Tectonic shifts are taking place in the Middle East. We see tectonic shifts politically, certainly militarily, but now we’re seeing tectonic shifts literally. An earthquake in Syria this last week has profoundly affected Hezbollah and could be one of the reasons why Iran and the terror organization have delayed their invasion of Israel.
The assassination of Ismail Haniyeh, who was the leader of Hamas, took place in Tehran over two weeks ago on July 31. Iran is insisting that they are going to retaliate against Israel. However, Tehran added that one thing could prevent their attack: a ceasefire in the Israel-Gaza war.
The problem is it appears everybody wants the ceasefire except Israel and Hamas in Gaza. Israel intends to prosecute this war to the end, which I believe they should. If they don’t, they’ll just be delaying the inevitable. I don’t think the Hamas leaders in Gaza and surrounding arab nations want this war to end either; they would much prefer to continue using it as leverage and a tool to stoke even more global hatred for Israel.
The United States is currently accelerating its deployment of a carrier strike group to the Middle East, even sending a nuclear submarine to this area. Interestingly, the United States doesn’t normally announce the whereabouts of our nuclear sub’s location—that’s a top secret.
I think all of this is happening not because the US wants to escalate but because the US wants to de-escalate. We want the world to see that we have Israel’s back, and hopefully, this will cause Iran to stand down.
A Wall Street Journal headline reads, “In Israel, Support Grows for Offensive Against Hezbollah.” There is increased support in Israel to get this thing started and neutralize Hezbollah. There’s also growing fear that Iran and Israel could attack each other’s nuclear facilities—that would, of course, be an apocalyptic scenario if that were to happen. Time will tell how extreme and extensive the war and the destruction will be.
The main story I would like to highlight surrounds the earthquake that took place recently in Syria. There’s an article in the Jerusalem Post about this fascinating development. The headline of the article says, “Heaven sent: Is Lebanon’s earthquake a testament to divine protection?“
Here is some intriguing information the article included:
Hezbollah’s underground ambitions may now lie buried, turned to ashes before they had any chance to harm us.
In our collective memory, Tisha B’Av has always been a solemn day, marked by the destruction of the First and Second Temples.
To provide further context, Tisha B’Av is a day of sorrow and reflection, which usually falls on our calendar in early August. It marks the destruction of Solomon’s Temple in 586 BC and the destruction of the Second Temple in AD 70. Those events happened on the same day. That’s not an accident—that’s divine providence. It was the hand of God showing the Jewish people that He was behind these destructions that took place because of their disobedience to Him.
The article continues:
This year, however, the day bore witness to what many of us view as a modern-day miracle—a testament to divine intervention that could not have come at a more crucial time.
Reports confirmed a 5.4-magnitude earthquake that struck Syria and Lebanon, profoundly impacting the region. This was not just any seismic event; it may have served as an unanticipated yet divine act that thwarted a grave threat against the Jewish nation. Hezbollah, an established proxy of Iran, had been preparing to launch an attack on Israel—a direct affront planned deliberately for Tisha B’Av. Many of the group’s underground tunnels, teeming with armaments, may have been reduced to rubble by an act of God to protect His children, which could effectively halt Hezbollah’s nefarious plan before it could materialize.
It is hard to perceive it as mere coincidence that the earth shook on the very day Hezbollah had intended to send Israel into mourning once more. With tunnels collapsing and their arsenals buried, what could have been a devastating assault turned into a day of bewildering relief and gratitude.
Throughout history, Jews have faced adversaries who sought to dismantle our spirit and our faith. This recent event is yet another example that, irrespective of the gathered forces against us, divine protection remains steadfast. Tisha B’Av, usually a day of sorrow and reflection, was transformed into a moment where we could see the hand of God in action, turning our potential despair into potential reassurance.
It is possible that say that Iran and Hezbollah must now be reeling from this unforeseen disruption.
We have previously discussed a number of reasons why Iran may be delaying this invasion. They may be trying to get more concessions out of the West. They may be waiting for air defense systems to come in from Russia. They may just be afraid. They don’t really want to escalate as the US is moving more assets into the area.
There is a multitude of reasons why they might be delaying, but one thing that has yet to be accounted for is that Iran may have had a plan for Tisha B’Av. This earthquake collapsed many Hezbollah tunnels, which may account for this further delay.
One thing is sure in all of this: God is in control of the timetable and the scope of any attack by Iran and Hezbollah against Israel. God controls the time, and God controls the extent of that attack.
Daniel 1:1-2, at the beginning of the book of Daniel in 605 BC, describes the Babylonians coming against Judah and Jerusalem. It reads: “In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah came Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon unto Jerusalem, and besieged it. And the Lord gave Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand, with part of the vessels of the house of God: which he carried into the land of Shinar to the house of his god; and he brought the vessels into the treasure house of his god.”
It’s interesting to note all these verbs in these verses have to do with Nebuchadnezzar. Nebuchadnezzar came, besieged, carried away, and put these articles in the temple in Babylonia. But in the middle of all the actions of King Nebuchadnezzar, it says, “the Lord gave Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand.” Nebuchadnezzar thought he was in total control of what was happening, but God was behind the scenes working, and it was God who delivered a Jehoiakim into his hand.
God delivers into the enemy’s hand, and God delivers out of the enemy’s hand. We need to remember that with all that is happening in the world today. Pastor Greg Laurie of Harvest Riverside shared a story from history that aptly displays God’s ultimate hand of control over the affairs and wars of nations:
History tells us that on the morning of the Battle of Waterloo, Napoleon stood gazing on the field of battle and described to his commanding officer the strategy for that day’s campaign. Then he declared that at the end of the day, England would be at the feet of France, and the Duke of Wellington, who was leading the British forces, would be the prisoner of Napoleon.
After a pause, Napoleon’s commanding officer boldly said, “We must not forget that man proposes, but God disposes.”
With arrogant pride, Napoleon shot back, “I want you to understand, sir, that Napoleon proposes and Napoleon disposes.”
Commenting on that statement, Victor Hugo said, “After that moment, Waterloo was lost, for God sent rain and hail so that the troops could not be maneuvered as he had planned, and on the night of the battle it was Napoleon who was prisoner of Wellington, and France was at the feet of England.”
It’s a great and true statement: “man proposes, but God disposes.” And I think we saw that statement play out with the earthquake in the Middle East on Monday. That may have been the day (Tisha B’Av) that Hezbollah intended to attack, rubbing salt on their wound during their day of sorrow and reflection—But God had other plans. God’s hand sent this 5.4 magnitude earthquake, literally shifting the tectonic plates to cause this plan to be thwarted.
Now, that doesn’t mean that Hezbollah will not attack sometime in the future, but I think it was a message to the Jewish people. It was also a subtle message, I’m sure, that wasn’t lost on Hezbollah. They saw these tunnels cave in, wondering, “Here we are making all these plans, and look what’s happening!” It had to give them pause.
We need to remember that whatever happens in the Middle East, in fact, whatever happens in our lives, God always has the last word. People are proposing, they do what they want to do, but God is disposing. God’s will will be done in His time and His way. God is working behind the scenes in His providence, ordering, orchestrating, and overseeing the events of history.
Sometimes, God steps in a more open way, like this earthquake, and shows His Hand. This is just one little kind of glimmer of light, if you will, in this dark situation, to show us that God is present and God is at work. I hope you’ll see that and look for that in your own life as well.
