Psalm 83, and we're just going to deal tonight with the first four verses here. Lord willing, we'll come back and deal with the rest of this next week. But I just want to, to develop a thought here tonight of this prophecy that the Lord gave to Asaph. This was a psalm or song of Asaph. Let's read the first four verses and then we'll get into the message. Keep not thou silence, O God, hold not thy peace, and be not still, O God, for lo, thine enemies make a tumult, and they that hate thee have lifted up the head. They have taken crafty counsel against thy people, talking about Israel, and consulted against thy hidden ones. Talking about those that are hidden in his care, amen. They have said, come and let us cut them off from being a nation that the name of Israel may be no more in remembrance. Sounds like Kurt Vance, don't it? certainly does. What is the prophetic significance of the brutal attack against Israel by Hamas that happened a little over a year ago? We just celebrated this day, not a celebration, I guess they commemorated the day is what you would say, October 7th. It's been a whole year. And not only the brutal attack then, but what about the continuing attacks on the nation of Israel by Hezbollah out of Lebanon, the Houthis out of Yemen, and then we know that all of those groups, Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Houthis are backed by Iran, which has not only continued encouraging attacks, but has launched their own attacks against God's people directly. And does God's word say anything about all that has gone against Israel over the years and that continues to go on against Israel? Well, understand that Psalm 83 is one of Israel's songs that is highly prophetic in nature and has some very strong parallels to the things that we see happening in the nation of Israel even in our day. The introduction of Psalm 83 calls it a song or psalm of Asaph. Understand that Asaph was one of the three lead singers or music directors, we might say, from the tribe of Levi. These men were appointed by King David to organize the temple choir. And the Holy Spirit directed Asaph to write this psalm through which he was able to see through world history until the time of Jesus' return. Now the Jews would sing of this. They would sing of this very thing. And the first four verses here, we read an urgent plea to the Lord God of Israel to rise up against those that hate God and show that hatred of God by their hatred of and attacks against God's people, Israel. Now, as we read these verses, they seem extremely relevant to Israel's situation even today. That October 7th of last year, Hamas carried out what they called Operation Al-Aqsa. a flood, saying the attack was in defense of the Aqsa Mosque, the mosque that is there in Jerusalem. We know it as the Dome of the Rock. That's what we know it as. The Hamas statements also mentioned Israel's blockade of Gaza and Israeli violence against Palestinians and the occupied West Bank as motivation for the attack, as well as stating Hamas's general opposition to the Jewish state's existence. That's where the rub is at right there. They are opposed to the Jews even existing. Online, some were hailing the attack as the beginning of Israel's destruction. But the mosque looms large in the justification and imagery that Hamas has used to justify its offensive against God's people. One Hamas statement said Israel allowed, quote, Jewish groups to desecrate Al-Asqam Mosque. It also referenced Jewish traditions and Jewish intentions, I should say, Jewish intentions of erecting their alleged temple on the ruins of the shrine of our prophet Muhammad. And by the way, that's where the temple is going to go. right there where that tomb of the rock is at. How is that going to happen? I don't know, but God's going to do it. It is going to happen. But Al-Aqsa is one of the holiest sites in Islam, and according to Muslim beliefs, Muhammad ascended to heaven from the mosque, which is situated at the top of the hill in the center of Jerusalem's Old City. Now that mosque complex also stands on the holiest site in Judaism, being the Temple Mount, that's where it's located, the Temple Mount, site of both the first and second temples, which contain the Holy of Holies, the dwelling place of Jehovah God. giving the area symbolic weight in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, but listen, both Israelis and the so-called Palestinians cite their history at the holy site as a proof of their claim to Jerusalem. And that's why we see such intense animosity there, there's intense animosity, enmity that is going on there at that site. Now, Simchat Torah was being celebrated on that October 7th on the heels of the Feast of Tabernacles. Simchat Torah is Hebrew for the joy of the Torah, the Torah being the first five books of the Bible, the books of Moses, which is called the Torah, the law. It's an annual festive celebration that they have, often accompanied by dancing and singing to mark the completion of the annual reading of the Torah. Hamas chose that day intentionally. He chose precisely that day to carry out a massacre to exterminate the Jews. It was planned far in advance and with military precision. At dawn, Hamas terrorists from the Gaza Strip used both cunning and violence to break through the border with Israel. We know they destroyed over 20 Israeli towns in a terrible bloodbath, taking over 230 hostages, including over 38 children, one of which was an infant. Many of those hostages are still hostages, if they're still alive. We don't even know whether they're still alive or not. But listen, Hamas abused, tortured, and murdered over 1,300 Jewish people. I