Prophecy Fulfilled in Lebanon

Prophecy Fulfilled in Lebanon
Who leads Lebanon? For more than two years, the answer was nobody. President Michel Aoun’s term expired in October 2022. Since then, Lebanon’s interim government has been a dysfunctional mess. Aoun was an ally of the powerful Hezbollah terrorist organization. After he left, Hezbollah exploited the power vacuum and further increased its political power. But on January 9, Lebanon finally inaugurated a new president, and his first actions indicate that Lebanon’s power structure is about to change.
Joseph Aoun (no relation to Michel Aoun) was the former commander of the Lebanese Armed Forces. The military is one of the few institutions well respected by most segments of Lebanon’s diverse population. Aoun received backing from a majority of political parties, with 99 out of 128 votes in the legislature. Hezbollah, which controls 15 legislators, did not support him.
In a speech to the legislature, Aoun promised “a new phase in Lebanon’s history.” Though he characterized Israeli strikes on Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon as “Israeli aggression,” he also said the Lebanese government has “the exclusive right to bear arms.” In other words, Hezbollah must disarm. At this statement, Aoun received the longest standing ovation of his speech. Under the Nov. 27, 2024, Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire deal, the Israel Defense Forces withdrew from southern Lebanon on the condition that the Lebanese government supervises all weapons shipments into the country and prevents Hezbollah from remilitarizing.
After Aoun’s election, legislators quickly nominated Nawaf Salam as prime minister. Najim Mikati, a pro-Hezbollah figure, had held the office as a caretaker for two years. Salam is a stark contrast. Unlike the rest of Lebanon’s cutthroat political class, Salam built his career not by jostling for power in Beirut but by leading the United Nations International Court of Justice in the Netherlands.
The week of Salam’s election, Lebanon received a visitor: French President Emmanuel Macron. This was his first trip to Lebanon in over four years. Macron said he hoped the government’s changes would mean “a new era, that of a change in political behavior, the return of the state to the benefit of all.” He announced a deployment of 80 experts to accompany French forces in southern Lebanon’s UN mission. This is a small number, but it demonstrates France’s intent to maintain its presence in Lebanon.
These are major developments in the region. And the Trumpet finds them especially significant because of Bible prophecy.
Psalm 83 records an alliance of Middle Eastern peoples whose goal is “that the name of Israel may be no more in remembrance” (verse 4). History has no record of an alliance of this composition, so Trumpet editor in chief Gerald Flurry points to Psalm 83 as a prophecy for the near future. Verses 6-8 list the peoples forming this alliance. When you know the identity of the modern descendants of these peoples, the prophecy comes alive. Mr. Flurry explains in his booklet The King of the South that these descendants include Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Syria, the Palestinian Arabs, Turkey and Germany. And Gebal and Tyre refer to modern-day Lebanon.
A related prophecy in Daniel 11:40 shows Iran, under the prophetic name “the king of the south,” attacking Germany, or “the king of the north.” (The King of the South goes into further detail.) This implies that Germany’s allies in Psalm 83 also oppose Iran.
For years, Lebanon under Hezbollah was an Iranian proxy. Because of Psalm 83, the Trumpet expected Lebanon to be freed from Iran’s grip. The most likely scenario for this would be through Hezbollah’s loss of power. “Based on this prophecy,” we wrote in October 2020, “we can know for certain that Lebanon is going to side with a German-led Europe,” which includes France. Because of Daniel 11, we also predicted that “Lebanon will no longer be allied with Iran” (ibid).
This may have looked unlikely even as recently as five years ago. But current events in Lebanon show this is happening right now.
The King of the South highlights other biblical passages that reveal there is more to the story than Lebanon’s switch of allegiance. Bible prophecy shows that all of mankind is approaching a supreme global crisis.
Psalm 83:18 shows the purpose and culmination of such prophetic events: “That they may know that You, whose name alone is the Lord, Are the Most High over all the earth” (New King James Version). God is orchestrating events so the world may finally get to know Him. In time, prophecy will accomplish this purpose. But the faster the individual learns this lesson, the faster they can be spared from coming troubles and obtain the blessings God wants to give.