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Dear brothers and sisters in our Lord Jesus, part of the growing repentance remnant, cleansing as His Bride, getting ready for His soon return as our Bridegroom-----
Blessed is the nation that blesses Israel. To that end this following article by Avner Boskey gives remarkable history and perspective and key prayer points to align all of us with God's Chosen People.
GAZA – ITS HISTORY, ITS INHABITANTS AND ITS PROPHETIC FUTURE
The past, present and future of Gaza – how to factor that in today?
Avner Boskey |
The last place Western politicians look for wisdom and strategy is the Bible. Yet the Hebrew Scriptures offer a helpful foundation for those who would attempt to make sense of Gaza’s history, its strategic significance and its prophetic future.
The Wild West Bank
Most children learn in Sunday School that the Canaanites were the original people-group that lived in the Promised Land, and that they were also Semitic people.
Both points are incorrect. Semites are actually descendants of Noah’s first son, Shem; but the Canaanites were Hamites – descendants of Ham, Noah’s second son (see Genesis 6:10). Ham’s sons included Cush (Ethiopians), Mizraim (Egyptians), Put (Libyans) and Canaan. Genesis 10:15-19 tells us about Canaan’s progeny: “Canaan fathered Sidon, his firstborn, and Heth, the Jebusite, the Amorite, the Girgashite, the Hivite, the Arkite, the Sinite, the Arvadite, the Zemarite, and the Hamathite. And afterward the families of the Canaanite were spread abroad. The territory of the Canaanite extended from [modern Lebanese] Sidon going toward Gerar, as far as Gaza; and going toward Sodom and Gomorrah, Admah, and Zeboi’im, as far as Lasha.”
The Five Books of Moses mention that the Promised Land was also identified with various non-Canaanite peoples – not just with the Canaanites:
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“Abram passed through the land as far as the site of Shechem, to the oak of Moreh. Now the Canaanites were in the land at that time” (Genesis 12:6)
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“And there was strife between the herdsmen of Abram’s livestock and the herdsmen of Lot’s livestock. Now the Canaanites and the Perizzites were living in the land at that time” (Genesis 13:7)
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“Then Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, ‘You have brought trouble on me by making me repulsive among the inhabitants of the land, among the Canaanites and the Perizzites; and since my men are few in number, they will band together against me and attack me, and I will be destroyed, I and my household!’” (Genesis 34:30)
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“On that day YHVH made a covenant with Abram, saying, ‘To your descendants I have given this land, from the river of Egypt as far as the great river, the river Euphrates – the land of the Kenite, the Kenizzite, the Kadmonite, the Hittite, the Perizzite, the Rephaim, the Amorite, the Canaanite, the Girgashite, and the Jebusite” (Genesis 15:18-21)
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“ For My Angel will go before you and bring you into the land of the Amorites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Canaanites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites; and I will completely destroy them” (Exodus 23:23)
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“Nevertheless, the people who live in the land are strong, and the cities are fortified and very large. And indeed, we saw the descendants of Anak there. Amalek is living in the land of the Negev, the Hittites, the Jebusites, and the Amorites are living in the hill country, and the Canaanites are living by the sea and by the side of the Jordan” (Numbers 13:28-29)
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“Now when these things had been completed, the officials approached me, saying, “The people of Israel and the priests and the Levites have not separated themselves from the peoples of the lands, as to their abominations, those of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Jebusites, the Ammonites, the Moabites, the Egyptians, and the Amorites” (Ezra 9:1)
Not all dwellers in the Land of Canaan were Canaanites
Other ethnic groups lived in the Promised Land. These included the Avvim (near Gaza; see Joshua 13:2-4): “And as for the Avvim, who lived in villages/hatzerim as far as Gaza – the Caphtorim, who came from Caphtor, destroyed them and lived in their place” (Deuteronomy 2:23). The people of Caphtor (probably Crete) who destroyed the Avvim were the Philistines. Caphtor is described by Jeremiah 47:4 and Amos 9:7 as the homeland of the Philistines (see also Genesis 10:13-14). The Philistines established trading colonies in the Phoenician/Lebanese cities of Tyre and Sidon, as they also did in Gaza, Ashdod, Ashkelon, Ekron and Gath (see Joshua 13:3). The Avvim faded off the scene.
Another non-Canaanite people-group were the Anakim. They were mentioned by the Twelve Spies as having been seen on Israel’s original intelligence foray to ‘spy out the Land’: “Where can we go up? Our brothers have made our hearts melt, by saying, ‘The people are bigger and taller than we. The cities are large and fortified up to heaven. And besides, we saw the sons of the Anakim there’” (Deuteronomy 1:28).
