A very good friend Elizabeth Peregrine asked me yesterday if all the turmoil going on in Israel is a sign that the END was near. She is not alone. Every time there is a conflict in or around Israel, many see it as a sign of the quickly approaching END times. Conflict in Israel could be but is not necessarily a sign of the end times.
Actually battles in Israel have been a reality whenever Israel has existed as a nation. Whether it was the Egyptians, Amalekites, Midianites, Moabites, Ammonites, Amorites, Philistines, Assyrians, Babylonians, Persians, Romans, Germany, or Iran, the nation of Israel has always been persecuted by its neighbors.
Why is this? According to the Bible, it is because God has a special plan for the nation of Israel, and Satan wants to defeat that plan. Satanically influenced hatred of Israel—and especially Israel’s God—is the reason Israel’s neighbors have always wanted to see Israel destroyed. Whether it was the king of Assyria; the leader of Persia; Hitler, ruler of Nazi Germany; or Rouhani, President of Iran, attempts to completely destroy Israel will however always fail.
The persecutors of Israel will come and go, but the persecution itself will remain until the second coming of Christ. As a result, conflict in of itself indicates Israel is not a reliable indicator of the soon arrival of the end times.
However, the Bible does say there will be terrible conflict in Israel during the end times. That is why the time period is known as the Great Tribulation, it will be terrible. Speculation can be put to rest by looking at Scripture. Here is what the Bible says about Israel in the end times:
There will be a mass return of Jews to the land of Israel. This occurred after World War II – 1948. Several other things must happen at the END. The Antichrist will make a 7-year covenant of “peace” with Israel. The Antichrist will break his covenant with Israel, and worldwide persecution of Israel will result. Israel will be invaded. Israel will finally recognize Jesus as their Messiah. Israel will be regenerated, restored, and regathered.
There is much turmoil in Israel today. Israel is in a war is being persecuted, surrounded by enemies—Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Hamas, Islamic Jihad, Hezbollah, Russia, etc. But this hatred and persecution of Israel is only a hint of what will happen in the end times (Matthew 24:15-21).
The latest round of persecution began when Israel was reconstituted as a nation in 1948. Many Bible prophecy scholars believed the six-day Arab-Israeli war in 1967 was the “beginning of the end.”
Could what is taking place in Israel today indicate that the end is near? Yes. Does it necessarily mean the end is near? No.
Jesus Himself said it best, “Watch out that no one deceives you . . . You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come”. We have had such conflicts for thousands of years and it continues today.
Truth be told, only God the Father knows the exact timing including Jesus Himself when the END will come. We are to be ready and when it comes we will not fall victim to any surprises.
Matthew 24:42
“Watch therefore: for you know not what hour your Lord will come . . . for in such an hour as you think not, the Son of man will come.”
Have a great weekend and go to church this Sunday!