Israel and End Times Prophecy; is this the End of Days???

And as Jesus went out of the temple courts he was going along, and his disciples came up to point out to him the buildings of the temple. But he answered and said to them, “Do you not see all these things? Truly I say to you, not one stone will be left here on another stone that will not be thrown down!”

Matthew 24:1–2 (LEB)

There is a statistic that tells us eighty percent of evangelical Christians believe that the country of Israel that was created in 1948 is the fulfillment of prophecy that will “bring about the return of Christ”. My experience has been that most evangelicals believe that there will be a “rapture of the church” rather than the return of Christ as in the “second coming” and resurrection. The belief system that most of these evangelical believers draw from is called dispensationalism theology. This belief system teaches that “the Church” and “Israel” are to be “rightly divided”, and that they have two completely different roles and outcomes in the kingdom of God.

“What kick-starts the end times into motion is Israel’s political boundaries being reestablished to what God promised the Israelites according to the Bible,” Pastor Nate Pyle told Newsweek in January.

This is not an uncommon view.
The LifeWay poll found that 80 percent of evangelicals believed that the creation of Israel in 1948 was a fulfillment of biblical prophecy that would bring about Christ’s return.

Washington Post May 14, 2018

Dispensationalism theology fits well into the political realm of unconditionally supporting the current country that was named Israel in 1948. Dispensationalists will argue that the land has been Israel for thousands of years, which is only somewhat true. Historically, Israel has not been the current political arrangement it is today, and if the founders of Israel in 1948 were honest, they would have called it Judea. Solomon was the last king of united Israel almost three thousand years ago.

2 Kings 17:16–18 (LEB): ¹⁶ They abandoned all the commands of Yahweh their God and made for themselves two molten calf-shaped idols; they made a pole of Asherah worship and bowed down to the army of the heavens and served Baal. ¹⁷ They made their sons and their daughters pass through the fire, they practiced divination and read omens, and they sold themselves to do evil in the eyes of Yahweh to provoke him. ¹⁸ So Yahweh was very angry with Israel and he removed them from his presence; none remained except the tribe of Judah alone.

After Solomon, the kingdom was divided into two kingdoms: the house of Israel and the house of Judah. Israel was dispersed into the nations after Assyria conquered them in 721 BCE. The southern kingdom was later taken into captivity by Babylon and then returned to the land to rebuild the kingdom. This rebuilding of the kingdom is recorded in the accounts of Nehemiah and Ezra in the Bible. This southern kingdom was mainly comprised of the tribes of Judah and Benjamin. Fast forward to 70 CE and Judea was scattered and the temple was destroyed. However, a remnant of Judah remains with us to this day.

Genesis 49:10 (LEB): ¹⁰ The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff between his feet, until Shiloh comes. And to him shall be the obedience of nations.

The house of Israel that was destroyed in 721 BCE was cut off from God and dispersed into the nations, becoming “gentiles”. “Gentile” is a word made up (or taken from Latin) to translate the Greek word “ethnos”, meaning nation or people.

Jeremiah 3:6–8 (LEB): ⁶ Then Yahweh said to me in the days of Josiah, the king, “Have you seen what apostate Israel has done? She has gone on every high hill and under every leafy tree and she has prostituted herself there. ⁷ And I thought, ‘After her doing all these things to me she will return,’ but she did not return. And her treacherous sister Judah saw it. ⁸ And I saw that for this very reason, that on account of apostate Israel committing adultery I divorced her and gave the letter of divorce to her. Yet her treacherous sister Judah was not afraid and she went and prostituted herself also.

Most evangelical Christians either do not know this history, or choose to ignore it. I don’t think it is discussed overtly in Judaism, and we are led to believe everyone at Mount Horeb with Moses was a Jew by modern standards. When we fast forward to the late 19th century, there were people that wanted to create a nation state for the scattered Jews to call home. Theodor Hertzl is “the father” of modern Zionism and he died in 1904. I have one of his books where in it he dreams of establishing a country somewhere in the world for the Jews to call home. The holy land was not being considered as a location at this time though.

Many Jews were still living in Palestine in the early 20th century. These Jews have kept and preserved the Torah and the “oracles of God” as Paul claimed. If one listens to the testimony of some of the older Orthodox Jews that were alive prior to 1948, they tell stories of living side by side in peace with Palestinians, Iranians and others even though they practiced different religions. Muslims are given credit for hiding Jews during World War II. It was the protestant countries such as England and the United States that thought the Jews should have their own country in the Holy Land because they believed that this would fulfill Christian prophecy. There were Jews that embraced the philosophy of Zionism that Hertzl also wrote about. Many Orthodox Jews were against this ideology and are still against it today. I realize this is over simplifying the situation, so please research the philosophy of Zionism as taught by the early proponents of it, and also, listen to the Jewish scholars that tell the other side of the story.

