Chronicles of the End Times
Occasionally, people say, are we really in the last days? How do we know? Does it matter one way or another? We will try to answer these questions and many others in this study. But the most important question may be, how can we reach others with hope in these changing times? One part of prophecy is often emphasized over another, causing us to lose perspective and miss the blessing and beauty of prophecy in scripture. I have taken the information in this study from many authors and teachers who have their lives studying God's word. I have added some insight that the Holy Spirit taught me. With God's help, I have endeavored to keep the whole counsel of the word of God in full view to give us an accurate picture of Christ and His great love for a lost world. I pray that this will challenge you and cause you to grow in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ, as it has me preparing it. Let's begin!
Chronicles of the End Times
The Land of the Philistines Returns to Israel as Prophesied
Could the shortest book in the Old Testament hold the key to understanding today's Middle East conflict? Dive into the prophetic words of Obadiah that reveal a divine perspective on Israel's territorial claims in Gaza.
Written after Babylon's destruction of Jerusalem in 586 BC, Obadiah delivers both historical judgment and future prophecy. When the prophet declares "those of the Shephelah shall possess the land of the Philistines," he's speaking directly about what we now call the Gaza Strip. This ancient text predicts that Israel will reclaim territories God originally promised them—a perspective that challenges contemporary political narratives advocating for a two-state solution.
The October 7th attacks and subsequent military responses occurred precisely in the geographical region Obadiah described thousands of years ago. We're witnessing God "reshaping what He has prophesied to take place" as ancient empires resurrect and territorial borders shift. While many self-proclaimed experts offer political solutions, scripture provides clarity: God's plan includes Israel recovering their biblical inheritance despite international pressure.
Understanding these prophecies requires more than casual Bible reading. God intentionally challenges us to "dig" into His Word with the Holy Spirit's guidance. Only by seeking divine wisdom rather than popular opinion can we discern truth in these complex times. As Jeremiah 1:12 reminds us, God actively watches over His word to fulfill it—past, present, and future exist simultaneously to Him.
Join us in exploring how ancient prophecy illuminates current events. Whether you're well-versed in biblical prophecy or simply curious about a spiritual perspective on global conflicts, this episode offers profound insights into God's unfolding plan. Subscribe to Chronicles of the End Times for more biblical analysis of today's headlines and discover how scripture predicted what news analysts missed.
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00:21
Welcome everyone, this is Russ Scalzo, chronicles of the End Times. It's good to be with you today. I hope you're doing well and serving the Lord Jesus Christ. Today we're going to be looking into the book of Obadiah.
00:35
Obadiah is the shortest book of the Old Testament. It was written probably after the armies of Babylon destroyed Jerusalem in 586 BC. It has multiple meanings, as much of the scripture does. It applies to a current event and it applies to a prophetic event In the days of Obadiah. During this conquest, the people of Edom helped capture fleeing Israelites and turned them over to the Babylonians. They took up residence in some of the Judean villages, and this really angered the Lord, and so he prophesied, through Obadiah, that they would be destroyed, that God would remember what they did to his people.
01:19
But it also has a prophetic utterance talking about the times in which we live. A prophetic utterance talking about the times in which we live. And when we look towards verse 15, it talks about the day of the Lord is near, and it reads For the day of the Lord is near upon all the nations. As you have done, it shall be done to you. Your deeds shall return on your head. For as they have drunk on my holy mountain, so all the nations shall drink continually. They shall drink and swallow and shall be as though they had never been. But in Mount Zion there shall be those who escape and it shall be holy, and the house of Jacob shall possess their own possessions. The house of Jacob shall be fire and the house of Joseph a flame, and the house of Esau stubble it's quite a prophecy against that land of Esau, which is the land of Edom. The Lord also gives a promise that in these last days, Israel will get back the land that has been taken from them, the land that God himself promised them.
02:29
We have to understand. We look at Israel today and there's so much anti-Semitism going on, there's so much hate towards Israel and what they're doing. And you may be listening to this podcast and say well, you know what? I don't necessarily hate Israel, but I don't agree with what's happening. But we have to remember that it's God-inspired. They are taking back the land that God gave them. Eventually, when the Lord Jesus Christ comes and he is recognized as the Messiah and he comes to rule and reign on the earth, Israel will be completely restored. But I just felt that we needed to bring clarity to a situation that most people do not understand. God raised up Israel, made them a country in 1948 through various circumstances, and those of you who know your history and have been listening to this podcast and others who talk about this may be well acquainted with those circumstances. We are living in a time when Israel is not merely protecting itself, but it is launching out against those who have been killing them and terrorizing them for 75 years. And that brings us to the point of this podcast.
