GOD AND ISRAEL

It is amazing how an event in the Middle East, especially an even in Israel. can make people so concerned about the end of the world. Video after video on social media in the last few days has talked about things like the mark of the beast and that Antichrist is on the way because Israel was attacked. Let me just say this. That kind of unfounded rhetoric is dangerous. You are better off, as we talked about a couple of weeks ago, keeping your mouth shut if you do not know what the Bible says about a topic.

Man’s anxiety concerning the end really validates the work of the Holy Spirit in the world. Even lost people make scriptural references about end-time events. Why?

Because Jesus said this about the Holy Spirit.

John 16:8–11 “And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and concerning righteousness and concerning judgment: concerning sin, because they do not believe in me, and concerning righteousness, because I am going away to the Father and you will see me no more, and concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world has been condemned.”

The Holy Spirit convicts mankind of sin, righteousness and judgment, and Jesus even says why the Holy Spirit convicts in those areas.

Everyone knows, because everyone has been convicted of the fact, that judgment is coming, but the lost and Christians are imprisoned by the hysteria surrounding the end because they do not study God’s Word enough to know the absolutes concerning the end-times and judgment.

God’s Word and the Holy Spirit leave no doubt as to what is going to happen.

To understand the end-times, it is important to understand this one essential fact. The center point of all prophecy is the nation Israel. The events of prophecy are used to draw Israel back to God by trusting in Jesus Christ. That’s it.

Israel gets attacked this week, and people start panicking, but dear friend, God’s Word tells us about what is going on today. By the way, I have heard some Christians this week say things like this: “We are going to have to send F-35s to help Israel. They cannot win this war without our help.” I would expect a lost person to say something like that but not a Christian. Israel does not want our military help. Do you realize who our commander-in-chief is? Mr. Magoo.

Israel does not need the United States of America. Did you know that? Let me tell you what the Bible says.

Psalm 121:4–8 “Look, he will not slumber and he will not sleep— he who protects Israel. Yahweh is your protector; Yahweh is your shade at your right hand. The sun will not strike you by day, nor the moon by night. Yahweh will protect you from all evil; he will protect your life. Yahweh will protect your going out and your coming in from now until forever.”

Israel does not need Mr. Magoo. Israel has the God of eternity watching over them. The God who spoke everything in existence does not need help in defeating Israel’s enemies. Just ask Pharaoh and Egypt.

The one passage that tells you all that you need to know about the end-times is found in Daniel.

Daniel 9:24–27 ““Seventy weeks is decreed for your people and for your holy city, to put an end to the transgression and to seal up sin and to make atonement for guilt and to bring in everlasting righteousness and to seal vision and prophet and to anoint the most holy place. And you must know and you must understand that from the time of the going out of the word to restore and build Jerusalem until an anointed one—a leader—will be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks; it will be restored and will be built with streets and a moat, but in a time of oppression. “And after the sixty and two weeks an anointed one shall be cut off, and he shall have nothing, and the people of the coming leader will destroy the city and the sanctuary, and its end will be with the flood and on to the end there shall be war; these desolations are determined. And he will make a strong covenant with the many for one week, but in half of the week he will let cease sacrifice and offering and in its place a desolating abomination comes…”

1. Israel

Israel is God’s covenant people. God never acts randomly. He has had a plan for Israel before the foundation of the world.

God’s established a covenant with Israel, and there are many unfulfilled promises in that covenant, but God tells us in Daniel 9 exactly how long it will take God to fulfill the promises of that covenant.

A. 70 weeks

Daniel 9:24 says that 70 weeks are decreed for your people and the holy city.

Who is Daniel’s people? The Jews.

What is the city? Jerusalem

If you try to equate the 70-week prophecy with any group other than the Jews, you are wrong. Daniel clearly writes that 70-weeks have been determined for Daniel’s people, the Jews, and the holy city, Jerusalem.

The 70-weeks are not just 70 periods of time each 7-days long.

Each week is a period of 7 years. 70 weeks of 7 years means that God’s plan for Israel will be completed after 490 years.

B. The Purposes of the 70-Weeks

As always, God’s plan has a purpose, so what are the purposes of the 70-weeks?

