I’ll try to give the nutshell overview… I’ve spent literally 30 years (off and on) studying eschatology (study of end-time events). There’s no way I can give the full story in one note.
If you believe in the prophecy found in the Bible, we’re just getting started. Seriously… you ain’t seen nothin’ yet.
The reason Israel is always at the center of world headlines is because they are God’s chosen people. This goes all the way back to Adam & Eve in the book of Genesis.
It is here that we find the first prophecy of the coming Messiah.
Gen 3:15 And I will put enmity between you [Satan] and the woman [Eve], and between your seed and her seed; He [Yeshua] shall bruise you [Satan] on the head, And you [Satan] shall bruise Him [Yeshua] on the heel.”
If you believe in the prophecy found in the Bible, we’re just getting started. Seriously… you ain’t seen nothin’ yet.
The reason Israel is always at the center of world headlines is because they are God’s chosen people. This goes all the way back to Adam & Eve in the book of Genesis.
It is here that we find the first prophecy of the coming Messiah.
Gen 3:15 And I will put enmity between you [Satan] and the woman [Eve], and between your seed and her seed; He [Yeshua] shall bruise you [Satan] on the head, And you [Satan] shall bruise Him [Yeshua] on the heel.”
The English translation doesn’t quite do the original Hebrew justice. The implication is that Christ will crush his skull - putting an end to Satan’s centuries old task.
According to Scripture there are basically only two family trees that matter. The “seed” of Satan and the “seed” of God. Scripture often refers to these two lines as the children of Satan and the children of God.
The “seed” spoken of in the passage above is referring to Yeshua. The Christ was born through Jewish lineage. This is why you see the long list of lineages in the Bible… most people go “ugh! I ain’t reading all of this!” and just skip over those passages.
All of these recorded lineages show us that Yeshua was born according to the prophecies. From Abraham, Isaac, Jacob on down to king David, etc., Yeshua was born from this Jewish lineage.
When Moses led the Israelites out of Egypt, and God gave him the ten commandments - this was basically a marriage certificate between the children of Israel and God. When they ignored their marriage vows, they were punished - continuing down to this day.
One of those punishments included God blinding them to their Messiah. This is why they rejected Yeshua the first time and crucified Him. When He returns the second time, God has promised to lift their blindness. They will look upon, and recognize, the One they pierced and mourn. They will finally recognize their Messiah for Who He is.
Before that happens (the return of Yeshua) there were several prophecies that needed to be fulfilled. Just to name a few - Israelites would need to begin returning to the land that God has promised them. This was realized in 1948. In 1967 Jerusalem was back under their control. Both Biblical prophecies.
With the rise of Islam on a global level, we’re also seeing more Biblical prophecy fulfilled. Yes - Islam! There’s a coming Islamic Caliphate and the Antichrist will be leading this motley crew. This also has a long history - going back to Cain and Abel, Isaac versus Ishmael, Jacob versus Esau, etc. It’s what the Bible refers to as the “olam ebah”, or the ancient hatred.
The specific prophecy we’re watching for now is the beginning of sacrifices in Jerusalem again. Once this starts, which could be much sooner than most realize, the Antichrist (seed of Satan) will put an end to the sacrifices and thrash Israel. This is a very specific end-time prophecy that stems from the Book of Daniel. It’s referring to Daniel’s 70th week.
The point is, once we see this occur, what Daniel referred to as the abomination of desolation, we’ll know that there is only a short time left. This is the act that signals the beginning of the “Great Tribulation” - the final half of Daniel’s 70th week. A lot of Christians don’t realize that the great tribulation is NOT God’s wrath - according to Revelation 12:12, it is Satan’s wrath. The first half is referred to as the “beginning of birth pangs”.
This also signals one of the most often spoken prophecies… the Day of the Lord. Or, God’s wrath upon the unrepentant world. When God’s wrath begins, Satan’s wrath is over.
What happens then? Yeshua returns to earth and sets up His Kingdom, ruling and reigning from Mount Zion. Jerusalem will literally be the capital of the world and re-united with their Messiah.
Everything that we’re seeing in the headlines now is leading up to what is spoken of in Daniel. Not only Daniel, but several other Old Testament prophets, New Testament writers, and of course - the Book of Revelation.
Lot to absorb? Yeah… I know. I’ve got a ka-jillion blogs which fill in all the blanks above. The point is this - Israel is the apple of Yahweh’s eye. He’s not done with them yet. They will continue to be the center of world conflict until Yeshua puts an end to it Himself.
Believe me, this is only the nutshell version.
