Despite “Brexit”, Britain and the world are in for dark times. According to the book of Daniel, the EU is predicted to rise as a superpower, composed of many nations represented by the feet of mixed iron and clay in the dream of the Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar. In the time of those “kings” represented by the ten toes of the feet in that dream, the God of Israel is said to come and establish a world-ruling government with Jerusalem as its headquarters. Fiction or future fact? The EU Israel connection is intriguing!
THE RISE OF THE EU CONTINUES, DESPITE BREXIT. THIS WILL LEAD TO A FUTURE EU-LED FINAL WAR OF NATIONS AGAINST ISRAEL. THE EU AND ALL RELATED FORMS OF WORLD GOVERNMENT WILL THEN FALL
The EU Israel Connection
The rise and fall of the EU was predicted as early as the time of the prophet Daniel, who interpreted King Nebuchadnezzar’s dream of the future when the God of Israel will crush a multi-nation power to establish His kingdom that shall fill the earth. In Daniel chapter 2 we read:
In the second year of his reign, Nebuchadnezzar had dreams; his mind was troubled and he could not sleep … the king asked Daniel, “Are you able to tell me what I saw in my dream and interpret it?” Daniel replied “there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries. He has shown King Nebuchadnezzar what will happen in the latter days.”
After seeking God’s wisdom Daniel saw a vision of a great statue and was told its interpretation. The statue symbolized four great empires that would reign over Israel. The vision was not concerned with most of the nations or empires of history, but only with those nations that had, or will have, a direct impact upon Israel. Historically these were the Babylonian, Medo-Persian, Greek and Roman empires, the historic Roman Empire being symbolized by the statue’s legs of iron. Some see the iron legs symbolizing the eastern and western empires of ancient Rome.
Today there is much talk of a “one-world government”, link and Nebuchadnezzar’s vision implies that this will be centered on a Revived Roman Empire, as seen in the EU.
Daniel’s Interpretation
Let’s read how Daniel described the dream:
As Your Majesty was lying there, your mind turned to things to come, and the revealer of mysteries showed you what is going to happen. As for me, this mystery has been revealed to me … Your Majesty looked, and there before you stood a large statue — an enormous, dazzling statue, awesome in appearance. The head of the statue was made of pure gold, its chest and arms of silver, its belly and thighs of bronze, its legs of iron, its feet partly of iron and partly of baked clay. While you were watching, a stone was cut out, but not by human hands. It struck the statue on its feet of iron and clay and smashed them. Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver and the gold were all broken to pieces and became like chaff on a threshing floor in the summer. The wind swept them away without leaving a trace. But the stone that struck the statue became a huge mountain and filled the whole earth.
Daniel then told the king the true interpretation (starting at Daniel 2 verse 36):
You are that head of gold. After you, another kingdom will arise, inferior to yours. Next, a third kingdom, one of bronze, will rule over the whole earth. Finally, there will be a fourth kingdom, strong as iron—for iron breaks and smashes everything — and as iron breaks things to pieces, so it will crush and break all the others. Just as you saw that the feet and toes were partly of baked clay and partly of iron, so this will be a divided kingdom; yet it will have some of the strength of iron in it, even as you saw iron mixed with clay. As the toes were partly iron and partly clay, so this kingdom will be partly strong and partly brittle … so the people will be a mixture and will not remain united, any more than iron mixes with clay.
In the time of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed, nor will it be left to another people. It will crush all those kingdoms and bring them to an end, but it will itself endure forever. This is the meaning of the vision of the stone cut out of a mountain, but not by human hands — a stone that broke the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver and the gold to pieces. The great God has shown the king what will take place in the future.
Historically, all this has happened – except for one vital aspect. The feet of iron and clay represent the last form of the four world governments that would rule over Israel before Christ returns. As suggested, at its core, this government will be a revived form of the historic Roman Empire, with similar characteristics (controlling, godless and brutal).
BREXIT: The EU aligns well with these biblical characteristics of the final world empire. The EU’s controlling, uncompromising attitude has been all too evident in the Brexit ‘negotiations’. Britain’s ‘Brexit’ is an opportunity to restore biblical values to what has become a post-Christian nation whilst under the EU. But will this happen?.
It is this godless, end-time world government that aligns all nations against Israel at the end of this age. The good news is that it will be totally destroyed when Christ returns; the toes of iron and clay will be crushed and become as ‘chaff in the wind’ (Dan 2.34-35).
Topical Issues seen from Biblical and Scientific Viewpoints
Here’s some topical issues up for discussion …
What happens when Iran and her allies finally invade Israel?
Will they ever stop radioactive water from the Fukushima nuclear plant from polluting the Pacific?
Is the European Union a good project, or a prelude to world dictatorship?
Who are the prominent personalities soon to appear on the world stage?
How cyber-secure is the world economy?
Is man-made (anthropogenic) CO2 really the cause of global warming?
Why the recent interest in “blood moons”?
Is Britain a “special nation” in some way?
Why are Canadian Inuits (Eskimos) observing a change in the star locations?
When does the world “go Jewish” so to speak?
Why can’t politicians resolve the ownership of Jerusalem?
If homo sapiens has been around for over 200,000 years, where are the billions and billions of people?
Dangerous World Situations
Jerusalem’s Earthquake Danger
Mount Olives geological fault. Map via Philologos.
The Jordan/Dead Sea Valley is part of a ‘continental transform’ – a tectonic plate boundary between the Arabian and African tectonic plates, link. Running SW-NE across this transform are ‘geologic folds’ formed when the two plates collide – as in the fold running close to the Temple Mount and the Mount of Olives. Enlarge Map. See also The Dead Sea Fault.
The World Health Organization (WHO) therefore places the Jerusalem area at “high risk” from earthquake, link. Check out Jerusalem’s recent quakes. Experts expect a major earthquake soon, link. Will this be the major quake seen in Bible prophecy?
The Mount of Olives shall be split in two, from east to west, making a very large valley … reaching to Azal (Zechariah 14:4,5)
Iran’s threat to Israel
Iran has repeatedly said it wants to eliminate Israel, link:
You [Zionist regime] will not see 25 years from today [Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei, Sept. 2015]
The Quran teaches that the Palestinians must liberate Israel in its entirety. Allah says (in the Quran): ‘And drive them out from wherever they have driven you out’. Removing the Jews from the land they occupied in 1948 is an immutable principle, because it appears in the Book of Allah. We have liberated Gaza, part of Palestine, but I am not prepared to accept just Gaza … Our position is: Palestine in its entirety, and not a grain of soil less. (The Quran says:) ‘Kill them wherever you may find them’ – Allah did not define the 1967 borders or the 1948 borders. We will fight them wherever we can – on the ground, underground, and if we have airplanes, we will fight them from the skies [ Mahmoud Al-Zahar, a co-founder of Hamas, and member of the Hamas leadership in the Gaza Strip, March 2017 ]
Iran’s destructive mission will probably involve Iran’s proxy, Hezbollah, link:
Hezbollah’s budget, its income, its expenses, everything it eats and drinks, its weapons and rockets, come from the Islamic Republic of Iran [Hassan Nasrallah, Secretary General of Hezbollah, June 2016]
Iran has built up Hezbollah’s rocket arsenal on the Israeli-Lebanese border, and the IDF estimated this at 130,000 in 2018. Iran is also supplying precision missiles to Hezbollah.
Is Russia involved? Probably, yes. Russia’s strengthening economic and military ties with Iran supports the view that Russia could be the leader of the invasion, link. Russia and Iran both support Bashar al Assad’s regime in Syria and oppose Sunni jihadist movements such as ISIS. Russian military support for Iran comes via arms deals between the two countries, as in the supply of S-300 air defense systems, Sukhoi Su-30SM multi-role fighter jets and advanced Russian T-90 tanks, link.
Bible prophecy indicates that a Russian-led Islamic invasion of Israel from the north will indeed happen. The Islamic nations are drawn from those geographically close to Israel. Observation of current world events suggest that this invasion of Israel is imminent. Prophecy tells us what happens, link.
Germany’s invasion of Poland started WW2, link, and Germany probably takes most of the responsibility for starting WW1 due to her ambitions for military and political prestige in the world, link. Can we trust Germany today, or does this nation still endanger world peace? This may seem a strange question given that Germany is seen as the powerhouse of Europe. But consider this:
In 2010 German foreign minister Guido Westerwelle said Berlin supports the long term goal of creating a European army: “The long term goal is the establishment of a European army under full parliamentary control”. In 2019 Angela Merkel agreed with France in the call for the formation of a European army. Others observe that “a European army would (again) let Germany project power”, link. To this end, the European Defense Fund seeks to generate over €5 billion per year after 2020 to develop and procure new military technologies
Will this European army lead the final world war against Israel?
Germany’s Holocaust was one of the largest ever genocides and antisemitism in Germany is increasing, link
Germany is once again seen as the most dominant force on the continent, imposing austerity on weaker states, link
Germany’s coat of arms bears an eagle, a common sign of a predator nation
Germany’s Pergamon Museum proudly exhibits the reconstructed Pergamon Altar and Babylon’s Ishtar Gate, both pagan monuments. Biblically, Pergamon was seen as “Satan’s throne” (Rev 2.13). So a building central to Satan’s throne now stands virtually complete in Berlin! This monument came from a city where man not God was worshiped
Some Jewish Rabbis believe that every nation has a unique spiritual nature, and that Germany is closely related to Israel’s ancient enemy, “Amalek”, a ruthless enemy of Israel, link, link. Rabbi Shlomo Yitzchaki, known as “Rashi” (1040-1105) link, explained that Germamia is a nation which, if unified, would cause the destruction of the world
Is the EU Bad News for the Nations?
Is the European Union (EU) a good project for mankind, or a dangerous development? Bible prophecy may have the answer. Daniel chapters 2 and 7 describe just four great secular/world empires that dominate (persecute) Israel in this age: the Babylonian, Medo-Persian, Greek and Roman Empires (recall that the Romans destroyed the Jewish Temple in 70 AD). These empires are symbolized by a great image (Dan 2:31-33), and its legs of iron and feet of iron and clay symbolize the final empire, Rome. The Roman Empire (the legs) has long since gone – but then we read that the last empire is destroyed when Jesus returns to earth:
You watched while a stone (Christ) was cut out without hands, which struck the image on its feet of iron and clay, and broke them in pieces (Dan 2:34)
So many argue that a ‘revived Roman Empire’ must emerge at the end of the age. In fact, research shows that the EU has many of the characteristics of such a Revived Roman Empire, link. And like historic Rome, this revived empire will dominate and cruelly crush all opposing nations (Dan 7:19-27). That must include Israel. And now that the EU is developing a European army, link, the EU could even head the prophesied last invasion of Israel (Armageddon).
Also, since this powerful end-time empire crushes all opposition, it is logical to conclude that Britain’s attempt at Brexit may never happen, or at least be short-lived.
Radioactive fallout from the 1986 Chernobyl disaster spread across Europe as far as North Wales. Radioactive water from the Japanese Fukushima plant (destroyed March 2011) is still pouring into the Pacific Ocean, link. The oceans we fish are choked with plastic waste, link. The air we breath is polluted with carbon monoxide (CO) from industry and vehicles. Over 90 percent of the world’s population lives in places where air quality exceeds WHO guideline limits, link. Other common forms of pollution are streams full of toxic chemicals from industrial processes, rivers overloaded with nutrients from farms, and trash blowing away from landfills.
Land mines are another source of global pollution, affecting over 50 countries, link. As of 2017 there were an estimated 110 million land mines in the ground, link, and at the present rate of progress it would take over 1000 years to eliminate them! And then of course there’s the claimed atmospheric pollution and resulting global warming caused by man-made CO2. Global pollution (and the climate crisis, whatever the cause) is foreseen in Bible prophecy:
The earth is also polluted by its inhabitants … Isaiah chapter 24 verse 5 (NASB)
Of all topical issues, this must be number one! Yes, the world climate seems to be changing. The mean global temperature has increased about 0.8°C since 1880, link, and the weather seems more erratic and extreme, link. Without exception the media follow the IPCC explanation: it’s caused by man-made (anthropogenic) CO2, link, link. But 96% of CO2 emissions to the atmosphere are from natural sources and only 4% is man-made, link. Put another way, man’s overall contribution to the greenhouse effect (GHE) is only about 0.3% whilst water vapour contributes about 95%, link.
Model Errors? Other scientific facts don’t tie-up either (like the dating of glacier retreat and sea level rise, link), leading to questions about the IPCC climate models. It is claimed that the models “grossly simplify the way climate works”, and use fake/incorrect physics and untrustworthy data, link, link, link. Not surprisingly, model predictions are significantly higher than observations, link, link, link. Also, observations of millions of years of data show that ocean temperature changes lead atmospheric CO2 changes – implying that CO2 does not have a causal relation with global warming, link. Put another way, some claim there is no clear correlation between CO2 rise and warming.
So is there a natural cause of climate change, as in the sun? Measurements of sunspot number (a measure of solar irradiance) against global sea surface temperature (SST) for the period 1860-1980 show strong correlation, link, link.
CO2 is not responsible for heating the earth, the cause is the activity of the sun [Professor Emeritus Giora Shaviv, professor of physics and the Swartzmann-Medvedi chair in Space Sciences at The Technion in Haifa]
The world’s climate and weather (note there is a difference!) is very dependent upon the tilt of earth’s axis relative to the ecliptic. Currently the tilt is about 23.5 degrees and this tilt gives us our seasons. It is well-known that the earth “wobbles” (like a top) on this axis, link, and NASA claims that climate change is affecting the wobble, link.
What would happen if this tilt increased slightly, say to 24 degrees? We would get hotter summers and colder winters. More extreme weather. In fact, some Canadian Inuits have claimed an increased tilt has already been observed. They attributed their changing climate and changes in the location of the stars to a change in axis tilt, link. If this is true then, effectively, the Tropic of Cancer would have moved north!
NASA rebuffs the Inuit claims and argues that any tilt change is due to global warming rather than a cause of warming link. So has the axis tilt really changed, as claimed by the Inuits? Atmospheric science claims that what the Inuits are observing is probably a mirage, link. Global warming is giving air density changes that are resulting in atmospheric refraction (similar to the refraction of light in water). NASA claims there is no tilt change.
Axial tilt is easily measured by observing the sun shadow cast by a vertical stick at the summer and winter solstices. At astronomical noon on the Summer Solstice the shadow will be at its shortest length, and vice-versa. Simply divide the angle by two between the shortest and longest shadows to get the tilt. Since this measurement is so simple, the tilt was measured accurately thousands of years ago. And something strange happened around 2300 BC, link!
What does the Bible say about all this?
I will shake the heavens, and the earth will move out of her place (Isa 13:13)
The earth reels back and forth like a drunkard, and shall totter like a hut (Isa 24:20)
And there will be signs in the sun, in the moon, and in the stars … (Lk 21:25)
Who owns Jerusalem?
Jerusalem is perhaps the most contested city in the world, and the question ‘Who owns Jerusalem?’ is endlessly debated. UN GA Resolution 303 (Dec 1949) argued that Jerusalem should be administered by the United Nations as a “corpus separatum” (a separate body). Israel’s Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion sharply rejected the concept:
Jewish Jerusalem is an organic and inseparable part of the State of Israel … Israel could not even conceive that the United Nations would attempt to tear Jerusalem from the State of Israel [David Ben-Gurion, Dec 1949]
Today, although corpus separatum has never been officially relinquished, the international community (the UN, the US and the EU) leans to a two-state solution i.e. Jerusalem should be the capital of both Israel and Palestine, link, link. That said, in December 2017 the US recognized Jerusalem as the capital of Israel!
The Bible clarifies the confused political situation. Jerusalem is mentioned more than 600 times in the Hebrew Bible. Why? Is this because Jerusalem is special to the Jewish nation and the God of Israel? More thoughts at Resolving Jerusalem.
In the near future the world will see the following personalities: A powerful secular, political world leader empowered by demonic forces (Rev 13:1). This despicable person probably emerges from Europe, link. He will be helped by a prominent but apostate ecclesiastical person (Rev 13:11), probably the pope (Rev 17). Contrary to current popular belief, John Wesley and many Protestant Reformers saw the pope as the Antichrist, link.
