I'd like to offer what I find in the Torah to be G-ds solution to resolving the matter. I also want to quote John McTernan from his book As America has Done to israel - because he is the first bible scholar I've ever known to accurately interpret the Three Battles prior to the Day of the Lord depicted in OT.
The Three Battles
Each battle gets progressively larger.
It starts off in Isaiah 34:8 For the Day of the LORD's vengeance, and the year of recompense for the contraversy of Zion.
The first battle involved the destruction of Iraq and the nations bordering Israel. The second battle is led by Russia with the rest of the Islamic nations, and the third battle is Armageddon, which involves Asia with an army of 200 million.
The destruction of Babylon ( Iraq) is the opening. Before I begin let me state that while I am astounded at Kiernans' accuracy in understanding the line up here ( while other television bible prophecy teachers such as Perry Stone have missed it completely ) I am going to diagree with him on which Babylon gets destroyed before these wars kick off.
While Kiernan inteprets Iraq in ME to be the Babylon that the prophet describes - a quick read of Revelation 18 makes it obvious to me it isn't Iraq that is destroyed but America. America is mystery Babylon. Not Iraq. Iraq is not surrounded by "many waters" - America is. Read Revelation 18 and see for yourself. Perry Stone also says it isn't America. I say it is. Why? Because when America falls there will be nothing holding these nations surrounding Israel back anymore. We are the ones standing in the way of their plan. Not the Iraqis.
This is the opening move to the first major battle. Who will strike on the USA with nuclear fire? The nation leading the invasion of Israel in Ezekiel of course. That would be Russia. So let's begin here:
According to the prophets in the Torah the people facing judgment are the people who live in Mystery Babylon ( take down of America precedes Major Attack on Israel ) the Palestinians, the Jordanians, Egyptians, Syrians and part of Saudi Arabia. G-d is going to judge these nations when they attempt to annihilate Israel.
Teirnan mentions that the final battle over Jerusalem may have begun in Sept 28,2000. The conflict over the Temple Mount started on that day and hasn't ever subsided. The major trigger point is Jerusalem and the Temple Mount.
The bible speaks directly to the current Israeli - Palestinian conflict. The bible says as the day of the Lord draws near, the Jews will drive the Palestinians completely from the land of Israel. The complete removal of the Palestinians is another key sign of the Day of the Lord drawing near.
The Prophet Obadiah spoke to us about this situation - the prophet tied this conflict to the coming day of the Lord. He stated that as the Day of the Lord Draws near, a horrific war erupts between the Jews, "The House of Jacob," and the Palestinians, the "House of Esau." Read Obadiah 1:15, 18-19 This war results in the Palestinians being driven from the covenant land. The prophet stated that Israel will possess the Plain of the Philistines, which is Gaza, Ephraim, and Samaria, located in the West Bank, all are brought under Israeli control, along with Gilead. Gilead is the East Bank of the Jordan River.
Why is Israel forced into such a response? Because in the preamble of Hamas it declares, Israel will exist and will continue to exist until Islam will obliterate it, just as it has obliterated others before it. Article II of their document reads: The Islamic Resistance Movement ( Hamas ) believes the land of Palestine is an Islamic Waqf consecrated for future Muslim generations until Judgment Day. It, or any part of it, should not be squandered, it, or any part of it should not be given up.
The Hamas covenant leaves no rooom for negotiations with Israel.
Article 13: There is no solution for the Palestinian question except throught jihad. Initiatives, proposals, and the international conferences are all a waste of time and vain endeavors. The Palestine people know better than to consent to having their futures, rights and fate toyed with.
The prophet Isaiah adds to this prophecy in speaking of a war that crushes Syria but also weakens Israel. The first war totally destroys Damascus and the nation of Syria ceases to exist ( this is part of Obadiah prophecy but is found in Isaiah as well ) The destruction of Damascus is so great it is never rebuilt again. Syria ceases from being a nation and Israel becomes thin, or loses a large percentage of its population.
* Comment * I believe the large percentage will be comprised of those inside Israel who are not supposed to be there. We will witness a thorough purging of all non Jewish presence inside Israel in that hour as G-d delivers His judgment on those who afflicted His people and His Holy land. Read Isaiah 17: 12- 14 for the full description of this judgment.
