Old Testament References to the End Times

(Third in a Series of Seven titled “Are These Days the End Times?”)

Dr. Roger G. Ford, Ph.D., P.E.

Dr-ford.net

2019

Preliminary Discussion

Why do Christians become anxious about what the future holds when God knows exactly what each person’s future holds to the finest detail? What do the Scriptures tell us to do? Psalm 27:14 says, “Wait on the Lord; be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart; wait, I say, on the Lord!” Personal prayer to be in the Will of God in our individual lives should, along with daily reading of God’s Word, give us confidence of our immediate and distant future. Add to that God’s willingness to reveal what He has planned for His Church in all of our futures through Bible prophecy, and anxiety or fear should decrease dramatically.

Of course, there are some who claim that Bible Prophecy is too hard to understand or demand proof of the validity of Scripture in order for them to understand it. To these folks there are also very easy answers. First of all, everyone who is a born-again believer in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord has the Holy Spirit guiding, directing, advising, interceding, and testifying to them every second of every day. Any claim to not understanding any part of the Bible results from the lack of trying, the unfortunate disregard of giving God time in order to read His Word, or evidence of lack of the Spirit because of unbelief or of present unforgiven sin. Otherwise, God’s Holy Spirit will lead you to read, study, and search for meaning until success is achieved.

To the question of wanting proof, let me quote from A.W. Tozer, “What God declares, the believing heart confesses, without the need of further proof.” But we can take that rather matter-of-fact statement further. Scripture compared with other scriptures reveals true meaning because God repeats what He wants us to know in both Testaments and multiple times on top of that. Searching will reveal truth and spiritual confidence which is much better than “proof”! And, there will always be what Peter called “scoffers”. Scoffing at the Word of God comes from unbelief, personal or private interpretation, or lack of understanding because of willful neglect of Bible study. Number one, we as humble servants of God Almighty must NEVER sit in judgment on the Word of God! Our human reason and logic actually condemn us and judge us because when the truth is discovered, we will always find that our judgment is flawed and in error, where God’s Word is always true. 2 Peter 3:3 and 4 says, “Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, and saying, ‘Where is the promise of His coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of Creation.” Peter goes on to say that those he heard that statement from did not even recognize the Flood of Noah which was the Judgment of God on a very sinful world. There are many such people today, both believers and unbelievers, who deny or question what God has told us.

The current popular phrase, “See Something; Say Something!”, certainly applies to us as true Bible-believing Christians today. When we see error, when we witness unbelief, when we hear scoffers, when we hear misunderstanding of God’s Word, are we prepared to defend His Word? When we hear false claims or blatant misrepresentation of the prophecies in God’s Word, are we ready to give a proper interpretation based upon Scripture itself? Do we feel confident to answer questions from inquiring minds of unbelievers about the Bible? Can we feel compassion for hearts that are searching for a Savior and then provide verses in the Bible, books appropriate to their hungry souls? How do we get this confidence in God’s Word? How do we understand Bible Prophecy? The surprising answer (to some) is just get into His Word! Everyone can know these things. What it takes is dedication, commitment, and the love of God’s Word enough to read it daily, study it constantly, and talk about it and apply it to every aspect of our lives! To quote a noted Bible teacher and author, Gregory Koukl, Bible study and Bible Prophecy is like a puzzle with many pieces. You cannot put it all together in quick fashion, it takes time and study to fit the proper pieces together. And, if we have some puzzle pieces mixed in that do not belong to the real puzzle, then we will be confused until we eliminate the rogue pieces. How do you identify the rogue pieces? It takes effort and dedication and hard work through reading, studying, meditating, and applying what God has deemed to let us know straight from the Mind of Christ!

One last thing before we move into the main topic. Jesus identified two levels of His Church in His self-sacrificing love discussion with Peter after the Resurrection. He told Peter to feed His lambs, then He told Peter to feed His sheep two times. Feeding lambs involves easy-to-digest milk and not much more. Feeding sheep, on the other hand, requires solid food to maintain health. It is the same for Christians. New, baby Christians need the milk of the Word or just the major doctrines with little else. Lambs need more shepherding and gathering and guarding by a shepherd. Prophecy can be a little hard for immature Christians to just jump into the deep end. More mature Christians, however, the sheep, must be fed the full Word of God to be spiritually nourished, to be on the growth pathway to increasing sanctification, becoming more and more like Christ. For this reason, Bible Prophecy should greatly appeal to mature Christians and they should desire to know Bible prophecy in its fullest manifestation. True spiritual joy comes from knowledge of God’s Word which increases day by day, and prophecy (eschatology) details God’s Plan for our future still here on the Earth and beyond after the Rapture, then into the Millennium, then on to the New Heaven and the New Earth. That is the reason for this series.

Introduction

So far, we have covered what we need to understand Bible Prophecy and foundational concepts to understand Bible Prophecy in the first two presentations in the Series titled, “Are These Days the End Times?” In this third in the series of seven, we will show many of the Old Testament references to the End Times. Yes, there are many prophecies about the very times we live in today located in the Old Testament. Kind of makes the Old Testament take on a new significance, doesn’t it? First, however, we must examine our true beliefs and the basis for those beliefs.

Is there any way of knowing who the true God is? Is there any way of knowing whether the Bible is the Word of God? Are we simply to accept these things ‘by faith’ without any evidence? The answers to these and many other such questions are found in God’s Word, if you read it. Let’s talk about some of the basics.

For God to be God, He is outside of His Creation, He knows all things, He is Sovereign over everything. There are no other gods, no one to challenge Him, no competition. The God of the Bible says this about Himself. Isaiah 46:9-10 says, “I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me. I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come. I say: My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please.”

So not only does the God of the Bible know all things, but He has chosen to reveal our future near and far away in a very special way, through the Bible! In an interesting perspective on God’s totally unneeded defense of His Sovereignty, God challenges any other gods. Isaiah 41:21-23 says, “Present your case,” says the LORD. “Set forth your arguments,” says Jacob’s King. “Bring in your idols to tell us what is going to happen. Tell us what the former things were, so that we may consider them and know their final outcome. Or declare to us the things to come, tell us what the future holds, so we may know that you are gods.”

Yahweh, the God of the Bible, issues this challenge easily simply because He knows that there are no other gods of any kind. He alone is God, and therefore, He is the only One who accurately and consistently declares the end from the beginning! In view of the knowledge that God is the only God, it is no surprise that there are no detailed prophecies in the Koran (Islam’s holy book), the Hindu Vedas, the book of Mormon, or the sayings of Buddha for the simple reason that these works are works of men and not God. And, prophecy is only known to God because He alone can see the future as clearly as we see the present or remember the past. So, when we read of things to come, we are getting a glimpse of what God already knows to be true, and we can rely on it to happen with no error and no discrepancies. 

By far, the greatest number of prophecies in the Bible concern the nation of Israel. In fact, many have said that if you want to know what time it is on God’s clock, then look at the nation of Israel, for she shall be the center of attention in the fulfillment of Bible prophecies in these last days. Today we live in an age when the entire focus of the world is upon a tiny strip of land in the Middle East called Israel. We also see the way the world treats Israel, the anti-Semitism that exists today, and the threats and actions of war and conflict that could mean death and destruction to millions.