About the same time, an Israeli leader, probably a degenerate Jew, will make a Peace Treaty with the secular world leader (Dan 9:27). Although peace for Israel is urgently needed, this treaty turns out to be false i.e. deception! Moving on a few years, prophecy describes two people who are empowered by God to witness to the world (Rev:11). Not surprisingly, the world hates them. Finally we come to the most important personality of them all – Jesus/Yeshua. At the end of all these events, Jesus will return to rule the nations from Jerusalem (Zech 14:9).
Is Israel occupying “Palestinian Land”?
The 1922 League of Nations sub-division. Image courtesy Eli E. Hertz. Enlarge
Israel is accused of building on “occupied land”, an accusation that could easily morph into war, link. But according to international lawyers, all of western Palestine, from the Jordan to the Mediterranean, including Gaza and all of Jerusalem remains legally open to Jewish settlement under the original British Mandate. They maintain that this right of settlement is protected by Article 80 of the UN Charter which recognizes the Trust (British Mandate) handed to it by the League of Nations, link. The Mandate also had built-in protection for the non-Jewish inhabitants of Palestine, link:
…it being clearly understood that nothing should be done which might prejudice the civil and religious rights of existing non-Jewish communities in Palestine
So what went wrong? Why the aggression? Why Palestinian refugees? Did it all start in 1947 when the Arabs rejected the UN two-state partition plan, link?
Two Topical Issues that threaten the World Economy: Government Debt and Cyber attacks
Global debt is rapidly increasing, demanding ever higher interest payments from governments. “The world is facing the worst financial crisis since at least the 1930s – if not ever” [Governor of the Bank of England, 2012]. Sudden global financial meltdown (as in 2008) is hard to predict: “You will never foresee these things – the system is ultimately just too complicated for anybody to really understand” [Martin Wolf, Financial Times, London].
A second threat to world economic stability comes from international cyber terrorism. In fact, “Cyber security is the biggest threat to the world economy over the next decade” [2019 World Economic Forum (WEF)]. No wonder cyber-security is big business in Israel, link. Overall, about 200 Israeli companies now specialize in cyber-security and 25% of the world’s venture capital-funded cyber-security startups are Israeli, link.
Bible prophecy foresees it all; at the end of this age there will be total and sudden global financial meltdown:
Woe, woe, the great city, Babylon, the strong city … in one hour such great wealth has been laid waste! (Revelation 18:10,17)
NASA tracks potentially hazardous astronomical objects called “near-Earth objects (NEOs)”. The majority of NEOs are asteroids. A Potentially Hazardous Asteroid (PHA), link, link has the potential to make close approaches to the Earth and is large enough (over 140 meters diameter) to cause very significant damage in the event of impact. If one landed in the ocean it will generate a huge tsunami, link. In fact, the book of Revelation mentions what could be taken as an asteroid impact in the ocean:
And something like a great mountain burning with fire was thrown into the sea … and a third of the ships were destroyed (Rev 8.8,9)
Such a catastrophic event is one of God’s judgments upon a rebellious sinful world. But there is a way out! More…
In recent years there has been much interest in so-called “blood moons”. This phenomenon is caused by the scattering of red sunlight onto the moon as the earth passes between the sun and the moon (a lunar eclipse), link. Such events are entirely predictable, see NASA lunar eclipses. Even so, blood moons generate a sense of public awe, and for Jews their timing seems especially significant when they occur on a Jewish festival. For instance, during 2014-2105 four total lunar eclipses occurred as follows:
Note the near perfect correspondence of dates with Jewish festivals. In the past, such strange coincidences have been difficult times for Jews. A similar awesome scenario is prophesied at the end of this age, link:
I will display wonders in the sky and on the earth, blood, fire and columns of smoke. The sun will be turned into darkness and the moon into blood before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes (Joel 2:30,31)
In 2019 earth’s population was nearly 8 billion. But, given the popular evolutionary timescale, surely there should be many many more?
Some claim that Homo sapiens appeared some 600,000 to 200,000 years ago. So isn’t it strange that after more than 200,000 years earth’s population was still only 8 billion? After all, it took only 215 years to increase earth’s population from 1 billion in 1804 to 8 billion in 2019! To explain the low population, some claim that a world-wide catastrophe may have occurred around 70,000 years ago, reducing the human population to maybe just 1,000 breeding pairs. Does this make sense?
Let’s do the maths on the ‘catastrophe’ theory. Starting with a population of No, after t years the population will have grown to N = No exp(rt), where r is the natural (non-immigration) percentage rate of population increase (r = birth rate – death rate). Typically, population growth rates are between 0.1% and 3% annually. For a conservative estimate we will take r = 0.1% and No = 1,000. Over a 70,000 year period we find N = 2.5 × 10 power 33. In words, earth’s population should now be some million, billion, billion, billion. It’s not of course. So either the population growth calculation is hopelessly wrong, or the theory of human evolution is suspect! On the other hand, taking the biblical data of just No = 8 people after the Flood (around 2,300 BC), we need a mean growth rate of r = 0.5% to achieve a world population of 7 billion in 2011.
The current land disputes with Israel over the so-called “occupied territories” will be relatively short-lived. Bible prophecy points to a soon-coming age (the Millennium) when the people of Israel (Abraham’s descendants, the Jews) live at peace within the boundaries promised unconditionally to Abraham. Those boundaries span from the River Jordan in the east to the Mediterranean in the west, and embrace the disputed territories of the West Bank and Gaza.
We note two important points:
the boundaries given to Moses as he was about to divide up Canaan for the twelve tribes (Numbers 34) correlate well with the Millennial boundaries given in Ezekiel 47
Both these borders are very similar to Israel’s current legal borders under international law!
Replacement theology holds that, since Israel was scattered among the nations for her repeated rejection of God’s way, then:
the Christian church has replaced national Israel regarding the plan, purpose, and promises of God
the Jewish people have no future, no hope, and no calling in the plan of God
the Jewish people are no longer God’s chosen people and the Christian Church now makes up God’s chosen people
Although its not spelt out so succinctly, many institutionalized churches, and especially the Anglican Church, lean to this view of the nation, Israel. The World Council of Churches (WCC) supports numerous UN Resolutions against Israel’s so-called ‘land occupation’, and advocates peaceful protest such as a goods boycott (the BDS Campaign). It seems these churches are taking a politically correct line and avoid conflict with secular thinking.
But why then has Israel blossomed over the last 100 years in terms of immigration, agriculture, technology and world status? Why do these churches ignore Romans chapter 11, which refers to the end-time “oneness” of Gentile believers and a regenerate Jewish remnant, link?
The Mysterious Israel-Eden Connection
The land of Israel (ancient Canaan) appears to be unique. Detailed historical, geological and biblical studies indicate that the land of Israel could be associated with the biblical Eden described in Genesis. The name Eden means “delicate, delight, pleasure” – a pleasant place to be – a garden home. Geologically, Canaan appears to be part of the “Fertile Crescent” spanning from southern Iraq to Canaan. Abraham probably traveled the Crescent when he left the city of Ur.
Prophecy suggests that the nations will soon see a “modern Eden” in the center of Israel. This appears to occur during the coming Millennial age. During this time the land around Jerusalem reflects many of the characteristics of ancient Eden. For example, during this time God (in the form of the risen Jesus) walks with mankind on this earth, there is no hurt and no killing (the lion eats straw like the ox), there are beautiful trees and plants providing food for both man and animals, and around Zion there are “delightful” places in which to live (just like Eden). More …
When does the World “go Jewish”?
This may be a bit of an over-statement but it brings the point home. The world is headed for a future centered upon Jerusalem (not New York or Brussels). This Millennial age will be a blessed time of world peace, but with firm rule. We know this and much more from detailed Bible prophecies. For example:
When Jesus (Hebrew: Yeshua, ישוע ) returns His feet will stand upon the Mount of Olives opposite Jerusalem. And from Jerusalem He will firmly rule as King over all the earth (Zech 14:9)
Each year, gentile nations will go up to Jerusalem to keep the Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot) which occurs in September/October (Zech 14:16). Gentiles will acknowledge that God is with the Jews and simply want to go up to Jerusalem with them (Zech 8:23)
The Feast of Tabernacles is one of a number of Jewish feasts that are “statutes for ever” and so go on into the Millennial age. Peoples who do not honour this feast will suffer drought as punishment (Zech 14:17)
It seems even the Jewish Sabbath will be widely honoured and will replace the gentile Sunday, link
And it shall be from new moon to new moon and from Sabbath to Sabbath, all mankind will come to bow down before Me (Isa 66:23)
Some see Britain as “special” in that she is seen to have strong historical and biblical connections to the lost tribes of Israel. One of these tribes (Judah) was to hold the royal scepter pertaining to the royal throne of David. It is held until Christ sits on David’s throne as King over all the earth (Gen 49:10, Zech 14:9, Mat 19:28, Mat 25:31). But where is this scepter now, given that Christ has not yet returned?
Some claim that there is strong biblical, archaeological and historical evidence that associates the British Isles with the continuing throne of David. For example, why does the British Coat of Arms bear a “unicorn” – a mysterious animal referred to nine times in the Hebrew scriptures? Why for centuries did a mysterious stone (“Jacob’s pillow?”) reside under the Coronation Chair in Westminster Abbey, link. Why is it claimed that “Queen Victoria is of David”, link? And where is the “company of nations” as prophesied in Genesis 35:11 if its not the British Commonwealth? More….
Lawlessness: Many feel that violence and terrorism has increased in modern times. In fact, official statistics confirm that acts of terrorism have increased markedly in recent decades. Worldwide, the total number of people injured through terror-related attacks has increased from around 200 per year in 1970 to around 40,000 per year in 2016 (a 20,000 percent increase), link.
Examples of Lawlessness in France
January 2015: three days of attacks by gunmen in Paris left 17 people dead, starting with an attack on the office of satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo and ending in two sieges
November 2015: multiple attacks on Paris by seven gunmen and suicide bombers killed 130 people and injured more than 350 in the deadliest terror attack in French history
June 2016: a man claiming allegiance to so-called Islamic State killed two police officials in Magnanville, near Paris
July 2016: a 19 tonne cargo truck was deliberately driven into crowds of people celebrating Bastille Day, Nice, France, resulting in 86 people dead and 458 injured
Terrorism: The Bastille-Day-massacre July 2016
Random Doomsday Events, or Prophecy Coming True?
The truth is that we are seeing Bible prophecy being fulfilled before our eyes. The Bible refers to modern-day terrorism as ‘signs of the times’ and says in the book of Matthew that they will accelerate as the end of the age draws near. Intensifying terrorist attacks point to an acceleration towards the end of this sick world and the ushering in of a new age on this earth (the so-called Millennium).
In the 24th book of the Gospel of Matthew, starting from verse 12, Jesus actually predicts increased lawlessness:
Because lawlessness is increased, most people’s love will grow cold. But the one who endures to the end, he will be saved. This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come
In the gospel of John chapter 16, starting at verse 2, Jesus also says:
An hour is coming for everyone who kills you to think that he is offering service to God. These things they will do because they have not known the Father or Me
And in the 59th chapter of the book of Isaiah, starting at verse 6, the prophet says:
Their deeds are evil deeds, and acts of violence are in their hands. Their feet rush into sin; they are swift to shed innocent blood. They pursue evil schemes; acts of violence mark their ways. The way of peace they do not know
Is there Hope for the Future?
Knowledge of what is happening in the world makes us fear for our future and that of our families and friends. In these dark times in which we live, is there reason to hope? Yes! In contrast to our present-day rise of terrorism, the prophet Isaiah wrote of a beautiful future in the 60th chapter of his book, verse 18:
Violence will not be heard again in your land, nor devastation or destruction within your borders
This prophecy concerns the people of Israel and the land covenanted to them through Abraham. But it also concerns the nations who will one day walk in the ways of the one true God, the God of Israel. World-wide lawlessness will cease. As the prophet Isaiah foresees in chapter 11 verse 9:
They will not hurt or destroy in all My holy mountain. For the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea
Go deeper to learn more about that amazing future.
The Book of Leviticus lists seven mandated annual “Feasts of the LORD” for Israel. But since all seven feasts point to Yeshua (Jesus), they are in fact relevant to both Jew and Gentile today. Some claim that the Feast of Trumpets is of particular interest to the future of the church.
Seen prophetically each feast marks a distinct event or epoch in God’s eternal plan for mankind. For instance, Israel’s Passover foreshadows salvation through the shed blood of Jesus, and First Fruits foreshadows Jesus’ resurrection. So in the prophetic sense the first four feasts have already been fulfilled, culminating in the Feast of Weeks or Pentecost (the birth of the church).
The last three feasts foreshadow events concerned with the soon return of Christ. In particular, some claim that the next feast, the Feast of Trumpets, will be fulfilled in the so-called “rapture of the church”. To justify this viewpoint it is necessary to study prophecy, and especially the Book of Revelation in the context of the final seven years of this age (Daniel’s Week 70). End-time prophecy might be seen as “filling in the detail” surrounding the events marked by the last three feasts. It’s a pity the institutionalised church usually fails to recognise Israel’s feasts in this way! Although only shadows of what is to come (Colossians 2:17), they nevertheless point to major events of the near future.
Leviticus chapter 23 prescribes seven annual feasts distributed over the first seven months of the Hebrew Calendar. They are actually mandated “Feasts of the LORD” or God’s feasts.
But they are not just of importance to the nation of Israel: they apply to both Jew and Gentile because they reveal major events or epochs in God’s complete plan for mankind. To this end they all point to the Lord Jesus Christ, link. The first four feasts (the Spring Feasts) have already been fulfilled by Christ and the last three (the Fall Feasts) will be fulfilled by Christ. It goes without saying that the last three feasts are of fundamental importance to any study of biblical end times.
The Spring Feasts (March-June)
Let’s look at these from a believer’s perspective: how do they point to Christ?
Passover (Pesach): Salvation from death – through His crucifixion Jesus became our Passover Lamb
Unleavened Bread (Chag HaMotzi): Jesus was without sin (without ‘leaven’) and so became the Bread of Life
First Fruits (Reshit Katzir): The resurrection of Jesus, and the future resurrection of all believers
Feast of Weeks or Pentecost (Shavu’ot): Jesus sent the Holy Spirit and His Church (comprising both Jew and Gentile) was born
Exact Temporal Fulfilment
It’s important to recognise that Jesus fulfilled these four feasts in an exact temporal sense:
The Perfect Sacrifice: Jesus lived a sinless life (as in the absence of “leaven”). So not only was He “the bread of life” (Jn 6:35), but He was also the perfect Lamb of God who could take away the sin of the world (Jn 1:29)
Sacrifice: Jesus, the sacrificial Lamb of God, died on Nisan 14. This was the same day and time as the selected unblemished Passover lambs died, link (Exod 12:6)
Resurrection: Jesus resurrected three days later, on Nisan 17 – the day of the Feast of Firstfruits
Pentecost: The Jews were instructed to count 50 days from the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread on Nisan 15 (Lev 23:15-16), link. This brought them from Passover (also on Nisan 15) to Sivan 6, the Feast of Weeks (Shavout). So Shavout is celebrated 50 days after Passover, and commemorates history when, 50 days after the first Passover (after leaving Egypt), link, link, God descended in fire on Sinai and gave the Law via Moses. What happened? The nation of Israel was born (Exod 19:5-6). The important point here is that, in Jesus’ time, 50 days after Passover link, link, God descended in tongues of fire and gave the promised Holy Spirit to the disciples. What happened? A holy nation – the church – was born (1 Pet: 2:9), with God’s Law now written on their hearts
Will Jesus also fulfil the three remaining feasts at times related to the actual feast days?
