Israel is poised to launch a ground invasion into Southern Lebanon according to ABC. A Senior U.S. Official told ABC News that Israel is preparing a limited ground incursion into Southern Lebanon following the death of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah. At this hour Israeli Defense Forces continue to pound military targets in Lebanon that are linked to the terror organization. According to the report the impending ground invasion will be 'very limited'.

There are multiple reports of troop mobilizations and buildup along Israel's northern border. The last few days of relentless air assaults may have been paving the way for the reported ground incursion. ABC National Security and Defense Analyst Mick Mulroy's assessment is that "It's clear that everything that's been done either is or could be for the setup of a ground operation."

Israel has targeted Hezbollah's communications networks and has decimated their Command Structure by eliminating most of their high level leadership. The IDF reports that 10 of Hezbollah's most senior officials, including Nasrallah himself, have been eliminated. 

There is word tonight (separate from the aforementioned ABC report) that Israel could occupy Southern Lebanon up to the Litani River. This does not appear to be a baseless internet rumor.

Likud MK Ariel Kallner in an interview with Israeli Newspaper Maariv called for the occupation of Southern Lebanon "from the border to as far north as the Litani River."

Earlier this week Dr. Burcu Ozcelik from the Royal United Services Institute, a Defense Thinktank based in London, argued that "Hezbollah may now be forced to withdraw north of the [Litani] river."

As you can see from the map below, the river runs in almost a straight line from east to west about 18 miles north of the Israeli border.

Thus the river serves as a natural border and a logical location for a buffer zone.

But what does this have to do with Bible Prophecy? There is a prophecy in Obadiah, which most would probably consider obscure, that says:

The exiles of this host of the people of Israel shall possess the land of the Canaanites as far as Zarephath - Obadiah verse 20

In context this verse is talking about land that Israel will ultimately possess, I believe in the Millennial Kingdom after the Second coming of Christ. The exiles that are mentioned in the verse may refer to the Jews who are displaced at the mid-point of the Tribulation when the Antichrist betrays them. But it's also possible that Israel could suffer and unexpected setback in their ongoing wars with antagonistic nations and organizations that would result in many of their citizens becoming refugees.

What is interesting about this Obadiah passage (verse 19 to 21) is that both Gaza (the land of the Philistines) and the West Bank (Samaria) are mentioned. This is not unique to Obadiah, these places are mentioned over and over in Scripture. The Bible anticipates that the land will be disputed and fought over until Christ returns to Earth. The conflict we see today in that region is the manifestation of a spiritual battle that has been raging for 3,500 years.

The bad news for the people who sit around hating Israel all day is that, regardless of what happens between now and then, Israel will not be destroyed or eliminated when all is said and done. In fact Israel is destined to greatly expand its current borders. (For the sake of brevity I will not expand on this here.)

Returning to our verse in Obadiah, Canaan was the name of the land of Israel prior to the arrival of Abram (later Abraham) and before it was progressively conquered by Joshua and company over 400 years later. But notice where Zarephath is (this is the Mediterranean Coast of South Lebanon):

You can see the Litani River a little below the middle of the image and Zarephath (roughly where modern day Sarafand is for reference) is a good 6 miles farther north. Thus if this prophecy in Obadiah has a future fulfillment, as I believe it does, Israel will possess at least the bottom third of Lebanon.

What makes this even more interesting is that there is a good chance that the Antichrist - whom the Bible calls the Assyrian and the King of the North - may come out of this very part of the world, or very near to it. I will expand upon this idea in a second article that should be out in a day or two.