suppose Jews that were murdered in a single day since the Holocaust. I'm not going to describe, just to save us the picture in your mind, it's kind of hard to get out. If you have read the accounts of what actually happened that day to God's people, how they were mistreated by Hamas, it was a horrendous cruelty. But it was more brutal, really, than most of us can imagine. When you hear and either hear the accounts or read the accounts of some of the things that were done, it just blows your mind that people can be that way. Now, the Arabic word Hamas. I want you to think about it for a minute. The Arabic word Hamas means zeal, strength, or bravery. Did you know that there's a Hebrew word, Hamas, as well? The, the, the, the meaning of the Hebrew word is violence, violence. In fact, it indicates actions which are both morally wrong and not unnecessarily brutal. And that's precisely the character of Hamas, as prophetically recorded in the Bible 3,500 years ago. Its first two uses in the Bible appear in the area of scripture that we're dealing with on Sunday mornings. We will be dealing with it in the next few weeks when we get to Noah's day. Genesis 6 verse number 11 and verse number 13. Now understand, Hamas in the, in the Hebrew is translated as violence in the scriptures. But it is used to describe the nature of men in Noah's day. Listen to it. Genesis 6 verse number 11. The earth also was corrupt before God and the earth was filled with violence. It was filled with Hamas. Okay, and God said unto Noah, and verse number 13, and God said unto Noah, the end of all flesh is come before me, for the earth is filled with violence, or Hamas, through them, and behold, I will destroy them with the earth. Now, the Lord Jesus Christ said, that as it was in the days of Noah, so shall it be when the coming of the Son of Man is. You think that's a coincidence that there's Hamas in the current events right now? Later, the Lord's pronouncement of judgment against Edom. If you remember, Edom is made up of the descendants of Esau. And Obadiah is a pronouncement of judgment against Edom. In Obadiah 10 it says, For thy violence, thy hamas, against thy brother Jacob, which Jacob is Israel, shame shall cover thee, and thou shalt be cut off forever. Now, I want you to understand that what is lost in most of the reporting and discussion regarding Israel's response against Hamas is that Israel is justly defending itself against what was a most horrific attack by a morally wrong and unnecessarily brutal enemy that seeks Israel's complete annihilation. That's what they, that's what they're after. And it's in line with Paul's description of men in the perilous times that would come in the last days, we live in the last days, in 2 Timothy 3.3, as men being fierce. That word fierce is a word which means savage, brutal. That describes what Hamas is. It's savage and brutal. Not only Hamas, but these other Muslim groups that really have it in for Israel. Now after the savage and brutal atrocities forged against the Jews in the Holocaust back in World War II, remember the slogan that came out of World War II? That was before my time, but I remember reading the history books, and it was, never again, never again. In other words, the atrocities that had been enforced upon the Jews became a slogan, never again. So it boggles the mind that the Jews are still having to deal with those who are savagely brutal against them with the intent on annihilating them, unless you believe in scripture. See? And that's why we're dealing with Psalm 83. Psalm 83 tells us This was going to happen. It just describes that it is going to happen. Now worldwide, news and social media show that on college campuses, sadly, in our nation, and in the streets of many of our cities, especially your larger cities, more liberal cities, the rallying cry can be heard and read on the signs. If you look at the signs, when you're watching the news accounts of these things happening, look at the signs, and you'll see, from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free. You know what they're saying? That's calling for, from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea, Palestine will be free of the Jews. They're not talking about being free of oppression. They're not talking about being free of anything like that. They're talking about being free of Jews. Now, as Bible believers, we must not remain silent about the Lord's people. But rather, we must do as Isaiah 62 and verse number one says, and listen to Isaiah 62 and verse number one. It says, for Zion's sake, Will I not hold my peace? And for Jerusalem's sake I will not rest, until the righteousness thereof go forth as brightness, and the salvation thereof as a lamp that burneth. We as believers in God, and ought to be lovers of God's people, just really ought to be. And we need to uphold them in prayer. We should pray to God for Israel, pleading like Asaph did. Let's look at verse number one again. What he says here, keep not thou silence, O God. In other words, kind of like him saying, God, I know you know what's going on. Keep not thou not silence, O God. Hold not thy peace and be not still, O God. He's asking for God's interventions, what he's doing here. What is this attack on Israel really about? Understand that an attack on Israel is always an attack on Israel's God first. That's what we just read. Israel's enemies are first and foremost God's enemies. Look at verse number two, three and four again. For lo, thine enemies, God's enemies, make a tumult. And they that hate thee, that hate God, okay, have lifted up the head. They have taken crafty counsel against thy people, that's Israel, and consulted against thy hidden ones, that's Israel again. And they have said, come and let us cut them off from being a nation that the name of Israel may be no more in remembrance. So understand the conflict in the Middle East isn't just about land. It's not just about land. The Arabs possess roughly 360 times more land than Israel. 