Moses declares to the Jewish people just before they enter the Promised Land:
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“Hear, Israel! You are crossing the Jordan today, to go in to dispossess nations greater and mightier than you, cities that are great and fortified to heaven, a people who are great and tall, the sons of the Anakim, whom you know and of whom you have heard it said, ‘Who can stand against the sons of Anak?’ So be aware today that it is YHVH your God who is crossing over ahead of you as a consuming fire. He will destroy them and He will subdue them before you, so that you may drive them out and eliminate them quickly, just as YHVH has spoken to you” (Deuteronomy 9:1-3)
Joshua destroyed 99% of the Anakim, eliminating their presence from what is today called Judea (what the world usually calls ‘the West Bank’). Only a handful – a tiny remnant – of Anakim remained in three Philistine cities (one of which was Gaza):
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“Then Joshua came at that time and eliminated the Anakim from the hill country, from Hebron, Debir, Anab, and from all the hill country of Judah and all the hill country of Israel. Joshua utterly destroyed them with their cities. There were no Anakim left in the land of the sons of Israel; only in Gaza, Gath, and Ashdod some remained” (Joshua 11:21-22; see also Joshua 14:15 and Joshua 15:13)
Moses describes various peoples who lived in what is today Gaza, Israel and Jordan:
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The Horites lived in Seir, but Esau/Edom dispossessed them, destroyed them and settled in their place. Moses explains that Israel did the same regarding the Land of their possession which YHVH had given them (see Deuteronomy 2).
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The people of Ammon (Lot’s descendants) lived in the land that the Bible also calls ‘the Land of Rephaim’ (see Joshua 17:14-16; today it is called Jordan) where the Rephaim had originally lived. The sons of Ammon also called these Rephaim ‘the Zamzummim’ (see Deuteronomy 2:19-21) and described them as being tall like Anakim. Moses declared in Deuteronomy 2 that “YHVH destroyed the Anakim [at the hand of Ammon] and Ammon dispossessed them and settled in their place.”
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A people called the Emim (see Genesis 14:5-6) were considered very similar to the Anakim. The Moabites (also descendants of Lot) called these people ‘Emim’ and considered them also ‘Rephaim.’
Truck stop between Egypt and Damascus
During the reign of Tuthmosis III (1479–1425 BC), Gaza had become a stop on the Syrian-Egyptian caravan route. It was mentioned in the 14th-century Amarna letters as ‘Azzati.’ Gaza later served as Egypt’s administrative capital in Canaan, the ‘gateway to Canaan.’
God’s borders of the Land of Israel include Gaza
The God of Israel lays out for the Jewish people the biblical borders of the Promised Land. The south-west corner includes Gaza:
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“Then YHVH spoke to Moses, saying, ‘Command the sons of Israel and say to them, “When you enter the land of Canaan, this is the land that shall fall to you as an inheritance, that is, the land of Canaan according to its borders. Your southern region shall extend . . . to the Brook of Egypt [i.e., the wadi el-Arish], and its termination shall be at the [Mediterranean] Sea. As for the western border, you shall have the Great [Mediterranean] Sea, that is, its coastline; this shall be your western border” (Numbers 34:1-6)
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“Now the cities at the extremity of the tribe of the sons of Judah toward the border of Edom in the south were . . . Ekron, with its towns and its villages; from Ekron even to the sea, all that were by the side of Ashdod, with their villages; Ashdod, its towns and its villages; Gaza, its towns and its villages, as far as the brook of Egypt and the Great Sea, even its coastline” (Joshua 15:21-47)
It’s all Greek to me
The Philistines of the Bible would probably be called Greeks today. Their archeological remains are Mycenaean Greek in nature, and their material culture (figurines, pottery, fire-stands, etc. – ‘Philistine Bichrome Ware’) reflect Aegean-Greek origins. This means that the original inhabitants of Gaza were neither Semitic nor Arab, but instead Hamitic or Japhetic. They were named ‘the Sea Peoples’ by the Egyptians, with whom they fought for many years. These tribes are mentioned by the Egyptians – Peleset, Tjeker, Shekelesh, Denyen, and Weshesh. The modern word ‘Philistine’ comes from the ancient Aegean ‘Peleset.’
Gaza was where Samson the Judge was blinded and enslaved, and where the God of Israel supernaturally gave him back his strength to wreak destruction on 3,000 Philistines as they had gathered to mock Samson and to celebrate their idol Dagon (Judges 16:20-33).
