Most Christians believe today is no different than any other previous period in human history. They remind us that there have been earthquakes, wars, severe famines, and pestilences throughout history. “So what makes today different?” the skeptics ask.
Israel.
The existence of Israel as a nation alone signifies that today is a time like no other in human history. The Lord told Isaiah that Israel would become a nation again in just one day (Isaiah 66:8) and on May 14, 1948, and just as He predicted so long ago, the Jewish state miraculously emerged after a 2,000 year absence. Nothing like that had ever happened throughout all of human history.
Voices from the Past
Many voices in the past pointed to Israel’s reemergence as a harbinger of the last days.
Irenaeus (AD 130-202), an early church leader and prominent theologian, wrote Against Heresies in AD 180 to combat the spread of Gnosticism. Writing 110 years after the Roman army under Titus destroyed the second Jewish temple, Irenaeus wrote that there would be a third temple that the antichrist would defile. He believed that at His Second Coming, Jesus would cast the defiler into the lake of fire, exactly as John wrote about in Revelation 19:19–20.
Later in life, Isaac Newton spent several years studying the books of Daniel and Revelation writing copious notes. Six years after his death, family members and friends used his handwritten notes to publish his two volume work, Observations upon the Prophecies of Daniel and the Apocalypse of St. John. Newton’s detailed study of these books led to his prediction that Israel would again become a nation over 250 years before it happened. He recognized the necessary link between Israel’s reemergence as a nation and the fulfillment of future Bible prophecy, such as we see today.
In the early 1900’s, many Bible scholars scoffed at C.I. Scofield because he wrote about the Gog/Magog battle of Ezekiel 38-39 with Russia leading an invasion of Israel. At the time, there was no Jewish state and Russia was a Christian nation. Like Irenaeus and Isaac Newton, Scofield and others of his day knew that Israel would again become a nation because the Bible said it would happen in latter days before Jesus’ return to the earth.
Temple Passion
The events in Israel since 1948 signify that our homegoing is ever so close. Based on their study of God’s Word, both Irenaeus and Isaac Newton knew there would be a Jewish temple in the last days. Although Israel doesn’t yet have control of the Temple Mount so as to start its construction, the Temple Institute in Jerusalem is training Levites to serve as priests. And the Israeli government is building and planning infrastructure to support the vast number of visitors who will come to see the future temple. It’s only a matter of time before a temple appears in Jerusalem in fulfillment of Bible prophecy.
The passion that currently exists within Israel to build the temple is what we would expect leading up to the seven-year Tribulation when antichrist will fulfill prophecy by defiling it (Daniel 9:27; Matthew 24:15-16; 2 Thessalonians 2:3-8).
Wars and Antisemitism
The current Middle East war also signifies that we live in the last days. The over-the-top determination of Iran and its proxies to destroy Israel is not rationally driven, but is rather demonically inspired. Before 1948, Satan inspired Hitler and the Nazis to kill all the Jews and thus prevent the formation of the Jewish state, which was already in the works. Since May 14, 1948, he has continued his dogged determination to wipe out Israel and thus thwart the Lord’s plans for Jerusalem and the Jews.
The heightened antisemitism of our day also signifies that our time is rather short before the Lord appears to take us up to glory. The Bible warns that there will be another holocaust during the second half of the seven-year Tribulation. What we already see in our day will become increasingly violent until it reaches it height during last half of the Tribulation. The hatred of our day is leading to this terrible time for the Jewish people.
Israel’s existence puts all the other signs of the last days in perspective. The many signs warning that the seal judgments of Revelation chapter 6 are ever so near take on added significance because we know this is a time like no other as the world’s attention on Jerusalem continues to grow, just like the Bible said would happen in the last days (Zechariah 12:1-3).
Israel’s existence alerts us to the convergence of all the other signs warning the world that the Tribulation period is rapidly approaching. For us, nothing has to happen prophetically between now and when we meet Jesus in the air.
As the signs of the last days continue to multiply, we know that just a matter of time before our Savior appears and takes us to the place He’s preparing for us in Heaven (John 14:2-3). And some days I think that it cannot happen soon enough.
Maranatha!
My book, Invitation to a Lavish Feast – Wisdom’s Path to the Pre-Tribulation Rapture, is available on Amazon. In this book, I demonstrate how the words of Scripture not only verify our beliefs in not only the restoration of Israel, but also our hope in Jesus’ soon appearing to take us home to glory. In each section, I show how our beliefs regarding Bible prophecy intersect with our lives on a daily basis.
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