Some teachers who deny Psalm 83 as a prophecy claim that Israel is now living in the time of peace that will cause them to be taken by surprise when the battle of Ezekiel 38 comes. I know you believe in Psalm 83, but do you think the part about them living in peace could be true?
No I don’t. I remember before the 2006 Lebanon war it was estimated that Hezbollah had 20,000 rockets aimed at Israel. Many of these were destroyed during the war, but afterward they were more than replaced and soon Hezbollah was claiming that as a result they had increased the number to 40,000. That replenishment has continued unabated.
Last week Israeli officials estimated there are now 170,000 rockets aimed at Israeli cities. In addition, there are about 50,000 al Qaeda soldiers “piling up” on Israel’s borders from the wars in Syria and Iraq. The Israeli army is preparing to target these soldiers, considering them to be a direct threat to Israel’s national security. This could easily become the trigger for Psalm 83.
I don’t think anyone in Israel believes peace has come to them, and I don’t think it would be possible to take them by surprise at this point in time.