Modern Israel in prophecy

What does the bible have to say about modern Israel in prophecy?

Yes, the bible does predict the current re-gathered nation of Israel, and yes God’s promises to the Jews will be literally fulfilled, however it’s important to discern the difference between genuine fulfilments relating to the nation now and the misapplication of verses that relate to times still in the future. Looseness with the context of prophecies concerning Israel will ultimately only confuse peoples understanding of prophecy, and by doing so give ammunition to those who would argue against God having any future plans to establish the Jewish people.

I find the following example from Jerry Golden (The Golden Report) a classic example of overexcited and completely misconstrued use of bible prophecy:

At the end of the 6-Day War Israel air lifted a Rabbi to the top of Mount Sinai to blow the Shofar, the Feast of the Tabernacle of the Lord begins with the blowing of the Shofar...

Jesus died on Passover,
He was buried on the Feast of Unleavened Bread.
He rose on the Feast of First Fruits.
Act 2:1 we find the Feast of Pentecost

The Church has been waiting for the Second Advent to occur, and that will be the last three of the seven Feasts, which are:

Rosh Ha Shana – blowing of the Shofar.
Day of Atonement – Yom Kippur
Feast of Tabernacle – Sukkoth

We witnessed the blowing of the Shofar on Mt. Sinai in 1967, possibly not recognizing that the second advent had started and the countdown for the last days was just ahead of us.

While I don’t disagree that we are in the countdown to last days, I seriously doubt that this blowing of the Shofar in 1967 has the significance Jerry Golden ascribes it. Consider the following verses about the Lord’s return:

…For the trumpet (Shofar) will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed (I Cor 15:52)

And He will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other. (Matthew 24:32)

And in Revelation 19, after the coming of the Lord:

Then I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the birds that fly in the midst of heaven, “Come and gather together for the supper of the great God, that you may eat the flesh of kings, the flesh of captains, the flesh of mighty men… (Rev 19:17-18)

Put simply; the blast of the trumpet, the fullness of atonement and the supper of the great God all occur at Christ’s coming and are far more supernatural in nature that Jerry's version of things suggests.

Perhaps this little bit of eschatological silliness shouldn't bother us too much, but it's just one example amongst many of the misapplication of very specific biblical prophecies to political events of our day. Especially on the topic of Israel we sometimes hear, even from otherwise sensible circles, that this or that political event is a fulfilment of biblical prophecy. Well, maybe there have been some, and there certainly will be many in the future, but much of this talk has been careless and misplaced; a quick-draw kind of folk prophecy that only serves to cloud peoples understanding and sow the seeds of deception.

The future blessing and restoration of Israel

When it comes to Israel we need to apply a little diligence to understand the difference between true and false applications of prophecy. It is true that God made many promises in the Old Testament concerning the future blessing and restoration of Israel. But have the specific fulfilments of these really been coming to pass since 1948? Many believe so and will give out one verse after another to support their view.

Here are just a few examples among many we’ve heard over time:

…And the desert shall rejoice and blossom as the rose; It shall blossom abundantly and rejoice. (Isaiah 35:1-2)

Used to say that Israel’s irrigation and use of the desert to grow crops is a fulfilment of prophecy.

In that day I will make the governors of Judah like a fire pan in the woodpile, and like a fiery torch in the sheaves; they shall devour all the surrounding peoples on the right hand and on the left, but Jerusalem shall be inhabited again in her own place – Jerusalem. (Zec 12:6)

Used regarding Israel’s success in the six day war (and pretty much any other conflict that suits).

And of course this one concerning the current re-gathering of Israel overall:

He will set up a banner to the nations, and will assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather together the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth (Isaiah 11:12)

On the surface of it these seem to apply; so what’s the problem? The problem is that if you read around any of these kind of verses you’ll typically discover that they’ve been used out of context. Pretty much all verses used to suggest that the modern state of Israel is fulfilling prophecy are Messianic era promises which are yet to be fulfilled at, and after, Christ’s coming.

Let’s start with an example. The Zec 12:6 prophecy about the governors of Judah. If we read on in the chapter we find out that on that same day¹ the inhabitants of Israel will mourn because of their rejection of their Messiah and will turn back to him. This did not happen at the time of the six day war.

But beyond drawing attention to each obvious flaw is the big picture that prophetically Israel is actually still in for some pretty tough times before Jesus himself returns and ushers in the Messianic era and its promises to Israel. Any serious student of prophecy should understand that the current nation of Israel will be trodden underfoot by the gentiles for three and a half years during the tribulation:

…for it has been given to the Gentiles. And they will trample the holy city underfoot for forty-two months. (Rev 11:2)

In fact, by the return of the Lord modern Israel will have been largely occupied and pushed to the brink of ruin².