To put an end to transgression. (Daniel 9:24)

Whose transgression? The Jews.

What transgression? The rejection of the Messiah.

God’s covenant people will eventually recognize Jesus Christ as Messiah, but it takes 490 years to put an end to the transgression of rejecting Him.

b. To seal up sin. (Daniel 9:24)

It takes God 490 years to seal up or to end sin.

c. To make an atonement of guilt and to bring in everlasting righteousness.

The third purpose of the 70-weeks/490 years is to bring in everlasting righteousness.

At the end of God’s calendar, only the righteous will remain on earth.

Only those who have imputed the righteousness of Christ will remain on planet earth.

d. To seal up vision and prophecy.

The final purpose of the 490 years is to complete God’s plan, to complete the age.

Everything will be accomplished at the end of the 490 years. Now, it is rather obvious that more than 490 years have passed since Daniel was given this prophecy, but I want you to know. The 490 years of Daniel 9 are more precise than any watch you can buy. To understand, however, you must see how God keeps time.

C. The Timing of the 70-Weeks

I am going to try to be brief as possible, but you must understand that the precision of the dates I am about to share with you is incredible. The precision will show you absolutely that it is God who is in control.

The first 7 weeks or 49 years

Daniel 9:25 “And you must know and you must understand that from the time of the going out of the word to restore and build Jerusalem until an anointed one—a leader—will be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks; it will be restored and will be built with streets and a moat, but in a time of oppression.”

When did God’s clock start? When the command was given to rebuild Jerusalem.

God wants us to know specifically when He started His stopwatch. God’s stopwatch began its countdown when the command was given for Jerusalem to be rebuilt.

When was the command to rebuild Jerusalem given?

Nehemiah 2:1 “It happened in the month of Nisan, in the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes, when wine was before him, I carried the wine and gave it to the king. And I had never been sad before the king.”

The command to rebuild Jerusalem was given by Artaxerxes in the month of Nisan in the 20th year of his reign. History tells us based upon the paschal moon that the exact date of this command to go and rebuild Jerusalem was given on March 14, 445 BC.

Beginning on that date, it would take 49 years to rebuild not only the Temple but Jerusalem.

b. 62 weeks or 434 years

Daniel 9:25–26 “And you must know and you must understand that from the time of the going out of the word to restore and build Jerusalem until an anointed one—a leader—will be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks; it will be restored and will be built with streets and a moat, but in a time of oppression. “And after the sixty and two weeks an anointed one shall be cut off, and he shall have nothing, and the people of the coming leader will destroy the city and the sanctuary, and its end will be with the flood and on to the end there shall be war; these desolations are determined.”

From the rebuilding of Jerusalem until the Anointed One is cut-off would be a total of 483 years. (49 years + 434 years = 483 years)

What does that mean? It means that 483 years after the command was given to rebuild Jerusalem, the Anointed One, the Messiah, would ride into Jerusalem and be cut off. It is talking about the crucifixion of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Isaiah talked about it.

Isaiah 53:8 “He was taken by restraint of justice, and who concerned himself with his generation? For he was cut off from the land of the living; he received a blow because of the transgression of my people.”

Isaiah uses the same language. Jesus was cut off from the land of the living. He was crucified for your sins and sins on that day.

What day? A prophetic calendar is 360 days long. 483 x 360 = 173,880 days which is the exact number of days between the command to rebuild to the crucifixion. If you take that number and convert it to the Julian calendar, you will find that Jesus was crucified on April 6, 32 AD.

Jesus was cut off from His people on April 6, 32 AD. He was crucified for the sins of God’s covenant people who rejected him. With the crucifixion of Jesus, 483 of God’s 490 years was complete, so what did God do?

God took a timeout.

D. God’s Timeout

God’s stopwatch for His people, the Jews, was stopped on April 6, 29 AD. It is a period of time the Bible refers to as the time of the Gentiles.

Here is the mistake so many make. Nothing in the 70-weeks prophecy of Daniel applies to the church.

The 70-week prophecy is for Israel. You have to be careful when reading prophecy in the Bible to distinguish between the church and Israel.

God’s stopwatch stopped on April 6, 32 AD, so what has happened and what is going to happen during God’s timeout?