03:40
As we look to verse 19 of the book of Obadiah, it talks about a piece of land in southern Israel, Shephelah, and this land that Obadiah describes is a strip of land in the Judean foothills in south-central Israel, between the Judean mountains and the coastal plain. Now, what is the coastal plain? It's Gaza. So if we look back at this territory and then we look at what happened on October 7th, this is the same description that Obadiah gives for this land and the people who live there. Now, why is this important? Let's read the scripture those of the Negev shall possess Mount Esau, and those of the Shephelah shall possess the land of the Philistines. They shall possess the land of Ephraim and the land of Samaria, and Benjamin shall possess Gilead. Now, this talks about the kingdom of the Lord, so what we're going to concentrate on is that portion in verse 19. And those of Shephelah shall possess the land of the Philistines. Now, what is the land of the Philistines? The land of the Philistines is what we call Gaza today, the Gaza Strip. And if you remember your Old Testament, it talks about David and Goliath, the famous battle that transpired after David defeated Goliath. Goliath was from Gath, another city in Gaza. Many battles were fought on that plain, just as they're being fought today.
05:12
God's plan is not for a two-state situation, a Palestinian state and an Israeli state. God's plan is for Israel to take back that land, which so many in the world say is exactly the opposite that Israel should give back all their land because it belongs to the Palestinians. But if you know your biblical history, it was given to Israel by the promise of God, and now we read in Obadiah that the Gaza Strip will be given back to Israel during the kingdom of the Lord. So many people make comments on YouTube, and they present themselves as authorities on these situations when in fact, they do not know their history. The point I'm making today is that God is inspiring Israel to do what they're doing. They're coming against the ancient evil because, if you are aware of what's happening in the Middle East, god is resurrecting the old empires. He's about to deal with those who have dealt viciously with Israel.
06:13
Now there are a lot of Jewish people who don't really have a lot of interest in Israel. They go there because it's a nice place to visit, for a vacation, maybe to have a bar mitzvah or to celebrate someone's birthday. Pro -Israel, as amazing as that sounds. But those who live in Israel, who are true Israelites, that's their home, that's their nation, and God is going to bring back his people. It says in Romans that God will have a remnant, and that's always the way it is, and even with the Church of Jesus Christ today, those who call themselves Christians are not all followers of Jesus Christ and his teaching. But, as the scripture says, the Lord will have a remnant. And so, as we look at what's going on in the world today, we see countries changing names, changing territorial borders. God is reshaping what he has prophesied to take place.
07:13
Jeremiah, chapter 1, verse 12. He says I watch over my word to perform it. We have to understand that God walks within time. To him there really is no time, but so we can understand and comprehend in some way, in some human form, god moves in time. The past, the present and the future are all the same to him. He sees it all and I believe he's calling his people to get into his word and understand his mind, because it is God's mind that will prevail. It's God's plans that will prevail, despite what we might feel are right judgments or not. That's why it's important for you and I to be in a place where we can be blessed, and that place is in the presence of God, aligning ourselves with the will of God, and I pray that you are seeking that, not your will, not what your vision is, not what my vision is, but what is God's vision for our lives and for the world.
08:16
So continue to dig into the Word of God, because in there is every answer and you might say well, why isn't it more plain? Why doesn't God make it more plain? Why is it so hard? Because God wants us to dig, and the only way we can understand his word is to have fellowship with him, spend more time with him, asking the Holy Spirit to give us clarity. That's why he makes it a little more difficult for some truths to come into our hearts and minds. Otherwise, we would be as spoiled brats and unfortunately there are many of those in the church. We're still drinking the milk when we should be digging into the meat of the Word of God. This way we will not be fooled, and we cannot be fooled if we are standing on the truth if we have an understanding of God's plan for this world and everyone in it. This is Russ Scalzo for Chronicles of the End Times. Keep looking up. King is coming.
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