NEWSBITE 9.7.2025

“A Covenant with Death and Sheol”

(Isaiah 28:14-15, 18) “Therefore hear the word of the LORD, you scoffers who rule this people in Jerusalem. You boast, ‘We have entered into a covenant with death, with Sheol (the realm of the unsaved departed spirits) we have made an agreement. When an overwhelming scourge sweeps by, it cannot touch us, for we have made a lie our refuge and falsehood our hiding-place…Your covenant with death will be annulled; your agreement with Sheol will not stand. When the overwhelming scourge sweeps by, you will be beaten down by it.”

At present Prime Minister Netanyahu is meeting in Washington with President Trump who himself is seeking to broker a peace deal with Hamas. President Trump is into ‘peace deals’ big time, but who really knows what his motive is? In seeking to make America great again is he in his deep mind really entertaining or guaranteeing long term Israel’s security in the region?

There is ‘a deal’ on the table for another ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. According to a report a few days ago in TIME publication online it stated; “Trump said that mediators Egypt and Qatar will deliver the final ceasefire proposal. The terms have not yet been publicly released, though reports say it would involve Hamas releasing 10 living Israeli hostages and 18 deceased ones during the 60-day ceasefire period. There are an estimated 50 hostages still in Gaza, of whom Israel believes around half are dead. The remaining hostages would be released upon the agreement of a permanent ceasefire.”

Hamas always want amendments to any agreement, and if Hamas are true to form, no doubt they will demand the release of more Hamas terrorists from Israeli jails. How many will be released this time, five hundred or a thousand? A 60-day ceasefire will only see Hamas regrouping.

How will President Trump deal with this? Will he seek to force Prime Minister Netanyahu into another compromise? Will there be this covenant of peace that will ultimately expand beyond Hamas to a peace agreement between Israel with its immediate hostile Islamic neighbours?

Already in Judea and Samaria, the Biblical heartland of Israel (the West bank), there are Arab “lone wolves” and other Arab terrorist groups aligned with Hamas seeking to kill Jews and sabotage Jewish settlements if they can. The IDF are also engaged in rooting these terrorists groups out.

Added to this, Egypt and Qatar involved in negotiating this peace deal between Israel with Hamas are no friends of Israel or America for that matter. The regime in Qatar is advocates of the Muslim Brotherhood Ideology which has as its main goal the globalization of Islam!

President Trump may well have received from Qatar the Boeing 747-8 jet estimated around $400 million in value to become the official Airforce One plane for the US President, however, has anyone suggested to President Trump to “be aware of those from Qatar bearing gifts!” Is Qatar practicing Taqiyya? (The Islamic practice of giving disinformation or misinformation and deception to a sworn enemy when under threat or persecuted by that enemy).

So now Prime Minister Netanyahu is negotiating a ‘deal’ in Washington. According to the TIMES OF ISRAEL online on July 6th when Prime Minister Netanyahu was about to leave for Washington he clearly and emphatically stated; “Twenty living hostages remain and 30 who are fallen. I am determined, we are determined, to bring back all of them…” the Prime Minister told reporters, as he prepared to board the Wing of Zion state plane.

But, he added, “…we are determined to ensure that Gaza will no longer constitute a threat to Israel. That means, we will not allow a situation that encourages more kidnappings, more murders, more beheadings, more invasions.”

Hopefully he will maintain his stance, remain steadfast in his conviction, and not accept any ‘deal’ that would see Hamas terrorists released from Israeli prisons! Prime Minister Netanyahu knows that unless Hamas is completely defeated and disarmed and its members exiled there can be no lasting peace between Israel with Gaza.

When will the western politicians realise that you cannot make peace with Islam! Prime Minister Netanyahu I am sure knows this, however, will he be the leader with is cabinet to lead Israel into that covenant of death and Sheol with the nations?

Even in the Israeli government, both in the political and military hierarchy, there is resistance to the IDF continuing to fight in Gaza and who want to see the Netanyahu government toppled.

According to God’s Word we are told that Israel’s leaders will enter into a covenant of death and the grave, a deal that God has not brokered. They will think that it is the solution to peace in the whole Middle-East region. Israel will be looking to the Egypt of this world for safety and security by trusting in those who do not worship the Triune God of Israel but are pagan nations (Isaiah 28:14-15). Something God has told Israel not to do (Psalm 146:3) (Jeremiah 17:5) (Isaiah 2:22) (Isaiah 31:1).

When will the leaders of Israel learn that “It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in man. It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in princes” (Psalm 118:8-9).

Israel’s leaders by and large and many in Israel who are not saved will believe the lies of those in whom they have put their trust for Israel’s security and in effect be trusting in falsehood, having rejected the Messiah who is dealing with Israel in justice and righteousness, and by His awesome power likened to that of a severe hail storm will sweep away their false refuge by destroying their covenant with death (Isaiah 28:16-19).

The Time of Jacob’s Trouble lies ahead for Israel when God will use this time to spiritually revive Israel and turn them back to the Messiah, but it will be a time of great distress unlike anything in the past and never to be equalled again and extending to the gentile nations. At this time Michael that Great Prince (principality) who protects Israel will rise up to defend God’s inheritance! (Daniel 12:1-2) See also (Matthew 24:21-22).

However, the surviving remnant of Israel will be saved out of it when they see the Messiah descending to earth in the clouds to stand once again on the Mount of Olives. When this happens they will repent and receive Him as their Passover Lamb, as their Saviour from sin, and as their rightful king (Jeremiah 30:1-10) (Zechariah 12:11-13:1) (Zechariah 13:8-9) (Zechariah 14:1-5).