The Fall Feasts (September-October)
These are the feasts of Trumpets (Yom Teru’ah), Atonement (Yom Kippur), and Tabernacles (Sukkot). They occur in the seventh month (Tishri) of the Hebrew calendar and relate to the return of Christ, the suffering and atonement of Israel and the setting up of the Kingdom of God on this earth. Note that seven is the biblical number of “completion”. So today we are between the Feast of Weeks (Pentecost, the birth of the Church), and the Feast of Trumpets:
In the seventh month, on the first day of the month [Tishri 1], you shall have a sabbath-rest, a memorial of blowing of trumpets, a holy convocation (Lev 23:24)
On the Feast of Trumpets the priest would sound the shofar (a ram’s-horn trumpet, see photo) in synagogues to call field workers to stop harvesting i.e. to “rest” and to come and worship in the Temple. The “memorial of trumpets” reminds Israel of when God came down upon Mount Sinai to covenant with His people amidst the sound of a very loud trumpet that caused the people to tremble. The trumpets remind Israel that she is still under this covenant and she must prepare herself for the coming Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur on Tishri 10) when she repents and finds atonement for rebelling and breaking this covenant, link, link, link.
Today, Yom Teru’ah is celebrated as the Jewish New Year or Rosh Hashanah (‘Head of the Year’), which relates primarily to the agricultural cycle and the beginning of a new harvest year. This renaming resulted from pagan influence on the Jewish people. The feast requires the sighting of the new moon, but because of the uncertainty of when exactly this will occur it is celebrated over two days [Tishri 1-2].
Today many see deep prophetic significance in the Feast of Trumpets. In fact, it turns out to be essential to include all three Fall Feasts (Trumpets, Atonement and Tabernacles) in any end-times study. They apply to both Jew and Gentile and follow God’s timeline right into the so-called Millennial Age. They mark major events or time epochs in God’s end-time plan, and prophetic books like Daniel, Isaiah, Zechariah and Revelation, as well as New Testament texts, fill in some detail around these events.
Daniel’s 70 Week Prophecy
Before examining the prophetic significance of the Feast of Trumpets it is necessary to outline this major prophecy. Whilst it is focused upon the nation of Israel (and particularly the Jews) it also applies to the whole world. Also, today it is common to take the “futuristic view” of this prophecy (as opposed to the historicist view) since it accommodates much of what is observed in the world today, link. This view maintains that Week 70 of Daniel’s 70-week prophecy over Israel is still future, but on a prophetic scale appears to be imminent:
Seventy weeks have been decreed for your people and your holy city, to finish the transgression, to make an end of sin, to make atonement for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy and to anoint the most holy place. (Dan 9:24)
Here, each “week” comprises seven prophetic years each of twelve 30-day months. So Daniel’s Week 70 is 7 x 360 = 2520 days. This study concentrates upon Week 70 (the last seven years of this age) and the years immediately preceding and following this week. Those who follow the futuristic view of Daniel’s prophecy generally agree that the return of Jesus to earth occurs around the end of Week 70.
The Church Age and the Feast of Trumpets
Some see the time interval between the Spring feast of Pentecost and the Autumn Feast of Trumpets as foreshadowing the so-called Church Age, link, link.
A Picture of the Rapture
Although the Feast of Trumpets incorporates a memorial to how Israel broke her agreed Sinai covenant (Lev 23:24), many see in this memorial a picture of the so-called “rapture” of believers. They note from Exodus 19 that God called Moses up to the top of the mountain, and God came down to meet Moses in a thick cloud. And all this was accompanied with the sound of a loud trumpet, making the people below tremble. This event appears to foreshadow Paul’s description of the end time rapture of believers:
For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord. (1 Thes 4:16-17)
This alignment of the Hebraic scriptures with New Testament prophecy is remarkable, leading some to see the Feast of Trumpets as marking the end of the Church Age. It is claimed that at this time the true church (as opposed to the apostate church) is supernaturally removed from earth (or “raptured”) to meet the Lord in the air. In fact, this mysterious event appears to be the next major event on God’s prophetic calendar, as seen from the perspective of God’s seven mandated feasts. And observation of world events suggests it is imminent, link.
The Feast of Trumpets is not Christ’s Return to Earth
The Feast of Trumpets can be seen as one of God’s epochs – an event marking the end of the Church Age and the start of a brief but traumatic time upon earth (Daniel’s Week 70). But the rapture does not mark the return of Christ to the earth. This can be seen from at least two standpoints:
First, in 1 Thessalonians Paul refers to “the trumpet of God”, and not to “the last trumpet” as in 1 Corinthians 15:52. So, putting the Feast of Trumpets in an end-time context, the harvesting (of souls) stops, the harvest door “shuts” (Mat 25:10) and the saints are called up into the clouds to rest with the Lord. There is no mention in 1 Thessalonians of the Lord then immediately descending to earth with His saints.
Secondly, according to the sequence of the Hebraic feasts, the Feast of Trumpets is not the end of God’s timeline for this age (which sees Christ return to earth). Instead, the Feast of Trumpets is followed by the Day of Atonement, when a remnant of Israel under stress at last recognises and mourns for their true Messiah whom they pierced (Zech 12:10-14). So, as we approach the end of the age, the shofar’s of Yom Teru’ah and Yom Kippur increasingly sound like alarms, warning Israel of coming trouble and the need to repent (Joel 2:1,12-17).
The timing of the rapture is usually placed either at the end of Daniel’s Week 70 (Postribulation view), at the middle of Week 70 (Midtribulation view) or before the start of Week 70 (Pretribulation view). For reasons to be discussed, the latter view is favoured here.
Jewish Thought and Timing
The linking of the rapture to the Feast of Trumpets is also supported by Jewish thinking. In Jewish thought, the feast was said to be the opening of the gates of Heaven for the resurrection of the dead, link. Such a resurrection is referred to in Isaiah 26 verse 19 and also in 1 Thessalonians 4. In contrast, Jewish thought saw the Day of Atonement [Tishri 10] as the closing of Heaven’s gates after which there was no hope of salvation. This aligns with Jesus’ warning that there would come a day when the gospel door to salvation would shut (Mat 25:10).
Even the Jewish timing of the feast aligns with this thinking. In the Jewish calendar the Feast of Trumpets (Yom Teru’ah) is actually celebrated over two days [Tishri 1-2], not one, link. This is because the start of the feast required the sighting of the new moon and the actual day this occurred was uncertain, link. So the rabbis later added a second day to this feast to make sure they didn’t miss it. Clearly, if the Feast of Trumpets is now aligned to the rapture then the actual rapture day is also uncertain. Is this the uncertainty Jesus talked about when He was referring to the “taking away” of believers (Mat 24:36-44)?
But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only (Mat 24:36)
Jesus instructed His followers to observe signs of His return (as in the budding of Israel the fig tree), but they would not know the actual day or hour of His return.
New Testament Support for a Pretribulation Rapture
As already mentioned, each of God’s mandated feasts for His people Israel can be seen as foreshadowing an event or epoch which is part of God’s plan for mankind. For example, the Feast of First Fruits foreshadows the resurrection of Jesus and the Feast of Weeks (Pentecost) foreshadows the church epoch. Similarly, the Feast of Trumpets appears to foreshadow the supernatural removal of the true church before the end of this age.
Let’s examine some New Testament support for this concept, as in 1) the sudden “taking away of believers” as taught by Jesus, 2) God’s harvesting of the earth, 3) the judgement (rewarding) of the resurrected saints, 4) the protection of the end-time saints, and 5) the absence of the church in most of the Revelation!
1: Believers are simply “taken”
Jesus taught that there would be a sudden and unexpected “taking away” of living believers from the earthly scene (Mat 24:36-44; Lk 17:26-37):
Then two men will be in the field: one will be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding at the mill: one will be taken and the other left
Jesus said life will be as in the days of Noah, when people were building, planting, marrying and eating and drinking until sudden judgement came upon them via the Flood. But Godly Noah and his family were taken out of normal life to protect them. It seems that life will be as today in that believers in Christ will be working alongside unbelievers without the need to have the “mark of the beast” (see later). But since such technology is virtually here, it seems the rapture is imminent!
2: The Reaping of Two Harvests
Revelation 14 refers to two “reapings”. The first one (Rev 14:14-16) describes Christ reaping the good and ripe harvest of the earth (believers). Note that the Lord does this “sitting on the cloud”, which aligns with Paul’s vision of the taking up of the saints into the clouds (1 Thes 4:17). So if the first reaping in Revelation 14 aligns with the rapture before Week 70 (Pretribulation view), there is a time interval before the second reaping (Rev 14:17-20). The latter gathers the godless of the earth to await God’s wrath. This time interval allows for the rewarding of the risen saints at the judgement seat of Christ (see below), and the brief reign of the beast of Rev 13:1 (to be discussed).
A Contradiction? Some point out that one of Jesus’ parables appears to put the reaping in reverse order; the “tares” (unbelievers) are gathered first, and the good “wheat” is gathered last (Mat 13:24-43). But note the difference to Revelation 14. First, Jesus’ parable is about the coming of the fullness of the kingdom of heaven at the very end of this age, whilst Rev 14 does not refer to the fullness of the kingdom, or to the end of the age. Secondly, both reapings in Jesus’ parable are done by angels and do not directly involve Jesus. So the two reaping scenarios seem different.
Continuing in Mathew 13, verse 48 foresees the separation of “the good and the bad” just prior to the Kingdom Age (the Millennium), whilst “the bad” are gathered to await judgement at the end of the Millennium (Rev 20:5). In contrast, Revelation 14 appears to foresee the rapture of the church, followed by a period of time to allow for the execution of God’s wrath upon the earth at the end of the age.
3: After the Rapture: The Judgement Seat of Christ
At the time of the rapture the saints are given glorified (resurrected) bodies and then judged at the Bema Seat of Christ. This is not a judgement for sin but a tribunal for giving rewards for how we have served Christ (1 Cor 3:10-15), link. Now arrayed in fine white linen, the church – the bride – is ready for the marriage of the Lamb (Rev 19:7-8). These resurrected saints form the “armies of heaven” at Christ’s return to earth (Rev 19:14).
4: God’s Protection of the True Church
Some view the seven churches of Revelation 2 and 3 as a timeline up to present day. But it is perhaps more usual to see all seven churches coexisting at any one time. There are just two of the seven churches whom Jesus does not criticise: Smyrna (the tested church in tribulation/martyrdom) and Philadelphia (the church with little power, but keeps God’s word). The latter is kept from “the hour of trial” coming upon the whole world:
Because you have kept My command to persevere, I also will keep you from the hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth. (Rev 3:10)
Of course, there’s no neat division. So today those Christians suffering in North Korea for example – but who survive and overcome (the Smyrna church) – will surely be kept from that hour of trial alongside those of the Philadelphia church. Clearly, the prior “taking away” taught by Jesus is one possible way God can provide this protection. The true church does not experience the coming wrath of God (1 Thes 5:9).
5: The True Church is absent from most of the Revelation
After describing the seven churches in Revelation 2 and 3, Revelation 4 starts with the command: “Come up here”. Some take this to infer the rapture. Certainly, the true church is not mentioned again until she is seen as Christ’s bride in Revelation 21. Note that it is important to distinguish between the true church that Jesus loves and the apostate church, the “ecclesiastical Babylon” described in Revelation 17.
Summary so Far
The Feast of Trumpets supports the Pretribulation View
God’s seven Feasts for Israel clearly show how Jesus interacts with the world at key times in history. And the last three unfulfilled feasts provide the bedrock for interpreting end-time prophecy. For example, the Feast of Trumpets, when enhanced by other biblical texts, supports the Pretribulation interpretation of prophecy. According to the Feast of Trumpets and the New Testament, the true church appears to be supernaturally “taken” from the earthly scene to be with Christ before the start of Daniel’s Week 70. See also the rapture.
But taking this interpretation raises the question “who are the saints mentioned in Rev 4-20?” The following study of the Book of Revelation and related prophecies provides an answer. It also suggests how the two last Fall Feasts, Atonement and Tabernacles, can be seen embedded in the last seven years of this age (Daniel’s Week 70).
The Rise of a World Dictator
In the foreseeable future a clever, proud, pompous, secular, military world dictator or ruler will arise from the “sea of mankind”. He is the “little horn” of Dan 7:8, the “prince” of Dan 9:26-27, the “king” of Dan 11:36, “the man of sin” of 2 Thes 2:3, the “lawless one” of 2 Thes 2:8, the conqueror of Rev 6:2, the beast of Rev 13:1-2 and the beast of Rev 19:20. He rises to kingship rather subtly (hence the little horn) out of the fourth and last secular kingdom to subdue Israel (Dan 7:19). According to Dan 2 and Dan 7, this last kingdom is crushing and tyrannical and appears to be a revived form of the historic, Roman Empire.
A False Trinity: Many refer to this person as the “Antichrist”. But is this biblically accurate? The first beast of Revelation 13 is given satanic authority to rule the world for 42 months or 1260 days (Rev 13:5), and he rules alongside the “beast from the earth” (Rev 13:11). But is the first beast of Revelation 13 really the Antichrist, as many assume? Some identify the beast from the earth as the real Antichrist i.e. anti or false Christ, since it is this person who points the world to the first beast (Rev 13:12), just like Jesus points the world to the Father. But, unlike Christ, it is this beast who kills those who won’t worship the first beast, and it is this beast who eventually organises the imposition of the mark (Rev 13:11-16). With this view, the beast from the sea is seen as a false god. In fact, he eventually sets himself up as God (2 Thes 2:4, Dan 11:36). So a false Christ (Rev 13:11) points to a false God (Rev 13:6), all prompted by Satan, the false Holy Spirit (Rev 13:2). That’s a satanic trinity masquerading as the true Trinity!
With this view, the secular world dictator of Revelation 13:1 aligns better with anti-God than with anti-Christ, and the ‘ecclesiastical’ beast of Revelation 13:11 aligns well with the Papacy and the end-time apostate church of Revelation 17. Certainly, Wycliffe, Luther, Calvin, Tyndale, Bunyan, Huss, Knox, Edwards and Wesley associated the Papacy with the Antichrist, link, link and this teaching gave rise to the Protestant Reformation. Note that, like the persecuting ecclesiastical beast of Revelation 13:11, Rome has persecuted the saints for centuries (Rev 17:6) and today heads an “ecclesiastical Babylon”, a confusion of faiths (Rev 17:5) – as in Chrislam.
For this reason it it is necessary to distinguish between the true church that Jesus loves, and the apostate church so evident in the word today.
It is probable that under the beast’s 42 month (1260 day) reign the Vatican strongly influences the secular world government or New World Order. This is symbolised in Revelation 17 by a woman, the apostate church, riding the ten-horned beast. Even today the Vatican is given “observer status” at the UN, link.
The First Half of Week 70 (42 months, 1260 days)
To many this brief period may feel almost normal. There will be a degree of global stability since the nations will be under the control of a new and all-powerful world leader (Rev 13:4) and his New World Order. Today the world is looking for such a leader. He is totally Godless (Dan 11:37), blasphemes God and all who dwell in heaven (Rev 13:6), and persecutes God’s chosen people, Israel for 3.5 years (Dan 7:25, Rev 13:5-7). However, all this doesn’t seem to worry a world that has turned to Satan worship (Rev 13:4)!
666 is Imposed
The Mark: Given some degree of economic stability, a cashless society, and hi-tech banking infrastructure, it is likely the 666 mark is imposed during this relatively stable 42 month period. Certainly, a well developed global telecommunications infrastructure using large computer systems linked by satellite and optical fibre cables would need to be in place for global financial control. Such a hi-tech system will undoubtedly be destroyed once God’s judgements begin in earnest under the Trumpets and Bowls. Also, it would bring the true church under severe persecution if she was present at that time. But is she? Is the answer in the “spiritual revealing” mentioned in Thessalonians?
The Revealing of the Beast
When does all this happen? The first beast is revealed to the world when a “restrainer” is “taken out of the way”:
For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only He who now restrains will do so until He is taken out of the way. And then the lawless one will be revealed … (2 Thes 2:7-8)
Whilst some see Michael, Israel’s protector (Dan 10:21, Dan 12:1) as the restrainer, the most likely reading here is that it is the restraining power of the Holy Spirit (and by implication the presence of the true church) that is “taken out of the away”. To restrain satanically inspired evil surely requires nothing less than the almighty power and authority of God. As discussed, Jesus implied such “taking away” of the true church in Matthew 24:36-44 and Luke 17:26-37 – texts which are difficult to explain in the Post-Tribulation view.
