The role of Israel in end-time Bible prophecy has sparked intense interest among numerous Christian groups, especially in light of recent events in the Middle East. Various perspectives exist regarding Israel’s significance in eschatology. A prevalent belief among some is that God will restore Israel and pave the way for the construction of the third temple in Jerusalem. It is anticipated that this event will set the stage for the emergence of the Antichrist, who will establish a seven-year reign from Jerusalem, a time known as the ‘great tribulation.’ This period culminates in the final battle of Armageddon, where the nations of the world will converge against Israel. It is then believed that Jesus will return to save Israel and establish a thousand-year reign from Jerusalem.
This view of end-time prophecy, in its diverse forms, often emphasises Israel as the central figure in final events. Such interpretations remove the Christian saints from eschatology, shifting the narrative from a cosmic battle between the forces of good and evil to a confrontation between nations. This raises the question: Is this the correct interpretation of the prophecies of Daniel and Revelation or has something crucial been missed?
The History of Israel
To form the correct understanding of Israel’s identity and their role in end-time prophecy, we need to revisit the book of Genesis, where the name ‘Israel’ first appears. In the book of Genesis, we are told that Israel was the name God gave to Jacob, the descendant of Abraham. It was to Abraham that the promise of God’s blessing of humanity first came. It was to be through his ‘Seed’ that “all the nations of the earth” were to “be blessed” (Gen 22:18). In this promise was a prediction of the coming of the Messiah through the lineage of Abraham, to redeem the world from sin and restore humanity to favour with God. This promise continued through Abraham’s son Isaac, and onto Jacob, who was renamed Israel. Through Jacob’s descendants, the lineage of Israel was established.
Jacob’s name was changed to Israel after a long night of wrestling with God (Gen 32). On recognising the divine nature of his assailant, Jacob took hold of Him by faith, refusing to let Him go until he had been given evidence of His divine approval and received His blessing. Jacob was not acting presumptuously, repentance of his sin, and a conviction of the love and mercy of God as his Saviour gave him the courage to grasp Him firmly by faith. God rewarded Jacob’s faith, and this was evidenced by the change of his name from ‘Jacob’ to ‘Israel’; “for as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed” (Gen 32:28).
In the ancient world, names were deeply significant, often containing a description or defining feature of the one who bore it. In the case of the name ‘Israel’, scripture tells us that this name represents one who, as a prince, has power to prevail with God. It was Jacob’s experience with God that allowed for the change of His name. It was in wrestling with God, taking a firm hold of Him by faith, and claiming the promise of His blessing, that Jacob was able to prevail with God, and become worthy of bearing the name ‘Israel.’
To truly bear the name ‘Israel’, one must live up to its meaning. As per the ancient custom, Jacob’s descendants bore this name, and with it took all the promises that God had made to their forefathers. However, it was possible that any who had joined in the experience of Jacob could also claim this name, even if they were not his physical descendants.
While Israel mainly comprised blood descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, it was also possible for Gentiles to be adopted into Israel. Through a process of ‘proselytization’, a Gentile could join Israel by adopting Jewish religious observances and customs. It was God’s design that Israel should be “for a light of the Gentiles” (Isa 42:6), that they might offer salvation to the ends of the earth (Isa 49:6). Isaiah 56:3, 6-7 illustrates God’s plan for the Gentiles to become part of Israel, by joining themselves to Him and taking hold of His covenant and sabbath.
Through conversion to the worship of the true God, Gentiles could embrace the identity of ‘Israel’, bearing the traits of those who have power to prevail with God. Being an Israelite was not solely based on bloodline, as one could attain this status through spiritual adoption.
Seventy Weeks Given
The prophecy of Daniel 9:24-27 contained God’s special covenant with Israel for a period of seventy prophetic weeks, the equivalent of 490 literal years. This time was granted to Israel to repent of their sin and welcome the Messiah (vs 24). Failure to do this would, as prophesied, result in the curses of Moses continuing upon them through the desolation of Jerusalem and destruction of the temple (compare Deut 28:52-57 and Daniel 9:26-27). Had they turned to God, repented of their rebellion, and accepted Jesus as the promised Messiah, they would have reaped the blessings of Moses and would have continued as His chosen treasure and light to the world (Deut 28:1-14).