An Example of One Old Testament Prophecy That Already Happened

‘About the time of the end, a body of men will be raised up who will turn their attention to the Prophecies, and insist upon their literal interpretation, in the midst of much clamor and opposition.” Sir Isaac Newton 1642-1727

‘All things are mortal, except the Jew. Other forces pass but he remains. What is the secret of his immortality?’  Mark Twain 1835-1910

Sir Isaac Newton was a strong Christian and Mark Twain was not. But both men knew that the Jewish people were special, different, blessed, and what God said about them was unusual. There is a special term located in Leviticus 25:8-13 called the Jubilee. This was a special year of celebration to occur after seven sets of seven years that ruled Jewish Old Testament life. Crops were sown every year for six years, but the seventh year, the Sabbath Year, was to be a year of rest for the ground to allow it to regain its nutrients and assure six more years of productive growth and provision of grain. At the end of seven such seven-year cycles, there occurred a 50^th year called the Jubilee Year. This Jubilee Year was when all land ownership returned to its original Jewish owner, all debts owed were forgiven, and celebration was dominant throughout the year. So, every 50 years, the economy was essentially re-set.

To illustrate deep Bible study and the amazing benefit and joy of doing it, we will examine Jeremiah’s prophecy of the 70 years of exile for the Jews in Babylon and how it relates to Sabbath years and Jubilee years. In Leviticus 25, the Israelites were told to observe a Sabbatical year once every seven years to let the land rest.  In addition, every 50th year they were to observe another Sabbatical year, called the Jubilee year. The Jews followed the decree of God to let the land lie fallow or resting every seventh year to observe the Sabbath year requirement.

For many years from Joshua to King Saul (about 400 years), the Jews complied but then stopped because of disobedience and disregard for God. And, because of this disobedience, the prophet Jeremiah prophesied that the Jews would go into exile for 70 years to make up for the 70 unobserved Sabbath years and Jubilee years they failed to observe from King Saul, approximately, in about 1000 B.C. until the actual exile began in 606 B.C.

Sabbatical Year – Every 7 years

Leviticus 25:2-4, “Speak to the sons of Israel and say to them, ‘When you come into the land which I shall give you, then the land shall have a sabbath to the Lord. Six years you shall sow your field, and six years you shall prune your vineyard and gather in its crop, but during the seventh year the land shall have a sabbath rest, a sabbath to the Lord; you shall not sow your field nor prune your vineyard.”

Jubilee Year – Every 50 Years

Leviticus 25:8-11, “You are also to count off seven sabbaths of years for yourself, seven times seven years, so that you have the time of the seven sabbaths of years, namely, forty-nine years. You shall then sound a ram’s horn abroad on the tenth day of the seventh month; on the day of atonement you shall sound a horn all through your land. You shall thus consecrate the fiftieth year and proclaim a release through the land to all its inhabitants. It shall be a jubilee for you, and each of you shall return to his own property, and each of you shall return to his family. You shall have the fiftieth year as a jubilee; you shall not sow, nor reap its aftergrowth, nor gather in from its untrimmed vines.”

Jeremiah was called to be a prophet from his birth (Jeremiah 1:5) and prophesied to the nation of Judah from 627 B.C. (Jeremiah 25:3) until its destruction in 586 B.C.  Remember that before Christ (B.C. – before Christ), we count years counting DOWN to Christ’s birth, where after the birth (A.D. – anno domini, which means “in the year of our Lord”), we count the years UP as we move forward through time. He lived during the dawn of one of the greatest empires of ancient history, Babylon, and during the reign of its equally infamous king Nebuchadnezzar.  It was Nebuchadnezzar who, after Judah successfully held off Assyrian forces in 701 BC, laid siege and first conquered Jerusalem in 606 B.C. where he took captives to Babylon among who were Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. Nebuchadnezzar came back to Jerusalem in 597 B.C. and again took captives among whom was Ezekiel. Then in 586 B.C., Nebuchadnezzar came back a third time and destroyed the Temple and razed Jerusalem. It was Jeremiah who prophesied and recorded these events in the book of Jeremiah written some 120 years or so before they actually happened.

There is direct evidence of Jeremiah’s actual existence. Several seals have been found inscribed “Baruch, scribe of Jeremiah” (Jeremiah 36:26) and dated to the time period that Jeremiah lived.  In addition, pottery fragments called the “Lachish Letters” document a prophet in Jerusalem who encouraged the submission of Jerusalem to Babylon.  The prophet was almost certainly Jeremiah.  His message to Judah not only included a call for repentance and warnings of future subjection to the nation of Babylon, but a message of hope in the return of Israel from captivity.  Modern archeology verifies that Jeremiah existed, and even modern scholarship suggest that he had a hand in forming the Old Testament as we know it today.

Jeremiah 25:8-12, ““Therefore thus says the Lord of hosts, ‘Because you have not obeyed My words, behold, I will send and take all the families of the north,’ declares the Lord, ‘and I will send to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, My servant, and will bring them against this land and against its inhabitants and against all these nations round about; and I will utterly destroy them and make them a horror and a hissing, and an everlasting desolation. Moreover, I will take from them the voice of joy and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride, the sound of the millstones and the light of the lamp. This whole land will be a desolation and a horror, and these nations will serve the king of Babylon seventy years. Then it will be when seventy years are completed I will punish the king of Babylon and that nation,’ declares the Lord, ‘for their iniquity, and the land of the Chaldeans; and I will make it an everlasting desolation.”

God does not simply rain down judgment upon an individual or nation without cause.  Like the prophecy of the Great Tribulation and Daniel’s 70 Weeks, there is a definite pattern of sin followed by judgment. The interpretation of Jeremiah’s 70 years is the 70 years desolation of the land. Earlier, in the book of Chronicles, it was found why the time length was set to 70 years.

2 Chronicles 36:20-21, “And them that had escaped from the sword carried [Nebuchadnezzar] away to Babylon; where they were servants to him and his sons until the reign of the kingdom of Persia to fulfill the word of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah, until the land had enjoyed her sabbaths: for as long as she lay desolate she kept sabbath, to fulfill seventy years.

The observance of this Levitical law of observing every seventh year as a Sabbatical year cycle started when the Israelites crossed over the Jordan River into Canaan.  It was the fact that the Israelites did not observe the Sabbatical and Jubilee year sometime later around the time of Samuel the Prophet and King Saul, Israel’s first king, that determined the length of the 70-year captivity and desolation of the land.

Like the prophet Jeremiah, Ezekiel lived during the time of the Babylonian Captivity and was both a prophet and priest.  Unlike Jeremiah, who escaped captivity in Babylon, Ezekiel was taken during the second deportation in 597 BC.  There he was called to prophesy in 593 BC (Ezekiel 1:1-2) and continued to prophesy for at least 22 years (Ezekiel 29:17).  His life is typically divided into two periods.  From the time he was called to be a prophet to the final siege of Jerusalem, Ezekiel prophesied the coming judgment of Judah and Jerusalem.  After the destruction of Judah, he preached a message of hope and resurrection.  His prophecies, both the message and the method, were often so extreme that he was labeled neurotic or even schizophrenic. In one of these prophecies, Ezekiel was to act out a scene that represented the coming siege of Jerusalem.  He was told to engrave a picture of Jerusalem on a brick and lay it in front of him.  He was then to use an iron pan as a wall between him and the city, as he “lay siege against it.”

Ezekiel lay on his left side for 390 days to represent 390 years of Iniquity of the House of Israel and again on his right side for 40 days to represent 40 years of Iniquity of the House of Judah. These two periods correspond to years and add to 430 years representing the time that both Israel and Judah did not observe their Sabbath years.

