Israel, War, and End Times. The terrible things happening in our world today have us asking many questions. Let’s see what the Bible says about these times according to God’s perfect plan.
Who is the Antichrist?
“And he (the future world leader, the Antichrist) shall make a firm covenant with many for one week” (Daniel 9:27).
Antichrist: Another name for the world ruler of the tribulation.
A.k.a. the (First) Beast (Revelation 13:1-10) and the man of sin (2 Thessalonians 2:9), the second member of the Satanic trinity formed during the tribulation time. The earth-dwellers during the tribulation will need his name or number on their wrist or forehead to conduct business. At the midpoint of the tribulation, he enters the Jewish temple and demands worship as God.
Current War in the Middle East Between Hamas and Israel (October 2023)
Israel, War, and End Times. The current war in the Middle East between Hamas and Israel (October 2023) has captured the world’s attention, and the people’s apprehension should surprise no one. People know that throughout history, from the time of creation and on through eternity future, Israel has been and will continue to be the focus of the world’s attention. Because God centers His earthly actions in the Promised Land.
When the Bible described the location of the Garden of Eden, God said it was near, if not in the Promised Land (Genesis 2:14). When God rules the earth in eternity, His capital city will be the New Jerusalem – the eternal city (Revelation 21)! So, from the dawn of creation and on into eternity, God’s primary contact with earth centers in this small parcel of land in the Middle East, specifically, Israel and Jerusalem.
God promised to give that land (unconditionally) to Abraham and his descendants through the lines of Isaac and Jacob:
“To your descendants I have given this land, from the river of Egypt to the great Euphrates River” (Genesis 15:18; 15:7; 26:3; 28:4).
The Earthly History of the Wars Fought in Palestine
The earthly history of the wars fought in Palestine, as impactful as they are to us, pale compared to the unseen heavenly, spiritual battles we don’t see. Angels and demons are the spiritual forces behind the wars we experience on earth (Daniel 10:13; Revelation 12:7-17). Are Demons Real? Territorial Spirits Questions Answered Yes, these horrible wars are proxy battles; we are pawns!
People and groups have an irrational hatred of the Jews. The Nazis expressed their hatred through the atrocities the Jews experienced in Nazi concentration camps. Currently, Hamas carries out horrific war crimes against innocent people by shooting and beheading babies, burning people alive, and publicly broadcasting their executions. Theirs is a hatred of God, a God they can’t directly attack, so they take it out on God’s people.
The Past Wars and the Future Battles are Significant Prophetically.
Israel, War, and End Times. Even people who haven’t read the Bible know its end times prophecies, e.g., Armageddon as the final battle before Jesus returns after the tribulation to reign on earth.
About six hundred years before Jesus walked the earth, God promised Israel that He would restore them to their land. In 1948, over 2500 years later, when Israel was again established as a nation, that promise came true. They’re not spiritually restored yet, but they’re in their land.
Most people are also aware of the next prophetic event: The rapture of church-age believers before the seventieth week of Daniel, a seven-year time of trouble known as the tribulation.
What are the Seventy Weeks of Daniel? – End Times
Tribulation Archives – End Times
Unbelievers scoff at Jesus’ promised return to take His believing family home to heaven. But the Bible anticipated their derision:
“Know this first, that there shall come scoffers in the last days who … say, “Where is the promise of His (Jesus’) coming? For … all things have continued as they were since the beginning of the creation” (2 Peter 3:3-4).
But what scoffers see as an unfulfilled promise is really God’s patience and His heart’s desire to see people saved: “The Lord is not slow concerning His promise, as some count slowness. But He is patient with us, because He does not want any to perish, but all to come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9).
After Jesus takes believers to heaven, the next prophetic event is when Israel signs a peace treaty:
“And he (the future world leader, the Antichrist) shall make a firm covenant with many for one week” (Daniel 9:27). This war may lead to that prophetic peace treaty.
The ‘week’ mentioned is a week of years, seven years, not days. God pours out His wrath against the unbelieving world in those years. It’s a time of unprecedented trouble during which over half the world’s population will die from wars and plagues (Revelation 6:7-8; 9:15):
- The prophet Jeremiah describes this time:
“Why do I see every man with his hands on his loins, as a woman in labor, and all faces turned pale? Alas! for that day is great, so that no one is like it” (Jeremiah 30:6-7).
- Revelation includes a comment from the people experiencing that time:
“For the great day of His wrath has come. Who is able to withstand it” (Revelation 6:17)?
People are Justifiably Terrified because God Warned them about What’s Coming
People are justifiably terrified because God warned them about what’s coming and what will start the seven years of unprecedented trouble: A peace treaty between the future world leader (Antichrist) and Israel. The stage is set, but it has looked that way before, and instead of returning God has patiently waited for people to turn to Him by believing in Jesus.
Israel, War, and End Times. Is this time different? Only God the Father knows the time of Jesus’ return (Matthew 24:36). But all the pieces are there for His arrival. Once the rapture happens, the remaining people only have one escape from the coming seven years of tribulation: death! If they don’t die, they’ll have to endure ‘til the end. And that’s true even for those who come to faith in Jesus during those years.
We’ve been warned, and the stage is set. There’s a way out now, but there may not be tomorrow, so believe “while it is still called today” (Hebrews 3:13).
