). So the land will be devastated and the people of the land who survive will still dwell there, as we see in the next verse the Philistines are crying due to the devastation of their country.

“Baldness is come upon Gaza; Ashkelon is cut off with the remnant of their valley: how long wilt thou cut thyself?” (v.5).

These are symbols of mourning and crying, “Gaza and Ashkelon, in the southern part of Philistia, would suffer ruin, and the Philistines in that area would mourn and wail for a long time. Shaving the head and cutting oneself were signs of mourning (cf. Jer 16:6; Jer 41:5; Jer 48:37).” (Bullinger’s Companion Bible, emphasis added).

“These were signs of grief and sorrow and are a prophecy of the terrible doom in store for Philistia.” (Coffman’s Commentaries on the Bible) Like Isaiah 14 the Palestinians mourn because of the devastation and also because no one will help them, because their allies are destroyed (see below). “I will kill thy root” (Isa 14:30).

Who is devastating Gaza? Isaiah 14:29 reveals that it’s Judah-the “the rod of him that smote thee” “Most of the pre-modern commentators considered it to be…more broadly, Judah as a whole” (Isaiah's Oracle Against Philistia: An Exegetical and Historical Study of Isaiah 14:28-32 Paul Wenz, p.55, emphasis added).

When this destruction of Gaza is happening by Judah, then Judah shall be “broken.” Then, according to prophecy NATO will come and occupy Judah; the Palestinians then will mourn because NATO is there (As Isaiah prophesied). At that time Palestine will be “dissolved” (Isaiah 14:31) meaning, “…to that which melts, or which wastes away gradually, and then to that which faints or disappears. It means here that the kingdom of Philistia…conveys the idea of its fainting, or becoming feeble from fear or apprehension.” (Barnes’s Notes). Judah will devastate Gaza so badly that its condition will be weak and feeble when NATO occupies Judah. This why God says not to “Rejoice” because Judah is “broken.” You are weak and feeble; instead, howl and cry because this northern army is going to kill your allies that “broke” Judah, and your main supporter-your root. God says, “I will kill thy root with famine, and he shall slay thy remnant.” (Isaiah 14:30). Kill the root (Iran) and the branches (her proxies) will wither away. “he shall dry up the root, and the branches shall wither and die also.” (Barnes’s Notes).

Prophecy reveals that NATO does not engage in warfare with Palestine but tries to negotiate with the Northern army, “What shall one then answer the messengers of the nation? That the LORD hath founded Zion, and the poor of his people shall trust in it.” (Isaiah 14:32). The Palestinians are asking why they came into Judah with their armies and NATO responds, “That the LORD hath founded Zion, and the poor of his people shall trust in it.” Today western leaders are saying that the Israelis have every right to defend themselves and have a right to the land that God gave them.

Continuing on in Jeremiah 47:4, God says “and to cut off from Tyrus and Zidon every helper that remaineth:”

This translation says, “The time has come for the Philistines to be destroyed, along with their allies from Tyre and Sidon.” (NLT). Hezbollah in Lebanon are allies with Hamas being a part of the branches with Iran.

The Palestinians are told not to look to their allies because they are destroyed. NATO, as other prophecies reveals is the one who will destroy the root and the branches, “ and I will kill thy root with famine, and he shall slay thy remnant….Howl, O gate; cry, O city; thou, whole Palestina, art dissolved: for there shall come from the NORTH a smoke…” (Isaiah 14:30, 31). “Smoke” is a symbol of a huge army out of the North that will destroy the root and the branches. (In our booklets Persia in Prophecy, Damascus in Prophecy the bible reveals that the NATO forces will go to war and destroy these enemies). Look to a future war with Iran and Syria; and when this happens along with the occupation of Judah NATO will come to an end, “yet he shall come to his end, and none shall help him.” (Daniel 11:45)

“All thy lovers [“allies” Moffatt Translation] have forgotten thee; they seek thee not; for I have wounded thee with the wound of an enemy, with the chastisement of a cruel one, for the multitude of thine iniquity; because thy sins were increased….Why criest thou for thine affliction?” (Jer 30:14, 15). Who afflicts NATO? China (see Numbers 24:24)

NATO is comprised of mostly Israelite nations of mainly Ephraim (British) and Manasseh (USA). God uses his people Israel to bring about vengeance on evil wicked nations (Jer 51:20); and will use them to execute his judgments on these countries.

The questions are then asked, “How long will the rest of Philistia mourn?” (Jer 47:5 Good News Bible). And, “O thou sword of the LORD, how long will it be ere thou be quiet?” (v.6). “This is the question and entreaty of the Philistines, ‘When will there be an end of war?’’’ (Ellicott Commentary)

They beg for the sword to, “Go back into your sheath! Stay there and rest!’” (Jer 47:6 New English Translation).

God answers, “How can it be quiet, seeing the LORD hath given it a charge against Ashkelon, and against the sea shore? there hath he appointed it.” (Jer 47:7). Basically, “The prophet has but one answer: the sword must do its work till it has done what Jehovah had appointed it to do.” (Ellicott Commentary, emphasis added).

Clarke’s commentary writes of this verse, “The measure of their iniquities is full; and these God hath appointed this sword to ravage. The Philistines were ever the implacable enemies of the Jews, and the basest and worst of all idolaters. On these accounts the sword of the Lord had its commission against them;” (emphasis added).

Currently the Israelis are pounding Gaza, and the Israeli government says they are not going to stop until Hamas is eradicated. However, Iran says they will do whatever it takes to win this war against the Jews and America. They have sent their proxies to strike Israel. The Houthis in Yemen, the proxies in Iraq, Syria, and Lebanon are all in on this war. How long can the Israelis hold out? How long until they are so bombarded that NATO has to step in? The Bible says that, “he discovered the covering of Judah, and thou didst look in that day to the armour of the house of the forest.” (Isaiah 22:8). The Iron Dome “the covering of Judah;” will not hold according to this prophecy. The King of the North when they go into Judah sees that the Iron dome has collapsed, their arsenal is dry, and Jerusalem is breached and destroyed (vv.9-11).

The current state of the Israeli nation is like a fortress. But God says that, “…Judah hath multiplied fenced cities: but I will send a fire upon his cities, and it shall devour the palaces thereof.” (Hosea 8:14). This is inevitable, only God knows the answers as to when, but he has revealed in his Bible that it will happen!