By Dr David Reagan/Harbinger’s Daily
On Friday morning, September 27, I saw Bible prophecy being fulfilled before my very eyes as I watched Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on television address the General Assembly of the United Nations. It happened as he approached the podium to deliver his address. As he walked forward, two-thirds of the delegates got up from their seats and walked out. Netanyahu was left with an almost empty auditorium to speak to.
The specific Bible prophecy this event reminded me of was written by the Hebrew prophet Zechariah 2,500 years ago. Speaking of the end times, he prophesied that God will “make Jerusalem a heavy stone for all the peoples; all who lift it will be severely injured. And all the nations of the earth will be gathered against it.” (Zechariah 12: 3)
Although the United States delegation to the UN was one of the few that remained in their seats, it has become obvious that America’s support of Israel is severely waning. For example, when Netanyahu spoke to Congress in March of 2015, 58 Democrats boycotted the session. When he returned to speak to Congress in July of this year, 128 Democrats refused to attend (100 House members and 28 Senators).
Also, even though President Biden has spoken out strongly in support of Israel, his lack of action has spoken louder than his words. He has refused to send military aid that Congress has approved. And he keeps demanding a cease-fire instead of encouraging Israel to finish off both Hamas and Hezbollah. Israel is determined to defeat its monstrous enemies. Biden wants to appease them.
For over 40 years, I have been teaching that in the end times — in accordance with Bible prophecy — all the nations of the world will turn against Israel. In response, American Christians have reacted in disbelief, arguing that our nation would never turn against Israel. But today, the streets of our largest cities and the campuses of our major universities are filled with violent anti-Semitic protestors demanding that our nation abandon Israel in support of two of the world’s most vicious terrorist organizations.
How can this be explained?
A Spiritual Anomaly
In natural terms, it cannot be explained, and that is because it is a supernatural phenomenon. The Bible makes it very clear that Satan knows Bible prophecy (Revelation 12:12). Satan can read the signs of the times, and he therefore realizes that the time he has left before Jesus returns is running out fast. He has, therefore, shifted his evil actions against the Jewish people into high gear because he is determined to annihilate them before the return of Jesus. Why? Because the Bible says that a great remnant of the Jews will be saved when Jesus returns (Zechariah 12:10 and Romans 9:27), and Satan is determined to keep that prophecy from being fulfilled.
The reason, of course, is that Satan hates the Jewish people with a passion because:
God chose them to be His witnesses to the world.
Through them God gave the world the Bible.
Through them God gave the world the Messiah.
God has promised that He will save a great remnant of them.
God has promised that through that remnant, He will bless all the nations of the world during the Millennium.
It should be noted that Satan has had considerable success thus far in his attempts to annihilate the Jewish people. Just think: the Jews and Arabs were established at the same time. The Jews came through Abraham’s son, Isaac; the Arabs, through Abraham’s son, Ishmael. Today, there are 460 million Arabs and only 17 million Jews! Those numbers clearly reflect the degree of persecution the Jews have experienced worldwide during the last 2,000 years.
Current Anti-Semitism
The Bible says that Satan is the “Father of Lies” (John 8:44). And lies are what he is using to generate hatred of the Jews worldwide and here in America. As proof, consider the current lies he is using to incite hatred of Israel:
1) The Jews are European Colonialist Occupiers of Palestine
The truth is the land was given to the Jews by God 3,500 years ago, and they lived there for 1,500 years until they were forcibly ejected from the land worldwide by the Romans in 135AD following their final revolt. During the 2,000 years that followed, their land laid vacant and desolate. The few Arabs who lived there considered themselves to be Syrians because most of the land was owned by absentee Syrian landlords.
During this long time span, the land was never an independent state with Jerusalem as its capital. In short, there was never a Palestinian state with a Palestinian government. Nor was there a Palestinian language or culture.
When the Jews returned after World War II, the United Nations recognized their claim to the land and authorized the establishment of their state.
2) The Jews Practice Apartheid Against the Palestinians
This is an absolute lie, yet it has turned many people against Israel The truth is that there is no apartheid in Israel and there never has been. Two million Palestinians are citizens of Israel and have all the rights of Jewish citizens.
The only apartheid that exists in the Middle East is among the Arab nations who expelled all their Jews in 1956 after the Suez War and continue to refuse to allow any Jews to live within their boundaries.
3) The Jews Need to Free Gaza
The truth is that Gaza was completely freed in 2005 when Israel forced all Jewish citizens to leave the area. Millions of dollars flowed into Gaza from nations around the world to enable them to build schools, hospitals, streets, and other infrastructure items, like electricity-generating plants.