The seventy-week period began with the command to restore and rebuild Jerusalem, given by King Artaxerxes in 457 B.C, and recorded in Ezra 7:21-28. This was the only one of three commands given that considered not only the rebuilding of Jerusalem but the restoration of its civil and judicial systems, both of which are required by the prophecy of Daniel 9 to mark its beginning.
The first seven weeks, equivalent to 49 years, were given for the rebuilding and restoration of Jerusalem (vs 25). Subsequently, after the completion of 69 weeks, totalling 483 years, the Messiah began His ministry in 31 A.D. According to the gospel of Mark, Jesus’ first message was that “the time is fulfilled” (Mark 1:15). This statement was a clear reference to the completion of the first 69 weeks of the prophecy of Daniel, as this is the only time prophecy that pointed to the exact time of the beginning of His ministry; there was no other ‘time’ that could be fulfilled. It is crucial to note that it was the anointing of the Messiah (Dan 9:24) that transpires at the end of the 69 weeks, not His death.
However, it is at this point that many go wrong in their interpretation of Daniel 9. Rather than recognising that the seventieth week was fulfilled by Jesus, they insert the Antichrist into this text. Additionally, they break up the seventy-week prophecy and separate the last week by an unsubstantiated span of around 2000 years, which is not supported by the text. If such a gap were to exist between the 69th and 70th weeks, this would be made plain in the Scripture.
It was Jesus who made the covenant with Israel and worked especially for them for one prophetic week (Dan 9:27). It was because of this divine promise that when Jesus came, He proclaimed that He did not come but to “the lost sheep of the house of Israel” (Mat 15:24). He gave the same instruction to His disciples, telling them, “Go not into the way of the Gentiles,” “but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel” (Mat 10:5-6). For 3.5 years, equalling half a prophetic week, Jesus ministered to Israel alone before He was cut off “in the midst of the week” for the sins of the world, causing “sacrifice and the oblation to cease” (Dan 9:27). When the true lamb of God died, animal sacrifices ended, and never again will God ordain that an animal should be slain for sin. To resume animal sacrifices would be to return to the shadow and deny the perfect and complete sacrifice that Jesus made on the cross.
After Jesus' ascension, the disciples continued for a further 3.5 years to minister alone to Israel, completing the final portion of the 70th week, and maintaining God’s promise to work especially for them during this time. Jesus had promised the Jews that even after His death He would send them “prophets, and wise men, and scribes”, some of them they would kill and crucify, others they would scourge in their synagogues, and persecute from city to city (Mat 23:34).
Acts 1-6 outlines the fulfillment of Jesus words through the work of the disciples for the Jews. It is not until the death of Stephen in 34 A.D (Acts 7), at the end of the seventy-week prophecy, that we finally see the disciples taking the gospel to the Gentiles. This was especially fulfilled in the life of Paul, who experienced his conversion and ministry shortly after this event. Stephen’s death, and the ongoing persecution of the early church, caused the scattering of God’s people, taking the gospel with them to the Gentiles.
The seventy-week prophecy of Daniel 9 stands as an entire unit of time from 457 B.C to 34 A.D. It was Jesus who made a special covenant with Israel for one week, during which time they were given the profound privilege of having Him minister for them as one of them. Then, after His ascension, the disciples continued this work until the 70th week was complete. Israel’s failure to acknowledge Christ as the Messiah and embrace the message of the disciples, met its punishment in 70 A.D when Jerusalem and the temple were destroyed by the Romans.
The End of the Covenant with Israel
The fig tree is a well-recognised Biblical symbol for the nation of Israel that is depicted clearly in Hosea 9:10 and Jeremiah 24. Throughout the gospels, we encounter parables containing both warnings and prophecies from John the Baptist and Jesus against Israel.
The first instance comes from the preaching of John the Baptist, whose public ministry began approximately six months before Jesus. During this time, he presented a warning to the Jews, saying, “And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees: therefore every tree which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire” (Mat 3:10). As the second Elijah, John’s message was primarily one of repentance. Using the symbol of the fig tree, John was warning them that a failure to repent and bring forth good fruit would result in their destruction.
Three years later, Jesus spoke His parable of the barren fig tree (Luke 13:6-9). In this parable, Jesus portrayed a certain owner of a vineyard coming to seek fruit on his fig tree for a period of three years but finding none. Due to the tree’s persistent failure to bear fruit, the owner tells the dresser to cut it down. However, the dresser requests to be given another year to provide special care to the fig tree before giving it up for destruction.
