Word of the Week - Biblical End time Events and Timeline - Prophecy part 2

“On that day, the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying, “To your offspring I give this land from the river of Egypt to the great river, the river of Euphrates”.  Genesis 15:18

In follow up to my “Word of the Week” on Prophecy – see below, I wanted to give more context to the history of Israel and it’s biblical significance. I am currently reading a book by Jimmy Evans titled “Whats next Israel – Gaza War”.  This book outlines the biblical history of Israel, from the time that God gave the land to Abraham, until recent events we are hearing about on the nightly news.  As followers of Christ, I think it is critical for us to have biblical context to the prophetic events that are unfolding.  My hope is to share some of these key prophecies over the next few weeks.  I will only be able to summarize and hit some of the highlights, so I encourage you to take time to do your own homework on these significant developments.

Significance of Israel and Jerusalem - Biblical prophecy is specifically connected to the existence and restoration of the Jewish people (God’s chosen people) to the land of Israel.  The nation of Israel is mentioned over 2,200 times in the Old Testament and over 70 times in the New Testament.  Jerusalem is referenced more than 800 times throughout scripture.  This heavy focus on Israel and Jerusalem reveals their immense prophetic significance in God’s eyes.  Many Bible scholars have described Israel as God’s prophetic clock.  Watching Israel today provides insight into the advancement of God’s redemptive plan.  The rebirth of modern-day Israel in 1948 and the recapture of Jerusalem in 1967 have set the prophetic clock moving towards the culmination of God’s plan and purpose, the return of Jesus to rule and reign as King from Jerusalem over Israel and all the earth.  The Lord almighty remains sovereign over human affairs despite the events we are witnessing.  God’s plans will be accomplished in His perfect timing.  “But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father”. Matthew 24:36. 

God’s Promise to Israel – “Now the Lord said to Abrahm, “Go from your county and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you.  And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing.  I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” So Abrahm went, as the Lord had told him, and Lot went with him.” Genesis 12:1-4  God supernaturally directs Abrahm (later renamed by God as Abraham) to leave his native country full of idol-worshipping pagans.  By faith, Abrahm follows God’s instructions to go to the Promised Land of Canaan, which is the same general location as Israel today.  “By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance.  And he went out, not knowing where he was going.”  Hebrews 11:8 In Genesis 15, God solemnly enters into an everlasting, unconditional covenant with Abraham sealed by the passing between the halves of sacrificial animals according to the custom of sealing covenants.  “On that day, the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying, “To your offspring I give this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river Euphrates” Genesis 15:18  In this covenant, God promised Abraham several things to include the coming of the messiah through Abraham’s lineage. 

The nation of Israel – God’s covenant with Abraham, the father of the Jewish nation, included land with specific defined boundaries outlined in Genesis 15:18.  Centuries later, God miraculously birthed the Jewish nation through Abrahm’s descendants Isaac, Jacob and then the 12 tribes of Israel after delivering them from 400 years of Egyptian bondage.  The books of Joshua and Judges record Israel’s conquest of Canaan.  God commanded them to rid the land of pagan peoples, but even though Israel had some success, they never completely drove them out or defeated them.  The people of Israel would continue to interact with the Canaanites for centuries while intermittently adopting their deities and falling into idol worship and all kinds of other perversions.  Today we see international organizations and other countries trying to convince Israel to concede some of their land for peace.  God laid out Israel’s boundaries in Genesis 15 to include the West Bank, Gaza, the Golan Heights, and Lebanon, Syria and a substantial portion of Iraq.  The Palestinians and other Arab nations may assert historical or political claims of the land, but they cannot make a biblical claim.  God gave it to Abraham and his descendants forever. “He is the Lord our God; His judgements are in all the earth.  He remembers His covenant forever, the word He commanded, for a thousand generations, the covenant that He made with Abraham, his sworn promise to Isaac, which he confirmed to Jacob as a statue, to Israel as an everlasting covenant, saying, “To you I will give the land of Canaan as your portion for an inheritance” Psalm 105:7-11

Ongoing Enmity and Conflict – The long-running struggle between the Jews and Palestinians/Arabs traces back to 2000 BC in the rivalry between Isaac and Ishmael, both sons of Abraham.  According to the bible outlined in the book of Genesis, Ishmael was birthed illegitimately by Hagar, Sarah’s servant, while Isaac was conceived miraculously through Sarah and Abraham in old age.  God chose Isaac as the beloved and Ishmael and Hagar were cast out.  Their descendants have battled over the land ever since.  The long-running generational hostility has foreshadowed relationships between the offspring of Isaac (the Jewish people) versus Ishmael’s offspring (many Muslim Arab nations). Further, in Genesis 22, Abraham was instructed to offer his son Isaac as a sacrifice on Mount Mariah, the site of today’s Temple Mount in Jerusalem.  Islam emerged with a competing narrative in 600AD asserting that the son taken up for sacrifice by Abraham was not Isaac but his half brother Ishmael.  This revisionist telling is attempting to disconnect the Temple Mount from Judaism’s origins and claim it instead for Islam, which came thousands of years later.  Therein lies the crux of the ideological clash over this sacred ground.

Jesus Wins - Though Jesus decisively defeated the powers of darkness on the cross, Satan continues his efforts to wipe out the Jewish people.  Why did the enemy not stop once Jesus completed His earthly mission on the cross?  It is because the Bible declares that Jesus is coming back again to finish fulfilling His messianic mission as both King and Redeemer of Israel, ushering in His literal thousand-year Millennial Reign from Jerusalem.  God deeply loves both Israel and the Church.  Satan opposes and despises whatever God cherishes.  This is sadly evident in the ongoing conflict in the Holy Land.  Just as God showed His unwavering compassion for Israel throughout the Old Testament, He retains a special affection for the Jewish people today.  Be encouraged, we know that God’s purpose for Israel will ultimately prevail, along with His plans for the Church.  “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace.  In this world you will have trouble.  But take heart! I have overcome the world.” John 16:33

Next week I will go deeper into how the current conflict in Israel sets the stage for many of the biblical prophecies yet to be fulfilled. 

I hope you had a blessed Thanksgiving, we surely have much to be Thankful for.

Thank you,

-Duane