Most serious students of Bible prophecy—at least those who study from the pre-Trib perspective—agree that the most prominent indicator of where we are on God’s prophetic timeline is God’s chosen nation, Israel.

Again, the prophet Zechariah gives a clue to this being the case:

“The burden of the word of the LORD for Israel, saith the LORD, which stretcheth forth the heavens, and layeth the foundation of the earth, and formeth the spirit of man within him. Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of trembling unto all the people round about, when they shall be in the siege both against Judah and against Jerusalem. 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 12:1-3).

Here, God’s Word, through the prophet, states that ultimately God Himself will bring all nations to account by presenting Israel as an offense that will bring their wrath against His chosen nation.

This hatred for Israel–for the Jew—will be manifest in the eyes of all God’s creation as time moves forward. The nations, infected with the sin-spawned reprobate mindset inflicted by the father of lies, Satan, will seek to destroy God’s chosen nation and people.

Jesus spoke to this prophecy while on the Mount of Olives answering His disciples’ question: “What will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?” (Matthew 24:3).

“Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name’s sake. And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another” (Matthew 24:9-10).

I believe that while Israel and the Jews have been hated and persecuted through the eons of time, the above prophecies speak specifically to the conditions when Christ’s return is nearing.

I have wondered why the Lord said: “And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another.”

While the reason He said this might be different than I imagine, I’ve concluded that it might have at least something to do with what we see now in the United States of America.

Why do most Jews in the big blue cities seem to join with the leftist, radical Muslim rants against Israel and even the Jews as a race? This is a mind-bender—or maybe a Spirit-bender matter. Israel-hating ideological evil infects even the Jewish people themselves. So much so that they will come against, or betray, their own race just to join the madness that seeks to wipe Israel off the map of the world.

This reflects Jesus’ words about the time when everything moves toward the era of Jacob’s trouble (Jeremiah 30:7)–a period Jesus said will be the worst in all of human history (Matthew 24:21).

It appears, according to hourly news, that the world today is well into that powerful movement toward the fulfillment of Christ’s prophecy that Israel and the Jews would face great persecution—even greater than that of Hitler’s Holocaust. Here are some examples of the build-up toward that time of Jacob’s trouble.

“Fine Scholar”: UC Berkeley chancellor praises professor who expressed solidarity with Oct. 7 attacks

Richard K. Lyons, who assumed the chancellorship in July 2024, issued the unmitigated praise while being questioned by members of the House of Representatives Committee on Education and the Workforce, which summoned him and the chief administrators of two other major universities to interrogate their handling of the campus anti-Semitism crisis.

Ontario teacher called six-year-old student “half-human” for having a Jewish parent

An Ontario teacher referred to a six-year-old student as “half-human” for having a Jewish parent. This is only one incident among many that are happening in Ontario, home to 30,000 Jewish children.

“Kill all Jews”—Beloved children’s character goes off script, calls for genocide of Jews

On Sunday, the official X account of Elmo, a Muppet character from the television show Sesame Street, was hacked and used to post anti-Jewish, anti-Trump, and Jeffrey Epstein-related posts. “Kill all Jews,” one post read. “Elmo says ALL JEWS SHOULD DIE. F*** Jews,” read another.

An Israeli nuclear strike on Yemen won’t stop us: Houthi official

A senior Houthi official confirmed that the Yemen-based terror group will continue attacking Israel even after the fighting in Gaza ends, pledging that it is fully committed to destroying the Jewish state.

Iran targeting UK Jews for abduction, assassination, intel panel reports

A July 10 report by the British parliamentary committee that oversees the United Kingdom’s intelligence agencies, including Mi5 and Mi6, revealed that Iran is targeting British Jews for killing and kidnapping in the U.K. Intelligence agencies told the Intelligence and Security Committee of Parliament that physical threats by Iranian Intelligence Services (IIS) against U.K.-based individuals has “significantly increased recently both in pace and with regard to the number of threats.”

These headlines were posted on Rapture Ready News July 14 through July 16 of this year. Many more such anti-Israel, anti-Semitic news items flow across my attention daily, as I’m sure they come before your eyes constantly.

The evidence that we are nearing the time of the Tribulation era shouldn’t be missed by those who look up in anticipation of the “Blessed Hope.” Israel is at the heart of the signals the Lord Jesus Christ gave us to observe. That evidence couldn’t be more blatant.

Here’s what Jesus told us to do as we observe the end times:

“And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for our redemption draweth nigh” (Luke 21:28).