The body of Christ will be complete.

Romans 11:25 “For I do not want you to be ignorant, brothers, of this mystery, so that you will not be wise in your own sight, that a partial hardening has happened to Israel, until the full number of the Gentiles has come in,”

50 days after Jesus ascended into Heaven, the Day of Pentecost occurred. At that point in time, the Church was born.

The Church is the instrument God is using during this time to reach the lost world, but there is coming a time when the purpose of the church will be completed. The Bible says that happens when the full number of Gentiles has come in.

What does the full number of the Gentiles comes in mean? I believe that there is a set number that will be added to body of Christ, the church, and when that number is met, God will start His stopwatch again. Dear friend, it could happen while I am speaking. That number could be completed this very minute.

b. Jerusalem was destroyed.

Daniel 9:26 ““And after the sixty and two weeks an anointed one shall be cut off, and he shall have nothing, and the people of the coming leader will destroy the city and the sanctuary, and its end will be with the flood and on to the end there shall be war; these desolations are determined.”

The people of the coming leader are the Romans.

In 70 AD, the Romans under Titus completely destroyed Jerusalem and the temple. (Matthew 24:2)

It was destroyed by a flood of judgment, not a flood of water. The Romans intended for Jerusalem to never be a city again, but they did not know that God Almighty has other plans. Over 1.5 millions Jews died during the destruction of Jerusalem.

Daniel says they are the people of the coming leader. The coming leader is the Antichrist, as he will rise to lead the Revived Roman Empire, a 10-nation confederation from the nations of the West.

c. There shall be war.

Daniel says that there will be war during God’s timeout, and he was absolutely correct.

Jesus said this about the warfare during God’s timeout.

Matthew 24:6 “And you are going to hear about wars and rumors of wars. See to it that you are not alarmed, for this must happen, but the end is not yet. “

During God’s timeout, Jesus says that you will hear of wars and rumors of war.

The conflict in Israel today is one of the wars and rumors of war that Jesus and Daniel were talking about. World War I, World War 2, Vietnam, the US Civil War, the Persian Gulf all fall into wars and rumors of war. You would think after 2,000 years that man would have eliminated war, but God’s message to Daniel was that there will be war to the end.

Speaking of war, I am going to throw this in at no cost.

The Bible specifically mentions 4 alliances that will be evident during the end-times.

I want you to see if these alliances are not beginning to align themselves with each other.

The Russian Federation which will include Iran, Turkey, Germany, Syria, and the Islamic republics of the former Soviet Union

The Kingdoms of the South which will include Ethiopia, Libya, the Sudan, South Africa, and other African nations.

The Kingdoms of the East. (200 million man army)

You must remember that the eastern border of Israel’s promised inheritance was the Euphrates River. The Kingdoms of the East refers to nations east of that river. I believe it to include after careful study India, China, North Korea, Iran, Afghanistan, and Pakistan.

4. The Revived Roman Empire which include Italy, United Kingdom, France, the United States, Spain, Portugal, and four others, possibly Canada, Greece, Belgium, and Denmark.

Do you remember what Habakkuk said? (Habakkuk 1:5)

Habakkuk 1:5 ““Look among the nations and see; be astonished and astounded. For a work is about to be done in your days that you will not believe if it is told.”

Have you noticed how some of these nations are starting to align themselves economically and militarily through something called BRICS? As of now, the BRICS nations are India, China, Russia, Brazil, and South Africa with more wanting to join.

What’s happening in Israel today was told to Daniel by God all those years ago. Jesus said you would have wars and rumors of war. Wars will happen until the end of the age, but never forget Psalm 121:4-8, because God will never sleep on His people.

d. The Rapture will occur.

The Rapture is the event that will restart God’s stopwatch.

Romans 11:25–26 “For I do not want you to be ignorant, brothers, of this mystery, so that you will not be wise in your own sight, that a partial hardening has happened to Israel, until the full number of the Gentiles has come in, and so all Israel will be saved, just as it is written, “The deliverer will come out of Zion; he will turn away ungodliness from Jacob.”

