The nation we know as Lebanon was called
Phoenicia by the Greeks and originally extended
along the Mediterranean coast from just north of Megiddo
in Israel to Latakia, about 200 miles northwest of Damascus.
The people were most likely descendants of Canaan, the
fourth son of Ham, since Sidon, Canaan's first born, gave his
name to a prominent Phoenician city, and several other Canaanite
tribes settled nearby following their departure from Babel (Genesis
10:15-18).
The Phoenicians were respected traders among
the Mediterranean city-states. Their most notable exports were
the purple dye known as Tyrian purple, various kinds of glass
(which they're credited with discovering), and the Phoenician
alphabet. First developed about 1500 BC, it was the prototype
for the Roman and Greek alphabets.
Phoenician trade was made possible by its
excellent navy, which carried its goods to ports throughout the
Mediterranean, and perhaps all the way to England. Some
scholars assert that the name Britannia comes from a Phoenician
word meaning source of tin and that the Phoenicians mined tin in
Cornwall which they brought back to customers in the
Mediterranean. Tin is used in the production of bronze.
Nebuchadnezzar had incorporated Phoenicia
into the Babylonian Empire in the 6th Century BC, but the
country's downfall actually began when Alexander the Great
defeated Persia in 333 BC.
Almost all of the Phoenician cities including Sidon,
Byblos, and Arvad conceded to Alexander with little or no
resistance. Tyre, the only city which didn't forfeit, held on
until Alexander waged a successful 7 month siege in 332 BC.
After the siege of Tyre, the Phoenician Empire dwindled
further, and in 64 BC the name of Phoenicia disappeared
entirely, its territory becoming a part of the Roman province of
Syria.
Nearly 20 centuries later, the League of
Nations carved out an area they called Lebanon as part of the
French (Syrian) Mandate following the collapse of the Ottoman
Empire. The manner
in which Lebanon's borders were established made the new country
about half Christian and half Sunni Muslim in its make-up. The
now multi-cultured Lebanon gained its independence from France
in 1943.
Over the years since, Lebanon has experienced
periods of peace and war, prosperity and poverty,
freedom and subjugation. While a sovereign country, it's
currently under the combined influence of Iran, Syria, and
Hezbollah.
Many people don't know that a large part of
Lebanon was included in the land God set aside for Israel.
Lebanon is first mentioned in Deut. 1:7 as part of
the Promised Land.
It was given to the Tribe of Asher but appears not to have
included Tyre (Joshua 19:24-31).
In return for King Hiram of Tyre's assistance in building
the Temple and royal Palace in Jerusalem, King Solomon “gave”
him 20 cities of the Upper Galilee as part of his compensation (1
Kings 9:10-11) extending Lebanon's border southward.
That Was Then.
This Is Now
Currently there's serious trouble brewing
again in Lebanon, trouble that could possibly become the spark
that ignites the Psalm 83 conflagration. In February 2005
former Lebanese Premier Rafiq Hariri was assassinated near his
home in Beirut. 21
others were killed and over 100 wounded in the car bomb attack
that took Hariri's life.
5 years later the UN's Special Tribunal for Lebanon is
set to implicate Hezbollah in the assassination and bring
indictments against several of its members.
Hezbollah has said if that happens, they'll move to
de-stabilize the fragile government of Lebanon and set up a
parallel one under their control. Their stated purpose is to
hold the country hostage against the release of their indicted
members.
The dead leader's son, Saad Hariri, is the
current Prime Minister of Lebanon.
He has courageously refused to reign in the Special
Tribunal to prevent them from naming Hezbollah in connection
with his father' death.
On Oct 28, Hezbollah conducted a country wide training
exercise to prepare for taking over the country.
Some think it's just posturing, but nobody knows for
sure.
The large contingent of Palestinian
refugees in Lebanon are aligned with the PLO's Fatah faction.
They have promised if Hezbollah makes good on its
threats, they'll shoot rockets into Israel and see that
Hezbollah gets drawn into a much larger conflict than it wants.
As I said, experts are divided on whether
this crisis will erupt into hostilities.
But Psalm 83 lists Lebanon among the combatants
against Israel (Gebal, also called Byblos, and Tyre are still
prominent Lebanese cities and are named in Psalm 83:7) so
eventually Lebanon will be drawn into another battle with
Israel.
Also, Iranian Pres. Ahmadinejad is said to
be putting pressure
on both Syria and Hezbollah to take action that would force
Israel into responding against Lebanon.
This would give Iran justification for mounting a
preemptive strike against Israel under the pretext of protecting
its nuclear facilities.
Current military build-ups on land and sea around Iran
are meant to discourage this, and involve US, French, Saudi
Arabian and Egyptian components. The US has also told Syrian
Pres. Assad he'll be held personally responsible if any thing
happens.
As has been the case several times
recently, cooler heads might prevail, postponing the inevitable
war. But eventually
it will happen, and when it does, Israel will emerge victorious,
perhaps regaining control of southern Lebanon in the process.
If so, this will nullify Lebanon's threatened counter
claim to Israel's enormous off-shore natural gas find as well as
returning the land God originally gave them.
Lebanon In The Millennium
And what is Lebanon's eventual destiny?
Zechariah and Ezekiel both say it will once again become
part of the Promised Land as God has always intended. Speaking
of Israel in the Millennium, He said;
Though I scatter them among the peoples,
yet in distant lands they will remember me. They and their
children will survive, and they will return.
I
will bring them back from Egypt and gather them from Assyria. I
will bring them to Gilead and Lebanon, and there will not be
room enough for them. (Zech. 10:9-11)
After the 2nd Coming, the first
recipient of land for the Millennium will be the tribe of Dan
and the land they'll be given will include most of present day
Lebanon (Ezek. 48:1).
The interior of the Millennial temple will
be finished in wood (Ezek. 41:15-26) instead of the gold
of past Temples.
And once again Lebanon will furnish the wood that brings
beauty to the Lord's house.
“The glory of Lebanon will come to you,
the juniper, the fir and the cypress together, to adorn my
sanctuary; and I will glorify the place for my feet (Isaiah
60:13).
And so Lebanon has a glorious future, but
not until it returns to its rightful place in the northern most
parts of Israel.
Only then will Lebanon know peace.
You can almost hear the footsteps of the Messiah.
11-06-10
