Tiny, but forever pivotal to world politics, Israel is struggling with a new intifada, a concerted attack on all the Gaza crossings and one in particular—the crossing at Rafah. The strategic importance of "crossings" is identified in Bible prophecy, only by another name.
by Cecil E. Maranville
Biblical Abraham was the common ancestor of both Arabs and Jews. Genesis 22 records a momentous event, when Abraham demonstrated his absolute loyalty and trust for God; it's celebrated by Arab and Jew alike (although they differ on whether the child involved was Ishmael or Isaac).
Verses 16-17 relate directly to explosive events unfolding in Israel today: "By Myself I have sworn, says the L ord, because you have done this thing, and have not withheld your son, your only son—blessing I will bless you, and multiplying I will multiply your descendants as the stars of the heaven and as the sand which is on the seashore; and your descendants shall possess the gate of their enemies."
A few decades later, when the son of Abraham was taking a wife, her relatives pronounced this unusual-sounding blessing on her: "Our sister, may you become the mother of thousands of ten thousands; and may your descendants possess the gates of those who hate them" (Genesis 24:60).
A "gate" in this context is symbolic of a choke point, a pivotal passageway, one that controls entrance and exit from the nation. If a nation controlled the "gates" of its enemies, it could defend against attacks.
