The spirit of the ancient enemy of Israel reaches as far back as the entry into the land of Canaan. The source behind the enmity being the great deceiver, Satan.
The Sea People
When the 12 men returned from spying out the land of Canaan, they reported they had seen the descendants of Anak, Numbers 13:28. Anak was a forefather of the Anakim people, who were tall and numerous, Deuteronomy 2:11. Anakim is a Hebrew word that means giants. They had a warlike and aggressive nature, with a predisposition to violence. These would have been the people who would be called the Philistines.
The Philistines were known as migratory ‘Sea People’. They are thought to have originated from Crete, Cyprus or some other Mediterranean area. They invaded the southern coastal region of Canaan and built five cities, Gaza, Ashdod, Ashkelon, Ekron and Gath. The Philistines were well established by the time of the Egyptian exodus in the 13th century BCE, for the Philistinians lived in Canaan from the 12th century BCE until 604 BCE.
Origin of Philistine
The English name Philistine comes from the Hebrew word Palistim, or the people who lived in Philistia. The Arabic word for Palestine is Filastin, as in Philistine.
The Gaza strip area remained the Philistine headquarters, though many also settled to the north and east of this area. From the start, the Sea People exhibited extreme hostility towards the people of Israel.
Israel Resurrected
In 1948 Israel fulfilled the Ezekiel vision of dry bones, Ezekiel 37, when the unthinkable happened. A nation that had once been great under King David, disappeared completely under Roman rule in the 70 AD dispersion of the Jews and the destruction of their Temple in Jerusalem. In 1948 God resurrected them, unlike any other nation before or since.
The moment the State of Israel was publicly proclaimed by David Ben-Gurion, and Harry S. Truman of the United States recognized the new nation, Israel was attacked from all sides. Arab forces from Egypt, Jordan, Iraq, Syria and Lebanon invaded.
Satanic Mimicry
As the nation of Israel was re-establishing itself, there was a mimicry taking place under the conniving of Satan. The Philistine warriors were resurrected also. In the late 1950s the anti-Zionist Yasser Arafat founded the militant faction known as Fatah, the Palestinian National Liberation Movement.
These Arab warriors quickly conformed into the image of the ancient Philistinian soldiers. The modern soldiers were known as the Palestinian Revolutionary Forces. Thousands of young Arabs were recruited into this army.
These Filastin militants began repeating the ancient Philistine raids into the land of Israel, seeking to terrify its inhabitants. The ancient enemy of Israel was alive and well again and the counterfeit of Ezekiel’s vision.
The Global Philistinian Cry
Today you hear the chant from multitudes around the globe, ‘From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free’.
God gave a promise to Israel concerning the land. ‘I will fix your boundary from the Red Sea to the sea of the Philistines. And from the wilderness to the River Euphrates. For I will deliver the inhabitants of the land into your hand and you will drive them out before you’’, Exodus 23:30, 31. Israel never managed to completely subdue the people of Philistia as God had promised, but the promise still remains true.
Now you hear anti-Semitic groups globally use the same terminology, from the river to the sea, declaring the total annihilation of Israel. This being the long-game strategy of Satan, who desires the total destruction of Israel and full denial of God. the Great I Am that I Am, Exodus 3:3. His aim is to take God’s place in the heart and mind of those created in the image of God, Genesis 1:27 – the people of the earth.
The Coming Antichrist
Going by the signs of the time the Antichrist is alive and well. He will soon step out into the spotlight of the international stage to receive global recognition.
Many believe the coming Antichrist will be of Jewish descent from the tribe of Dan, and was born in Babylon, which is modern-day Iraq. Others hold quite different theories, such as someone like Jared Kushner, who has strong ties to current Middle East leaders. His family were Holocaust survivors and now Kushner sits at the right hand of power and is a strong advisor to an elected United States president.
The supreme traitor of Christ was a Jew, Judas Iscariot. He walked and talked with Jesus for around three-and-a-half years, before Satan entered into him, Luke 22:3. No one knows who the Antichrist is, but one thing is certain, that whoever the Antichrist proves to be, he will be a complete surprise.
Ultimate Peace Bearer
The Antichrist will appear to be the ultimate bearer of peace to a world in absolute turmoil. He will be a political and religious leader who will promise peace and prosperity to all humanity. The prophet Daniel describes him as a king of fierce countenance, or insolent and skilled in intrigue, Danial 8:23.
He will oppose everything that is of God and the ultimate enemy of everything both Jewish and Christian. The bible says there will be a great multitude which no one could count from every nation and all tribes and peoples and tongues standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, Revelation 7:9. These are the redeemed of the Lord who give up their life rather than take the mark of the beast during the period of the Great Tribulation that is about to come upon all the earth.
The war against Israel will continue until there is only one-third of Jews left, Zechariah 13:8. In that day the Lord Jesus Christ will return to the earth with His saints, Zechariah 14:4,5. His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives which will be split in two from the east to the west. The remaining Jews will escape through the resulting valley.
The Ancient Enemy of Israel
The ancient enemy of Israel, the Philistines, may hold sway in the Gaza Strip now but that is just the beginning. Iran and its numerous proxies all carry the same Philistinian mentality: death to Israel.
We are in the ‘end-times’ as prophesied throughout the bible for we are as it was in the days of Noah. It is vital that Christians everywhere grow strong in their personal relationship with Christ and be encouraged.
God’s plan was always moving towards this day, from before the creation of Adam, for He knows the end from the beginning, Isaiah 46:10. Satan is a disarmed enemy, Colossians 2:14, whom God uses to fulfill His purposes, for His thoughts are not our thoughts, nor His ways our ways, Isaiah 55:8.
The ancient enemy of Israel, working through the Philistinian spirit, will soon see the end of his day of deception. Satan knows his time is short, for he knows the scriptures even better than we do. He once sat in the very centre of all the glory of heaven, Ezekiel 28:15. The ancient enemy of Israel and true followers of Christ is a spiritual enemy. However, we have one who is stronger on our side. Jesus Christ.
Dr. Wendy Stenberg-Tendys is a freelance writer who enjoys researching a topic and sharing words of encouragement from the Word of God.
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