The False Covenant with Israel
Once he is revealed as the invincible world leader (Rev 13:4) the beast of Rev 13:1 makes a seven-year covenant of peace with unsuspecting Israel (Dan 9:27). In reality, blind unregenerate Israel makes “a covenant with death” (Isa 28:15) [note that the threat to Israel from militant Islamists may have been removed through their humiliation in the coming Gog-Magog war].
So the start of this covenant probably marks the start of Week 70 (seven prophetic 360-day years), and could align with the rapture of the true church about the time of the Feast of Trumpets on Tishri 1, link.
In order to make this covenant with Israel some speculate that the beast could well be an apostate Jew. A curious phrase is used in Daniel 11:37. Speaking of the end-time world dictator, it says “He will show no regard for the gods of his fathers …”. Prior to the days of Moses, the Hebrews knew God generally as “the God of the Fathers”, and so Dan 11.37 implies he could be an apostate Jew. More on this at World Government.
Note that if the true church was still on earth at this revealing and the setting up of the seven year covenant, the saints would be able to date the time of Christ’s Second Coming to earth. But since that time is not revealed in scripture, this implies the true church as been “taken” i.e. raptured from the earth before the start of Week 70.
The Tribulation Saints
Revelation chapters 7, 13 and 14 describe end-time believers who suffer under the reign of the beast.
The Saints in Revelation 7
According to the Pretribulation view, when Jesus gathers His church in the clouds the so-called Church Age closes and “the door is shut” (Mat 25:10). The true church has been “taken” to be with Christ. But if the church has been taken away at this point, who then are the believers in Christ seen in Revelation 7?
I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could number, of all nations … who come out of the great tribulation and washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. (Rev 7:9,14)
These must be new believers in Christ who have come to realise the satanic nature of the New World Order. After all, the sudden removal of millions of believers and the sudden appearance of a prophesied world leader will surely make millions think! They will have the end-time prophecies to compare with reality and many will become believers.
How do they come to Christ? In the absence of gospel proclamation by the true church, it appears it is left to Israel to serve in her place. After all, Israel is God’s chosen witness and servant in the world (Isa 43:10). It appears that 144,000 chosen from the twelve tribes come to know their true Messiah and are sealed to serve God as evangelists to the world (Rev 7:3-8, Rev 14:1-5). A similar event happens at the start of the Millennial Age when saved Jews evangelise the Gentile world (Isa 66:19). As a result, a great multitude of people from all nations comes to recognise Christ through Israel’s witness, link, link.
The Saints in Revelation 13
Revelation 13 describes a 42 month (1260 days) world dictatorship under the beast of Rev 13:1. This is the first half of Week 70. Since the beast’s nature is “anti-God” he persecutes anyone, Jew or Gentile, who worships God and His son, Jesus (Rev 12:13-17). In fact, he eventually destroys the apostate church headed by the Vatican for the same reason (Rev 17:16). So during his 42 months of authority the beast wages war against any believers in Christ:
It was also given to him to make war with the saints (the holy ones) and to overcome them. And authority was given him over every tribe and tongue and nation. (Rev 13:7)
Commentators generally agree that these are true believers in Christ, and so they probably correspond to the great multitude of new believers described in Revelation 7. But being young in the faith some appear to try and resist through armed conflict (war), but will be captured and killed (Rev 13:7,10). War is not God’s way, and today’s persecuted believers (over 260 million across the globe) tend to suffer rather than fight. Likewise, it seems that during these 42 months many new believers refuse to take the mark and worship the beast, but also refrain from fighting. Consequently they are killed (Rev 13:15). This is their “great tribulation” described in Revelation 7.
The Saints in Revelation 14
Is this the last gospel call of the age? As discussed, the 666 mark of the beast will probably be introduced during the first half of Week 70. The eternal consequences of taking the mark are so serious that God tries once more to warn rebellious mankind. In the absence of the true church, this time God sends three angels flying in mid-heaven (does this refer to satellite gospel broadcasts?). The first angel preaches the plain gospel and warns that judgement is imminent. The second angel says that the economic and ecclesiastical “Babylons” are about to fall (Rev 17 and 18). The third angel gives a strong warning not to worship the beast and his image, or to receive his mark on their body (Rev 14:6-11).
Whilst most appear to reject this call to repent (Rev 16:9), many of the new believers described in Revelation 7 appear to heed the angelic warnings. As just discussed, they reject the mark and suffer martyrdom (Rev 14:12,13).
The Middle of Week 70
Opening the Seal
The opening of the First Seal (Rev 6:1) and the vision of an angry conquering king (the first beast of Revelation 13) probably corresponds to the middle of Week 70. His permitted 42 months of reign has been declared over by the heavenly court (Dan 7:26) and the next 42 months or 1260 days will see a decline in his dominion, the start of world economic breakdown, and the intensification of God’s judgements. Man’s ecclesiastical and economic Babylons will soon fall (Rev 17 and 18). At this point in time many new believers may have been removed from the world economic system (via the need for the mark). But those remaining are told to escape such an evil system (Rev 18:4), link.
At mid-Week the beast turns on Israel and breaks his seven-year covenant with her and abolishes the Jewish sacrifices (Dan 9:27, 11.31). His subsequent actions closely follow the actions of Antiochus IV Epiphanes (Dan 8:9-14) who desecrated the Temple in 168 BC. Antiochus was the archetype of the beast of Rev 13:1. So at some future date:
Forces from him [the beast] will arise, desecrate the sanctuary fortress, and do away with the regular sacrifice. And they will set up the abomination of desolation. (Dan 11:31)
Although not immediately apparent in this text, there is a time interval between the Temple desecration (mid-Week) and the setting up of the abomination of desolation:
From the time that the regular sacrifice is abolished and the abomination of desolation is set up, there will be 1,290 days. (Dan 12:11)
Jesus refers to this abomination in Matthew 24:15 and Mark 13:14. At the end of 1290 days (1260 + 30) from the taking away of sacrifices, the forces of the beast set up the “abomination of desolation” in the Temple. What is this abomination? It could be when the beast takes up his seat in the Temple, declares himself to be God, and demands to be worshipped as God (Dan 11:31, Mat 24:15, 2 Thes 2:4), link. That act is surely an abomination in the sight of God. Alternatively, it could be that the image of the beast is set up in the Temple and has to be worshipped (Rev 13:15). This is another clear abomination.
The Last Half of Week 70 (Rev 6-19)
The last half of Week 70 is again a time of great tribulation for the new believers (Rev 7:14). Not only have they been targeted by the beast in the first half of Week 70; they also experience increasing world chaos as God’s judgements intensify through the Seven Trumpets and Seven Bowls of God’s wrath. Note that the fifth, sixth and seventh trumpets are described as “woe, woe, woe to the inhabitants of the earth” (Rev 8:13). So, whilst the seventh trumpet looks to the removal of the kingdoms of the world and the establishment of God’s Kingdom, it also heralds one last “woe” as it looks to the coming bowls of wrath (Rev 11:18).
The Beast Wages War
Worldwide War
As mentioned, at the opening of the First Seal (Rev 6:1-2) the angry beast is given a crown by Satan (Rev 13:2) and rides a white horse like a king. He has a “bow” and, threatened with a disintegrating world empire he starts to wage worldwide war, resulting in widespread famine and death. It seems 25% of earth’s population dies (Rev 6:8). And, as in the first half of Week 70, new believers are martyred for their faith (Rev 6:11, Rev 12:17).
God Judges the World: Seals, Trumpets and Bowls
The Sixth Seal sees the first of God’s judgements upon the world through dramatic and frightening cosmic disturbances (Rev 6:12-17). The “great day of His wrath has come”. This again underscores the concept of the prior “taking out” of the true church since she is assured that she does not come under God’s wrath (1 Thes 5:9). So the true church will probably not be on earth during the Seals.
The Seventh Seal (Revelation 8) is a prelude to the Seven Trumpets. Each trumpet brings more of God’s wrath upon rebellious mankind. As noted, whilst the Seventh Trumpet gives a promise of God’s coming Kingdom, it is not the end of God’s wrath. Rather, it is the third and last “woe” (Rev 11:14) and brings “lightnings, noises, thunderings, an earthquake, and great hail” (Rev 11:19). Then follows God’s seven Bowl Judgements which “complete the wrath of God” (Rev 15:1).
The Final Day of Atonement
Israel’s Day of Atonement or Yom Kippur falls on Tishri 10, between the Feast of Trumpets [Tishri 1] and the Feast of Tabernacles [Tishri 15-21] (Lev 16:1-34, Lev 23:26-32). It is a time for “afflicting the soul” (Lev 23:27) and so is a solemn day on the Jewish calendar. The detailed Hebrew ceremony for Atonement is found in Leviticus 16.
Unlike the first four of Israel’s feasts, all three of these feasts are as yet unfulfilled in the prophetic sense; they are future events. But, as discussed, the Feast of Trumpets appears to align prophetically with the rapture, and is the next major event on God’s seven-point plan for mankind. After that comes the final Day of Atonement (which may occur just days before Christ returns to the earth). So how might the last Day of Atonement be fulfilled?
Jacob’s Trouble
Note that the last half of Week 70 (42 months or 1260 days) is extended by 30 days, after which the “abomination of desolation” is set up in the Temple (Dan 12:11). Jesus said when the Jews in Judea see this they are to “flee to the mountains” (Mat 24:16). Why? Because this marks the start of extreme persecution of the Jews, also known as “Jacob’s trouble”. The trouble is the worst ever seen and those days have to be shortened to preserve a remnant:
Alas! for that day is great, there is none like it; and it is the time of Jacob’s trouble, but he will be saved from it (Jer 30:7)
Now at that time Michael, the great prince who stands guard over the sons of your people, will arise. And there will be a time of distress such as never occurred since there was a nation until that time; and at that time your people, everyone who is found written in the book, will be rescued (Dan 12:1)
Unless those days had been cut short, no life would have been saved; but for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short (Mat 24:22)
These three texts refer to the same short period of distress. Jeremiah calls it Jacob’s distress or trouble. It seems that after another 45 days these terrible days come to an end (Dan 12:12).
Who are “the Elect”?
In Matthew 24:22 Jesus refers to “the elect”. An alternative reading is “chosen ones”. So if the true church has been taken, who are the elect? A direct cross-reference here is Isa 65:8-9 which refers to “My servants … My elect”. God chose Israel to be His servant, so Matthew 24:22 probably refers to God’s people, Israel, and not to Christians. God has always preserved a remnant of His people despite some 2500 years of persecution. So these tribulation days of Israel are shortened to preserve a Jewish remnant. This conclusion is underscored in Daniel 12:1 which refers to the tribulation of “your people”. So since Daniel was a noble Jewish youth of Jerusalem, his people were Jews.
Some expand “the elect” to include not only Jews (the tribes of Judah, Benjamin and Simeon) but also Israelites from the so-called Lost Tribes of Israel. According to prophecy, Israelites descended from the northern kingdom (Israel) are even now being drawn back with the Jews to their homeland (Jer 3:14, Jer 30:3). And it seems all are being drawn back in unbelief.
So according to prophecy, some from the northern kingdom, together with the Jews (Dan 12:1) could be “the elect” who suffer great tribulation during the last Day of Atonement. That said, note that it was the Jews, the men of Judah, who crucified Christ, whilst most of the other tribes had already been scattered.
Jews Mourn and are Saved
So let’s return to the question: “How is the final Day of Atonement fulfilled?”
At the end of this age the nations are satanically deceived and drawn together for “the battle of the great day of God Almighty” (Rev 16:12-16). They gather on the great plain of Megiddo in northern Israel, but their objective is Jerusalem (Zech 14:2). At the same time Christ returns to earth with the armies of heaven to defend Jerusalem. So this is a unique man-God war (Rev 19:19), with the world dictator (the beast) and his armies arrayed against Christ and His armies.
The return of Christ is highly visible, just as lightening strikes from the east to the west (Mat 24:27). And so the Jews in Israel see Him too as they come under great suffering (Zech 14:2). This traumatic time seems to open the eyes of the Jews such that they at last recognise Yeshua (Jesus) as their true Messiah. Of that day the LORD says:
I will pour on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and supplication; then they will look on Me whom they pierced. Yes, they will mourn for Him … and grieve for Him … (Zech 12:10)
Note that Zechariah 12:10-14 is essentially referring to clans of Judah i.e. Jews. These are the tribes of Judah, Levi and Benjamin who were taken into exile and later returned. After all, it was the Jews and not the other tribes who crucified the Lord. During this terrible time there will be great mourning in Jerusalem. But, as mentioned, these days are cut short when Christ returns to earth with his armies of resurrected saints and the beast’s armies are defeated (Rev 19:11-21).
These are the days when “the fullness of the Gentiles has come in” (Rev 6:11), enabling the “partial blindness of Israel” to be removed:
And so all Israel will be saved, as it is written: “The Deliverer will come out of Zion, and He will turn away ungodliness from Jacob: For this is My covenant with them, when I take away their sins” (Rom 11:26-27)
At last Jesus’ feet stand upon the Mount of Olives (Zech 14:4) and His Kingdom comes in all its fullness upon earth (Dan 7:27). Jesus will then be “King over all the earth” (Zech 14:9)
Many link the final Day of Atonement to the binding of Satan in Revelation 20:1-3, link. This can be seen in the Hebrew Atonement ceremony involving two goats (Lev 16:8-10). The first of the two goats is killed (a parallel with Jesus death) whilst the second goat, the Azazel goat, is paralleled with Satan since it is seen as unclean (bound with sin) and sent into the wilderness (Lev 16.20-22,26). So Christians view the Day of Atonement as the foretelling of Jesus’ sacrifice. He became the sacrifice and scapegoat for all who call upon Him.
The Resurrection of Tribulation and Old Testament Saints
Just as the true church appears to be resurrected at the close of the so-called Church Age, what about the tribulation saints? Consider:
I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for the testimony of Jesus and for the word of God, and those who had not worshipped the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or on their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. (Rev 20:4)
When does this resurrection take place? According to Hebraic Feasts, the dead in the LORD will rise again after the last shofar blast, which is the long, final and mighty blast at the very end of Yom Kippur, link. It is on Yom Kippur that the great trumpet, known in Hebrew as the Shofar HaGadol is blown, link. The concluding service of Yom Kippur, known as Ne’ilah, link, has been described like this:
“At nightfall the sound of the shofar blowing of the tekiah gedolah, a long blast, resounds around the synagogue for the last time as heaven’s gates are closing”
So these covenant people, Israel, were taught by God that it is at the very last trumpet (shofar) blast on the last Day of Atonement that their resurrection will happen. It is interesting that Paul, a Jew, could be referring to this same end-time event when he said:
In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed (1 Cor 15:52, emphasis added)
The sounding of a great trumpet at the end of the age is also described in Isaiah 27:12-13 and Matthew 24:31.
According to both the Old and New Testaments it seems that the martyrs of the tribulation will be resurrected at the very end of the last Day of Atonement when Christ returns to earth. In other words, the resurrection of the tribulation saints occurs at the commencement of the Millennium, link.
The same goes for the resurrection of Israel’s past saints. They will rise at the same time as the tribulation martyrs (Rev 20:4) at the end of Israel’s great tribulation, link, link. For example, Daniel appears to foresee this resurrection:
There will be a time of distress such as never occurred since there was a nation until that time; and at that time … many of those who sleep in the dust of the ground will awake … (Dan 12:1-2, emphasis added)
The Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot)
This is the seventh and last of Israel’s biblically mandated feasts and it completes, prophetically, God’s declared plan for mankind on this earth. It is held in the seventh month of the Hebrew calendar, starting on Tishri 15 and lasting for seven days (Lev 23.34).
Historical Background: Sukkot means “booths” and it commemorates the time when Israel lived in tents or booths as they came out if Egypt. So it commemorates the historic transition of the Jewish people from bondage in Egypt to sovereignty in the Land of Israel, and is a feast of joy and celebration following the harvest.