In this parable, God the Father is portrayed as the owner of the vineyard, while Jesus is the vinedresser. The fig tree is Israel, and the fruit is that of repentance and godliness. The three years represent the time that has elapsed from when the message of repentance was first given by John the Baptist (6 months prior to Jesus) to the time Jesus gave this parable (2.5 years into his ministry). The absence of fruit is evidence that Israel still had not come to repentance, neither were they pursuing a path of righteousness. In the parable, the vinedresser pleads another year to work with the tree, indicating that Jesus was to continue His ministry for Israel another year before His ministry on earth was done.
In this second parable, no clear indication of what the outcome for Israel will be is given. However, as we move forward to the end of Jesus' ministry, a year later, we receive the final message regarding this tree. While Jesus is in Bethany, just before His last trip to Jerusalem, He sees a fig tree in the distance covered with rich foliage. Presuming that the abundance of leaves would be a sign that the tree would have fruit, He ventures out to it, only to find it barren. Jesus’ response to this situation seems unusual as He curses the fig tree, saying to it, “No man eat fruit of thee hereafter for ever” (Mark 11:14).
There is deep significance to Jesus’ words to the fig tree. This was not a spontaneous fit of rage due to the pangs of hunger, but an illustration of the perpetual spiritual desolation of the nation of Israel. While they had the outward forms of a nation that was following God (rich foliage), they lacked the fruit of the kingdom of heaven.
Throughout Jesus’ ministry, the Jews had failed to recognise in Him the promised Messiah, repent of their rebellion, or produce the fruits of godliness. Having now reached the end of His earthly ministry, Jesus was able to pronounce that never again would the nation of Israel bear the fruits of the kingdom of God with which to provide spiritual nourishment to a dying and lost world.
As Jesus and His disciples passed by the same fig tree the following day, they saw the same tree now withered up by the roots, signifying the total and complete spiritual death of national Israel. No tree that is dried up by the roots finds life again, neither do we expect to see it ever bear fruit again, just as Jesus declared.
God’s blessings had always been conditional on Israel’s obedience. Through Moses, the warning had been given, “If thou do at all forget the LORD thy God, and walk after other gods, and serve them, and worship them, I testify against you this day that ye shall surely perish. As the nations which the LORD destroyeth before your face, so shall ye perish; because ye would not be obedient unto the voice of the LORD your God.” (Deut 8:19-20). When the leaders of Israel proclaimed, “we have no king but Ceasar” (John 19:15) and crucified the Son of God, they pronounced an end to their covenant with God.
The spiritual demise of national Israel did not mean that there would be no people to bear witness of the gospel. Jesus told the Pharisees that the kingdom of God would be taken from them and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof (Mat 21:43). While Israel’s rejection of Christ made it impossible for God to use them as His witness, God had a plan that the gospel would be given to the Gentiles, to take to the world through the Christian church.
Some suppose that Jesus’ parable of the fig tree in Matthew 24:32-35 is a prophecy that God will restore Israel immediately prior to the second coming. However, this would be a direct contradiction of what Jesus has already stated; that the fig tree would never bear fruit again. Additionally, when we look at the same parable in Luke 21, we find that Jesus is not speaking only of the fig tree, but “all the trees” (vs 29), showing us that Jesus speaks of the trees in a general sense, relating how the signs of the changing seasons can be witnessed through the changing of the foliage.
The Fate of the Jews
While God is no longer working through the nation of Israel, this does not mean that salvation is not available to the Jews. The prophecies against Israel tell us that, as a nation, God cannot use them, but as individuals,
many will accept Jesus as their Lord and Saviour and enter into His salvation.
Paul addressed this issue clearly in Romans 11, saying, “Hath God cast away His people? God forbid” (vs 1). While the Jews have been cut off the olive tree, representing Jesus Christ, because of their unbelief (vs 20), God is willing and able to graft them in again if they “abide not still in unbelief” (vs 23). Likewise, Paul warns the Gentiles that they too can be cut off if they will not “continue in His goodness” (vs 22). Whether or not we remain connected to the olive tree is determined by our continuing in the grace of Christ.