The leaders of Hamas immediately started using their land as a missile launching site into Israel. And they spent their international funding on three things: weapons, construction of 300 miles of tunnels, and mansions for their leaders in Qatar.
The only thing Gaza needs to be freed of is Hamas!
4) The Jews are Practicing Genocide
The truth is that the only thing Israel seeks to annihilate are the terrorist groups called Hamas and Hezbollah. They have no interest in eradicating the Palestinian people.
The real goal of genocide is expressed in the favorite slogan of the anti-Israel protestors: “From the river to the sea.” This is a veiled call for the annihilation of Israel.
Meanwhile, the diplomats of the world, including the United States, are demanding a “Two- State” solution. The truth here is that this is no solution at all because you cannot make peace with someone whose goal is to kill you.
Benjamin Netanyahu has summed it up well in his often quoted statement: “If the Arabs would disarm, we would have peace; if Israel were to disarm, Israel would cease to exist.”
A Forgotten Truth
Furthermore, people seem to forget that a Palestinian state already exists!
Most Americans are not aware that the Ottoman Empire sided with Germany during World War I, and it was decided that after the war, the Empire would be broken up and the province called Palestine would be entrusted to England as a League of Nations Mandate, with the goal of leading the area to independence as a state.
In November of 1917, The British issued the Balfour Declaration, in which they promised to make Palestine a Jewish state.
But in 1923, the British suddenly decided to curry the favor of the oil-rich Arab states by giving two-thirds of Palestine to the Arabs, leaving the Jews only a small sliver of land 280 miles long and 80 miles wide.
The area given to the Arabs was all the land of Palestine east of the Jordan River. It was named Transjordan. In 1946, when it received its independence, its name was change to Jordan. Today Jordan has a population of 11 million, and 60% of those are of Palestinian descent. Thus, Jordan consists of two-thirds of the geography of Palestine and a population majority of Palestinians.
The point: A Palestinian state already exists.
Fulfilled Prophecies Before the 20th Century
Christians do not need to worry about the ultimate destiny of the Jewish people. God loves them and that love has been manifested in his faithful fulfillment of prophecies concerning them.
Before the 20th Century began, God had already fulfilled four promises to the Jews contained in Old Testament prophecies:
Dispersion — Moses warned that if they were unfaithful to God, they would be dispersed worldwide (Deuteronomy. 28:58, 64)
Persecution — Moses further stated that they would experience severe persecution wherever they were scattered in the world (Deuteronomy 28:65-66).
Desolation — Moses also prophesied that the land of Israel would become desolate when the Jews were evicted from it (Deuteronomy 29:22-27).
Preservation — Repeatedly, God promised that he would preserve the existence and identity of the Jewish people in their dispersion (2 Samuel 7:24 and Jeremiah 30:11).
Fulfilled Prophecies During the 20th Century
During the 20th Century, God fulfilled seven end time prophecies regarding the Jews and their nation:
Regathering of the people — The Jewish people would be regathered from the four corners of the earth in unbelief (Isaiah 11:11-12).
Re-establishment of the state — The Jewish state would come into existence once again (Isaiah 66:7-8).
Reclamation of the land — The desolate land would become like the garden of Eden (Ezekiel 36:33-35).
Revival of the language — The Hebrew language would be revived from the dead (Zephaniah 3:9 & Jeremiah 31:23).
Resurgence of the military — The Israeli military would become a regional powerhouse devouring its enemies (Zechariah 12:8-9).
Re-occupation of Jerusalem — The Jewish people would once again occupy their capital city of Jerusalem (Zechariah 8:7-8).
Re-focusing of world politics — The nation of Israel would become the focal point of international relations (Zechariah 12:2-3).
Jewish Prophecies Yet to Be Fulfilled
This brings us to the prophecies that are yet to be fulfilled for the Jewish people. As you will see, there is one horrible one followed by several glorious ones.
1) Another Holocaust
The first is a Second Holocaust. This will occur during the second half of the Tribulation. The Jews will become the focus of the Antichrist’s wrath. He will seek to annihilate them and will succeed in killing two-thirds of them:
Zechariah 13:8-9 KJV – “And it shall come to pass, that in all the land, saith the Lord, two parts therein shall be cut off and die; but the third shall be left therein. And I will bring the third part through the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined, and will try them as gold is tried: they shall call on my name, and I will hear them: I will say, It is my people: and they shall say, The Lord is my God.”