Many Torah following, Orthodox Jews believe that stealing land and murdering its inhabitants goes against Torah, and the only way the promises of God should be fulfilled is by a miraculous, world changing event by the Messiah. That would be the only way they could legally reestablish a kingdom because they know they are dispersed among the nations by the hand of God according to scripture. These are their words not mine. They believe the Messiah is the resurrected king David.

Dispensationalist evangelical Christians believe that the country of Israel, created by western Zionists in 1948, is the Israel that is referred to by all the prophecies in scripture. This is aligned with the 19th century Protestant’s theology that dreamed of creating a country like this to hasten Biblical prophecy. Evangelical Christians will also use the promise given to Abraham and apply it to 1948 Israel. They “conflate Zionism with Judaism”, as Rabbi Yaakov Shapiro declares. The Evangelicals think that they will be cursed unless they stand completely behind this newly formed country of Israel. I was raised in this ideology that is prominent in the United States by religious groups and both of the main political parties. Many are proud Zionists, but do not realize what that means.

Genesis 12:1–3 (LEB): 12 And Yahweh said to Abram, “Go out from your land and from your relatives, and from the house of your father, to the land that I will show you. ² And I will make you a great nation, and I will bless you, and I will make your name great. And you will be a blessing. ³ And I will bless those who bless you, and those who curse you I will curse. And all families of the earth will be blessed in you.”

This belief system is the reason we can witness many people in the west quietly cheering when thousands of human beings are maimed, blinded and killed by exploding electronic devices. They think they have to pick sides and always condone everything the country of Israel does. Currently, they are assassinating people who are part of other sovereign nations’ governments, killing thousands of innocent people and leading the world into World War III, all in the name of self defence. Who really drew “first blood”, to quote the Sylvester Stallone movie. Everything is claimed to be an act of retaliation on both sides, which seems to have started in 1948.

The truth is that there are not two peoples of God, “the church” and “Israel”, and we do not know what role the Zionist state of Israel will play in eschatology, if any at all. What we see currently in western Asia does not appear to have the fingerprint of God on it in any way. The Torah tells us not to oppress the alien, yet it is clear to see Israel has oppressed the Palestinian people for a long time.

Leviticus 19:33–34 (LEB): ³³ “ ‘And when an alien dwells with you in your land, you shall not oppress him. ³⁴ The alien who is dwelling with you shall be like a native among you, and you shall love him like yourself, because you were aliens in the land of Egypt; I am Yahweh your God.

The “resistance forces”, such has the PLO, Hamas and Hezballah, have also caused much violence in Israel through the years. The point is that Christians do not have to feel compelled to take sides. They can identify the wrongs on both sides. Jesus came and showed us how to apply the Torah. Jesus would not condone exterminating people, bombing, maiming and killing on either side. The Jews in Jesus’ day also wanted to establish the kingdom. They thought Jesus was going to take it by force, much like Benjamin Netanyahu seems to think his mission is today.

Matthew 26:51–54 (LEB): ⁵¹ And behold, one of those with Jesus extended his hand and drew his sword, and striking the slave of the high priest, cut off his ear. ⁵² Then Jesus said to him, “Put your sword back into its place! For all who take up the sword will die by the sword. ⁵³ Or do you think that I cannot call upon my Father, and he would put at my disposal at once more than twelve legions of angels? ⁵⁴ How then would the scriptures be fulfilled that it must happen in this way?”

Jesus also said we would know people by their fruits. If we see people murdering children and innocent men and women, we have to question if we should be supporting it. We often see Orthodox Jews being beaten by Israeli forces for protesting the anti-Torah behavior of the Israeli government. This event with the exploding electronic devices would be considered a heinous act of terrorism if it had been reversed and done to Israeli’s or Americans. It opens the door for anyone who gets labelled a “terrorist” to be fair game for destruction. This could happen to Christians themselves in the future if someone deems them “terrorists”.

Matthew 7:15–17 (LEB): ¹⁵ “Beware of false prophets who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inside are ravenous wolves. ¹⁶ You will recognize them by their fruits: they do not gather grapes from thorn bushes or figs from thistles, do they? ¹⁷ In the same way, every good tree produces good fruit, but a bad tree produces bad fruit.

Benjamin Netanyahu thinks he is fulfilling the prophecies intended for the returning Messiah, Yeshua! Benjamin Netanyahu stated, “We will fulfill the prophecy of Isaiah. You shall hear yet more destruction in your land. We will bring glory to your people. We will fight together, and we will win,” he said according to Khaberni. Source: Jordan News

The current government of Israel has also referred to them fulfilling the prophecy of Ezekiel 38. Here is a small clip of Ezekiel 38:

Ezekiel 38:8–12 (LEB)

⁸ After many days you will be mustered; in the last years you will come to a restored land from the sword, gathered from many peoples on the mountains of Israel which were as permanent ruins but from peoples it was brought out, and they will dwell in safety, all of them. ⁹ And you will advance like a storm; you will come, and you will be like a cloud covering the land, and all of your troops and many nations along with you.”