Prophetic Implications: Sukkot foreshadows the in-gathering or harvesting of the saints (Rev 14:16) and the Millennial reign of Christ. During the Millennial or Kingdom Age the Lord establishes His great Tabernacle in Jerusalem (Isa 60:13, Ezek 43:7). Sukkot is one of the feasts that is a “statute for ever”, and so during the Kingdom age the nations of the earth go up to worship Christ the King in Jerusalem, and to keep the Feast of Tabernacles (Zech 14:16).
The LORD has bared His holy arm in the sight of all the nations; and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God (Isa 52:10)
The prophetic implication of Sukkot goes even further. Note that the week of Sukkot is followed by an eighth day (Lev 23.36). The 8th day (also a Sabbath rest) has great significance. Number 8 symbolizes the start of something new – a new beginning. It foresees the new heavens and new earth and the New Jerusalem (Isa 65.17). The 8th day is preceded by the great white throne judgement of those who do not have their names written in the Book of Life (Rev 20:11-15). Only those who’s names are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life will enter the New Jerusalem.
Overall Summary
All seven “Feasts of the LORD” found in Leviticus 23 are centred upon Christ. Given to the nation of Israel at the time of Moses, they foreshadowed how Jesus (Hebrew: Yeshua) would intervene in world affairs at times chosen by God. They point to events, or epochs, when God enacts His plan for mankind on this earth. So they apply to both Jew and Gentile – and that includes the church! Bible prophecy adds detail to this fundamental God-defined framework.
Jesus has accurately fulfilled the first four feasts, up to and including the Feast of Weeks or Pentecost. Today the world is between Pentecost and the fifth feast, the Feast of Trumpets. Some call this epoch the Church Age or Age of Grace. The Feast of Trumpets appears to foreshadow the “taking away” of the true church into the clouds to be with Jesus before God judges the world (1 Thessalonians 4). Some call it “the rapture”.
The short epoch (probably just 7 years) that follows the Feast of Trumpets sees the most traumatic times of history. It seems that after the rapture many turn to Christ and suffer persecution under the beasts of Revelation 13. Towards the end of the 7 years, these “tribulation saints” are joined by a suffering Jewish remnant who at last recognise Yeshua as their true Messiah. God calls this Israel’s “Day of Atonement”. The birth pangs of this short but terrible epoch are seen in the relentless drive towards the cashless society (a technological requirement for the imposition of “the mark of the beast”). It all ends when God’s wrath is poured out upon the rebellious, Godless nations, as described in the Seals, Trumpets and Bowl Judgements of Revelation.
The Good News
The true church appears to be kept from earth’s “hour of trial” (Revelation 3). In fact, for all deemed worthy the seventh and last feast (the Feast of Tabernacles) ushers in the Kingdom reign of Christ on earth. Some call this “the Millennium”. So are you ready for Christ to call you up into the clouds before such traumatic times start and before the gospel door “shuts”? Jesus said:
Watch therefore, and pray always that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man (Luke 21 verse 36, NKJV)
APPENDIX
The Hebrew Calendar and the Prophetic Year
There is a distinct difference between the years and months of the Hebrew calendar and the years and months mentioned in Bible prophecy. For example, the prophetic books of Daniel and Revelation are based upon 30-day months, whilst the Hebrew calendar has variable length months.
The Hebrew Calendar Year
The Hebrew/Jewish calendar is based on the cycles of the moon (God explicitly commanded His people to celebrate the New Moon and the beginning of each month). So each of the twelve calendar months begins with the new moon, and each month is specified to be 29 or 30 days long, link. Now, even if all months were 30 days long, this would only lead to a 360 day year, compared to our solar year which is actually 365.2422 days long (and our lunar month is 29.531 days).
To compensate for this discrepancy, periodically an extra month (a “leap month”) is added to the Hebrew calendar to catch the Hebrew Lunar Calendar up to the cycles of the sun. So Jewish time reckoning is really “lunisolar” (and rather imprecise) and the calendar year can range from 353 days to as long as 385 days, link.
Importantly, the Hebrew calendar determines the dates for observing the Feasts of the Lord. So, the actual date of each feast varies from year to year, link.
The Prophetic Year
In contrast to the Hebrew calendar, the Bible uses 30-day months and 360 day years. This applies from Genesis to Revelation. For example, the Flood waters of Noah started on the 17th day of the second month (Gen 7:11) and increased (prevailed) for 150 days (Gen 7:18,24). After 150 days the Flood mechanisms ceased, the waters started receding and the Ark rested on Ararat on the 17th day of the seventh month (Gen 8:3,4). Aligning this “resting” with the end of “prevailing” gives a 150-day time span over exactly 5 months. So here God (and presumably Moses) used 30-day months and a 360-day year.
Another example is found in the Book of Esther. The book begins with a six-month long drinking feast given by King Ahasuerus. And in verse 4 it is described as lasting 180 days, again implying 30-day months. These events happened in the 5th century BC.
A Mystery: Historically there is evidence that many early civilisations also used a 360-day year, link. Look at the Mayan Calendar for example. Even Isaac Newton acknowledged that early nations used a 360 day year. Only later did it seem necessary to add extra days, link. One theory is that the need for extra days could be explained by a slight slowing of earth’s orbit speed around the sun, from 30.22379 km/s to its present value of 29.79 km/s, link. This would change the solar year from 360 days to the current 365.2422 days.
The 360-day Year in Prophecy: Leaving the science on one side, the fact is that God still uses a 360-day year in the future. Consider for example the end-time persecution of Daniel’s people (the Jews) under the World Ruler. Daniel 7:25 says that the Jews will suffer under him for “time and times and half a time”. It is usual to read this as three and a half years or 42 months. Revelation 13:5 confirms the period of authority of this despicable Ruler as just 42 months. Now look at Revelation 12:6. Here Israel is helped during this persecution for 1260 days. This aligns with the forgoing prophecies if we assume 42, 30-day months (=1260 days) and a 360-day year.
Conclusion: To understand Bible prophecy it is necessary to adhere to this timing, and not to the Hebrew calendar. Only time will tell if earth’s solar year suddenly returns to 360 days at the end of this age!
The Book of Revelation – An End Time Message
After all’s been said and done, the Bible’s bold declarations culminate in its last book, Revelation. Here we read the final verses of the Bible, and the promise and warning of Jesus. Since Jesus is soon to return (He will be seen “with the clouds” Revelation 1.7), this last book is essentially an end time message. First, an amazing promise to those who trust in the risen Jesus:
Revelation 22: 12-14
Look, I am coming soon, bringing my reward with me to repay all people according to their deeds. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.
Blessed are those who wash their robes. They will be permitted to enter through the gates of the city and eat the fruit from the tree of life.
The city here is the New Jerusalem described symbolically in Revelation 21. Here we find the blessings (fruit) of the symbolic “tree of life” first mentioned in Genesis 2.9 in the Garden of Eden. It seems that, for believers, time has gone full circle to what God planned in the beginning. Sadly, not all partake of this eternal blessing and fellowship with God. Jesus gives a warning:
Revelation 22.15
Outside the city are the dogs—the sorcerers, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idol worshipers, and all who love to live a lie.
So there we have it. Man has a choice and Jesus gives a plea to mankind:
Revelation 22.16,17
I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give you this message for the churches. I am both the source of David and the heir to his throne. I am the bright morning star.
The Spirit and the bride say, “Come” Let anyone who hears this say, “Come” Let anyone who is thirsty come. Let anyone who desires drink freely from the water of life.
Today, man is expert at twisting God’s word. We see this in his attempts to redefine marriage for example, and in his attempts to replace national Israel with the church (Replacement Theology). So Jesus gives a final warning:
Revelation 22.18,19
I testify and warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book [its predictions, consolations, and admonitions]: if anyone adds [anything] to them, God will add to him the plagues (afflictions, calamities) which are written in this book;
and if anyone takes away from or distorts the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away [from that one] his share from the tree of life and from the holy city (new Jerusalem), which are written in this book.
The important biblical concepts discussed in these seven short articles are summarized below in a timeline:
According to the Pew Research Center, an astounding 2.2 billion people in the world base their religious beliefs and worldview on text written by Hebraic men who wrote bold declarations about the world’s origins, future, and man’s ultimate destiny. Interpretations of the Bible abound, but what is actually written?
In Romans the 3rd chapter, the apostle Paul wrote:
Do the Jews have any advantage over the Gentiles? Or is there any value in being circumcised? Much, indeed, in every way! In the first place, God trusted his message to the Jews.
Put another way, here Paul is saying that the inspired Hebrew scriptures of the Jews are the very words of God!
Let’s put aside religious biases, mystical interpretations, or even our secular worldview. Let’s read with an open mind what the Bible tells us about our origins and our future. Right at the beginning we read a mystery, namely, that the God of the Bible reproduces “His kind”. In the Genesis account of man’s creation the Bible speaks of “mankind made in God’s image”:
In Genesis 1:26
Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.” So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.
But what does it mean “to be made in God’s image”?
The Bible says “God is Spirit” but clearly we are “flesh and blood”. So isn’t something wrong here? No. We need to look to man’s future. In chapter 8 of Paul’s letter to the Romans he spoke a mystery. He said creation waits in eager expectation for the children of God to be revealed. He spoke of a hope of man’s “spirit form” in the future, as distinct from flesh and blood. Instead of “mankind” or “fleshkind” he was really speaking of man as a “spiritkind” or “Godkind”.
In Romans 8:18-23
I consider that what we suffer at this present time cannot be compared at all with the glory that is going to be revealed to us. All of creation waits with eager longing for God to reveal his children … For we know that up to the present time all of creation groans with pain, like the pain of childbirth. But it is not just creation alone which groans; we who have the Spirit as the first of God’s gifts also groan within ourselves as we wait for God to make us his children and set our whole being free.
These are powerful and inspired words. Paul is saying that both creation and man himself groan due to imperfection and mortality. But it is possible for mankind to be translated to an immortal “spiritkind” like his Creator. He sums it up like this:
1 Corinthians 15.53
For this perishable must put on the imperishable, and this mortal must put on immortality
This will happen at some point in the future. As we read on in the Bible we discover that man in immortal (spirit) form will one day live with his Creator God on a new and perfect earth! Now that blows your mind!
In Genesis chapter 1 we read that God made mankind male and female and blessed them to be “fruitful and multiply”. Why did the Creator of the universe give man the mandate to procreate and proliferate? Think about the billions of humans born since the world began. What were they born for? Where have they all gone? What did they live for? Did their lives have any real meaning? The answer to these questions is found in a mystery: we must be changed or “born again” as the Bible puts it.
Israel’s King David asked a similar question. He wrote in the 8th Psalm:
“When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is mankind that you are mindful of them, human beings that you care for them?”
Here’s the Answer – Spiritual Rebirth
The apostle John boldly tells us that all we observe was made through Jesus (Yeshua in Hebrew). From human cells to the earth and the starry heavens – all were made through Jesus (John chapter 1). The atomic constants and the molecular structure of matter were made through Jesus. And the Bible tells us that this same Jesus came into the world to show man how to live. John goes on to say that all who believe in Jesus are given the right to become children of God. These are children not born through a woman’s pregnancy, but born of God. This is a mystery accepted by faith. In John 1:9-14, we read:
The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God — children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.
This speaks of two births of man: a physical birth through woman and a spiritual birth through God’s Spirit. In John 3 Jesus said:
That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not be amazed that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’
Note that Jesus leaves the ball in our court! It’s up to an individual to choose to believe in Jesus and be born a second time! It’s up to us to find the meaning of life through Jesus.
The Hebrew word ‘Yehudi’ (Jew) originated from the name Judah (2 Kings 16.6). But when Israel became divided into northern and southern kingdoms (the Kingdom of Israel and the Kingdom of Judah) the term ‘Jew’ came to apply to all those in the Kingdom of Yehudah (Judah). This kingdom embraced the tribes of Judah, Benjamin and Levi, so Paul called himself a Jew since he was from the tribe of Benjamin (Acts 22:3), and Jesus was a Jew since His lineage is traced to Judah (Lk 3.23-33, Heb 7.14).
Today it is common to refer to Abraham’s descendants, or anyone who practices Judaism as ‘Jews’. More …
Man’s Destiny – As God Intended
The apostle Paul described man’s destiny as a mystery. He said that mortal man was meant to become immortal (that is the plan of his Maker) and then live with His Maker eternally. This is a truly mind-blowing concept, but that is what the Bible says.
In his first letter to the Corinthians, chapter 15 verses 50-54, Paul wrote:
What I mean, friends, is that what is made of flesh and blood cannot share in God’s Kingdom, and what is mortal cannot possess immortality.
Listen to this secret truth: we shall not all die, but when the last trumpet sounds, we shall all be changed in an instant, as quickly as the blinking of an eye. For when the trumpet sounds, the dead will be raised, never to die again, and we shall all be changed. For what is mortal must be changed into what is immortal; what will die must be changed into what cannot die. So when this takes place, and the mortal has been changed into the immortal, then the scripture will come true: “Death is destroyed; victory is complete!”
There is a caveat here: this amazing transition to immortality is conditional, as explained below.
Man’s Eternal Home – the New Earth
A popular view is that when we die we go to live in heaven. But the Bible doesn’t say that. It doesn’t say that man’s reward is to go permanently to heaven. Heaven is God’s throne and earth is meant for man. But man will not spend eternity on this earth! The truth is that a New Heaven and a New Earth is prophesied. And it is in the new and perfect earth where God comes and walks with man, as He did in the Garden of Eden. A perfect God-man relationship will be restored. Such prophecies are brief and full of symbolism – little detail is revealed. But the concept and promise is there (and the caveat is there too)! Here’s what the Bible says about this amazing promise:
In Revelation 21: 1-7, we read about John’s vision:
Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”
He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” Then he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.”
He said to me: “It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To the thirsty I will give water without cost from the spring of the water of life. Those who are victorious will inherit all this, and I will be their God and they will be my children.
Did you see it? Did you see God’s caveat? God says He will fulfill this amazing promise “to the thirsty”. What about those who do not believe and are not thirsty for a relationship with their Creator? Revelation 21.8 says:
But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars — they will be consigned to the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death.
The amazing promise of eternal life with our Creator is conditional. We must first reach out to God through the living Jesus Christ. In doing so our lives will be totally changed. Jesus said this eternal and perfect destiny can be ours by simply believing and trusting in Him. We can of course choose not to believe, and many do so. One more thing. Before the passing away of the present earth, prophecy strongly suggests that there will be a glorious time of peace on this earth when Jesus returns. And believers will play a major role as immortal beings!
NEXT
A Contract – God’s Covenant with Israel
A “contract” can be defined as an agreement between two parties which obliges each party to do or not to do a certain thing. It is an agreement with promises of delivery, but also with stipulations and penalty clauses. In the time of Moses God made such a contract with the people (nation) of Israel, although the Bible refers to it as as “God’s covenant”.
God made a contract with Israel at Mount Sinai via His servant Moses. They were to follow the statutes of holy living, various laws and observe mandated Holy Feasts at their appointed time. Their mission was to teach the world by their example and be God’s witness to the nations. Moses was instructed to spell out God’s contract to the Israelites:
In Exodus 19: 5-8 we read:
Now if you obey Me fully and keep My covenant, then out of all nations you will be My treasured possession. Although the whole earth is Mine, you will be for Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.
So Moses went back and summoned the elders of the people and set before them all the words the Lord had commanded him to speak. The people all responded together, “We will do everything the Lord has said.” So Moses brought their answer back to the Lord. This is confirmed in Deuteronomy 7:12:
If you listen to these commands and obey them faithfully, then the Lord your God will continue to keep his covenant with you and will show you his constant love, as he promised your ancestors.
In biblical terminology this contract between God and Israel is often referred to as the Mosaic Covenant. The “if-then” statement in these verses reveals that it was conditional. Israel had to be obedient to God’s requirements in order to receive His blessings.
Israel Broke God’s Covenant – So the Penalties ‘Kicked-In’
As history shows, the people of Israel strayed from their promise on Mount Sinai. They failed to keep to the ways God had stipulated in the contract. As punishment, her people were sent into captivity by the ferocious Babylonians. And when Jesus came He wept for His people for He knew they were going to suffer and be dispersed amongst the nations. Let’s read some of the fine print in the contract. In Deuteronomy 28:1-16, we read:
Blessings for Obedience
1If you fully obey the Lord your God and carefully follow all his commands I give you today, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations on earth. 2All these blessings will come on you and accompany you if you obey the Lord your God:
3You will be blessed in the city and blessed in the country.