Here are other biblical and historical references to Israel past conquests of Gaza:
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“So Joshua struck all the land, the hill country and the Negev and the lowland and the slopes, and all their kings. He left no survivor, but he utterly destroyed all who breathed, just as YHVH, the God of Israel, had commanded. Joshua struck them from Kadesh Barnea even as far as Gaza, and all the country of Goshen even as far as Gibeon” (Joshua 10:40-41)
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“Then Judah went with his brother Simeon, and they struck the Canaanites living in Zephath, and utterly destroyed it. So the name of the city was called Hormah. And Judah took Gaza with its territory, Ashkelon with its territory, and Ekron with its territory. Now the Lord was with Judah, and they took possession of the hill country; but they could not drive out the inhabitants of the valley, because they had iron chariots” (Judges 1:17-19)
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“For [Solomon] was ruling over everything west of the Euphrates River, from Tiphsah even to Gaza, over all the kings west of the River; and he had peace on all sides surrounding him” (1 Kings 4:24)
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“And YHVH was with [Hezekiah]; wherever he went he was successful. And he revolted against the king of Assyria and did not serve him. He defeated the Philistines as far as Gaza and its territory, from watchtower to fortified city” (2 Kings 18:7-8)
From Alexander the Great to Hamastan
In 332 BC Alexander the Great besieged Gaza for five months before capturing it. Ten thousand Gazans were killed and the rest of the population was taken into captivity. A Christian bishopric was later established at Gaza in the 300’s AD. A Jewish community operated a large synagogue which existed in Gaza in the early 500’s AD century. After the jihadi conquest in July 634 Arabs began to settle in Gaza, and Islam became the dominant religion. In 796 Gaza was destroyed during a civil war between the Arab tribes of the area. The Crusaders conquered Gaza in 1100, while in 1187 the Ayyubids, led by Sultan Saladin, captured Gaza, destroying the city’s fortifications in 1191. Ayyubid rule ended in 1260, after the Mongols under Hulagu Khan completely destroyed Gaza. In 1663 Nathan of Gazamarried and moved to that city, becoming the ‘herald’ of a Jewish messianic pretender Shabtai Zvi. This indicates that there was a thriving Jewish community at that time. In November 1956 and again in June 1967 the IDF conquered the Gaza Strip. US and Russian pressure caused Israel to withdraw from Gaza in 1956, and American pressure caused PM Ariel Sharon to complete the disastrous ‘disengagement’ from Gaza in 2005. The 2006 Hamas jihadi election (overseen by former POTUS Clinton) has led to 20 years of war between Israel and the jihadi terrorists of Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad.
Modern Western pipe-dreams crash into the reality of jihadi terrorists
In recent days, there has been talk by some Western leaders (including POTUS Trump and former UK PM Tony Blair) of establishing a combination real-estate deal, population transfer and tourism resort in Gaza. Trump posted an AI clip commending such a move.
According to a July 11, 2025 article penned by Robert Johnson and published in the Gatestone Institute ‘Warnings to President Trump on the Future of Gaza’: “Meetings currently appear to be underway to create a possible ‘consortium’ of Arab and Muslim nations to govern the Gaza Strip – basically leaving in place many of the same radical Islamic adherents of Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood, of which it is an offshoot, as before – most likely to make sure that Israel can be attacked again in the future as many times as necessary to ensure its extinction.”
Qatar is one of the major players in this strategic development. “Qatar is at the top of funding terrorism worldwide, even more than Iran” says Udi Levy, former senior official of Israel’s Mossad spy agency, who is a specialist dealing with economic warfare against terrorist organizations.