When the Rapture occurs, when the body of Christ is complete, God will turn His attention to Israel to complete the 490 years prophecy of Daniel. The body of Christ will be called to meet Christ in the air at which time the clock starts ticking.

1 Thessalonians 4:16–17 “For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a shout of command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who remain, will be snatched away at the same time together with them in the clouds for a meeting with the Lord in the air, and thus we will be together with the Lord always.”

Eternity in glory began for me when I believed and trusted on Jesus Christ, and that eternity will be realized when I am called to meet Christ in the air.

E. The Last 7 Years

The last 7 years will be the time of great sorrow and joy.

Daniel 9:27 “And he will make a strong covenant with the many for one week, but in half of the week he will let cease sacrifice and offering and in its place a desolating abomination comes even until the determined complete destruction is poured out on the desolator.””

When God turns His attention Israel, events spiral rather quickly.

It is at this point the Antichrist appears, and the world and Israel will love him.

He will confirm or make a strong covenant with Israel. I believe the Covenant he confirms is the Abrahamic Covenant. To confirm the covenant, I believe, he will assist Israel in rebuilding the temple which means that in one of these wars coming up Israel is going to take control of the Temple Mount. Israel will restore the Levitical sacrifices. Many Israelites, as many as 2/3, will fall for the lie believing the One they have waited for so long had finally appeared.

What lie? I believe that they will believe Antichrist is Christ the Messiah. I believe that is what the lie of 2 Thessalonians is describing.

2 Thessalonians 2:11–12 “And because of this, God sends them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie, in order that all may be condemned who did not believe the truth, but delighted in unrighteousness.”

At the midpoint of the last week, the last 7 years, Antichrist will claim to be god and demand worship by stopping all sacrifices and requiring everyone to take the mark of the beast.

2 Thessalonians 2:4 “who opposes and who exalts himself over every so-called god or object of worship, so that he sits down in the temple of God, proclaiming that he himself is God.”

During this last seven years, God is pouring out His wrath on earth through a series of judgments. In His mercy, He is still trying to get men to repent, but men refuse. Finally, the four alliances who have been fighting all over the globe will decide that Israel, God’s holy place, needs to be destroyed as they come together to finally destroy Israel. It is as that time something amazing happens.

Revelation 19:11 “And I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse, and the one seated on it was called “Faithful” and “True,” and with justice he judges and makes war.”

All is lost. The whole world is coming against Israel. The remnant of Israel saved during the last week are praying to God for deliverance, and suddenly, in an answer to prayer, the King of Kings bursts through the skies with all of the saints that were called to heaven at the Rapture, and the forces of sin, evil, and lawlessness are destroyed in favor of righteousness and as a fulfillment of God’s covenant with Israel, not the church.

The Final Conflict takes place at the place known as Armageddon. A conflict that had been a world conflict culminates in one final battle. A conflict that began with the opposing armies using all the fancy weapons they have at their disposal ends with a word, the Word of God.

The Bible gives us a hint at what Jesus will say as He bursts through the skies with the saints.

John 18:2–6 “(Now Judas, the one who betrayed him, also knew about the place, because Jesus often gathered there with his disciples.) So Judas, taking the cohort and officers from the chief priests and from the Pharisees, came there with lanterns and torches and weapons. Then Jesus, because he knew all the things that were coming upon him, went out and said to them, “Who are you looking for?” They replied to him, “Jesus the Nazarene.” He said to them, “I am he.” (Now Judas, the one who betrayed him, was also standing with them.) So when he said to them, “I am he,” they drew back and fell to the ground.”

Notice who is represented here.

Judas represents Antichrist (More to come on this as we finish our discussion of the 12)

The Pharisees represent false religion.

The soldiers represent the gathered armies at Armageddon.

When Jesus charges through the skies on that white steed, He is going to shout with the authority given to Him by the Father “I AM”, and every lost soul on this planet will fall back from the power of those two words, and all that will be left will be righteousness and the 490 year prophecy will be complete.

We need to be careful when we talk about current events as not to scare those who are not versed in Bible prophecy. When something happens like has happened to Israel, take the Bible and show those immature Christians or your children what the Bible says about these events. Tell them God said it was going to happen thousands of years ago. Use it as an opportunity to share Christ and the reality of what is coming.