The Philistines, who originally came from the island of Crete, settled first in Egypt and later, in 1176 BC, were banished to the Gaza Strip by Pharaoh Ramses III. Philistia (Latin: Palestine) was situated between Egypt and Israel, two developed countries, and was populated by nomadic tribes that traded their "goods" (primarily slaves abducted from trade caravans) to the Philistines. Since entire communities were sold as slaves, God warned that eventually the "remnant of the Philistines will perish" (Amos 1:6-8).

At its apex, King Solomon's kingdom spanned from the Euphrates River to Gaza. The Philistines repeatedly tried to infiltrate the Judean heartland, targeting both people and crops. In an eerie scenario replaying itself today, the Philistines sent their wives and children to die in suicide attacks. They were the terrorists of old.

During the 1st century AD, after joining forces with the Egyptians and Syrians to fight against Israel, they were finally defeated by the Judean King Alexander Jannaeus. Emperor Augustus Caesar gave the land of the Philistines to King Herod, who, in turn, left it to his son Archelaus and the legendary Salome. At this point, the history of the Philistine empire officially ends.

Afterwards, the remnant of the Philistines, who became known as Gazans, revived the slave trade in Gaza. Though the surrounding areas were ruled by Christians, the Philistines in Gaza never abandoned their heathen practices, even sacrificing humans to their chief god, Marnus.

Fast forward to today. Since God gave the Land of Israel to the Jews as an eternal possession, Sharon's decision to evacuate the 21 Jewish communities of Gaza is in direct contradiction to the Bible. The prophet Ezekiel records Israel's borders, which includes the Gaza Strip (Ezekiel 47:13-20). But the question of timing remains.

It's within the realm of possibility that the Gaza Strip will be allotted to Israel after God has "stretched out [His] hand against the Philistines…[to] destroy the remnant of the seacoast" (see Ezekiel 25:15-17). Indeed, He "will destroy [them] so there will be no inhabitant" (see Zephaniah 2:4-7).

A harsh judgment, but it's important that it only includes the "remaining" Philistines who continue practicing "cruel sacrifices." Those who denounce the bloody terror against Israelis will be spared by "our God" and live "like a clan in Judah," treated in the same way as the inhabitants of Jerusalem (see Zechariah 9:6-8; also Jeremiah 12:14-17).

In some ways there are more questions than answers. Who will "destroy the remnant of the seacoast"-Israel's military, or God Himself by supernatural events? Can Jews settle in Gaza while the Palestinians still live there, or must Israel wait until they are gone? Does Sharon's retreat from the Gaza Strip coincide with God's timetable? Or was Jewish settlement in Gaza a hasty act of the Zionists?

The Jewish settlements of Judea and Samaria are different because Ezekiel 36 and Amos 9 specifically designate Israel's heartland to God's covenant people. But Gaza is an enigma. So we must finally ask, "Gaza, quo vadis?" which is Latin for, "Where do we go from here?"