4The fruit of your womb will be blessed, and the crops of your land and the young of your livestock—the calves of your herds and the lambs of your flocks.
5Your basket and your kneading trough will be blessed.
6You will be blessed when you come in and blessed when you go out.
7The Lord will grant that the enemies who rise up against you will be defeated before you. They will come at you from one direction but flee from you in seven.
8The Lord will send a blessing on your barns and on everything you put your hand to. The Lord your God will bless you in the land he is giving you.
9The Lord will establish you as his holy people, as he promised you on oath, if you keep the commands of the Lord your God and walk in obedience to him. 10Then all the peoples on earth will see that you are called by the name of the Lord, and they will fear you.11The Lord will grant you abundant prosperity—in the fruit of your womb, the young of your livestock and the crops of your ground—in the land he swore to your ancestors to give you.
12The Lord will open the heavens, the storehouse of his bounty, to send rain on your land in season and to bless all the work of your hands. You will lend to many nations but will borrow from none. 13The Lord will make you the head, not the tail. If you pay attention to the commands of the Lord your God that I give you this day and carefully follow them, you will always be at the top, never at the bottom. 14Do not turn aside from any of the commands I give you today, to the right or to the left, following other gods and serving them.
Curses for Disobedience
15However, if you do not obey the Lord your God and do not carefully follow all his commands and decrees I am giving you today, all these curses will come on you and overtake you:
16You will be cursed in the city and cursed in the country.
The Contract Renewed
As discussed, Israel failed and broke the contract, and so in the New Testament era the contract was offered to Gentiles – namely the church. Today the church has the opportunity to receive the blessings of the contract (God’s blessings). All she has to do is keep her side of the contract by being God’s witness to the nations. She has to preach the good news (the Gospel). That said, in these end times, a remnant of Israel is once more fulfilling her mission, together with the contracted Gentiles.
Today we see the return of the Jews back to their God-given homeland (Canaan). We see the establishment of the State of Israel. We see a nation turning to the statutes God laid down under Moses. We see the majority of the nation now following God’s Holy Feasts and keeping the Jewish Sabbath. As a result, the nation of Israel is once more being blessed in the country (abundant agriculture), blessed in the city (technological innovation) and blessed in the sea (discovery of large natural resources). We also see God’s amazing protection (as in the 6-day war), and God building a numerous people as in the birth of numerous sons and daughters.
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The Abrahamic Covenant: All Nations will be Blessed
The book of Genesis says that God made a great promise to Abraham (the unconditional Abrahamic Covenant): “through you I will bless all the nations”. That is why his descendants, the Israelites, are blessed. Today, Israel has been restored as a nation and is blessed with progress, protection, resources and intelligence. And despite many attempts over nearly 3,000 years to exterminate the Jews, a remnant has always survived. In fact, the number of Jews in Israel today has increased by over 7,000 percent in just 100 years!
Testing Abraham’s Faith
In Genesis 22:1-18 we read how God tested Abraham. Let’s read the incredible test that earned Abraham an incredible reward for his descendants. God said to him:
“Abraham!”
“Here I am,” he replied.
Then God said, “Take your son, your only son, whom you love—Isaac—and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on a mountain I will show you.”
Early the next morning Abraham got up and loaded his donkey. He took with him two of his servants and his son Isaac. When he had cut enough wood for the burnt offering, he set out for the place God had told him about. On the third day Abraham looked up and saw the place in the distance. He said to his servants, “Stay here with the donkey while I and the boy go over there. We will worship and then we will come back to you.”
Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and placed it on his son Isaac, and he himself carried the fire and the knife. As the two of them went on together, Isaac spoke up and said to his father Abraham, “Father?”
“Yes, my son?” Abraham replied.
“The fire and wood are here,” Isaac said, “but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?”
Abraham answered, “God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.” And the two of them went on together.
When they reached the place God had told him about, Abraham built an altar there and arranged the wood on it. He bound his son Isaac and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. Then he reached out his hand and took the knife to slay his son. But the angel of the Lord called out to him from heaven, “Abraham! Abraham!”
“Here I am,” he replied.
“Do not lay a hand on the boy,” he said. “Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son.”
Abraham looked up and there in a thicket he saw a ram caught by its horns. He went over and took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering instead of his son. So Abraham called that place ‘The Lord Will Provide’. And to this day it is said, “On the mountain of the Lord it will be provided.”
The angel of the Lord called to Abraham from heaven a second time and said, “I swear by myself, declares the Lord, that because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, I will surely bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will take possession of the cities of their enemies, and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed me.”
Abraham’s Reward
As the scriptures say, “Abraham believed God, and God counted him as righteous because of his faith”. So God could use Abraham for the future and He rewarded him through several unconditional promises. First, through Abraham’s descendants came the offer to all men of reconciliation to God through Jesus Christ. That stands today. Secondly, God said that He would make the descendants of Abraham into a great nation which would be God’s servant and witness in the world. Today we see God fulfilling this promise as God’s people return to their promised land. The people of Israel are once more becoming God’s witness to the nations.
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The Fall of Man – Paradise was Lost
PARADISE (EDEN) WAS LOST, BUT THE APOSTLE JOHN WROTE THAT IT WILL BE RESTORED IN THE FUTURE.
In the Creation account of Genesis, we read about a paradise-like garden called Eden, where two important trees were planted by God: the Tree of Life and the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. These trees seem to have been deliberately planted to test how humans would use their free will. As the story recounts, the first humans failed the test and were driven away from Paradise.
Let’s read about the creation of mankind:
Genesis 2.8-15
Now the Lord God had planted a garden in the east, in Eden; and there he put the man he had formed. The Lord God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground — trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food. In the middle of the garden were the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of Good and Evil. A river watering the garden flowed from Eden; from there it was separated into four headwaters. The name of the first is the Pishon; it winds through the entire land of Havilah, where there is gold. (The gold of that land is good; aromatic resin and onyx are also there.) The name of the second river is the Gihon; it winds through the entire land of Cush. The name of the third river is the Tigris; it runs along the east side of Ashur. And the fourth river is the Euphrates.
The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. And the Lord God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die.”
The Redemption of Man – Paradise Restored
Genesis tells us that Adam and Eve ate of the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, which was supposed to make them die. They didn’t die immediately, but they did die of old age, like all mortals. It seems that mortality was the consequence of eating the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. Mortality was the consequence of the wrong free will choice. What if they hadn’t eaten the forbidden fruit and simply obeyed the rules God imposed in Eden? Would they have been given the gift of immortality as a reward? Would they have continued to live and not die? It seems that, given free choice (free will), mankind made the wrong choice.
We can dismiss the Genesis account as myth, and many do. At the outset it seems unfair on the rest of mankind. But it does explain everyday experience. It explains how man’s free will (choice) can be destructive, or constructive. It explains the chosen paths of Hitler and Wilberforce for example; one man destroyed humanity whilst the other helped humanity. In a fallen world who can deny that man can do either?
The Genesis account also gives hope for mortal man. The Bible says the whole of creation, including mankind, will return to a state of paradise in the future. The Apostle John wrote in the book of Revelation that Eden will be restored and populated by all who believe in Jesus.
Revelation 22:1-5
Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. No longer will there be any curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve him. They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light. And they will reign for ever and ever.
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The Gentile nations will honour Israel
The millennial age is one of firm government from Christ, but also one of universal peace. Corrupt world governments will have been crushed and Christ’s Kingdom will embrace the whole earth (Dan 2.35). The Gentile nations at last acknowledge Jerusalem (Zion) as “the Holy City” (Isa 52.1):
“The Gentiles will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn … the sons of foreigners will rebuild your walls, and their kings will serve you … the sons of your oppressors will come bowing before you; all who despise you will bow down at your feet and will call you the City of the Lord, Zion of the Holy One of Israel” (Isa 60.3,10,14)
Millennial Jerusalem will also be called “the LORD is there” (Ezek 48.35) and nations will go up from year to year to worship the LORD (Zech 14.16). In fact, they will especially honor the Jew:
“In those days ten men from every language of the nations shall grasp the sleeve of a Jewish man, saying, ‘Let us go with you, for we have heard that God is with you'” (Zech 8.23)
Future Geological Changes around Jerusalem
The Mount of Olives will split into two
When Christ returns the geology of the area will be totally changed and the Mount of Olives just east of Jerusalem splits into two (enlarge image). It splits east-west with half the mountain moving north and half moving south, generating “a very large valley … reaching to Azal” (Zech 14.4,5). Azal may be several km south of the present-day Mount of Olives, link. It is well known that there is a geological fault line running east-west through the Mount of Olives and just south of Jerusalem, link. Could it be that present-day Jerusalem is moved north to sit high above this valley? Ezekiel 40.2 and Zech 14.10 suggest that the millennial Jerusalem is elevated above a plain.
Ezekiel 45 and 48 provide amazing detail of a (probably new) temple – the LORDS’s sanctuary – located just north of the city area (see map). Note that healing waters flow east from the temple down into the valley to enter the northern end of the Dead sea, resulting in the restoration of fishing (Ezek 47.1-10).
When is “the end of the World”?
Jesus talked about world events at the “end of the age” in Mat 24.3. Here ‘age’ is translated from the Greek ‘aión’, meaning ‘an age’ or ‘a cycle of time’ (not ‘world’ as sometimes translated). So here Jesus was referring to a time dispensation rather than to the literal end of the world. Study of prophecy strongly implies that the ‘end of the age’ and ‘the end of the world’ are separated by 1,000 years.
It appears that we currently nearing the end of approximately 6,000 years of human government and the start of 1,000 years of peace on the earth – the Millennial Age when Christ rules the earth (Zech 14.9). After this comes the literal ‘end of the world’ – the physical destruction of the present earth through intense heat (2 Pet 3.7,10). It is interesting that NASA scientists predict that, eventually, the sun will expand to become a red giant and burn up the solar system, including earth, link.
Despite the intervention of the God of Israel to protect her, two end-time wars against Israel must surely take their toll? And (perhaps between these wars) Israel also goes through a time of distress or ‘tribulation’ referred to in Dan 12.1 and Mat 24.15-25. This is the severe persecution of Israel under the final world government and world ruler, link – the time of ‘Jacob’s trouble’ (Jer 30.7). But throughout Israel’s history, despite 3,000 years of persecution, God always leaves a remnant of Israel as His witness. So during the last days a remnant is preserved, albeit through a time of refining and affliction:
“See, I have refined you … I have tested you in the furnace of affliction” (Isa 48.10) “I will not destroy you completely. But I will chasten you justly and will by no means leave you unpunished” (Jer 30.11)
So how many survive these onslaughts on Israel?
“One third shall be left … I will bring the one-third through the fire … (and) they will call upon My name … (and) I will say, ‘This is My people'” (Zech 13.8,9)
So it is this one-third remnant of Israel that survives these times and comes through, refined as silver and tested as gold, to be God’s worthy servant in the millennial reign of Christ, link.
Why Boycott Israel?
Boycotts are social protests with the aim of changing Israeli government policy through economic damage. For instance, the global BDS campaign (Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions) aims to create economic and political pressure on Israel concerning (so-called) land occupation and Palestinian rights. Divestment is where investors refrain from investing in Israeli companies or in companies that trade with Israel, and consumers boycott Israeli products, especially products from Israeli settlements in so-called “Occupied Palestinian Territory”. But International law firmly states that Israel is not in ‘occupation’, link.
Are boycotts effective anyway? Maybe not. Israel is still prospering, with the highest average living standards in the Middle East, the highest density of high-tech start-up companies in the world (high-tech exports c$19bn a year) and a lower Government debt to GDP than the USA or the UK.
So is there a deeper reason for the boycotts? Probably. It is claimed that the BDS campaign has a much wider objective; namely, the elimination of the Jewish State and should be stopped, link. But those who boycott Israel should heed the biblical warning:
“I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse” (Gen 12.3)
Israel’s Blessing
Before Moses died he blessed the tribes of Israel and some of these blessings involved blessing of the sea and the land. Joseph was to be blessed with ‘precious things from the deep (Heb ‘tehom’: sea, abyss) lying beneath’ (Deut 33.13), Asher was to ‘dip his foot in oil’ (Deut 34.24) and Zebulun and Issachar were to find ‘treasures hidden in the sand’ (Deut 33.19).
Israel may be seeing these blessings today (enlarge map). In 2014, Israel’s proved reserves of natural gas were 10.1 trillion cubic feet (Tcf), and it is estimated that Israel may discover up to 200 Tcf. Also, Israel has one of the world’s largest deposits of shale oil, with a potential of some 250 billion barrels in the Shfela basin. Recent drilling has found thick oil strata in the Southern Golan Heights north-east of the Sea of Galilee. The Dead Sea contains some 45,000 million tons of salts rich in minerals which are exploited by Israel’s mining sector. And the Negev desert has an almost unlimited underground supply of brackish water, which is being exploited for agricultural irrigation. More …
Image: Known oil and gas fields in the Levant Basin. Oil and gas fields in grey. [US Energy Information Administration, Wikimedia Commons]
Israel’s current borders are hotly contested as governments insist on ignoring the true legal position. Israel’s eastern border is of particular concern since it involves the West Bank. Thankfully, according to Bible prophecy, such disputes will be short-lived as this age rapidly comes to a close. In the succeeding Millennial Age on earth, Israel’s borders will be firmly established by the God of Israel. In fact, these future borders are almost identical to the borders of ancient Israel given to Moses in Num 34.1-12 as he was about to divide up Canaan for the twelve tribes (enlarge map). Ancient Israel’s eastern border ‘went down along the Jordan, ending at the Salt Sea’ (Num 34.12).
Israel’s future borders are clearly defined in Ezek 47.13-20, and again the eastern boundary runs along the Jordan (v18). The borders also include Gaza, significant parts of present-day Syria and probably all of Lebanon. Are the politicians listening?
The Land of Israel is Promised to God’s People
The 1922 League of Nations sub-division. Image: Eli E. Hertz
Some 80% of today’s Jews in Israel follow the Jewish scriptures in the Torah (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy) in some way, ranging from fundamentalism to loose Jewish practice. In Genesis they read God’s promise to Jacob, grandson of Abraham:
“The land which I gave to Abraham and Isaac I will give to you, and I will give the land to your descendants after you” (Gen 35.12)
Note that God’s unconditional land covenant with Abraham passed to Isaac (and then to Jacob) rather than to Ishmael and the Arab nations (Gen 17.19). This is the fundamental reason why religious Jews claim that the Land of Canaan (modern Israel) is their land, covenanted to them by God.
Israel’s Divine Protection
It is quite remarkable how Israel has survived attacks from overwhelming invading armies. Certainly, the evidence to date is that each time Arab nations attack Israel, they are defeated and their end-state seems worse than their first. By the end of the 1949 War of Independence the fledgling Israeli forces had defeated five invading Arab armies. In 1967 the armies of Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon (and later Iraq) attacked Israel, but were defeated in just six days despite the huge Arab superiority in armour, aircraft and troops. In October 1973 Egypt and Syria launched a surprise attack on Israel (the Yom Kippur War) but were eventually defeated. As to the future, at the end of the age all nations will gather against Israel in an attempt to destroy her – but again God intervenes. Israel’s enemies should take note of God’s promises to Israel:
“Whoever assails you will fall because of you … no weapon that is formed against you will prosper” (Isa 54.15,17)
“I will be a wall of fire around her … he who touches you, touches the apple of (the Lord’s) eye” (Zech 2.5,8).
The Hebrew term ‘Aliyah’ describes the relatively recent massive influx of Jews to their ancestral land, Israel. They are coming from all over the world, from wherever they have been scattered amongst the nations. In 1915 there were just 83,000 Jews in Palestine (modern Israel) but this increased to over 6 million Jews by 2015, corresponding to an amazing 7400% increase! The picture shows the arrival of Jewish immigrants to Israel in 2007.