Ezekiel 4:1-8, “Now you son of man, get yourself a brick, place it before you and inscribe a city on it, Jerusalem. Then lay siege against it, build a siege wall, raise up a ramp, pitch camps and place battering rams against it all around. Then get yourself an iron plate and set it up as an iron wall between you and the city and set your face toward it so that it is under siege and besiege it. This is a sign to the house of Israel. As for you, lie down on your left side and lay the iniquity of the house of Israel on it; you shall bear their iniquity for the number of days that you lie on it. For I have assigned you a number of days corresponding to the years of their iniquity, three hundred and ninety days; thus, you shall bear the iniquity of the house of Israel. When you have completed these, you shall lie down a second time, but on your right side and bear the iniquity of the house of Judah; I have assigned it to you for forty days, a day for each year. Then you shall set your face toward the siege of Jerusalem with your arm bared and prophesy against it. Now behold, I will put ropes on you so that you cannot turn from one side to the other until you have completed the days of your siege.”

We have 430 years the Jews, both Israel and Judah, have not observed the Sabbath years or the Jubilee years. God does not like disobedience, and continued disobedience is almost a guarantee of God’s anger. Punishment often follows willful disobedience, and this example is no exception! How many Sabbath years in 430 years? 430 divided by 7 is 61 plus a remainder of three. 61 Sabbath years missed. 61 years the land did not get its rest. How many Jubilees in 430 years? Every 49 years is a Jubilee, the 50^th year, so in 430 years there are at least 8 (430 divided by 50 equals 8.6), so, if there were Jubilees on each end of the 430 years, there would be 9 Jubilees in the 430-year period. 61 missed Sabbath years plus 9 missed Jubilee years adds up to 70, the exact number of years of exile from the land the Jews had to endure in Babylon to allow the land to “catch up” and rest making up the years that the Jews were disobedient. Wow! See what some time and willingness and study can bring? So, the Jews had a 70-year obligation to go into exile in Babylon some 120 years in their immediate future so that they could satisfy God’s requirement to let the land rest to cover for the many Sabbath years and Jubilee years that they neglected to observe. They would fulfill the 70 years of Babylonian exile from 606 B.C. until 536 B.C.

An Example of One Old Testament Prophecy That Has Not Happened Yet

One of the most remarkable and important prophecies in the Bible is found in Daniel 9:24-27. It is the cornerstone of Messianic prophecy because it establishes the timing of both the First and Second Advents of the Messiah. The prophecy is usually referred to as “The 70 Weeks of Years.” This name derives from the opening words of most English translations: “Seventy weeks have been decreed” (Daniel 9:24).

Just as the English word “dozen” can refer to a dozen of anything, the Hebrew word “shavuim”, meaning “sevens,” can refer to seven of anything. Its exact meaning is dependent upon the context. In this key passage from Daniel, the context makes it clear that he is speaking of years – seventy sevens of years, which would be a total of 490 years. It is therefore appropriate to refer to the prophecy as “The 70 Weeks of Years” even though those exact words are not found in the passage itself.

Another important thing to keep in mind about the context of the passage is that it is directed to the Jewish people. The opening words of the prophecy make this clear: “Seventy weeks have been declared for your people and your holy city…” (Daniel 9:24). The focus of the prophecy is the nation of Israel and the city of Jerusalem.

The prophecy begins by stating that six things, six consequences, will be accomplished regarding the Jewish people during a period of 490 years:

1. “Finish the transgression”
2. “Make an end of sin”
3. “Make atonement for iniquity”
4. “Bring in everlasting righteousness”
5. “Seal up vision and prophecy”
6. “Anoint the most holy place”

1. The first, “finish the transgression,” refers to the Jew’s rejection of God. The Hebrew word translated “transgression” means rebellion, and the rebellion of the Jewish people is their rejection of Jesus as their Messiah. Jesus said He would not return until the Jewish people are willing to say, “Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord” (Matthew 23:37-39). The Jews will open their hearts to their Messiah before Daniel’s 490-year period ends which will be during the 70^th week that we call “The Tribulation”.
2. The period will also witness an “end of sin” for the Jews. The word translated “sin” refers to the sins of daily life – sins of dishonesty and immorality. This end of sin will occur at the time the Jews accept their Messiah and His earthly reign of righteousness begins called the Millennium.
3. An atonement for Israel’s sins is the third thing that will happen during Daniel’s 70 weeks of years. This atonement occurred, of course, when Jesus shed His blood on the Cross for the sins of the world. But that atonement will not actually be applied to the Jews until they appropriate it by accepting Jesus as their Messiah.
4. The 490-year period will also “bring in everlasting righteousness.” This undoubtedly refers to the establishment of the Messiah’s earthly reign when the Earth will be flooded with peace, righteousness and justice as the waters cover the sea.
5. The fifth achievement will be the fulfillment of all prophecy concerning the Messiah. The Apostle Peter referred to two types of Messianic prophecy — those related to “the sufferings of Christ” and those concerning “the glories to follow” (1 Peter 1:11). The suffering prophecies were all fulfilled at the Cross. The prophecies concerning “the glories to follow” are yet to be fulfilled. Just as Jesus humbled Himself in history, He is going to be glorified in history. This will occur when the Jews accept Him, and He returns to reign over the world from Mt. Zion in Jerusalem during the Millennium.
6. The final goal to be achieved at the end of the 70 weeks of years is “the anointing of the most holy.” Most English translations say, “the most holy place.” The Hebrew simply says, “the most holy.” Commentators therefore differ as to whether this is a reference to the anointing of the Messiah as King of kings or whether it is talking about the anointing of the Millennial Temple described in Ezekiel 40-48. Either way the anointing will not take place until the Lord returns in response to the national repentance of the Jews.

The 490 Years

Daniel says all these spiritual goals will be accomplished within a special period of 490 years. When did that period begin, and when did it end? It is when Daniel addresses these questions that he begins to give clues as to the timing of the First and Second Advents (Appearances in the flesh) of the Messiah. The prophecy says that the starting point of the 70 weeks of years will be “the issuing of a decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem” (Daniel 9:25). Keep in mind that this prophecy was given to Daniel by the angel Gabriel during the time of Israel’s exile in Babylon. The approximate date was 538 B.C., shortly before the first remnant of Jews were allowed to return to Jerusalem in 536 B.C. under Zerubbabel. Jerusalem was in ruins at this time, having been destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar 50 years earlier in 586 B.C. (The captivity had begun in 606/605 B.C., exactly 70 years earlier, before the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple in 586 B.C., when Nebuchadnezzar took Daniel and other “youths” to Babylon as hostages – Daniel 1:1-4.)

Daniel’s prophecy next states that the 490 years will be divided into three periods as follows: seven weeks (49 years) plus sixty-two weeks (434 years) plus one week (7 years). He states that at the end of the first two periods (49 + 62 = 69 weeks or 483 years), the Messiah will be “cut off” meaning Jesus will die for the sins of the world, a seemingly clear reference to the crucifixion. The end of the 69 weeks marks the end of the First Advent or appearance of the Messiah. He then states that both Jerusalem and the Temple will be destroyed. That leaves Daniel’s 70^th week yet to be fulfilled when the Messiah makes His Second Advent, His Second Coming at the end of the 70^th week.

