Over half of the Bible is dedicated to the “last days,” signifying the importance of this time in human history. In his second letter to Timothy, Paul wrote, “But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God – having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with them.” 2 Timothy 3:1-5. Its as if Paul saw an hour of our current news, sports and entertainment on TV. Today’s society is all these things.
“Surely the Sovereign Lord does nothing without revealing his plan to his servants the prophets.” Amos 3:7. The end of the age has been predicted in the pages of the Bible in amazing detail therefore it is requisite to study prophecies about the last days to gain understanding of what must take place and where we stand right now in a contextual significance to God’s plan.
Israel is critical in unlocking end times prophecy and will be center stage when all is fulfilled. Jesus said, “Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near. Even so, when you see all these things, you know that it is near, right at the door.” Mathew 24:32-33.
Israel’s existence today is miraculous evidence of prophetic fulfillment. How the Jewish people could remain an identifiable ethnic group and be restored to their homeland after 1900 years is nothing less than miraculous and is the power of God. “Who has ever heard of such things? Who has ever seen things like this? Can a country be born in a day or a nation be brought forth in a moment? Yet no sooner is Zion in labor than she gives birth to her children.” Isaiah 66:8. The fact that Israel is thriving as a nation again should be a wake-up call to every believer on earth. The Christian Church should seriously contemplate the sheer improbability of the Jews being back in Israel due to man’s orchestrated efforts alone.
No other nation in the history of nations has accomplished anything like this. In fact, history demonstrates that any people who settle in a new land will lose their national identity after five generations and be assimilated into their new culture. This has not been the case with the Jews. Additionally, the land of Judea itself has never allowed any other people to prosper upon her soil. The divine blessings and punishment on this nation and land are unprecedented and serve as evidence that God is who he says he is and does what he says he will do.
In 1267, Rabbi Moses ben Nachman (Nachmanides 1194-1270), viewed the desolate land and commented, “Many are Israel’s forsaken places, and great is the desecration. The more sacred the place, the greater the devastation it has suffered. Jerusalem is the most desolate place of all.” He did however, make a statement that was profoundly hopeful, in that the desolation signifies and, “constitutes a good tiding, proclaiming that during all our exiles, our land will not accept our enemies….. Since the time we left it (the land) has not accepted any nation or people, and they all try to settle it…. That is a great proof and assurance for us.” As quoted in the Jerusalem Post, Tuly Weisz, Sept. 23, 2017.
Four hundred years later, Mark Twain visited the Holy Land in 1867 and agreed with Nachmanides’ observations but went beyond just hope with what has proven to be a prophetic prediction, “that Israel will remain desolate until the Jewish people assume control. But when the people of Israel finally return to the land of Israel, the region will once again flourish thanks to divine providence.” Jerusalem Post, Tuly Weisz, Sept. 23, 2017.
Not only is it amazing that Israel is a nation again, but the fact that Jerusalem is her capital is more proof of the hand of God orchestrating her affairs. Jerusalem was chosen as Israel’s capital in ancient times as recorded in the sixth chapter of 2 Chronicles where God speaks, “Since the day I brought my people out of Egypt, I have not chosen a city in any tribe in Israel to have a temple built so that my name might be there, nor have I chosen anyone to be ruler over my people Israel. But now I have chosen Jerusalem for my name to be there, and I have chosen David to rule my people Israel.” 2 Chronicles 6:5-6.
Today Israel flourishes with the tender care of farmers who have irrigated the desert and created a vibrant agriculture industry consisting of fresh fruits, flowers, fine wines, preserved goods and organic food. The country also excels in electronics, agrotechnology, telecommunications, computer equipment and alternative energy. “But you, mountains of Israel, will produce branches and fruit for my people Israel, for they will soon come home. I am concerned for you and will look on you with favor; you will be plowed and sown, and I will cause many people to live on you – yes, all of Israel. The towns will be inhabited and the ruins rebuilt. I will increase the number of people and animals living on you, and they will be fruitful and become numerous. I will settle people on you as in the past and will make you prosper more than before. Then you will know that I am the Lord. I will cause people, my people Israel to live on you. They will possess you, and you will be their inheritance; you will never again deprive them of their children.” Ezekiel 36:8-12.
The destruction of the temple and Jerusalem in 70 AD, the Jewish diaspora, the subsequent establishment of Israel as a nation in 1948 and the victory and territorial gains of the 1967 six day war, when Israel took over control of the entire city of Jerusalem are fulfilment of the prophecy Jesus proclaimed in Luke 21:24. “They will fall by the sword and will be taken as prisoners to all nations. Jerusalem will be trampled on by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.”
Today, 54 years to the day after Jerusalem returned to complete Jewish control, the city is the hotspot of the earth, as her neighbors continually clash with the Jews over real estate in fulfillment of Psalm 83:4-8 and Zechariah 12:2-3. There is growing momentum to rebuild the temple for a third time which is necessary for the fulfillment pf Daniel 9:27, Mathew 24:15 and Revelation 13:14
Nearly a generation has passed of shaky treaties and elusive peace, and Israel is on the cusp of signing historic agreements that will secure harmony in the middle east. With Jared Kushner as his point man, Donald Trump succeeded where so many before him failed in producing any outcomes in the middle east. By brokering deals between Israel and The United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Sudan and Morocco, he and Kushner effectively reduced Iran’s influence in the region and laid the foundation for more middle east states to follow suit. What began as the deal of the century will be completed as something of far greater significance in the near future.
Peace in Israel is paramount to the fulfillment of prophecy concerning the end of the age. The man called the antichrist will have the honor of bringing to fruition what will appear to be the deal of the millennium. The Prophet Daniel wrote, “He will confirm a covenant with many for one ‘seven.’ In the middle of the ‘seven’ he will put an end to sacrifice and offering. And at the temple he will set up an abomination that causes desolation, until the end that is decreed is poured out on him.” Daniel 9:27. The significance of this peace accord is that it will mark the beginning of the countdown to the end. Seven final years, culminating in the destruction of an ungodly, unrepentant world, Satan and his unholy trinity with him.
We are surrounded by signs that we are entering an unprecedented period in the story of mankind. The intriguing period known as the Great Tribulation. “ For then there will be great distress, unequaled from the beginning of the world until now – and never to be equaled again. If those days had not been cut short, no one would survive, but for the sake of the elect those days will be shortened.” Mathew 24:21-22. I invite you to join me on a detailed journey to examine the hidden truths and prophetic writings that are about to be fulfilled very soon, in my latest book, Revelation of Truth.