This mass migration is a fulfillment of Bible prophecy – that towards the end of this age and just before Christ returns, God will call the children of Israel out of the nations and once more put them in their own land:
Behold, I will take the sons of Israel from among the nations where they have gone … and bring them into their own land (Ezek 37.21)
Life in the Millennial Age
Prophecy paints a picture of a world at peace (no war) with Jerusalem (Zion) as the focal point since Christ dwells there. Of His sanctuary near Jerusalem the LORD says:
“This is the place of My feet, where I shall dwell in the midst of the children of Israel” (Ezek 43.7)
Millennial life around Jerusalem is described in some detail. Nations will willingly go up to Jerusalem to worship the LORD and listen to His teaching (Mic 4.2 Isa 66.23). It also appears that some of the Hebrew festivals are reinstated, as in the Feast of Tabernacles (Zech 14.16). Man will still have his daily work but there is some indication that the bias of work will be towards husbandry (farming) and hunting (fishing) rather than industrial manufacturing (Ezek 47.10 Isa 60.5, 65.21 Amos 9.13,14). People will be born and will die in the Millennial earth, just as in the present age. Man’s life span may well extend to at least 100 years (Isa 65.20,22) but physical death inevitably follows. Death is the last enemy and is not destroyed until the close of the Millennium. More …
Israel in the Millennial Age
The Millennial Age on earth provides a forum for the completion of God’s unconditional covenants with Israel – the Abrahamic, Davidic, Palestinian and New Covenants. Specifically, during the millennium, Israel will come a great nation, Christ will establish His kingdom and sit on David’s throne, the tribes of Israel will have been fully restored to the land promised to Abraham, and God will write His Law on the hearts of both Jew and Gentile. After some 2,500 years of dispersion amongst the nations, Israel will again take on her intended role in the world:
“You are My witnesses” says the Lord, “And My servant whom I have chosen” (Isa 43.10)
So the restoration of Israel will be a sign or witness to the nations that the God of Israel, the God of the Bible, the only true God, loves mankind. In fact, during the Millennial Age God actually comes to dwell with Israel and the nations through Jesus the Messiah at Jerusalem:
“Sing and rejoice, O daughter of Zion! For behold, I am coming and I will dwell in your midst … Many nations shall be joined to the Lord in that day, and they shall become My people” (Zech 2.10-11)
The seven-branched lampstand (Israel’s Menorah) well-summarizes the purpose of Israel both now and in the Millennium. The center branch represents Divine light (understanding) from God and the six branches represent human efforts to spread this light to the Gentiles (Isa 42.6).
God Intervenes in World Affairs
Future wars against Israel will be different from previous wars. Whilst some claim that the 6-Day war in June 1967 was miraculous in that Israel overcame huge superiority in armour, aircraft and troops, future wars will certainly be unique. These wars will directly glorify the God of Israel as He openly defeats the attacking forces. After the (largely Islamic) Gog-Magog war we read:
“I will set My glory among the nations; all the nations shall see My judgement which I have executed” (Ezek 39.21)
And during the final war against Israel prophecy says that God will again clearly intervene to protect His people:
“Then the Lord will go out and fight against those nations, as he fights on a day of battle” (Zech 14.3)
This battle concludes with the Second Coming of Christ to reign as King over all the earth (Zech 14.9), the last form of human government (probably centered on the EU) having been taken away like ‘chaff in the wind’ (Dan 2.34,35). God indeed intervenes in world affairs!
Israel – God’s Witness in this Age and in the Next
A primary reason for the existence of Israel is that she is God’s “witness and servant” in the world (Isa 43.10). This has been true in history and is true for the future. At the very end of this age 144,000 are drawn from twelve tribes of Israel and sealed for their protection (Rev 7.3,4). As God’s witnesses and servants they are to ‘turn many to righteousness’ (Dan 12.3) in very troubled times as nations crumble (Lk 21.25, Dan 2.34,35) and God’s judgments on the earth begin. The result of their witness is a great turning to God from all the nations (Rev 7.9,10)
The remnant of Israel who enter the millennial age with Christ continue this witness and servant hood, and some are sent to the nations to declare God’s glory (Isa 66.19). At last, the Gentile nations acknowledge and value the unique role of the Jew:
“In those days ten men from every language of the nations shall grasp the sleeve of a Jewish man, saying, ‘Let us go with you, for we have heard that God is with you'” (Zech 8.23)
Still others become priests and keep charge of the (new) Jewish temple in Jerusalem (Isa 66.21, Exod 44.15).
The Fate of the Attacking Nations
Prophecy indicates that there will be several major wars against Israel in the near future, just before Christ returns to rule the earth as King (Zech 14.9). The so-called Gog-Magog war in Ezek 38-39 results in the attackers being defeated by the intervention of the God of Israel, rather than by the armies of Israel (Ezek 39.3). This is in the form of extreme weather – extreme rain, hail and snow – and also by fire and brimstone similar to that which destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah (Ezek 38.22)(Job 38.22,23). They fall on the open fields and mountains (Heb ‘har’ – hill country) of Israel and fail to reach Jerusalem (Ezek 38.19). The Golan Heights must be involved.
There will be an ‘all-nation’ invasion of Israel at the very end of the age, with Jerusalem the objective (Zech 14.2). This man-God war could involve neutron bombs since these vaporize flesh at close range. Such a fate of the invaders is suggested in Zech 14.12. The attackers may also be destroyed by nuclear devices since Malachi 4 refers to a time of fierce heat when invaders are burnt to ashes.
Major war against Israel is Imminent
Bible prophecy describes how the increasing political bias of western nations, and the increasing aggression of Arab-Muslim nations finally leads to another major war against Israel. In fact, since prophecy is not precise, some see several major Middle East wars just before the close of this age and the Second Coming of Christ.
A future invasion of northern Israel is strongly indicated in Ezek 38 and Ezek 39. The countries involved appear to be mainly the Islamic nations surrounding Israel, possibly led by Iran and Russia. The invasion could be imminent given the present Russian-Iranian alliance and Iran’s declared hatred of Israel. At the very end of this age prophecy indicates that all nations (Gentile and Islamic) will attempt a final invasion of Israel:
“I will gather all the nations against Jerusalem to battle” (Zech 14.2)
“I will make Jerusalem a very heavy stone … though all nations of the earth are gathered against it” (Zech 12.3)
This latter war appears to be unique in that it is not primarily man against man, but man against God; it is commonly known as Armageddon (Rev 16.16, 19.19). Both invasions are defeated by the God of Israel. More …
The real reason for the aggression against Israel
The real reason for the aggression is spiritual, not political or even humanitarian. You may reject the concept of a spiritual world co-existing with the physical world, but it is a fact; Jesus Christ proved beyond doubt that the spiritual world exists. Israel is the central player in that spiritual world. She is God’s chosen witness in the world and it is through Israel that Christ came (He was of the tribe of Judah) to provide redemption for the world. He proved that too, by His resurrection from the dead. But the truth about this powerful spiritual world is blurred, corrupted and buried by spiritual forces of darkness:
“For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms” (Eph 6.12)
These forces blind the nations – the politicians, the media, the institutionalized church, the man in the street and the adherents of political Islam such that they “believe a lie” (2 Thes 2.10,11). In fact, the spiritual aggression shown to Israel (and to the true followers of Christ) will intensify towards the end of this age (Rev 12.13-17).
Israel’s Islamic Enemies
The problem is that Israel is now occupying land previously conquered by Islam. Muslims conquered The Levant (which embraces all of Israel and much more, link) in the 7th century and the land of Israel remained in Muslim hands (apart from the brief Crusader period) until liberated from the Muslim Turks by the British in 1917. According to Islamic ideology, once Islam conquers a territory it is to remain under Islamic dominion forever, and Islam is humiliated when such territories are lost to ‘infidels’, link. So Islam wants the Levant back!
As the 1988 Hamas Charter states, “Israel will exist and will continue to exist until Islam will obliterate it”. Today this extreme ideology is underscored by ISIL. The term means ‘Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant’, so the destruction of Israel and the re-establishment of an Islamic caliphate in the land of Israel is the declared objective of militant Islam, link. The Levant objective falls under the general Islamic ideology of a world-wide caliphate, link.
Map copyright: By No machine-readable author provided. MapMaster assumed (based on copyright claims). [GFDL or CC-BY-SA-3.0], Wikimedia Commons
Israel and the Church
Fundamentalist Christians believe that modern Israel, and not the church, will be central in world affairs at the close of this age. They believe that prophecy shows that Israel will become (if not already) God’s main witness in the world. Sadly this is not generally true of the western institutionalized church, which usually holds to ‘replacement theology’ i.e. the church and not Israel is God’s main witness today, link. They believe that since God rejected Israel then the Christian church is now God’s chosen people, not the Jewish people. Put simply, today’s church is often blind to her Jewish roots. This view is of course incompatible with Christ’s teaching, namely, that the gospel (as spread by the church) should be first conveyed to God’s people, the house of Israel (Mat 10.6). God wants the church to call His people, wherever they are, back to Himself.
The result of such unbiblical teaching is that the institutionalized church takes the world’s view and essentially rejects modern-day Israel, and so pays little attention to end-time prophecy about Israel. This is spearheaded by the World Council of Churches (WCC) which has called on member churches (Anglican, Methodist …) to support an international boycott of Israeli settlement produce and services, link.
Israel and the UN
Without doubt there is an overall bias in the UN against Israel. Between 1955 and 2013 there were 77 UN resolutions against Israel, and just one against the Palestinians, link. In 2015 the UN General Assembly adopted 20 resolutions against Israel, but only 3 against the rest of the world [UN Watch]. How can Israel be so wrong?
Israel is often accused of being the aggressor in conflicts, whereas Israel claims she wages defensive war after provocation, link. Resolutions accuse Israel of settling in “Occupied Palestinian Territory”, and ignore Article 80 of the UN Charter which upholds the right of Jews to settle anywhere west of the Jordan! Other resolutions refer to the on-going Palestinian refugee problem, but many see this now as a political tool by Arab nations, link, link. But the UN is not all bad: in 2015 the UN began to address issues of concern to the Jewish community, particularly anti-Semitism.
Bias Against Israel
From the rise of Zionism to the present day, Israel has not been welcomed on the world scene. There is a majority bias against Israel from the UN, the media, NGOs, and the man in the street. Why? After all, Israel is just some 8 million people living on land the size of Wales! Here’s the real reason (although you probably won’t agree):
Politicians, the media, and many NGO’s are really just pawns in a spiritual battle between truth and error, between light and darkness, between Christ and His adversary Satan. Israel is a special nation chosen by God to be His witness in the world and to bring redemption to the world through Christ, link. Israel is ‘a light to the nations’ (Isa 49.6). Satan knows all this and end-time prophecy underscores the attempts by Satan to eliminate Israel:
“the dragon (Satan) … persecuted the woman (Israel) who gave birth to the male child (Christ)” (Rev 12.13)
This hatred was evident in the holocaust and subsequent wars against Israel, and culminates in all nations turning against Israel at Armageddon (Zech 14.2, Rev 16.16). But there is hope. More …
King David conquered Jerusalem in 1052 BC and today, in the Old City of Jerusalem (enlarge image), lies the rock (Mount Moriah) where Abraham offered up Isaac for sacrifice to God around 1800 BC (Gen 22.2). The deep significance of this to Jewish, Christian and Muslim beliefs makes Jerusalem one of the most contested pieces of real estate in the world. This is particularly true for orthodox Jews who believe that Jerusalem is center-stage of the land of Canaan promised to Abraham’s descendants, and for Christians who believe that Jesus was crucified and resurrected in the city, and will soon return to the Mount of Olives just east of the Old City.
Given these historic and certain future events, we can see that the various claims on Jerusalem are actually the outworking of a spiritual battle over Jerusalem, a battle between truth and error, between the God of Israel and spiritual forces of darkness. So, on the one hand we see the Vatican demanding control over Jerusalem’s religious sites, link, the UN stating that Jerusalem should be the capital of both Israel and Palestine, and Palestinians claiming Jerusalem as their capital. On the other hand, orthodox Jews claim their historic and covenant right to the city. No wonder Jerusalem will be the location of the most epic battle of history! More …
Israel’s Leaders Speak Truth to the World
“Peace will come when the Arabs will love their children more than they hate us” [Golda Meir, 1957]
“From my childhood, I have believed Jews and Arabs can live together, and I believe now they should live together. All the rights to this country, to the land of Israel – especially Judea and Samaria – are Jewish … but everyone who lives in the country should have all the rights of the country” [Ariel Sharon, April 1989]
“The truth is that if Israel were to put down its arms there would be no more Israel. If the Arabs were to put down their arms there would be no more war” [Benjamin Netanyahu, 2006]
“We must constantly repeat that the root of the conflict is the very existence of the State of Israel” [Benjamin Netanyahu, 2012]
“The nuclear deal with Iran does not block Iran’s path to the bomb, it paves Iran’s path to the bomb” [Benjamin Netanyahu, August 2015]
The Solution to the Israeli-Palestinian Problem
The is a solution, but prophecy indicates that it will not occur in this present age. The Bible instructs the people of Israel how they should treat foreigners (non-Jews). Old Testament Israel was commanded to love foreigners (Deut 10.19) and to let them live normal lives amongst them:
“When a stranger resides with you in your land, you shall do him no wrong … (he) … shall be to you as the native among you, and you shall love him as yourself” (Lev 19.33,34)
This instruction is timeless and applies to Palestinian Arabs today. Unfortunately, as long as Arab countries refuse to recognize Israel and continue to attack her, such cohabitation would seem to be impossible. But Israel will be at peace with her neighbours in the Millennium!
There’s no Two-state Solution
Most of the western world aims for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian problem. The UN has even resolved to raise the Palestinian flag at the UN headquarters after upgrading the Palestinians’ status to a “non-member observer State” – even though no such state exists! In reality there can be no lasting, workable two-state solution. Here’s why.
According to a recent Stanley Greenberg poll, only 34% of Palestinians accept two states for two peoples as the solution. Sixty-six percent said the Palestinians’ real goal should be to start with a two-state solution but then move to it all being one Palestinian state, link. This reflects the PA leadership position:
“We will never accept a Palestinian state without Jerusalem as its capital” [Mahmoud Abbas, May, 2011]
The problem here is that Israel has already declared Jerusalem to be the capital of Israel, and this is compounded by the Palestinian leadership which does not even recognize the Jewish State:
“Palestine will not recognize Israel as Jewish state” [Abbas, 2014]
Add to this the Hamas objective of replacing the Jewish State with an Islamic caliphate, link, then the ‘two-state solution’ is clearly impossible!
The West Bank
The West Bank refers to an area bounded by the so-called ‘Green Line’ and the west bank of the River Jordan (SEE MAP). The Green line was an armistice line drawn up after the 1948-49 war under the auspices of the UN and it was intended to be temporary. So, through Arab aggression, Israel temporarily lost land mandated to her through the 1922 Mandate for Palestine, and this was only regained in the 1967 6-day war. The Green Line is not therefore Israel’s legal border, link, and all of western Palestine, from the Jordan to the Mediterranean remains legally open to Jewish settlement under the original 1922 Mandate. That includes the West Bank.
Under the 1995 Oslo Accords II, the West Bank was divided into three areas (A, B, and C) and within these areas the Palestinian and Israeli authorities have different levels of control. Area A is under full control of the Palestinian Authority, Area B is under Palestinian civil control and shared Palestinian and Israeli security control, and Area C (62% of the West Bank) is under full Israeli control. Some 350,000 Jewish settlers live in the relatively lightly populated Area C, link.
Who Backs Israel Today?
Israel’s strongest ally, the US, provides a diplomatic shield for her at the United Nations. This protects Israel’s desire to maintain the status quo and refrain from reaching an accommodation with the Palestinians. So the US can veto any UN resolution calling for the creation of a Palestinian state. Traditionally, the UK government has had good relations with Israel, including good intelligence cooperation, and has been viewed as one of the world’s friendliest countries to Israel, link. In recent years, India has expressed the desire to “deepen and develop” ties with Israel, and some see India as “Israel’s best friend in South Asia”. There is also muted and occasional support from the UN and the EU, but this is usually outweighed by condemnation in other areas.
