Israel: The Bookends of Prophecy

Dr. Robert Jeffress, pastor of First Baptist Church of Dallas, Texas, was saying Bible prophecy starts with Israel and ends with Israel. Israel is at the heart of Bible prophecy.

My thoughts started churning as I heard his sermon broadcast early that recent morning. I’ve always maintained that God’s “chosen nation” is the one sure signal of where this generation stands on His prophetic timeline. Dr. Jeffress’ statement helped confirm in my thoughts that morning that indeed Israel is inseparable, start to finish, from God’s Holy Word. It’s like bookends framing Bible prophecy from beginning to end.

Israel’s conception–its true genesis—began with the Words of Jesus, who is the Word of God.

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not” (John 1:1-5).

Jesus, then, gave through Moses what would be the beginning of the nation Israel. He was speaking of His own conception—His Incarnation, coming to Earth from His triune position within the Godhead to provide redemption for fallen humankind.

Jesus said to Satan the following about His one day coming as the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world:

“And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel” (Genesis 3:15).

So, Bible prophecy began with the promise of the Redeemer, Jesus Christ, who would come into the world as a human being.

Again, Moses was given the Word about God’s people who would be chosen to give birth to this God-man.

“Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will shew thee: And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed” (Genesis 12:1-3).

We know Abraham and Sarah were then given the child of promise, Isaac. From Isaac came Jacob, who was renamed Israel.

Jesus, the Son of God, was born to Mary, Jacob’s progeny, through the immaculate conception, to become the Savior of humanity, which has been lost since the fall in Eden.

Israel’s history is that of suffering as victim of satanic hatred throughout the millennia. This is because Jesus redeems all who accept God’s grace gift of salvation through Christ’s death on the cross, burial, and Resurrection.

As told in Genesis 3:15, the serpent, Satan, who “bruised the heel” of Christ, would have his head crushed by the Savior, by His redemptive action on that cruel cross at Calvary and His subsequent resurrection to life.

Jesus has overcome sin and death to provide eternal life for every person–all born sinful creatures because of Adam’s sin in Eden.

Christ the Redeemer came into this doomed sphere through Israel. The ongoing war against that nation and the Jewish race continues to play out within Bible prophecy, which tells of a time that will see the world turn against Israel:

“Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of trembling unto all the people round about. And in that day will I make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all people: all that burden themselves with it shall be cut in pieces, though all the people of the earth be gathered together against it” (Zechariah 12:2-3).

So, Bible prophecy continues to be Israel-centered as we witness the prophet Zechariah’s words playing out even at this moment.

In the near term, it doesn’t get better, but worse…much worse!

Jesus prophesied the degree to which hatred for Israel would progress:

“For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.”

The prophet Jeremiah said about this time:

“Alas! for that day is great, so that none is like it: it is even the time of Jacob’s trouble; but he shall be saved out of it” (Jeremiah 30:7). 

The Lord, in His Matthew 24:21 description, skips the details of the time from which things become the worst ever right to the end, when the nation Israel will be saved out of the time of great Tribulation.

But Jesus Himself later describes in explicit detail, through twenty-one specific judgments, the time that leads up to Israel being saved out of the great Tribulation. Jesus gave the entire book of the Revelation through the Apostle John–the disciple the Bible said the Lord loved.

Paul prophesies the ultimate position of God’s chosen nation:

“For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in. And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob: For this is my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins” (Romans 11:25-27).

Israel will be saved out of this terrible time. Zechariah says:

“And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem. And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn.”  

So, Israel is at the center of Bible prophecy from Genesis to Revelation. And this is not to say there is a so-called dual covenant with God’s chosen people about salvation from sin. The Jewish people are saved from sin the same way all other people of all other races are saved: by belief in Jesus Christ alone.

The “saving” of Israel means a remnant of the Jewish people will comprise the nation of God’s covenant promises. That is, those who accept Jesus Christ as their Savior—Israel’s Messiah—inherit God’s promises for Israel. This remnant of Jewish believers will see Jesus returning from Heaven at the time of Armageddon and will realize He is their Messiah at that stunning moment. This will be the chosen nation and people God planned to establish from the time in Eden.

Israel is the indisputable signal of exactly where the world stands right now. The movement to fulfill all Bible prophecy is streaming more swiftly with each news cycle. All geopolitics are revolving around the nation that began in Genesis 3:15. The time of Jacob’s trouble quickly approaches.

You don’t want to be a part of people within the orbit of those who don’t know Jesus for salvation. Here again is how to go to Christ when He calls–an event that will take place at any twinkling-of-the-eye moment!