God has no specific plans for the nation of Israel because they have rejected Him. God now reaches the world through the Christian church and invites all people, whether Jew or Gentile, to become part of this body of Christ. There is only one body, one bride, and one faith. We are “one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles” (1 Cor 12:13). When a Jew accepts Jesus, they become a Christian, in fact, the very first Christians were Jews (Acts 11:26), who were given this name because of their devotion to Jesus Christ.
Spiritual Israel
If “blindness in part is happened to Israel” such that through unbelief they have been “broken off,” how can Paul conclude that “all Israel shall be saved” (Rom 11:20, 25, 26)? Furthermore, how should we understand the New Covenant promise that is made with the “house of Israel, and the house of Judah” without any mention of the Gentiles?
Many believe that there is a time coming when all the Jews will suddenly accept Jesus as their Saviour, thus fulfilling Paul’s words that “all Israel shall be saved”, yet this is contrary to Biblical history and reason. Never before in the history of Israel have we seen a united acceptance of God amongst the Israelites. Even during the Exodus from Egypt, when God had repeatedly revealed Himself to them in powerful displays of supernatural glory, there were many who voiced unbelief in the goodness and mercy of God. The continued disbelief amongst the Israelites frequently resulted in disaster and destruction coming upon them. What reason do we have to believe that this will suddenly change in the future, after 2000 years of unbelief? In addition to this, why would God wait 2000 years to suddenly turn His people to Him, allowing them to perish by the millions in the meantime? This is not consistent with God’s dealings with His people.
Paul’s words are best understood when we consider how he viewed ‘Israel.’ Just as Gentiles could be grafted into Israel during Old Testament times by taking hold of the covenant and keeping the sabbath (Isa 56:6), Paul describes both Jews and Gentiles today as constituting true ‘Israel.’ Paul tells us that “there is neither Jew nor Greek”, “for ye are all one in Christ Jesus” (Gal 3:28). By his reckoning, it is those “in Christ” who are “Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise” (vs 29).
Abraham’s seed is Israel, the ones to whom all the promises of God were given. Now, regardless of our heritage, if we accept Jesus by faith, we become part of the Israel of God. “For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh: but he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God” (Rom 2:28-29).
Jesus taught that we are the children of whoever we follow. He challenged the Pharisees, who called themselves the children of Abraham, saying, “If ye were Abraham’s children, ye would do the works of Abraham. But now ye seek to kill me, a man that hath told you the truth, which I have heard of God: this did not Abraham” (John 8:40-41). The Pharisees did not follow the way of Abraham, so they were disqualified from being called his children. Instead, Jesus told them they were of their father the devil, for it was his works they performed (vs 44).
The opposite is also true: if we follow the way of Abraham, accepting Christ by faith, we are taken as his seed and the heirs of the promises made to him. We spiritually become Israel. Now we are entitled to the New Covenant promise as we have entered into the “house of Israel,” to whom the New Covenant promise was made (Heb 8:8). No longer are we “aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise” (Eph 2:12), but are “fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God” (vs 19).
So, it can be recognised that “all Israel shall be saved,” in that all those who have accepted Christ by faith and entered into the New Covenant promise, have the assurance of salvation, whether they be Jews or Gentiles.
Israel in Final Events
Realising that ‘Israel’ are those in Christ, it becomes necessary to re-examine the role of national Israel in eschatology. Do the prophecies point to a final battle in the Middle East? Or is the final battle against spiritual Israel? Will it be a battle of nations or a clash between the forces of good and evil?
Many people base a final conflict in the Middle East on the prophecy of Ezekiel 38-39, where Ezekiel prophesied a great battle between Israel and the surrounding heathen nations, most commonly known as ‘the battle of Gog and Magog.’ Ezekiel prophesied that this battle would take place “in the latter years” (Ezek 38:8), leading many to believe that this event would happen in the last days. They combine this prophecy with Daniel 11, interpreting Magog as a nation that will come from the north (often interpreted as Russia) to war against Israel. However, when we go to Revelation 20, we find that “when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison, and shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them to battle” (vs 7-8). This prophecy of Ezekiel 38-39, originally written concerning Israel, is applied to spiritual Israel after the millennium when the wicked are resurrected and driven by Satan into the final battle against the saints before their destruction in the lake of fire (vs 9-10). National Israel has no part in the battle of Gog and Magog, rather it is the final battle between the forces of good and evil.