360 times. It's not about land. The conflict isn't about injustice or politics either. I mean, that's what they'll cry because they want Israel to look bad, and they think that people will hear them if they talk about the injustice that they're suffering when they're the ones that are pushing the injustice against Israel. Now, if it were just injustice or politics, it would have already been solved a long time ago. Now, the conflict Understand this, the conflict in the Middle East is purely a spiritual battle. That's what it is. It's purely a spiritual battle against the one true God and his word, including, it's against his plan of salvation, number one. Number two, his promises to Israel, the promises that were made to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, okay, it's against that. against his purposes and his plans, number three, his purposes and his plans, including his future worldwide millennial kingdom reign that will be from Jerusalem in that temple that will be erected right there on that site. Now the conflict is between the prince of this world system, we're talking about Satan, and the God of the universe. Now that began all the way back in the Garden of Eden. after mankind is sent. Genesis 3.15, God was speaking to the serpent and said, I will put enmity between thee and the woman, between thy seed and her seed. It shall bruise thy head and thou shalt bruise his heel. Well, who are the two seeds? Thy seed, he's talking to the serpent, Satan. Thy seed are those born of Satan. and her seed refers to the Jew, Jesus Christ. Jesus was born a Jew, Jesus died a Jew, and Jesus will return a Jew, and the battle that runs through human history is directed against him. You don't believe it, just read Revelation chapter number 12. I'm not going to take time to turn over there, but it gives you a rundown of the battle, the ongoing battle between the Lord and Satan there. Now in the time of Israel's Egyptian bondage, I want you to think back to before Moses' day. Remember when Moses was just born? Satan tried to thwart God's purposes in Israel by doing what? By using Pharaoh to try to exterminate every Jewish newborn boy, but Pharaoh wound up being the one exterminated. You want to read about that? I'm not going to take time to turn over there, but Exodus 1, 16, and chapter number 14, verses 27 through 28. Then, let's think about Persia. In Persia, while the Jews were in exile, Satan used a fellow by the name of Haman, wicked Haman, in Esther's day to try to exterminate the Jews as recorded in the book of Esther. Haman was hanged on his own gallows. But make no doubt about it, who was behind it was Satan. Satan used King Herod. to try to exterminate the seed, Jesus Christ, shortly after his birth, after the wise men came seeking the one born King of the Jews. But listen, Herod did not accomplish his goal. He may have killed a lot of babies, but he did not kill the one that Satan was after, and that is the Lord Jesus Christ. So understand that the conflict between God and Satan is a long-standing conflict. It is a conflict of the ages, ever since the Garden of Eden. And though Satan wasn't successful in snuffing out the seed of the woman, he loves to use his own seed to poke God in the eye. You ever been poked in the eye? It's very uncomfortable, isn't it? Very painful. Well, Zechariah 2 verse 8, we just finished studying Zechariah, where it tells us that there's an attack on, Israel is a frontal attack on God of Israel and his word, it says in Zechariah 2 verse 8, for he that toucheth you toucheth the apple of his eye. Every time they reach out to touch Israel, they are messing with God, the God of the universe. Now when Islam and her followers fight against the Jews, it was ultimately about the question of who the true God is. Is it the Allah of Islam who has no son? Or is it the Lord God of the Bible who involves his son in everything he does? You know Jesus Christ was involved in creation. He was creator. From the beginning to the end, it's all about Christ. It's all about Christ and His work. And we know that it is the Lord God of the Bible of whom Jesus Christ was and is His only begotten Son. and the promised seed of the woman and the only savior of the world who will rule and reign from Jerusalem as king of kings and lord of lords for a literal 1,000 year period on this earth. Now, let's talk a little bit about Islam because I think that people are deceived about Islam. I think Islam is a peaceful religion. A lot of people do. They describe themselves as the religion of peace, but they're not. Under Islam, you've heard the word Sharia. Sharia is a doctrine based on the Quran, which is Islam's book, and Hadith, which is Islam's oral traditions. It divides the world in two. And you can do a search on your computer and put divisions of the world in Islam and it'll come up with this. It will tell you that the first of those divisions is called Dar al-Islam. Arabic for house of peace. Which refers to all territories that are under Islamic rule. Okay. They call it house of peace. Second of those divisions is called Dar al-Harb. which is Arabic for territory of war, which refers to all parts of the world not under Islamic rule that need to be conquered. Guess what? We are a territory of war, which is why we have so much trouble with Islam and its adherence