For I will gather all the nations to battle against Jerusalem; the city shall be taken, The houses rifled, And the woman ravished. Half of the city shall go into captivity, but the remnant of the people shall not be cut off from the city. Then the Lord will go forth and fight against those nations… (Zec 14:2-3)

So to use the Messianic prophecies concerning the current restoration of the nation definitely seems premature. This new nation is still one that is in unbelief. It had to come into being, for end times prophecy could not come to pass unless there was a literal nation of Israel, but this could also be seen as an attempt by Israel in the flesh to fulfil God's promises to themselves by their own strength.

The current nation in prophecy

There are however passages that probably do refer specifically to the current nation in prophecy; especially those that deal with Israel during, and just prior to, the tribulation. A couple came up in the section above, and there are some other good examples in the book of Zephaniah which is about “The great day of the Lord” (1:14) and the time of wrath both on the gentile nations AND on the unbelieving Jewish nation, before the ultimate restoration and the establishment of a remnant in Israel who will inherit the Millennial Kingdom promises. This current re-gathering seems referred to in Zephaniah two:

Gather yourselves together, yes gather together, O undesirable nation, before the decree is issued, or the day passes like chaff, before the Lord’s fierce anger comes upon you… (Zeph 2:1-2)

The connection to this being Israel is in the proceeding chapter, which in a number of places makes clear reference to Israel, in particular:

I will stretch out my hand against Judah, and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem… (Zeph 1:4)

And if after reading this chapter you are unconvinced of the context, also read chapter three which speaks of the nation and “her God” in clear context of tribulation events. It starts with:

Woe to her who is rebellious and polluted, to the oppressing city! She has not obeyed His voice, she has not received correction; she has not trusted in the Lord, she has not drawn near to her God. (Zeph 3:1-2)

If this is the character of the current nation then why are certain segments of the Christian community plunging resources into political support, rather than focusing on the Christian mandate of reaching its people with the gospel? Only repentance will open God's true blessing to individuals, and then when national repentance comes, the nation as a whole.

Our attitude towards the current nation of Israel

The character of the current unbelieving nation raises questions about what our attitude as Christians should be towards it. As a Christian I certainly recognize that God gave the land of Israel to the descendants of Abraham through Isaac. But I also see that false applications of prophecy have been used to stir up one-eyed political support for it from within the church. Has the current restoration all been God's clear hand of blessing? From a certain perspective one could argue that Israel's post 1948 formation has actually been powered more by the money of the Jewish banking empire, American military aid, and in general by the arm of the flesh, than by the outstretched arm of God. Note that the Zephaniah prophecy says “Gather YOURSELVES together”, not something to the effect of “I will gather…”. Of course it's complex because even in saying this we must acknowledge an overarching will of God - it's no doubt his will that the nation should re-gather before the end times; perhaps in fulfilment of Ezekiel 37:7 - the dry bones coming together but not yet having breath (spiritual life) in them.

But the terrible thing is that this new nation is to be largely destroyed yet again before God fulfils his Kingdom promises to Israel. The church should be mindful of this and ensure that it's building gold and precious silver (preaching Christ), not building the wood, hay and stubble of the outward nation. Replacement Theology³ has been a terrible curse, but has there also in places been an overreaction against it that has led many Christians to support anything and everything Israel does in the Middle East, no matter how non Christ-like? We need some rational balance not emotive hyperbole.

Personally I have the sneaking suspicion that both Jews and Christians are currently being duped. Neither God or Satan have finished with Israel. God will still one day fulfil all the Messianic promises to them, but by the same token Satan still seeks to destroy the Israelites. How can Satan destroy a people who are scattered through the whole earth? Well, one really good start might be to bring them all together again into one place. A shocking thought. Well, I admit I might be wrong about this, but there have been Muslims who have openly said much the same thing.

Paving the way for Antichrist

Getting back to the core issue of the deceptive use of prophecy regarding the current rebuilding of Israel. There is yet another aspect to this that should be seriously considered. I believe this deception is all part of bringing the world to accept Antichrist. Antichrist would not be widely accepted as the Messiah if he were not seen to be fulfilling Messianic scriptures concerning the coming of Christ. And these fulfilments can’t exist in isolation; they will need a whole pattern of thought and misinterpretation of prophecy to fit into. Therefore the truly sobering thing about the prevalence of mistaken applications of prophecy is that it is laying a clever foundation of deception on which the Antichrist will build his throne.

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