The prophecy concludes by focusing on the last week of years. It says that following the death of the Messiah and the destruction of Jerusalem, “the prince who is to come” will make a covenant with the Jewish people that will enable them to reinstitute their sacrificial system. Daniel did not know that there was a 2,000-year separation between the death of the Messiah and the rise of the “prince” known as the Antichrist. The real nature of the “peace treaty” or “covenant” that the Antichrist strikes with Israel is in dispute, but the result will be the Jews will be able to have their Temple – the Tribulation Temple. This prince will come from the same people who destroyed the Temple (the Romans). We know from 2 Thessalonians 2 that this “prince who is to come” is the Antichrist, the “man of lawlessness” who is “the son of destruction.” The same passage makes it clear that his covenant will enable the Jews to rebuild their Temple. Both passages — Daniel 9 and 2 Thessalonians 2 — establish the fact that in the middle of this 70th week (3 1/2 years into it) this “prince who is to come” will double cross the Jewish people and nullify the Daniel 9:27 “Peace Treaty”. He will march into the rebuilt Temple and declare himself to be God. He will stop the sacrifices and he will erect “an abomination of desolation,” most likely an idol of himself. The book of Revelation specifies that the Messiah will return to earth 3 1/2 years after this desolation of the Temple takes place, and exact timing of the Second Coming from that date.

We have the timing of the two advents of the Messiah. He will come the first time, the First Advent as a Suffering Savior, at the end of 483 years and will be “cut off” or crucified and resurrected before the Temple is destroyed. He will return the second time, His Second Advent as a Conquering King at the end of a seven-year period that will begin with a treaty that allows the Jews to rebuild their Temple and reinstitute the Mosaic system of sacrifices. Cyrus’ decree to return to Jerusalem from Babylon to Zerubbabel and Joshua in 538 B.C. (2 Chronicles 36:22-23 and Ezra 1:1-4) was specifically concerning the Temple restoration thus NOT addressing Daniel 9:27 requirement to restore and build Jerusalem.

When Was Messiah “Cut Off”?

The first person in modern history to calculate the 483 years to the “cutting off” of the Messiah was Sir Robert Anderson in his book, The Coming Prince (1894). Using the decree to Nehemiah in Nehemiah 2:1-8 issued in 445 B.C. as his starting point and using what he called “the 360-day prophetic year,” Anderson calculated that it was exactly 173,880 days or 483 lunar years from the day the edict was issued to the day Jesus made His triumphal entry into Jerusalem. His calculations placed the crucifixion in the spring of 32 A.D. These calculations have remained almost sacred in Christian thinking for the past one hundred years. But they need to be examined carefully because there are serious problems with Anderson’s calculations.

Some have used this basis for calculating Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem as King while others have used Zerubbabel and Jeshua’s return to Jerusalem from Babylon to rebuild the temple in 536 B.C. I believe both of these dates to be incorrect. The best solution as to when this prophecy begins is to interpret Daniel’s prophecy beginning with the decree issued to Ezra in 457 B.C. The decree given to Zerubbabel in 536 B.C. authorized the rebuilding of the Temple. The decree issued to Nehemiah in 445 B.C. concerned the rebuilding of the walls of Jerusalem and not Jerusalem in general. Ezra’s decree in 457 B.C. was more general in nature, covering a variety of subjects. But we know from Scripture that he interpreted it to mean that the Jews were authorized to launch a general rebuilding campaign that included the temple, the city, and the walls. His interpretation is stated in Ezra 9:9, “God has not forsaken us, but has extended loving kindness to us in the sight of the kings of Persia, to give us reviving to raise up the house of our God, to restore its ruins, and to give us a wall in Judah and Jerusalem” (Ezra 9:9).

Now, using Ezra’s decree (Ezra 9:9) as the starting point (457 B.C.), if we count forward 483 regular 365-day years we will arrive at 27 A.D. (There is only one year between 1 B.C. and 1 A.D.) According to the translator and historian Josephus, the Jewish new year that began in the fall of 27 A.D. marked the beginning of the last Jubilee Year that the Jews enjoyed in the land before their worldwide dispersal by the Romans in 70 A.D. The time span I am proposing from 457 B.C. to 27 A.D. is also supported by another amazing piece of evidence. Do you remember how Daniel divided the first 483 years into two periods of time, first 49 years and then 434 years? Why did he do that? Go back and re-read Daniel 9:25 and notice that he makes specific reference to the rebuilding of the city of Jerusalem. Did he divide the period into two parts to indicate that the rebuilding of the city would occupy the first 49 years?

In a recent booklet entitled “The Daniel Papers,” a publication of the Radio Bible Class, notes, “According to Barnes and several other trustworthy Bible commentators, the historian Prideaux declared Nehemiah’s last action in rebuilding the city occurred in the 15th year of the Persian ruler Darius Nothus (423-404 B.C.). His 15th year was the 49th year from the 457 B.C. decree. Josephus seems to support this idea in his remarks about the death of Nehemiah.” In other words, this documentation confirms that the rebuilding of Jerusalem indeed did take 49 years or seven weeks of years just as Daniel’s prophecy stated.

But, the most convincing evidence that the 27 A.D. date is the probable entry date for Jesus’ ride into Jerusalem and the year of His crucifixion is the historically accepted date of Herod the Great’s death. Remember in Matthew Chapter 2 when the wise men arrived in Jerusalem approximately 15 months after the birth of Jesus looking for Him, King Herod pretended to be excited to meet Him also, but ordered that all baby boys born in Bethlehem 2 years old or younger be killed? (Matthew 2:16) Then, since Joseph had an angel earlier appear to him in a dream and told him to flee to Egypt with his little family, Jesus was saved from Herod’s decree.

The interesting thing is that Herod the Great’s death occurred in 4 B.C. according to historians making his decree to kill the babies in Bethlehem at the latest 4 B.C. This means Jesus’ birth would be at the latest in 5 B.C. and probably in 6 B.C. Let’s see how that stacks up against the 32 A.D. date from Anderson and the 27 A.D. date from my interpretation. Counting backwards from 32 A.D. 33 years (actually 33 ½ years for Jesus’ lifespan) and considering there is no time between 1 A.D. and 1 B.C., we arrive at 1 B.C. for Jesus’ birth which we have a problem with since Herod died in 4 B.C. But, if we use 27 A.D. for Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection, subtract 33 ½ years, we arrive at approximately 6 B.C. for Jesus’ birth which fits amazingly well with Herod’s death at 4 B.C. That date gives ample time for Jesus’ birth in 6 B.C., allows for a 15 to 18 month span to allow for the wise men to arrive and leave, then allows Herod to live a while longer to 4 B.C. when he dies and then allowing Jesus and his family to move back to Nazareth in Galilee from Egypt (probably Alexandria since there was a large population of Jews living there at the time).

What we have seen here is compelling because it places real events in conjunction with historical facts thereby confirming the Bible’s amazing accuracy. We have shown that Daniel’s seventy weeks has all but been fulfilled. The 49 plus 62 weeks, or 69 weeks (483) years, for Israel to, essentially, be restored to their God, Yahweh have happened ending with Jesus’ death on the cross. But, we are not finished with Daniel’s 70-week prophecy because we have one week of years, seven years left for the Jews to endure.

What About the 70^th Week?