“That if you will confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, and will believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart man believes unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation” (Romans 10:9-10).

—Terry

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Israel: It’s of Utmost Importance

What we believe about Israel and its future is of utmost importance.

No church is neutral on the matter of Israel’s place in Bible prophecy. Many pastors say that such matters pertaining to the end times are of lesser significance than other more weighty matters of the faith. In my experience, however, they are the most aggressive in promoting the church as the new Israel and the least tolerant of those who disagree with them on this topic.

Even so, some might ask, “What’s the big deal?” It’s because the place a church assigns to the role of Israel in Bible prophecy is much more than just a matter of theology buried somewhere in a church’s doctrinal statement; it always impacts key areas of its ministry.

It Results in Elders Who Rule Rather than Shepherd the Flock

A few months ago, I posted an article on my blog, 5 Troubling Trends in Today’s Church, in which I detailed the abuses that flow from the kingdom mentality within churches who believe they represent the fulfillment of God’s promises to Israel.

At the top of my list was elders who rule rather than serve the members of the body of Christ. I have witnessed firsthand the harm this causes and have heard many stories from several others who have comparable stories.

The problem with this kingdom mentality is that it so often results in a far different pattern of leadership from what the Lord prescribed in Mark 10:42-45 and Peter later wrote about in 1 Peter 5:1-5:

“So I exhort the elders among you, as a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as a partaker in the glory that is going to be revealed: shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you; not for shameful gain, but eagerly; not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock. And when the chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory. Likewise, you who are younger, be subject to the elders. Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” (emphasis added)

Jesus’ pattern for church leadership is that of a servant, with those in charge acting as shepherds caring for the well-being of those in their charge. Sadly, the widespread problem of “domineering” elders is not exclusive to churches who regard themselves as the new Israel.

It Places Undue Emphasis on This Life

Another harmful result of denying Jesus’ millennial rule over a restored Israel is that it pushes the Lord’s return to a far distant end of the age event, which more often than not leads to an undue focus on this life. I have often heard this reflected in conversations with those who don’t regard the Lord’s return as an imminent event; they plan as if nothing can possibly interfere with their future aspirations.

This faulty emphasis on things pertaining to this life robs believers of the relief that comes from seeing the corruption and violence of our day as signs of Jesus’ imminent appearing rather than something they hope will somehow go away or get better. I can’t imagine reading the news of our day apart from the comfort I feel in knowing that at some point in the not-too-distant future, the Lord will dramatically intervene in human affairs after He takes me home to glory.

It Ignores the Future Tense of the Gospel

Pastors who regard the church as God’s promised kingdom very often ignore the future tense of the Gospel. I have heard many Gospel presentations that completely ignored the matter of eternal life.

There are varying degrees of how this impacts the Gospel. It’s popular among many in the no Rapture and no Millennium crowd to claim that the Lord’s promise of incorruptible and immortal bodies in 1 Corinthians 15:51-55 happens at the moment we believe. I’m always shocked when I encounter this false interpretation of the text.

I recently came across a far more dangerous perversion of the Gospel in a quote from a best-selling author and influential spokesman for the preterists (who believe Jesus returned to Earth in AD 70). He said that Jesus didn’t pay the debt for our sins on the cross but simply made our “salvation possible.”

There’s a subtle misunderstanding of the Gospel that flows from not understanding the role of God’s mercy and steadfast love in keeping His promises to Israel in spite of the nation’s waywardness throughout history. It flows from missing the connection between Paul’s amazing affirmation of our security in Romans 8:18-39 and his declaration of the Lord’s unending mercy toward the nation of Israel (Romans 11:28-32). The message of mercy for both Israel and believers is that we are okay because God loves us, not because of our love for Him.

A key reason why God will fulfill all His kingdom promises to the nation is that He loves Zion and will do all that’s necessary to bring a Jewish remnant to saving faith by the end of the Tribulation. In the same way, our hope of eternity never rests on our behavior but wholly upon God’s love, grace and mercy toward us. Just as with the nation of Israel, our future is secure because the Lord loves us. It never rests on demonstrating our love for Him. Thankfully!

The idea that what a church believes about Israel doesn’t matter is simply not true. Errant beliefs regarding its future often result in elders who abuse their roles as leaders, as well as an undue emphasis on the things of this life. Its doctrinal statement may say that matters of Bible prophecy are of lesser importance than other matters of faith, but upon closer inspection, you will find that its view of Israel defines its ministry in many ways.

-Jonathan

America, the Dutiful

When thinking about the prophetic implications of the present hour so late in this Church Age (Age of Grace), Israel is the prominent marker of where the world stands on God’s prophetic timeline.