here in our nation, and the leaders of our nation don't get it. Islam is not just a religion, okay? It's not just a religion. They want to say, well, you know, we got, they've got, they're like other religions. No, they're unlike any other religion, because they are not just a religion, but a political ideology as well. It goes hand in hand. They want to take over the United States, okay? They want to take over the whole world. and install Islam all over the world. That's their goal. And Israel stands in their way. I'll get to that and jump ahead of myself here. The Islamic creed is written on the visually eye-catching Saudi Arabian flag, if you've ever seen it. I mean, if you could read Arabic. But it says, there is no deity but Allah. Muhammad is the messenger of Allah. And the flag also depicts a saber. which is the sword of Islam that must conquer the world. Now, according to Islamic teaching, once an area has been under Islamic rule, it is forever Dal al-Islam, or house of peace, because they see the Quran as the final revelation of Allah, and Muhammad as the seal of the prophets, and it will remain that way, because they believe Allah will ultimately prevail over the whole world. Now it's believed among Muslims that the Bible has been falsified and invalidated by Jews and Christians. And so a Jewish state within Dar al-Islam is unthinkable, let alone one situated precisely where the Old Testament Jewish prophets predicted, that's where the temple's going to go. That's where the Christ's temple, the Messiah's temple will be. So much for a two-state solution. You hear in the news, well, you know, what we really need is a two-state solution for Islam and Palestine. Ain't gonna work. Two-state solution. Two-state solution would be temporary with the goal still being the annihilation of Israel. Guarantee it. And the death of every Jew. That's what they seek for. And this is the only way one can make sense of Islamist hatred of the Jewish state. That is why the former Iranian president, I have trouble saying his name, Ahmadinejad, I don't know how you say it. He said this, he said, the violent and unjust rule of the Israeli regime over the Palestinian Muslims contradicts the will of the Almighty. He's talking about Allah, not talking about our Almighty God. He said, contradicts the will of Almighty according to the Quran. Now, this mindset is also evident in the oft-quoted Islamic call to prayer. And this is going to be enlightening to you, because we've all heard this, and a lot of times when there's a terrorist attack, it's said that, well, the terrorists cried this out, okay? Yeah, Allahu Akbar, which Islamic terrorists utter at every opportunity. Now, it shows the mentality at the core of their entire dispute with Israel. Allahu Akbar, which the media mistranslates as Allah is great. That's not the right translation. They'll tell you that's what it means. But it's not accurate. Go ahead and type it in and go look at what the definition of it really is. It means Allah is the greatest or the most great or is greater. In other words, Allah is greater than everything. Allah is great would be Allah kabar, not Allah akabar. I know I'm butchering the language, but nevertheless, you get the idea. What I'm saying here is that it's not about autonomy, it's not about settlements or partial restitution of territory, but about the absolute Islamic claim that Allah is the greatest. That's what it's about. Everyone, including Jews and Christians, they believe, must submit to Allah. And they're not gonna, you're not gonna have peace, you're gonna have war until you do. If you submit to Allah, then you're in the area of peace. If you're not, you're in the area of war. That's where you're at. This absolute claim to power is called into question so long as the Jews, as a nation, inhabit that patch of land. The truth of Genesis 17.8, listen to Genesis 17.8. This is what the Lord God Almighty, Lord God Jehovah said. Genesis 17, 8, I will give unto thee, talking to Abraham, and to thy seed after thee, the land wherein thou art a stranger, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession, and I will be their God. Genesis 17, 21, but my covenant God said, well, I established with Isaac, not with Ishmael. Now, they believe in Abraham. They look all the way back to Abraham, too, but they believe Ishmael was the one who, he was the firstborn, and so they say, you know, he was the one that all the promises would come through. No, no, God said I was established with Isaac. Now, I know we've only covered the first four verses. And Lord willing, we're gonna come back and we'll pick up in verse number five. And next time we're gonna see the powerful enemy alliance. I mean, they're named. I mean, it doesn't cover them up. It names them here, the powerful enemy alliance, the overwhelming victories in the past. And talk about God's future intervention, amen? Well, I hope it's been a little bit enlightening to you. If you listen to the news, you're not going to get the story. You're going to get what they want you to hear. You're not going to get the truth. The truth is what we're interested in. The truth is that it's a spiritual battle. Let's pray for Israel. Amen. Let's keep them in our prayers. Because we're on God's side. If you're on God's side, you're on Israel's side. If you're not on Israel's side, you're not on God's side. I mean, it's just plain and simple. And sadly, there's some folks who call themselves Christians that think that Israel's in the wrong. Nah. They're not. They're not. If you line up against them, you're going to line up against God. Line up on the same side as Satan. Amen. Let's pray.