One puzzle remains about Daniel’s prophecy. What about the 70th week? Is it past or future? I believe there is no doubt whatsoever that it is future. The reason for that conclusion is simple. The prophecy begins by stating that the 490 years will produce six consequences among the Jewish people which we covered earlier from Daniel 9:24. All six are still unfulfilled. The Jews are still in rebellion against God, they are still caught up in their sins, they are still refusing to accept the atonement for their iniquity, everlasting righteousness has not come to the earth, all prophecy concerning the Messiah has not yet been fulfilled, and “the most holy” has not been anointed.

There must, therefore, be a “gap” in the prophecy. This may seem strange to the casual reader. But students of prophecy are familiar with prophetic gaps. They are very common in prophetic literature because of the peculiar nature of the prophetic perspective. God would show His prophets great future events and the prophets would present them as if they were happening in rapid succession because that’s the way they appeared to them from their perspective. The prophet was like a person looking down a mountain range seeing one mountain top after another, seemingly pressed up against each other, but, in reality, separated by great valleys which could not be seen. Jesus Himself recognized this characteristic of prophecy when He read a prophecy from Isaiah in the synagogue in Nazareth. If you will check what He read (Luke 4:18-19) against what Isaiah wrote (Isaiah 61:1-3), you will see that Jesus stopped reading in the middle of a sentence because the rest of the sentence had to do with His Second Coming.

For Christians, Daniel’s prophecy should serve to underscore the supernatural origin of the Bible. It should also serve as confirmation that Jesus of Nazareth was the promised Messiah. For Jews, the prophecy should be deeply disturbing for two reasons. First, it clearly teaches that the Messiah had to come before the Temple was destroyed in 70 A.D. That means that either God failed to keep His promise by not sending the Messiah in His First Advent or else the Jews missed recognizing their Messiah. Second, the prophecy clearly teaches that a terrible time of tribulation for the Jews still lies ahead in order to complete the last 7 years of judgment decreed by Jeremiah that add up to 490 years.

Moses said it would be a time of “distress” that would occur in “the latter days” (Deuteronomy 4:30). Jeremiah called it “the time of Jacob’s distress” (Jeremiah 30:7), or, as modern prophecy watchers call it, “The Time of Jacob’s Trouble”. Daniel characterized it as “a time of distress such as never occurred since there was a nation until that time” (Daniel 12:1). Zechariah says two-thirds of the Jews will “be cut off and perish” during that terrible time (Zechariah 13:8). The process will be horrible. But the result will be glorious, for the remaining remnant will at long last turn their hearts to God, accept their Messiah, and cry out, “Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!”

Modern View of the Rapture and the Second Coming

Let us say, without complete knowledge since “no one knows the day” but we “will know the season”, that the 27 A.D. date is quite interesting because of the Hosea 6:2 verse, “After two days will he revive us: in the third day he will raise us up, and we shall live in his sight.” Jesus was raised on the third day after being in the tomb. Israel was revived after about two thousand years of obscurity and will be revived to go into a thousand-year Millennial Kingdom when they return to Messiah (the Millennium being a “third” day of 1,000 years). Jesus’ Age of Grace is to last about two-thousand years since we are at the two-thousand-year mark today since His Resurrection. Based on 2 Peter 3:8, “But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day” and the Hosea 6:2, “After two days will he revive us: in the third day he will raise us up, and we shall live in his sight”, these verses and history seem to suggest strongly that the Age of Grace is about to end (the two days or two thousand years) with the Millennium (the third day or the one thousand years) on the immediate horizon. But we know that Daniel’s 70^th Week must occur prior to the Millennium because Israel must be “persuaded” to return to Messiah through the Tribulation, Daniel’s 70^th Week, after the end of the Age of Grace and before the Millennium in order for the Jews to return to their God and His Messiah.

We also know that the Jews that accept Messiah during the Tribulation will do so during the first half of the Tribulation (3 ½ years) mainly due to the 144,000 Jewish evangelists and the Two Witnesses, then will be divinely protected (probably in Petra, but certainly “in the wilderness”) from the Satan-possessed Antichrist during the last half of the Tribulation. Why are the Jews protected? Revelation says that Antichrist wants to destroy them all (Revelation 12:6, 13-17), but they flee to the wilderness (biblically Ammon, Moab, or Edom where Petra is located) where God nourishes them which could mean not only protects them from Antichrist/Satan, but also from the Bowl Judgments of God’s Wrath during the Great Tribulation or the last 3 ½ years of the Tribulation. So, could the two-thousand years from 27 A.D. to 2027 be the Church Age or the Age of Grace, and the 2027 date mark the middle of the Tribulation or the time the saved Jews are protected? Could the two-thousand years (read 2 days) of the Hosea 6:2 verse be the time between Jesus’ Resurrection and the Rapture of the Church?

What does this mean to us? If true, it is quite remarkable. If 2027 is the middle of the Tribulation, then the end of the Tribulation is about 2030 by adding 3 ½ years to 2027. Subtract the 7 years of the Tribulation from 2030 yields 2023. If the “In-Between” times (that contain the Ezekiel 38 and 39 war plus the Psalm 83 war and other prophecies) are indeed three and one-half years (the Ezekiel 39:9 prophecy of Israel burning the weapons of the war for seven years and assuming the Jews cannot burn those weapons if they are hiding from the Antichrist), then the Rapture would occur somewhere near 2020 (2023 minus 3 ½ years). If the “In-Between Times” assumption is incorrect and all of those “In-Between” prophecies occur during the Tribulation, then 2027 minus the 7 years of the Tribulation is again near 2020. We are now in 2019. The dates are assumptions and there are many suppositions based on Scripture that could be inaccurate as to the dates but certainly are not inaccurate concerning the occurrences to come. I believe that because of these arguments and explanations, we can safely state that we are on the very edge of Christ appearing in the air for His Church otherwise known as the Rapture. Are you ready? It could happen today!

One point of clarification for those that might confuse the Rapture with the Second Coming (which does happen quite often really). First of all, the Rapture is exclusively for Christ’s Church, the Bride of Christ since Jesus is the Groom. No unbeliever will be raptured, no Old Testament saint will be raptured, only believers in Jesus Christ from His Resurrection until the very second of the Shout to “Come up here!” In contrast, Jesus’ Second Coming happens at least seven years AFTER the Rapture and probably more like ten years after. In addition, the Second Coming is seen by everyone on Earth, believer and unbeliever alike, all who are alive and remain until Jesus sets foot on the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem revealing to Israel that He is the long-awaited Messiah to the Jews.

The Church is experiencing the Bema Judgment Seat of Christ and the Marriage Supper of the Lamb in Heaven while the rest of humanity is on Earth suffering through the Tribulation, the Time of Jacob’s Trouble, so that the Jews can fulfill Daniel’s 70^th week and come to belief in Jesus Christ as Messiah. It just takes a lot to convince some people, and this has to be the ultimate conviction! At the end of the Tribulation, Jesus returns with His Bride to the Earth to stop the Battle of Armageddon (a war of Satan-led rebels against Israel and God), then set foot on the Mount of Olives exactly where He arose after His Resurrection.

So, there are many differences in the Rapture and the Second Coming. The Rapture is the next event to happen and it is imminent meaning we do not know the precise timing of it occurring, just the approximate time which is any day. On the other hand, if someone still alive during the Tribulation and sees the Abomination of Desolation occur in the Tribulation Temple in Jerusalem where the Antichrist enters the Temple and declares himself to be God, that person will know that exactly three and one half years or forty-two months or one thousand two hundred and sixty days later, Jesus will set foot in Jerusalem – the Second Coming! Therefore, those who have professed their belief in Christ and have accepted Him as their Lord and Savior will miss the Wrath of God by being raptured with the rest of the Church of Jesus Christ, then returning with Jesus when He makes His triumphal entry back into the world of man to stop Armageddon and set up His Kingdom in Jerusalem for a thousand years.