A future Gazan war as prophesied by Isaiah
Isaiah prophesied about a time – which is actually happening in our day – the return of the Jewish people to their Promised Land A SECOND TIME. The first return was in the days of Ezra and Nehemiah. The second return has been going on since the 1840’s (see the article ‘First Aliyah’). This return to Zion will eventually bring healing to the divisions currently existing among the Jewish people – whether it be between Ashkenazi, Sephardi or Mizrachi; between secular, traditional, Orthodox or Ultra-Orthodox; whether between leftists or Rightists. A unified Jewish people will fly down (that is the Hebrew word) on Gaza (on the west), inflicting decisive military victory. They will crushingly defeat enemies which dwell to the east of Israel – whether it be Jordan (Edom, Moab and Ammon) or even further east (Iraq, Yemen, Iran, etc.). This prophecy is beginning to come alive before our very eyes in the recent military clashes with Gaza, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Iran and Yemen:
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“Then it will happen on that day that YHVH will again recover with His hand the second time the remnant of His people who will remain – from Assyria, Egypt, Pathros, Cush, Elam, Shinar, Hamath, and from the islands of the sea. And He will lift up a flag for the nations and assemble the banished ones of Israel, and will gather the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth. Then the jealousy of Ephraim will depart, and those who harass Judah will be eliminated. Ephraim will not be jealous of Judah, and Judah will not harass Ephraim. They will swoop down (Hebrew, fly) onto the slopes/coastland of the Philistines on the west. Together they will plunder the people of the east. They will possess Edom and Moab, and the sons of Ammon will be subject to them” (Isaiah 11:11-14)
A destroyed Gaza will be resettled by Israel
Zephaniah prophesied about events which would be future to his own day: the first stage describes massive destruction of the Philistine pentapolis (the five-city confederacy) of Gaza, Ashdod, Ashkelon, Gath and Ekron. Then, years after that colossal devastation, the God of Jacob will restore His people to those same cities – originally part of the Land He had promised to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in days of old. The Jewish people will return to Gaza and will resettle there, while Israel’s enemies will be recompensed for their false claims, their arrogance, their taunts and their boastings. The fulfilment of this prophecy is coming about in the not-too-distant future:
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“Gather yourselves together, yes, join together, you nation without shame, before the decree takes effect – the day passes like chaff – before the burning anger of YHVH comes upon you, before the day of YHVH’s anger comes upon you . . . For Gaza will be abandoned, and Ashkelon will become a desolation. The inhabitants of Ashdod will be driven out at noon, and Ekron will be uprooted. Woe to the inhabitants of the seacoast, the nation of the Cherethites! The word of YHVH is against you, Canaan, land of the Philistines. And I will eliminate you so that there will be no inhabitant. So the seacoast will become grazing places, with pastures for shepherds and folds for flocks. And the coast will be for the remnant of the house of Judah. They will drive sheep to pasture on it. In the houses of Ashkelon they will lie down at evening. For YHVH their God will care for them and restore their fortunes. I have heard the taunting of Moab and the abusive speech of the sons of Ammon, with which they have taunted My people and boasted against their territory. Therefore, as I live, declares YHVH of armies, the God of Israel, Moab will assuredly be like Sodom, and the sons of Ammon like Gomorrah – ground overgrown with weeds and full of salt mines, and a permanent desolation. The remnant of My people will plunder them, and the remainder of My nation will inherit them. This they will have in return for their arrogance, because they have taunted and boasted against the people of YHVH of armies” (Zephaniah 2:1-10)
These prophetic words are a sobering wake-up call. It’s time to intercede!
How shall we then pray?
- Pray that all jihadi plans to destroy Israel and to cause great casualties to the Jewish people will be nullified
- Pray that all pagan plans to establish a Palestinian terror state in Gaza, Judea and Samaria will be nullified
- Pray that divine wisdom, strategies and discernment be given to the leaders of Israel and the USA regarding the red line of dividing the Land of Israel
- Pray for the raising up of Ezekiel’s prophetic Jewish army throughout the earth
Your prayers and support hold up our arms and are the very practical enablement of God to us in the work He has called us to do.
In Messiah Yeshua,
Avner Boskey
Donations can be sent to:
FINAL FRONTIER MINISTRIES
BOX 121971 NASHVILLE TN 37212-1971 USA
To donate online visit: http://www.davidstent.org/give
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Even though NDR did not reach its goal by June 30 in the GIVE 12 Project-- not quite 45% was raised---a breakthrough happened! Some new donors came aboard, some current donors made new monthly commitments, and --having checked with the LORD our Provider---therefore we are extending the campaign through August. The goal is to raise nearly $70,000 to continue to support repentance-preaching ministers (whose testimonies we will continue to share), who are accomplishing major Holy Spirit-based results, bringing hundreds and hundreds each week into Jesus' Kingdom. The new name of the Project is "Invite one to One." We are praying for our current donors to witness "fruit worthy of repentance" to others, sharing why they support NDR, inviting even one other person to participate now in this work of the Lord to spread His Gift of Repentance.
Please continue to sow into this mighty move of God - and do not get weary in doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we faint not... (Gal 6:6-9). Your donation of whatever amount the LORD places on your heart to give towards His MOVE of Repentance continues to bear fruit !
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God bless you,
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Pastor Jeffrey Daly
National Day of Repentance
www.globalrepent.com
pastorjeff@repentday.com
Box 246 Middletown CA USA. 95461
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