God’s chosen people, the nation Israel, have contributed massively to achievements in many areas of human existence—just as the Lord promised Abraham, Israel’s progenitor. So, it shouldn’t surprise us that Israel is at the center of much turmoil and controversy at this time. This is precisely how Bible prophecy—through prophets such as Zechariah, for example—says Israel will be positioned the closer the world comes to Christ’s return.

Despite God’s promises to Abraham—many of which have been fulfilled—the people of Abraham through Isaac and Jacob have failed in many ways to fulfill God’s expectations. Primarily, they have failed because of rejecting their Messiah when He presented Himself to them.

Israel, therefore, is perhaps the best example of the violation of Christ’s admonition: “For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required” (Luke 12:48b).

God expects those whom He blesses to obey His directive and to trust His Word as given in Scripture through the prophets. There are inevitably severe consequences when His blueprint for conducting life on earth is not followed.

We know all about Israel and its place in God’s directive—His call to duty in the mission He gave Abraham’s progeny. That nation and people are everywhere we look in God’s Word and are prominent everywhere we look on the geopolitical horizon. And who could in truth deny that Israel has had nothing but trouble from this satanically saturated world?

To me, God’s appointment to our nation, the United States of America, is almost as profound in God’s blueprint as it is in that of Israel. The proof is in the dominance America has been given since its founding. And, at this moment, it is the most glaringly dominant and powerfully influential nation on the planet. The double proof of this is that America stands beside God’s chosen nation and people while most of the world’s nations demonstrate an inexplicable hatred for Israel and the Jewish people. This, to me, is absolute proof of the importance God assigned America.

I wrote in the beginning of one of my books the following:

America burst forth from history’s slow-motion movement with brilliant inventiveness that would mystify if viewed from any perspective other than that of Bible prophecy. The stunning achievements within the mix of that quantum leap continue to engender awe. Human genius almost certainly had to have been infused with supernatural influence in accomplishing the exponential progress man has achieved within 100 years. We have moved, within that time, from traveling at speeds horses can run to streaking at the speed of light through communications technologies.…

The United States of America has been the nation at the very heart of the explosion of human technological progress. America has no peer in this regard, even to this present hour. Just as God’s hand of providence guided the founding fathers in bringing the country to birth in 1776, so His omnipresence inspired the American genius and industry resident in the nation to achieve things essential to the opening of the book of end-times prophecy.…

Again, the United States of America is inarguably the matrix out of which the geometrical progression of knowledge, thus spectacular increase in ability to travel to and from anywhere on earth, has grown.…

America’s influence within its brief duration of nationhood has brought mankind relief from drudgery, physical comforts, and luxuries that no other era has provided. Although vast areas of the world still wallow in squalor, the technologies–produced for the most part by this nation–are available to bring those victims out of their tragic conditions. It is the greed of tyrants–for the most part, the dictators who keep the very poor of the world under their despotic thumbs of oppression.

The United States has been at the forefront of reaching out to other lands and their peoples–almost to a fault, one might correctly surmise. Much of the largesse that has poured from the American treasuries into these dictatorships has been scarfed up by the despots and put into their own bank accounts around the world.

Many examples can be cited.…

The explosion of knowledge brought the technology that can make man’s life on earth a blessed existence. That same bursting forth of travel and knowledge has produced the ability to deliver destructive power from the air, the like of which no other generation could even fathom. Make no mistake: America is at the very heart of the end-of-days book being opened. And open it is! (The American Apocalypse, Harvest House, 2009)

So, I titled this commentary “America the Dutiful.”

We’ve been commissioned by God to a call to duty. America has been the most materially blessed of all nations of history, second only to Israel in spiritual blessings. While this nation has used its material blessings to help the poorest of the world and has reached out as no other nation with the gospel of Christ, we’ve also infected the world with much of the wickedness our technological wizardry has produced. It might be said that the peoples of earth have become intoxicated on the wine of the fornication and depravity flowing from America’s dark subsurface.

It’s always disconcerting to consider that we can’t find mention of such a blessed nation as ours even once by name in God’s Word.

Perhaps, frighteningly, it might be there in Revelation chapter 18, but this always comes down to supposition.

It is incumbent upon Christians in our beloved America to remain “dutiful” in carrying out the commission it seems our founding fathers were blessed to receive those 250 years ago.

“For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required” (Luke 12:48b).

—Terry

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What Does the Bible Reveal About Israel’s Future?