Old Testament Passages Pointing to the Last Days

When most pastors or teachers cover the End Times, they usually start with the Olivet Discourse Matthew 24, Mark 13, and Luke 21 or the Book of Revelation. For years the focus on end times discussions has remained in the New Testament. Unfortunately, that results in our teachers only giving us part of the entire discovery available to us in the Bible or, really, the end of the story. When reading a story, it makes sense to start at the beginning, rather than at the end and try to figure out the story from there. Yet the study of the “last days” in most churches today has us doing this very thing. We need to decide to start at the beginning of the book.

There are literally dozens of Old Testament passages that are crucial to understanding the “last days” if you search for them and study them. They are all important to the overall picture of a complete understanding of Bible Prophecy and how it relate to our day – the true “End Times”. Here are just a few of the many that are in the Bible:

Jacob’s Prediction of the Last Days 

The first mention of the “last days” is in Genesis 49:1!  “And Jacob called his sons and said, “Gather together, that I may tell you what shall befall you in the last days.”  Ironically, the first passage in the Bible that speaks of the last days is in the first book of the Bible and not the last, Revelation. This passage speaks of the last days of the twelve tribes of Israel. We can conclude from this that going back to the days of Jacob about 2,000 years before Christ, God knew His people would want to know their future. Is there any reason God would change His ways when it comes to our desires?

Jeremiah’s Prediction of the Last Days

The “time of Jacob’s trouble” comes from Jeremiah 30:7 that says, “Alas! For that day is great, so that none is like it: it is even the time of Jacob’s trouble, but he shall be saved out of it”. Jacob’s trouble or Jacob’s distress refers to the difficulties the Jewish people will face during the seven-year tribulation period. During this time, the Jewish temple will be rebuilt, yet desecrated. The Antichrist will break a covenant and set himself up as ruler and expect to be worshiped. He will force all people to receive a mark to buy or sell goods. In addition, much war and famine will occur, with Jews fleeing Jerusalem to the wilderness, probably Petra in Edom.

Despite these troubles, the Lord will fulfill His promises. In addition to saving and protecting His people the Jews, He will return in victory (Revelation 19:11-21). Following His victory, the Messiah will rule from Jerusalem in peace for 1,000 years, the Millennial Kingdom (Revelation 20:1-6). Following one last attack led by Satan at the end of the Millennium, the Lord will defeat His enemies, complete His final judgment (the Great White Throne Judgment), and establish a new Heaven, a new Earth, and a New Jerusalem where He will dwell with His people forever (Revelation 21-22).

In addition, Israel has already been re-established as a nation in 1948 following 1,813 years (1948 – 135 A.D. or the time of the Bar Kochba Revolt)) without a nation for the Jewish people. This historic change offers evidence that God has not abandoned the Jewish people but has kept His promises to bring Israel back to its land in the last days and save them. Though Israel will continue to experience difficulties now and in the future, God promises He will ultimately restore His people and offer peace during a time when He rules over His people.

Jeremiah 30:24 says: “The fierce anger of the LORD will not turn back, until He has performed and until He has accomplished the intent of His heart; in the latter days you will understand this.” If God wanted to let the Jews know in advance the coming end of the Old Covenant and the establishment of the New Covenant, then isn’t it logical that He would want us to know the end of the New Covenant and the Second Coming of Christ to set up His Millennial Kingdom?

Micah’s Prediction of the Last Days

Micah 4 shows that Jesus was born in the last days of the Old Covenant: “And it will come about in the last days, that the mountain of the house of the LORD will be established as the chief of the mountains. It will be raised above the hills, And the peoples will stream to it.” In the same context, Micah 5:2 reads: “But as for you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you One will go forth for Me to be ruler in Israel. His goings forth are from long ago, from the days of eternity.”

This prophecy is fulfilled in the last days of the Old Covenant according to Matthew 2:1-6, “Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying, “‘Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we saw His star in the east and have come to worship Him.’ When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. Gathering together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born. They said to him, ‘In Bethlehem of Judea; for this is what has been written by the prophet, and you, Bethlehem, Land of Judah, are by no means least among the leaders of Judah; for out of you shall come forth a ruler who will shepherd My people Israel.’’’

Isaiah’s Prediction of Judgment on Old Covenant Israel in the Last Days

In Isaiah 2:1-2, we see almost verbatim the words from Micah 4:1, about the last days of the covenant, “The word which Isaiah the son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem. Now it will come about that in the last days the mountain of the house of the LORD will be established as the chief of the mountains, and will be raised above the hills; and all the nations will stream to it.” This segment of Scripture is full of description of the last days that can be traced through the New Testament to the book of Revelation.

Joel’s Prediction that the Holy Spirit Would be Poured Out in the Last Days

Joel 2:28-32 is quoted by the apostle Peter in his sermon on Pentecost in Acts 2:14-21, “But Peter, taking his stand with the eleven, raised his voice and declared to them: ‘Men of Judea and all you who live in Jerusalem, let this be known to you and give heed to my words.  For these men are not drunk, as you suppose, for it is only the third hour of the day; but this is what was spoken of through the prophet Joel, “And it shall be in the last days,” God says, “that I will pour forth of My Spirit on all mankind, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams; even on My bondslaves, both men and women, I will in those days pour forth of My Spirit.” According to the Prophet Joel, the Holy Spirit would be poured out in “the last days.” This prophecy was being fulfilled in Acts 2 according to the Apostle Peter. His audience in Acts 2 are Jews from “every nation under Heaven.”

These prophets and others were writing to the Jews of coming judgment upon them for breaking the covenant of Deuteronomy 28-32. Last days events mentioned in the Old Testament included the birth of the Messiah, the New Covenant coming, the pouring out of the Holy Spirit, and pending judgment on the Old Covenant system. Jesus clearly states that this judgment is coming upon the generation He came to in the First Century (Matthew 23:36, Matthew 24:34, Mark 13:30, Luke 21:32).

So, what does all this mean? The Old Testament references provide the context for the New Testament passages concerning the “last days.” Today in a culture that is more fascinated with signs from world events than Scripture, it is rare to get the full picture of prophesy from the entire Bible both Old and New Testaments. In real estate the golden rule is “location, location, location.” In eschatology, it’s “signs, signs, signs.” How about we go back to “Scripture, Scripture, Scripture”? That’s where we put signs and future events in context for understanding. The Old Testament provides the context for the New Testament passages on the Last Days.

Other Old Testament Prophetic Passages Concerning Israel

What is a prophetic sign? It is basically a prophecy concerning an historical event or technological development that will characterize a future time. Let’s consider the First Advent of the Messiah as an example. The prophet Micah prophesied that the Messiah would be born in the town of Bethlehem (Micah 5:2). Daniel said the Messiah would be “cut off” 483 years after an edict was issued to rebuild Jerusalem (Daniel 9:25). He also stated that this would take place before the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem. And David stated in Psalm 22:16 that the Messiah’s hands and feet would be pierced.