Currently, Israel has strong support from some western NGO’s like Freedom House. There are 21 governmental and intergovernmental entities (including the EU) that financially support Israeli NGOs, link, although some of these are politically biased and represent the interests of foreign governments, link.
Israel: A Middle East Democracy
In contrast to other Middle Eastern countries, Israel has a western-style democracy. Whilst not perfect, this means that Israelis of all ethnic groups and religious beliefs, including Arab-Israelis, can actively participate in the election process, and all votes cast are equal in weight. Also, Israel is one of the few places in the Middle East where Arab women may vote. The principle of the generality of the elections ensures the active right of every Israeli citizen, who is at least 18 years old, to vote and the right of every Israeli citizen, who is at least 21 years old, to be elected. No voter ever votes for an actual person. Instead, every voter votes for a single party.
Israel is considered by third parties to be the only ‘free’ country in the region in that there is a climate of respect for civil liberties, freedom of expression, significant independent civic life, an independent media, and a military under civilian rule, link. More …
Israel’s Government
The Knesset, Jerusalem. Image: James Emery, Douglasville, USA [CC BY 2.0], Wikimedia
The Israeli government resides in Jerusalem. This is where Israel’s Parliament (the Knesset) stands and legislates and where the Prime Minister, the President and the Cabinet have their offices (enlarge image). The location is politically sensitive in that the international community regard Jerusalem as part of both Israel and Palestine, and even that Jerusalem is ‘not part of Israel’ [US Supreme Court, 2015].
Israel is governed by a western-style multiparty parliamentary system. The government is headed by the Prime Minister, who is elected in nationwide elections for a period of four years, and an elected President who has a largely apolitical ceremonial role.
The Knesset has legislative power and comprises 120 members who are also elected for a term of four years in nationwide elections. The electoral (voting) system is based on nation-wide proportional representation. This differs from the ‘first past the post’ system in the US and UK, and permits small parties to be elected.
Israel’s Climate Change
Rain in the Judean desert. Photo: Dror Feitelson Pikiwiki Israel [CC BY 2.5], Wikimedia.
Bible prophecy over end-time Israel speaks of great blessings on the land. This will be in terms of abundant agricultural produce – grains, fruit and wine (Ezek 36.29,30) and nations will remark that desolate land has become “like the garden of Eden” (Ezek 36.35). All this of course requires water. Over the past 100 years Israel has engineered a national water carrier system and desalination plants, and she drains water from large aquifers under the desert. But what of the climate? Has there been a change in rainfall?
The Jewish National Fund has planted over 250 million trees, which are known to be beneficial to the climate. But to date rainfall statistics show no long-term rainfall improvement since the 1970’s, link. For this reason, in 2014 the Chief Rabbinate of Israel urged the public to begin saying a special prayer daily to ask God to bless Israel with abundant rain (enlarge image). All over Israel, people now recite this prayer. Israel’s climate change is certain since her God is faithful to His promises. In the last days God promises Israel:
“I will cause showers to come down in their season; there shall be showers of blessing” (Ezek 34.26)
“He will cause the rain to come down for you … the former and the latter rain” (Joel 2.23)
Some 80% of Israel’s natural water is in the north and the National Water Carrier (NWC) system conveys water from Lake Galilee southwards. The NWC was started in 1959 and now comprises a system of giant pipes, open canals, tunnels, reservoirs and large scale pumping stations (enlarge image).
But with a rapidly growing population, Israel’s total annual renewable natural sources of fresh water are well below the UN definition of water poverty. So today Israel is meeting much of its water needs by purifying seawater from the Mediterranean and some 80% of domestic water in Israeli cities comes from desalinated water (the desalination facilities are connected to the NWC). Israel also reuses treated sewage, and computerized drip irrigation and micro-sprinklers for agriculture. Under the 1995 Oslo II Accord, Israel continues to supply agreed water amounts to Palestinian areas. In 2012, per capita water use was 150 MCM (million cubic meters) for Israelis and 140 MCM for Palestinians.
Israel’s Land Improvements
Arava agriculture. Image: Central and Northern Arava R&D
As Jews started returning to their homeland around the start of the 20th century, the need to combat desertification became one of national importance. New immigrants embarked upon an extensive program of afforestation, and since 1900 almost 250 million sub-tropical trees have been planted in all regions of Israel. Over half of Israel’s saline soil is arid or semi-arid and only 20% is arable. Even so, Israeli farmers have come a long way since the Zionist pioneers began clearing rock-strewn fields and draining the swampland. Since Israel’s establishment in 1948, the country has almost tripled the territory used for farming and production has multiplied 16 times.
Israel is officially in ‘water poverty’, and so agriculture makes extensive use of treated sewage, computerized early-warning systems for leaks, and computerized drip irrigation and micro-sprinklers. The Negev desert has large underground supplies of brackish water, which can be exploited using these advanced technologies, and it now produces more than 40% of the country’s vegetables and field crops. More …
Israel’s Legal Borders
According to the 1922 League of Nations Mandate for Palestine, the Jews could settle anywhere between the Jordan and the Mediterranean Sea, see map. The Mandate did not grant any national political rights to Arabs, but Article 2 did safeguard the civil and religious rights of all inhabitants of Palestine, irrespective of race or religion. In 1946 the Mandate was transferred over to the UN, and Article 80 of the UN Charter implicitly recognizes the ‘Mandate for Palestine’ of the League of Nations. Moreover, as a direct result of Article 80, the UN cannot transfer these rights over any part of Palestine (vested as they are in the Jewish People) to any non-Jewish entity, such as the Palestinian Authority.
The Mandate is therefore the last legally binding document regarding the West Bank and Gaza, and so Jewish settlements in these areas are fully protected by Article 80. Sadly, this legal fact is often ignored by the UN. More …
Land Boundaries of Ancient Israel
The descendants of Jacob (Israel) were the twelve tribes of Israel and they settled in the Promised Land of Canaan (enlarge map). In today’s terms, they settled mainly in the area currently claimed by Israel, including the West Bank, Gaza and the Golan Heights, although the tribes of Benjamin, Gad, Reuben and part of Manasseh settled east of the Jordan. This settlement aligned with the boundaries God gave Israel at the time:
“I will fix your boundary from the Red Sea to the sea of the Philistines, and from the wilderness to the River Euphrates (Exod 23.31)
Few would doubt that Jews have for centuries been substantially over-represented in many fields of learning and accomplishment, notably of course is Albert Einstein. The proportion of Jews with IQ’s of 140 or more is estimated to be about six times the proportion of any other ethnic group. Israel has the highest ratio of university degrees to the population in the world, and she has the highest density of start-up companies in the world. Nobel Prizes have been awarded to over 850 individuals worldwide, of whom some 23% were Jews or people of strong Jewish ancestry. This is an amazing achievement bearing in mind that Jews comprise less than 0.2% of the world’s population! Jews have won a total of 41% of all the Nobel Prizes in economics, 28% of medicine, 26% of physics and 19% of chemistry.
Why such Jewish genius? It is probably a blessing from God since they are His chosen people. Recall that when Israel obeys her God then she is specially blessed:
“Blessed shall you be in the city, and blessed shall you be in the country” (Deut 28.3)
Future of the Israeli People
This is both dramatic and traumatic, but ends in glory and victory. Prophecy states that regathered Israel will go through a time of ‘great tribulation’ and distress as the world system persecutes Israel. Jesus said that ‘unless those days are shortened, no flesh would be saved’ (Mat 24.22). Whilst involving the whole world, it is essentially a time of suffering for those Jews who have returned to the Promised Land. The OT refers to this time as ‘Jacob’s distress’:
“Alas, for that day is great, there is none like it; and it is the time of Jacob’s distress, but he will be saved from it” (Jer 30.7)
Many Israeli’s suffer, but a remnant (one-third) survives (Zech 13.9). These are the one’s who are refined through suffering and go on into the Millennial world with Christ at His Second Coming. These are the Jews who are at last honoured by the nations and who glorify God and serve Him on the Millennial earth. More …
Demographics of Israel
In the early 20th century the land of Israel was a mix of many peoples representing some 50 languages and there was no common Arab identity. In 1915 there were just 83,000 Jews but this increased to over 6.2 million Jews in 2015. Today, out of thew 8.3 million people in Israel (2015) the demographic mix is: Jewish (75%), Arab (21%), Others, including Christian (4%). Out of the 6.2 million Jews in Israel (2015), the demographic is: Orthodox (20%), traditional (38%), secular (42%).
The Tribes of Israel
God made this unconditional promise to Abram (Abraham):
“I will establish My covenant between Me and you and your descendants after you … I will give to you and your descendants … all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God” (Gen 17.7,8)
So who are the descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob? They are of course the twelve tribes descended from Jacob (whose name was changed by God to Israel). These tribes (enlarge image) are listed in Gen 49. They were Hebrew Israelites. Since these tribes will once more take up their role as a witness to the nations during the Millennium (Ezek 37, Ezek 40-48), it follows that they must be amongst those who are returning to the State of Israel today. Note that, whilst it is common to refer to Abraham’s descendants as ‘Jews’, this is not strictly accurate. Strictly speaking, today’s Jews (Hebrew, ‘Yehudim’) are those who follow Judaism and who are descendants from the kingdom of Judah.
When Jesus spoke of the appearance of new shoots on the fig tree signalling that summer is near, He was really saying that His return and the coming of the fullness of the Kingdom of God is near – even ‘at the doors’. In Luke 21 He said ‘look at the fig tree (Israel) and ‘all the trees’ (the Gentile nations) and so observe the signs of the times. He implied that Israel will be the vortex of the nations at the end of this age and the sign of His soon return.
Over the past 100 years the nation and people of Israel have come to prominence on the world scene. This simple fact points to the imminent return of Christ.
The Re-emergence of Israel
Around 922 BC the twelve tribes of Israel split into a southern kingdom (called ‘The House of Judah’, embracing Judea and Jerusalem) and a northern kingdom comprising ten tribes and called ‘The House of Israel’, or simply ‘Israel’. History shows that both houses rebelled against God, and despite warnings from the prophets, both houses were eventually removed from their Promised Land. The house of Israel and the house of Judah had broken God’s covenant (Jer 11.10), and by the first century all twelve tribes were scattered amongst the nations (Ja 1.1).
But God has compassion on His people (Deut 30.3-5) and promised that He would bring them back from the nations and place them back in their own land:
And (the Lord) will lift up a standard for the nations, and assemble the banished ones of Israel, and will gather the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth (Isa 11.12)
I will take the children of Israel from among the nations … and bring them into their own land (Ezek 37.21)
Importantly, it is this return of God’s people that will eventually bring the nations to know God (Ezek 36.23). When was this to happen? Israel was to return and seek God after the gospel had been spread to the Gentile nations (Rom 11.25). The twentieth century saw both the evangelization of the nations and God’s chosen people returning to Israel.
The Purpose of Israel
This question is only meaningful in a spiritual (rather than secular) context. According to the Bible, Israel is indeed a special nation, chosen by God to bless mankind and to make a name for Himself. To Abram (Abraham) God promised:
“I will make you a great nation … and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed” (Gen 12.2,3)
And King David exclaimed:
“And what one nation on the earth is like Your people Israel, whom God went … to make a name for Himself” (2 Sam 7.23)
History confirms the reality of such statements. Israel led to the Messiah, Jesus, and prophecy indicates that the land and people of Israel will be used to glorify God in the sight of the nations at the end of the age and in the age to come.
The Origin of Israel
Under God’s call, Abram (later called Abraham) migrated from the city of Ur sometime between 1900 and 1750 BC to God’s appointed land, Canaan (today’s Israel). Abraham’s wife Sarah bore him a son, Isaac, and Isaac’s wife Rebecca bore Jacob. History shows that God had a special task for Jacob and his descendants and He later changed Jacob’s name to ‘Israel’ (Gen 32.28). The etymology of the name Israel is not clear, although Gen 32.28 implies that Jacob and his descendants would struggle but prevail. The history of Israel confirms this thought; Jacob’s descendants, the twelve tribes of Israel (the Hebrew Israelites) have suffered but prevailed for 3,000 years.
The descendants of Abraham formed a nation (Israel) around 1300 BC after their Exodus from Egypt to Canaan under the leadership of Moses, and in 1004 BC King David established Jerusalem as the capital of the Kingdom of Israel.
NO! In the light of Israeli anti-discrimination law and Israel’s right to self-determination as a Jewish State, the accusation of ‘racist’ against Israel is unjustified. All Israeli citizens are granted full civil and voting rights. And just as a Palestinian state would maintain a demographic balance in favour of Palestinians, so the Jewish state of Israel maintains a demographic balance in favour of Jews by controlling immigration.
There is a legal distinction between defensive wars and wars of aggression. The facts show that Israel’s role in Arab-Israeli conflicts has always been defensive in response to Arab aggression. In response to major Arab attacks (1948-49, 1967, 1973), or incessant rocket attacks from Gaza, Israel has exercised her right of self-defense under UN Charter Article 51.
NO! Whilst western nations led by the US and the UN favour the two-state approach, it is NOT the solution favored by the Palestinian Authority, Hamas or the Palestinian people! They aim for a single state – a Palestinian state.
NO: The terms ‘Jerusalem’ and ‘Zion’ do not even appear in the Qur’an, and Mohammad never visited Jerusalem in person. Muslims see Mecca as the holiest place in the Islamic world, and so turn their back on the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem when praying
NO! All of Jerusalem was mandated to be part of the Jewish homeland under the 1922 League of Nations ‘Mandate for Palestine’ and so Israel’s sovereignty over all of Jerusalem is well-founded. Jerusalem was first divided through the 1948-49 Arab invasion of Israel, but at no time was East Jerusalem under legal ownership by an Arab entity. In any event, the division (the ‘green line’) was intended to be temporary.
Evidence from the Tanach (the Hebrew Bible), the New Testament, historians like Josephus, and archaeology all testify to the existence of a huge, impressive Temple in Jerusalem
YES: THE CLAIM IS LEGAL ON TWO ACCOUNTS
According to international law, Israel has a well-founded claim to sovereignty over Jerusalem, including its Old City. Also in international law, it is a sovereign state’s right to determine its own capital, and Israel proclaimed Jerusalem to be her capital shortly after the declaration of the State of Israel in 1948.
NO: The Palestinian refugee problem was created by a sudden invasion of five Arab armies in response to the declaration of the State of Israel in May 1948. Arab governments rejected Israel’s offer to repatriate 100,000 Arab refugees, and the offer of UN money for the refugees.
Israel is abiding by the 1995 Oslo II Accord and supplying agreed water quantities. It is up to the Palestinians to maintain water networks, utilize wastewater, improve existing supplies and drill new wells. Instead, water is often used as a political weapon, and so authorized wells are not dug and leaks are not repaired.
THEY ASSUME THERE IS A ‘PALESTINIAN LAND’
According to international law, Israel is NOT occupying Palestinian land since the West Bank and Gaza Strip were not under any sovereignty prior to the Six Day War. All of western Palestine, from the Jordan to the Mediterranean remains legally open to Jewish settlement under the 1922 British Mandate for Palestine and Article 80 of the UN Charter.
THE FALLACY
There never was “a Palestinian people” or “a Palestinian Arab nation”. League of Nations documents of the 1920’s refer to the local Arab population as ‘existing non-Jewish communities’. Palestinian nationalism only emerged in the mid-twentieth century, partly in response to the emergence of Zionism.
YES! Archaeology and historical documents show that Jews have lived in Israel for over 3000 years! For example, they verify God’s plan for the Jewish Temple, the existence of King David, and the existence of Jewish synagogues in the Holy Land up to the Muslim conquest in 638 AD.
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Despite “Brexit”, Britain and the world are in for dark times. According to the book of Daniel, the EU is predicted to rise as a superpower, composed of many nations represented by the feet of mixed iron and clay in the dream of the Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar. In the time of those “kings” represented by the ten toes of the feet in that dream, the God of Israel is said to come and establish a world-ruling government with Jerusalem as its headquarters. Fiction or future fact? The EU Israel connection is intriguing!