¹⁰ “ ‘Thus says the Lord Yahweh: “And then on that day, things will come up on your mind, and you will devise evil plans. ¹¹ And you will say, ‘I will go up against a land of open country; I will come to the people being at rest in safety, all of them dwelling without a wall and crossbars and without doors, ¹² to loot loot, and to plunder plunder, to assail inhabited ruins and a people gathered together from various peoples and who are acquiring livestock and goods and dwelling at the center of the world.

If we are in the “last years” as dispensationalism theology claims, then it may make sense that we are witnessing the beginning of the Ezekiel 38 prophesies and the current country of Israel is what this is about. However, my opinion is that we are working towards “a permanent ruins” where many people will dwell in safety in the future. In my almost 56 years, I don’t know about any time the 1948 Israel existed in safety. I have read that each dwelling in Israel has to have its own bomb shelter by the building code. That does not sound like a safe place to live. What would better describe a place of “permanent ruins” than a place that has had tactical nukes hurled at it? Jesus said one stone would not be left on another. What is the west wall in Jerusalem? Is that part of the old temple wall? If so, it will be completely destroyed according to Jesus.

Matthew 24:1–2 (LEB): And as Jesus went out of the temple courts he was going along, and his disciples came up to point out to him the buildings of the temple. But he answered and said to them, “Do you not see all these things? Truly I say to you, not one stone will be left here on another stone that will not be thrown down!”

Also, there are prophecies that have not happened yet. In order for the regathering of biblical Israel, the people that are scattered have to return to His ways and commandments.

Deuteronomy 4:27–30 (LEB): ²⁷ And Yahweh will scatter you among the peoples, and you will be left few in number among the nations to where Yahweh will lead you. ²⁸ And you will there serve gods made by human hands, of wood and stone, gods that cannot see and cannot hear and cannot eat and cannot smell. ²⁹ But from there you shall seek Yahweh your God and will find him, if you seek him with all your heart and with all your soul. ³⁰ In your distress when all these things have found you in the latter days, then you will return to Yahweh your God, and you will listen to his voice.

I believe we are still in verse 28, because there are not many in Christianity or Judaism that are following His ways. Yeshua tried to turn people from their traditions but they would not, and still do not listen.

Matthew 23:37–39 (LEB): ³⁷ “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How many times I wanted to gather your children together the way a hen gathers her young together under her wings, and you were not willing! ³⁸ Behold, your house has been left to you desolate! ³⁹ For I tell you, you will never see me from now on until you say,

‘Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord!’ ”

Jeremiah is full of prophesies that have not been completely fulfilled.

Jeremiah 23:5–8 (LEB): ⁵ “Look, days are coming,” declares Yahweh, “when I will raise up for David a righteous branch, and he will reign as king, and he will achieve success, and he will do justice and righteousness in the land. ⁶ In his days Judah will be saved, and Israel will dwell in safety, and this is his name by which he will be called:

‘Yahweh is our righteousness.’

⁷ “Therefore look, days are coming,” declares Yahweh, “when they will no longer say, ‘As Yahweh lives, who led up the Israelites from the land of Egypt,’ ⁸ but ‘As Yahweh lives, who led up, and who brought the offspring of the house of Israel from the land of the north and from all the lands where he had driven them.’ Then they will live in their land.”

I tend to side with the Orthodox Jews who believe the restoration of the land has to be done miraculously by the resurrected king David, who I know is Jesus. This probably takes place after the resurrection when he gathers his people. Currently we are still talking about God delivering His people from Egypt 3500 years ago, and no one that I have ever heard views people returning to Israel in the mid 20th century on par with the Exodus of Egypt. In fact, thousands have left and are leaving due to the current war. Russia just recalled dual citizens from Israel warning them to get out while there are still commercial flights available.

Revelation 20:7–10 (LEB): ⁷ And when the thousand years are completed, Satan will be released from his prison ⁸ and he will go out to deceive the nations that are at the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to assemble them for battle, whose number is like the sand of the sea. ⁹ And they went up on the broad plain of the earth and surrounded the fortified camp of the saints and the beloved city, and fire came down from heaven and consumed them. ¹⁰ And the devil who deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulphur, where the beast and the false prophet also are, and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.

It makes more sense to me that the Ezekiel 38 war is the same as the Revelation 20 war with Magog and Gog. People would truly be living in the land in peace during the millennium reign of Jesus.

As Christians, we really do not need to be compelled to pick sides in western Asian conflicts. We should not be influenced by dispensationalism theology eschatology to turn a blind eye to crimes, no matter who commits them. Start reading the Bible today and thinking for yourselves.

Featured photo by Dylan Shaw on Unsplash.