The current wars in the Middle East raise many concerns for Israel as well as for us. Before the recent ceasefire with Iran, I read repeated warnings that the closing of the Strait of Hormuz would cause dire shortages of food and fuel. The terms of the recent agreement allow Iran to impose a two-million-dollar fee on each ship passing through the strait. I believe this will also add inflationary pressure to the world’s economy, though perhaps not as severe as stopping all the ships seeking to go through it.

Although many are optimistic about the winding down of hostilities, I’m not convinced that the ceasefire ends the perils for Israel or for other nations.

For us as New Testament saints, our only secure hope rests upon the Lord’s promise to deliver us, via the Rapture, from God’s wrath that will sweep over the earth during the Day of the Lord (1 Thessalonians 5:1-11). We know He’s coming to take us home, but we don’t know how soon.

God’s Word paints a different picture for the future of Israel than for us. In order to better understand how the conflicts of today fit with what’s ahead for the Jewish state, we will start at the end, with its future glory.

A Glorious Millennial Kingdom

The ultimate outcome of all that we see happening today in the Middle East will be the Lord’s restoration of a prosperous and secure kingdom to Israel. Psalms 46 to 48 foretell its future glories with the Lord ruling over the nations from atop Mount Zion. We read about the wonders of this time in Psalm 48:1-2:

“Great is the Lord and greatly to be praised
 in the city of our God!
His holy mountain, beautiful in elevation,
is the joy of all the earth,
Mount Zion, in the far north,
the city of the great King.”

Many church leaders and Christian writers ridicule the disciples for asking the Lord about the restoration of a kingdom to Israel (Acts 1:6), but not Jesus. He didn’t deny the premise of their question, only its timing, which He said the Father “had fixed by his own authority.” Until that day, the Lord instructed them to focus on being His “witnesses” to the world (Acts 1:7-8).

A Repentant Jewish Remnant

From the prophet Zechariah, we learn about a remnant of the Jewish people who will survive the horrors of the Tribulation and turn to their Messiah in saving faith at the end of this time (Zechariah 12:10-13:9). At the end of this seven-year period, they will repent and recognize Jesus as both their Messiah and Savior. They will be the ones who will experience the arrival of the glorious realm promised to Israel throughout Scripture.

This seven-year time of judgment upon the earth is the seventieth week of Daniel 9:24-27. The prophet Jeremiah referred to it as “the time of Jacob’s trouble” (Jeremiah 30:7). Jesus referred to the last half of this week as a time of “great tribulation, such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, and never will be” (Matthew 24:21).

The terrors and suffering of this time will result in repentance and saving faith for the Jewish remnant.

The Covenant of Death

To understand how Israel will end up in such a perilous predicament, we must go back a bit further in time to what happens at the midpoint of this seven-year period, when the terrors for Israel will greatly intensify. That’s when the one we identify as antichrist defiles the temple and breaks his covenant with the nation (Daniel 9:27; Matthew 24:15; 2 Thessalonians 2:3-8).

The Lord described this future agreement as a “covenant of death” (Isaiah 28:14-18). At some point after the Rapture, antichrist will make a deal with Israel and “the many,” which I believe indicates the inclusion of other nations in its terms.

We are not able to connect all the dots between the ongoing hostilities and this future “covenant of death.” However, I believe it’s likely the ongoing violence that began on October 7, 2023, will play a key role in Israel’s leaders agreeing to what antichrist offers as long as they lead to relief from the violence. And if he allows the building of the third temple, that will be an added incentive to agree to his terms.

The Gog/Magog Invasion

There’s another significant war that will impact Israel’s future, the Gog/Magog invasion described in Ezekiel chapters 38 and 39. Although differing ideas exist as to its exact timing, I believe it will happen between the Rapture and antichrist’s deal with Israel.

Ezekiel identifies the key participants in this conflict as Russia, Turkey, and Iran via the ancient references to their people. Today, these nations are more closely aligned than at any previous time in history.

The terms of the current ceasefire allow Iran’s Israel-hating regime to retain power. Though we had hoped for a different outcome, this fits with what we read in Ezekiel concerning this future invasion of which Iran will be able to play a significant role.

Because there are an estimated one million believers in Iran, President Trump’s statement about returning the nation to the “stone age” troubled me. On the other hand, I’m also not comfortable with the ceasefire terms. Regardless of the outcome in the coming weeks and months, it’s God’s sovereignty that continues to reassure me. I know He’s orchestrating how the current events in the Middle East will somehow contribute to the final outcome, that of a glorious kingdom for Israel.

In the meantime, we pray for the Jewish people who have already suffered so much. I believe that even now, the Lord is preparing the hearts of many who will later look in faith upon the One whom “they have pierced” (Zechariah 12:10).

-Jonathan