The first of these signs is geographical — the birth site of the Messiah. The second is historical and refers to the edict issued by Ezra (Ezra 9:9) in 457 BC. Counting 483 years from that date brings us to 27 A.D. The Temple was destroyed in 70 AD. So, the Messiah had to be “cut off” (that is, killed) sometime between 27 A.D. and 70 A.D. The third sign is technological in nature. The method of execution at the time David wrote Psalm 22 was stoning. Crucifixion was not even invented by the Romans until 700 years later.

Jesus was born in Bethlehem. He was executed in 27 A.D. (less than a week after His triumphal entry into Jerusalem on a colt), during the “historical window” between 27 A.D. and 70 A.D. And he was executed by crucifixion. The fulfillment of these signs in the life of Jesus serves to validate that He was the prophesied Messiah.

The re-establishment of the nation of Israel is a classic example of an end time historical sign. Over and over again the Hebrew Scriptures prophesy that in the end times, right before the return of the Messiah, the nation of Israel will be re-established (Isaiah 11:10-12; Ezekiel 37:1-12; Amos 9:13-15; and Zechariah 12:1-3). Jesus emphasized this sign in Matthew 24 when He told us to watch for the re-budding of the fig tree (a symbol of Israel: Hosea 9:10; Jeremiah 24:5; Matthew 24:32)). When that happens, He said, the generation that sees it “will not pass away until all these things [the return of the Lord] take place” (Matthew 24:34).

We must always remember that the key to End Times Prophecy is Israel. Why? The Old Testament points to Israel’s restoration of land, of its people, of its language, regaining control of Jerusalem, and the trouble that the entire world will give Israel – all of which are signs of the End Times. Here are some of the specific signs of Israel entering the time of Jacob’s Trouble or the bringing of Israel back to their God Yahweh:

Israel Entering Its Final Jubilee?

In early April of year 2020 Jubilee year 120 will begin. Genesis 6:3 says, “Then the LORD said, “My Spirit will not contend with humans forever, for they are mortal; their days will be a hundred and twenty years.” The context of this verse is when the fallen angels had children with human women with the result being giants or Nephilim that could not receive salvation for their souls. The reference to the 120 years occurs BEFORE Noah’s Flood when man was living 900 years or more. So, why this 120-year age? Today, man does not live anywhere close to 120 years so, perhaps it does NOT refer to man’s age but the age of Man? Could it be a reference to 120 Jubilees?

This number 120 is how long it has been since Adam counting by Jubilee years (every 49 years or seven Sabbatical cycles of seven years plus another year which is the 50^th year or the Jubilee year). 50 times 120 equals 6,000 which is the number of years that the Earth has been in existence since Creation. Of course, these are estimates, but they are certainly interesting to consider. What these calculations suggest and reveal is that the End Times are here now at this present time since God’s Plan for the Human Race to be reconciled to Him through Jesus Christ is about to be completed. Notably, it has been 70 Jubilees – another significant number – or 3,500 years (70 times 50 equals 3,500) since Moses led the Jews out at Passover from Egypt, about 1442 B.C., in the presence of the Lord. Also, there were 40 Jubilees from Adam to Abraham (2,000 years), 40 Jubilees from Abraham to Jesus (another 2,000 years), and it has been, or will be in 2020, 40 Jubilees from Christ until 2020 (the last 2,000 years) which all add up to 6,000 years since Creation until now suggesting that the third 2,000-year timespan marks the end of man’s time on Earth save the Millennium. God’s Creation was over 6 days and He rested on the 7^th which established a pattern for the work week but also, possibly, the pattern for man’s existence on the Earth until restoration to God. Could all this point to man’s existence on the Earth totaling 6,000 years and Christ’s Millennial Kingdom being the 7^th thousand-year period? If so, are we at the end of God’s plan for mankind, the period that God said that His Spirit would not contend with man but for 120 Jubilees? What should come next? The Rapture? Then the Tribulation? Then the Millennium?

World Political Signs

• Re-establishment of Israel after 1,813 years of obscurity (Ezekiel 36:22-37:1-2; Zechariah 12:1-6; Matthew 24:32-34; Mark 13:28- 30; and Luke 21:29-31)
• Arab hostility toward Israel (Ezekiel 35:1-36:7)
• Russia as a menacing power to Israel (Ezekiel 38:1-39:16)

Signs of Israel

• Regathering of the people (Isaiah 11:10-12 and Ezekiel 37:1-12)
• Re-establishment of the state (Isaiah 66:7-8; Zechariah 12:1-6; and Matthew 24:32-35)
• Reclamation of the land (Isaiah 35:1-2,7 and Ezekiel 36:34-35)
• Revival of the language (Zephaniah 3:9)
• Resurgence of the military (Zechariah 12:6)
• Refocusing of world politics on Israel (Zechariah 12:2-3)
• Reoccupation of Jerusalem (Zechariah 12:2-6)

These are additional signs that Israel and the End Times are inseparably linked:

1.   Disobedience would lead to the nation of Israel being scattered amongst all nations.

Deuteronomy 28:64, ‘Then the LORD will scatter you among all nations, from one end of the earth to the other.’  See also Leviticus 26:33, Jeremiah 9:16, Ezekiel 12:15. In all, 6 different books of the Bible predict the scattering of Israel amongst all the nations of the earth. History records this being fulfilled in 70 A.D. when the Temple was destroyed and in 135 A.D. when Jerusalem was destroyed by the Roman Empire and the remaining Jews were scattered amongst the nations.

2. God himself would restore the Jews to the land of Israel from all the nations

Jeremiah 16:14-16, “However, the days are coming,” declares the LORD, “when men will no longer say, ‘As surely as the LORD lives, who brought the Israelites up out of Egypt,’ but they will say, ‘As surely as the LORD lives, who brought the Israelites up out of the land of the north and out of all the countries where he had banished them.’ For I will restore them to the land I gave their forefathers.” In all, 13 books of the Bible speak of the nation of Israel being restored in their land from the nations in which they were scattered. This prophecy became history in 1948 when the United Nations granted a homeland to the Jewish people and the nation of Israel was reborn! See also Jeremiah 3:14, 31:8-9, Isaiah 60:8-9, Deuteronomy 30:3, Amos 9:15, Ezekiel 37.

3. The desolate land of Israel would again blossom and be fruitful in the last days.

Zechariah 7:14, “I scattered them with a whirlwind among all the nations, where they were strangers.” The land was left so desolate behind them that no one could come or go. This is how they made the pleasant land desolate. History records that while the Jewish people were exiled amongst many nations, the land of Israel was a barren desert. Mark Twain visited Israel in in 1867 and published his impressions in Innocents Abroad.  He described a desolate country – devoid of both vegetation and human population: “… A desolate country whose soil is rich enough, but is given over wholly to weeds… a silent mournful expanse…. a desolation…. we never saw a human being on the whole route…. hardly a tree or shrub anywhere. Even the olive tree and the cactus, those fast friends of a worthless soil, had almost deserted the country.” See also Leviticus 26:33, Ezekiel 15:8, Jeremiah 9:12-13, 23:10, 44:22, Isaiah 32:13.  

Isaiah 27:6, “In the days to come, Jacob will take root, Israel will bud and blossom and fill the world with fruit.” This is exactly what we marvel at today! Not only has God bought the Jewish people back into their land like He said He would in the last days, but He has also blessed the land so that they now export flowers and fruit around the world! Satellite photos show the green pastures of the nation of Israel, in sharp contrast with the surrounding desert lands of the Arab nations. See also Isaiah 35:1, Ezekiel 36:35.