2) Repentance
The second prophecy yet to be fulfilled is Repentance. The suffering of the Tribulation will bring the Jewish people to the end of themselves, and they will repent before the Lord:
Deuteronomy 4:30 KJV – “When thou art in tribulation, and all these things are come upon thee, even in the latter days, if thou turn to the Lord thy God, and shalt be obedient unto his voice.”
3) Salvation
The third future prophecy yet to be fulfilled is Salvation. As a result of their repentance, at the end of the Tribulation, a great remnant of the Jews will accept Yeshua as their Messiah and will be saved. Zechariah speaks of this glorious event:
Zechariah 12:10 KJV – “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.”
Jesus Himself stated that He would not return to this earth until a remnant of the Jews were ready to receive Him as their Messiah by crying out: “Baruch Haba Bashem Adonai!” (“Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!” — Matthew 23:39).
4) Regathering in Belief
The fourth prophecy yet to be fulfilled is the regathering of the Jewish people in belief. They are being regathered now in unbelief. But there is another regathering in their future.
When Jesus returns, He is going to regather all the Jews on planet earth who have put their faith in Him. This regathering is mentioned in several places in the Hebrew Scriptures. Here’s one from the time of Moses:
Deuteronomy 30 1-4 KJV – “And it shall come to pass, when all these things are come upon thee, the blessing and the curse, which I have set before thee, and thou shalt call them to mind among all the nations, whither the Lord thy God hath driven thee, And shalt return unto the Lord thy God, and shalt obey his voice according to all that I command thee this day, thou and thy children, with all thine heart, and with all thy soul; That then the Lord thy God will turn thy captivity, and have compassion upon thee, and will return and gather thee from all the nations, whither the Lord thy God hath scattered thee. If any of thine be driven out unto the outmost parts of heaven, from thence will the Lord thy God gather thee, and from thence will he fetch thee:”
5) Primacy
The fifth and final prophecy the Lord will fulfill when He begins His millennial reign will be the establishment of Israel as the prime nation of the world.
Jesus will reign from Jerusalem as King of the World. David, in his glorified body, will reign as the King of Israel. We, in our glorified bodies will be scattered across the earth to reign with Jesus over the Gentile nations.
Isaiah devotes three full chapters (60-63) to a description of the blessings that God will pour out on the Jewish people during the Millennium. He proclaims that God will “make Jerusalem a praise in the earth” (Isaiah 62:7). Zechariah describes the glory of the Jews with these words:
Zechariah 8:22-23 KJV – “Yea, many people and strong nations shall come to seek the Lord of hosts in Jerusalem, and to pray before the Lord. Thus saith the Lord of hosts; In those days it shall come to pass, that ten men shall take hold out of all languages of the nations, even shall take hold of the skirt of him that is a Jew, saying, We will go with you: for we have heard that God is with you.”
The Messages
Let’s conclude by considering the messages we can draw from the Bible concerning Israel in End Time Prophecy.
God’s Word is true and reliable.
God is on His throne and in control.
God is faithful to keep all His promises.
God still loves the Jewish people and has a great purpose for them.
We are living on borrowed time because the fulfillment of these prophecies proves that Jesus is returning soon.
Conclusion
One final thing: What is the message of Israel in Prophecy for you and me? What is its meaning for the Church?
I would contend that it proves that God is faithful to keep all His promises, and that is a very important message for the Church, for God has made a lot of promises to us.
He has promised that at any moment, Jesus is going to appear in the heavens to take His Church — both the living and the dead — out of this world. Then, while He pours out His wrath on an evil and unbelieving world in the Tribulation, believers in Heaven will receive rewards for how they used their spiritual gifts to advance the Lord’s kingdom. After all the rewards have been distributed, we will enjoy the greatest feast in the history of the cosmos — the wedding feast of the Lamb, when the Bride of Christ (His Church) celebrates its union with the Bridegroom (Jesus).
When that feast is concluded, we will return to earth with Jesus and will witness His destruction of the Antichrist and his forces, after which we will celebrate His coronation as King of kings and Lord of lords. Believing Jews will serve in his government in Jerusalem. Glorified Gentiles will be distributed worldwide to reign over those in the flesh (those saved during the Tribulation and who live to the end of it). We will have the privilege of witnessing the world enveloped in peace, righteousness, and justice as the waters cover the sea.
And at the end of the Lord’s thousand-year reign, we will live forever in our new, eternal bodies in a New Jerusalem on and New Earth in the presence of our Creator and Jesus. Maranatha! (1 Corinthians 16:22).
Originally published at Harbinger’s Daily