Egypt is drawn into this first battle also. Egypt will be completely destroyed. It appears the fighting between the Palestinians and the Israelis spills over into Egypt. Egypt attacks Israel to her own doom. The destruction of Egypt is so complete that the survivors flee into the nations of the world. the Nile River stops flowing. Prophet after prophet confirms the terrible destruction coming to Egypt - prophecies about the Detruction of Egypt have yet to be fulfilled. You'll read of the destruction of Egypt and the dispersion of the survivors of Egypt to other nations in Joel 3:19 and Ezekiel 29:9 - 12.
The modern nation of Jordan comprises three small nations: Ammon, Moab, and Edom ( the ancient names of these lands and peoples will identify who perishes in this first battle. Ammon is the northern section of Jordan, Moab is the central section, and Edom is the southern section. The prophet Zephaniah spoke about the Day of the Lord and the total destruction of Ammon and Moab yet that destruction hasn't happened yet either. It is coming in the future. The total destruction of the central Jordan ( Moab ) and the northern section ( Ammon ) is so great it turns parts of the Jordan into Sodom and Gomorrah. ( the prophet doesn't mention Edom which is located in southern Jordan ) Read Zephaniah 2: 8-9 for that description.
Then the prophet Isaiah describes the awesome judgment on Edom, also referred to as Idumea. The region of Idumea includes Southern Jordan and North western corner of Saudi Arabia. Isaiah said that during the day of the Lord, this area will burn with pitch or oil. The very nation known for oil will burn on fire with oil. You can find verification for this prophecy in Isaiah 34: 8, Isaiah 34: 5.
Isaiah 34: 9-10 specifically describes this area as burning so intensely that no one can pass through it.
From the description of this battle and the fact that Israel prevails while her neighbors perish or flee to far away lands it ( Egypt, Syria, Jordan, Lebanon, the palestinian people - part of Saudi Arabia too )
appears to be weapons of mass destruction used.
The summation of this first battle: The first war results in an impassible ring of destroyed countries to the south and east of Israel. The nations of Egypt, Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq ( Babylon - which I say is America not the Babylon in the ME ) and part of Saudi Arabia are totally destroyed. According to the Bible, they become like Sodom and Gomorrah ( destroyed by fire - uninhabitable )
According to bible scholar, John McTernan, this area becomes completely impassable because of the use of nuclear, chemical or biological weapons. the soil of the destroyed nations is so poisoned it is impossible to pass through. The area of Idumea is on fire, much like Kuwait was after the 91' Gulf War. The approaches to Israel from the South and the East are blocked, leaving only the north as an avenue of attacking Israel.
This is why Israel will take her wall down. The Mediterranean Sea blocks a land invasion from the West. This leaves only a very narrow area of land focused in the Mountains of Israel. ( Which is exactly how the Russian led Islamic Army shall come in on horse back in Ezekiel 37, 38, 39 later on in second Battle ) The very same Russian led Islamic Army that will be destroyed on those mountains later on in the second battle. The second battle starts with Ezekiel 38: 16 - Thou shalt come up against my people of Israel, as a cloud to cover the land; it shall be in the latter days.
Ezekiel lists a confederacy of nations united in this attack against Israel. Russia leads the nations, which include Turkey, Iran, Libya, Ethiopia, parts of Eastern Europe.... the prophet Ezekiel doesn't mention the countries of Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine, and Syria. the reason these nations were not listed in his prophecy is that they were all destroyed in the first battle. ( again - it is my opinion BABYLON is America ( Revelation 18 ) not Iraq but we'll find out in the future. I believe that the reason Iraq is not mentioned in the prophecy is because her land has already merged with Irans after her neighbors are wiped out so she comes under the heading of Persia in the Ezekiel prophecy. IMO. )
To be clear Ezekiel set the time frame of this battle as taking place after the Jews returned to Israel from a worldwide disperson. He identifies the period as the "latter years". Jews were scattered into all the nations for nearly two thousand years, but in Ezekiel 38 they are home again.
This answers the matter of Israel and how the current conflict will be resolved. According to G-d's own Prophets.
My prayer is that the LORD will make a way of escape for those who do not wish to be a part of this conflict but have nevertheless found themselves trapped in it. I pray they will make it out of this region of the world before all of this takes place and take their families with them.
-Jeri