“Thus says the Lord God:
‘Because the Philistines dealt vengefully
and took vengeance with a spiteful heart,
to destroy BECAUSE OF THE OLD HATRED,
therefore thus says the Lord God:
‘I will stretch out my hand against the Philistines,
and I will cut off the Cherethites
and destroy the remnant of the seacoast.
I will execute great vengeance
on them with furious rebukes,
and they shall know that I am the Lord,
when I lay my vengeance upon them.’”
Ezekiel 25:14-17

The land of Gaza, where hatred against Israel is taking place daily, was once occupied by the Philistines, a hateful and violent people who never ceased to attack Israel. In Hebrew the p and the ph are the same letter, so the word “Philistine” is the same word as “Palestine.” What we are looking at today, along with the chief perpetrator from ancient Persia which is now Iran, is leading up to the most terrible time that has ever been on the earth.

“For then there will be great tribulation,
such as has not been since the beginning of the world
until this time, no, nor ever shall be.”
Matthew 24:21

“The old hatred” is a loaded phrase. It shows that this conflict is rooted in ancient times. It’s the spirit behind Ishmael’s hatred of Jacob, the spirit that hates the God of Israel. It’s the spirit behind all the hatred and violence against the Jews in Israel and against the Jewish people everywhere.

In this passage, note the words “and they shall know that I am the Lord…” This gives us motivation to pray for Israel that through the coming “vengeance” of the Lord upon their enemies many would come to know that he IS the Lord.

After the soon-coming Rapture of the believers in Jesus Christ, the story returns to Israel as God prepares them to see their Messiah and repent. Pray for them!