In that day they will cry out with solemn tears of joyful repentance “Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!” The Messiah will enter the city of Jerusalem through the eastern gate, which has been bricked up, but the bricks will topple when He returns to the Mount of Olives with great power and glory for all to see!

He will enter the Holy City and the people will be waving the Palm branches in honour of His royal procession as Israel’s Saviour, redeemer and king makes His triumphal entry!!!

Now concerning this covenant of death mentioned in Isaiah, most prophecy teachers see this covenant of a false and deceptive peace that the Antichrist will make with Israel for seven years and break it half way through basing this view on their interpretation of Daniel 9:27.

However, I am persuaded (not dogmatically) that the passage of scripture (Daniel 9:24-27) is Messianic in nature, and that the reference in vs.9 is a reference to the sacrifice of Messiah putting an end to the need for continuous sacrifices and offerings for sin and not a reference to the Antichrist. (See; “Seventy weeks Have Been Determined”).

As we see the wars and rumours of wars increasing in frequency and intensity like “labour pains” on a pregnant woman, we know that “the birth” of God’s Messianic Kingdom on earth is about to manifest itself.

Having said this, a time will come when there will be a settled time of peace as Israel makes this covenant with nations and the people of the world by and large will breathe a sigh of relief. This “peace” will be broken when suddenly and without warning the armies of the Islamic Antichrist attack Israel (Isaiah 28:18-19) (Jeremiah 30:1-7) (Ezekiel 38:1-13).

Those who are wise in the Lord Jesus and are open to the revelation of scripture will understand what is happening, these are those who have been born again, know their Bibles, having insight into God’s prophetic purposes being worked out through Israel and those who will not buckle over at the knees with fear, but stand up in the strength of the blessed Holy Spirit, looking heavenwards with expectant faith knowing that their redemption draws near and “is even at the very gates of the city!” (Luke 21:25-28) See also (1 Thessalonians 5:2b-4).

When the sixth seal is opened in Revelation Chapter 6 this covenant with death and Sheol will suddenly be shattered unleashing war, famine, death and hades unparalleled in past history, accompanied by the death of a fourth of the earth’s population killed by sword, famine and plague, and by the wild beasts of the earth most likely roaming through the streets of desolated cities seeking their prey. Also during this time there will be more martyrs for the Messiah our Lord Jesus than there have been in previous history (Revelation 6:1-11). See also (Daniel 7:21-22, 25) (Revelation 13:5-7).

The constellations in the heavens will be shaken and even the stars dislodged and falling to earth. The sky will be rolled back like a scroll and every mountain and island removed from its place. The kings of the earth, the political leaders, the princes, the generals, the rich, the mighty and every slave and free man will be hiding in caves and among the rocks of the mountains. They will be calling upon the mountains and the rocks to fall on them to hide them from Him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb. For the great day of their wrath has come and who can stand!” (Revelation 6:12-16).

As the prophet Isaiah writes; “Behold, the LORD lays the earth waste, devastates it, distorts its surface and scatters its inhabitants. And the people will be like the priest (The religious world), the servant like his master, the maid like her mistress (the domestic world), the buyer like the seller, the lender like the borrower, the creditor like the debtor (the business world). The earth will be completely laid waste and completely despoiled, for the LORD has spoken this word” (Isaiah 24:1-3). See also: (2 Peter 3:10).

If we understand correctly this prophecy in Isaiah to a degree there will be a false peace in the Middle East that will be suddenly shattered and Israel will find itself centre stage in this divine, devastating global “maelstrom” permitted by the LORD, not to destroy Israel, but to bring them back to encounter the Messiah and be saved.

Israel, unable to defend itself against overwhelming odds will be “the meat in the sandwich” of the nations, having “hungry appetites” to “devour Israel,” but the LORD will intervene on behalf of His Covenant people.

Israel’s covenant with death and Sheol will be annulled, however, the LORD will remember His covenant with Abraham, Isaac and with Jacob and come to Israel’s Defence accompanied by Michael, Israel’s’ Great Prince (principality)! (Daniel 12:1).

As Isaiah the prophet also writes; “For this is what the LORD has said to me: “Like a lion roaring or a young lion over its prey—and though a band of shepherds is called out against it, it is not terrified by their shouting or subdued by their clamour—so the LORD of Hosts will come down to do battle on Mount Zion and its heights. Like birds hovering overhead, so the LORD of Hosts will protect Jerusalem. He will shield it and deliver it; He will pass over it and preserve it” (Isaiah 31:4-5).

The day of the Big Trouble for Israel and for the whole world in fact is looming on the horizon as we see the nations turning against Israel and its leadership moving towards that covenant of death with “the Egypt” of this world.

This covenant with death and Sheol may not happen on Benjamin Netanyahu’s watch, but activated when a new Prime Minster is elected in Israel who does not have the welfare of Israel at heart but political expediency? As we also read in the prophet Jeremiah concerning this time of the Big Trouble for Jacob; “How awful that day will be! None will be like it. It will be the time of trouble for Jacob, but he will be saved out of it” (Jeremiah 30:7) See also (Daniel 7:22, 26-27).

In that day when this happens that “…all Israel will be saved, as it is written: The deliverer will come from Zion; He will turn godlessness away from Jacob. And this is My covenant with them when I take Away their sins… for God’s gifts and His call are irrevocable” (Romans 11: 16-17, 29). Selah!