Likewise, many believe that Daniel 11 predicts that the king of the north will march against national Israel, entering into the “glorious land” (vs 41, 45). The battle described here leads into the ‘time of trouble’ that directly precedes the second coming of Christ to deliver His people (Dan 12:1). When we consider this same prophecy in Revelation, we come to chapter 13, which describes a final conflict between God’s people, later identified as those who keep His commandments and have the faith of Jesus (Rev 14:12), and those who receive the mark of the beast.
In Daniel 11, the “King of the North” is synonymous with the first beast of Revelation 13, while the “glorious land” is the domain of spiritual Israel, God’s saints. Once more, we are witnessing Satan’s attack against God’s people, to overthrow their faith and destroy them. However, it is at this time that Jesus will come for His people. He will “thrust in his sickle” gathering His people to Himself, and then the grapes will be “cast into the great winepress of the wrath of God” (Rev 14:16, 19). Once more, we are witnessing a battle between good and evil, not between the nations of the world.
The final battles on earth are between spiritual Israel, who are God’s saints from all the nations of the earth, and those who worship the beast and its image. We do not need to be looking to the Middle East for the final events; soon, they will be happening all around us. Sadly, Satan already has national Israel in his grip. By leading them to reject the Messiah, they have entered his domain. Now, Satan’s wrath is with the church and the remnant of her seed, who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus (Rev 12:17).
Promises of Israel’s Restoration?
Another area of emphasis on national Israel is found in the belief of their restoration and the rebuilding of the Jewish temple. These beliefs are largely based on Old Testament prophecies where God promises to establish Israel forever. However, it must be remembered that all of God’s promises of blessing were conditional upon Israel’s obedience.
“And at what instant I shall speak concerning a nation, and concerning a kingdom, to build and to plant it; if it do evil in my sight, that it obey not my voice, then I will repent of the good, wherewith I said I would benefit them.” (Jeremiah 18:9-10).
Israel’s failure to obey God’s voice has disqualified them from the promises of His blessing. Yet “it is not as though the word of God hath taken none effect. For they are not all Israel, which are of Israel” (Rom 9:6). The promises of restoration and the eternal establishment of Israel will not be fulfilled to national Israel, but to spiritual Israel. God will set up an eternal kingdom, He will bring His saints into the New Jerusalem, and in this way, many of the promises to Israel will be fulfilled.
In Luke 21:20-24, Jesus prophesied the destruction of Jerusalem, as had already been promised to them in Daniel 9:26, in response to their rejection of Him. God had promised Israel that a failure to obey Him would result in their utter destruction. “And it shall come to pass, that as the LORD rejoiced over you to do you good, and to multiply you; so the LORD will rejoice over you to destroy you, and to bring you to nought; and ye shall be plucked from off the land whither thou goest to possess it. And the LORD shall scatter thee among all people, from the one end of the earth even unto the other.” (Deut 28:63-64).
The reality of this curse upon Israel is evident through the suffering they have endured over the past 2000 years. God’s blessings no longer reside upon national Israel. As a nation, no restoration is to be expected, however, as individuals, God invites them to come to Him through faith in His Son.
Some suppose that God will restore national Israel when “the time of the Gentiles be fulfilled,” (Luke 21:24) however, it is evident that this is not in accordance with God’s word regarding them. There is no specific prophecy in Scripture regarding the rebuilding of the Jewish temple or the restoration of Israel. While God had reached out to Israel in the past, offering them restoration if they would repent, no such promises were given after the rejection of Christ. It was “last of all” that God sent His Son; no further opportunities were to be given (Mat 21:37).
Satan, however, is hard at work to deceive people with false prophecy and keep all eyes on the Middle East while he is setting up the final offensive against God’s chosen people, spiritual Israel. Will a temple be rebuilt in Jerusalem? It is possible, yet this would only be to divert our attention from the real issue at hand: the final battle between the forces of good and evil.
Conclusion
To correctly interpret end-time prophecy, it is necessary that we understand the shift of focus from national to spiritual Israel. Today, it is all those who have placed their faith in Christ who constitute spiritual Israel and inherit all the promises of God. Failure to recognise the nature of spiritual Israel will pull us into a false view of last-day events and open us to Satan’s deceptions. The final crisis will be a battle between good and evil, not a confrontation of nations centred on the Middle East.
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