4. God Himself would defend Israel and cause Israel to be mighty in battle

Zechariah 12:8, “On that day the LORD will shield those who live in Jerusalem, so that the feeblest among them will be like David, and the house of David will be like God, like the Angel of the LORD going before them.” Taken in context, this verse speaks about God defending Israel in a battle to come in the last days. We have seen this occur several times since Israel became a nation again in 1948, often miraculously! They have been greatly outnumbered in key Arab-Israeli wars in 1948, 1967, and 1973. But, the nation of Israel has survived and prospered. Only God could accomplish so great a miracle.

5. In the last days, Jerusalem would be a burden to the entire world.

Zechariah 12:2-3, “Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of trembling unto all the people round about… And in that day will I make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all people: all that burden themselves with it shall be cut in pieces.” Today, Jerusalem is a burden that causes trembling for all the nations just as God foretold. What makes this prophecy even more remarkable is that when the prophet Zechariah spoke these words around 520 B.C., Jerusalem lay in ruins. But God said it would become the focus of the world’s attention! Today, Israel has 0.01% of the world’s population, yet 33% of the United Nations resolutions have been passed, all against and none in favor of Israel except the initial one granting them their country back in 1947!

6. In the end, all nations shall come against Israel.

Zechariah 14:2, “I will gather all the nations to Jerusalem to fight against it; the city will be captured, the houses ransacked, and the women raped.” Apart from the USA, Israel has few allies. One day, the Bible predicts, she will have no allies, and all nations shall be gathered against her. The end of this opposition will be the Battle of Armageddon which will draw the Tribulation to a close with the Second Coming of Jesus Christ!

7. God Himself, Jesus Christ, will return and fight for Israel against the attacking nations.

Zechariah 14:3-4, “Then the LORD will go out and fight against those nations, as he fights in the day of battle. On that day his feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, east of Jerusalem, and the Mount of Olives will be split in two from east to west, forming a great valley, with half of the mountain moving north and half moving south.” The Battle of Armageddon is the final rebellion of unsaved mankind against Israel and Israel’s God headed up by the Antichrist indwelt by Satan himself! The book of Revelation puts it like this… Revelation 16:14-16, “They are spirits of demons performing miraculous signs, and they go out to the kings of the whole world, to gather them for the battle on the great day of God Almighty… Then they gathered the kings together to the place that in Hebrew is called Armageddon.” The Valley of Megiddo is near Jerusalem on a plain 200 miles long surrounded by mountains. Jesus stops this so-called battle with one word, then He sets foot on the Earth exactly where He left after His Resurrection – on the Mount of Olives. Revelation also prophecies the return of Jesus Christ on this day saying… Revelation 19:11, “I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and makes war.” Zechariah 14:4 says, “And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, and there shall be a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south.”

8. The nation of Israel will finally recognize that Jesus was their Messiah, whom they crucified!

Zechariah 12:9-10, “On that day I will set out to destroy all the nations that attack Jerusalem. And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and supplication. They will look on me, the one they have pierced, and they will mourn for him as one mourns for an only child and grieve bitterly for him as one grieves for a firstborn son.” Even though the Bible predicted that the Messiah would die, and have His feet and hands pierced, the nation of Israel has, for the last 2000 years, hardened their heart and not believed that Jesus was their Messiah. At the time of the end, they will again look to the one whom they pierced and how great the mourning and sadness will be on that day for what they did! Yet Jesus will pour out His grace upon Israel!

9. God will judge the nations depending upon their treatment of the Jewish people.

Joel 1:1-2, “In those days and at that time, when I restore the fortunes of Judah and Jerusalem, I will gather all nations and bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat. There I will enter into judgment against them concerning my inheritance, my people Israel, for they scattered my people among the nations and divided up my land.” This Valley of Jehoshaphat is the same place as where the Battle of Armageddon takes place. The punishment of the nations opposed to Israel will be accomplished at this time of the Second Coming which will happen just prior to Jesus setting foot on the Mount of Olives.

10. An explosion in knowledge and travel.

Daniel 12:4, “But you, Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book until the time of the end; many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall increase.” This increase in knowledge is occurring now at an exponential rate. The internet has played a large role in this, and Israel is the greatest contributor to this expansion of knowledge with the presence of all the best performers of computer technology, cancer research, military weaponry, and many others. We now play God with the very genes and DNA that make us human. Jesus will have to return soon to halt the “progress” because those who do not know God are experimenting in areas that will lead to horrendous results in genetic monsters or, perhaps even death to millions due to errors made in high technology.

11. Additional signs:

All Nations Gathered to War, Isaiah 13:4; 66:18; Zechariah 12:1-4; 14:2; Jewish Revival, Ezekiel 37:9-14; Zechariah 12:10-14; 13:1-9; Abomination of Desolation, Daniel 9:27; 12:11; Second Advent, Ezekiel 39:21; Daniel 2:44; 7:13,14; Zechariah 14:4; Malachi 2:1-3; The Beast, or Antichrist, Isaiah 14:12-15; Daniel 7:8, 24; 8:19, 26; 9:26, 27; 11:36; Zechariah 11:15-17; 10; Nations, Daniel 2:42,44; 7:24; Kings of East, Daniel 11:44; Kings of South, Ezekiel 38:5; Daniel 11:40; Kings of North, Ezekiel 38:15; 39:2; Daniel 11:40; Joel 2:20; Signs in Sky, Isaiah 13:10; 24:23; Joel 2:10,30; 3:15; Zechariah 14:6,7; Remnant Saved, Joel 2:12, 17; 3:32; Amos 9:8; Zechariah 13:8,9; 14:2,5.

There are many others. We could spend hours covering them all. And each and every one either has or will come to pass, you have God’s Word on it! Taking time to read, study, and ponder why God has told us of all the significant occurrences of His intervention with His people Israel shows us just how important Israel is to Him, and how important Israel is to our understanding of what God has planned for our immediate future! Besides, God has directly told us that those who discriminate against Israel or Israel’s land will be judged and judged severely while “And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.” (Genesis 12:3) So, why not celebrate the wonderful nation of Israel and its contributions to the world?

Conclusion

We have spent quite some time covering the Old Testament prophecies of the End Times. It should be quite evident through these examples that Israel and the Jewish people play a very important part in the End Times. In fact, the End Times are the time reserved by God to bring His people Israel back into fellowship with Him and reveal His Messiah to them at last. We are indeed experiencing those very days right now!

What we have to realize and come to know is that God’s Word is alive and “sharper than any two-edged sword” in both the Old and the New Testaments from Genesis 1:1 to Revelation 22:21! When God speaks, we should listen and, especially and emphatically, read God’s Word for what it says without adding to it some interpretation of man. God’s Word speaks clearly, He does not confuse like the enemy does. Some areas of Bible study may take more time than others, cross referencing, and prayer, but through the Holy Spirit’s leading, we can know and understand what we need to carry out the Will of God in our lives. We can also realize that we already have the confidence and assurance that only knowledge of God through Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior, can give to us! And, we must and should let that knowledge remove all fear, destroy anxiety, and establish joy in all circumstances in our lives!

Let us end this session with this. Trust God, trust His Word, and trust that He is always in control! Trust what God has to tell us about our immediate future, what is to come for the Church, the Jews, for Israel, and for all of unbelieving humanity. We must realize how secure we are in Jesus Christ! With God, what can man do to me? I am a citizen of Heaven, one with Christ! Even so, Come Lord Jesus! ccent 2;\ls