Zechariah 12: 9 And it will be in that day, that I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem. 10 “And I will pour out on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem [d]the Spirit of grace and of supplication, so that they will look on Me whom they have pierced; and they will mourn for Him, as one mourns for an only son, and they will weep bitterly over Him like the bitter weeping over a firstborn. 11 In that day there will be great mourning in Jerusalem, like the mourning of Hadadrimmon in the [e]plain of [f]Megiddo.
13: “In that day a fountain will be opened for the house of David and for the inhabitants of Jerusalem, for sin and for impurity. 2 “And it will be in that day,” declares Yahweh of hosts, “that I will cut off the names of the idols from the land, and they will no longer be remembered; and I will also cause the prophets and the unclean spirit to pass away from the land.
8 And it will be in all the land,” Declares Yahweh,
“That two parts in it will be cut off and breathe their
last; But the third will be left in it. 9 And I will
bring the third part through the fire And refine them as silver is refined
And test them as gold is tested. [e]They
will call on My name, And I will answer them;
I will say, ‘They are My
people,’ And they will say, ‘Yahweh is my God.’”
That passage is another one out of the O.T. that describes where Israel is headed. Reconciliation-prodigal son-there were two prodigal sons—it is not normal to reconcile—grudges are normal.
One New Year's Eve at London's Garrick Club, British dramatist Frederick Lonsdale was asked by Symour Hicks to reconcile with a fellow member. The two had quarreled in the past and never restored their friendship. "You must," Hicks said to Lonsdale. "It is very unkind to be unfriendly at such a time. Go over now and wish him a happy New Year."
So Lonsdale crossed the room and spoke to his enemy. "I wish you a happy New Year," he said, "but only one."
Today in the Word, July 5, 1993.
God is in the reconciliation business.
Where are we in this series? “What is happening in Israel? What does it mean? We’ve looked at what happened, and continues to happen---A week of ceasefire and hostage exchange negotiation.
2006. The truth is that if Israel were to put down its arms there would be no more Israel. If the Arabs were to put down their arms there would be no more war.
Benjamin Netanyahu - Wikiquote
Now we continue with what does it mean? What it means is that pieces of the end-times puzzle are snapping into place.
24 “Seventy [u]weeks have been decreed for your people and your holy city, to [v]finish the wrongdoing, to [w]make an end of sin, to make atonement for guilt, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and [x]prophecy, and to anoint the Most Holy Place.
What has to happen? What has to be in place?
and the people of the prince who is to come will destroy the city and the sanctuary. And [ad]its end will come with a flood; even to the end [ae]there will be war; desolations are determined. 27 And he will confirm a covenant with the many for one week, but in the middle of the week he will put a stop to sacrifice and grain offering; and on the wing of [af]abominations will come the one who [ag]makes desolate, until a complete destruction, one that is [ah]decreed, gushes forth on the one who [ai]makes desolate.”
A. The Jewish people have to be in Israel.
The implication of Daniel 9 is that the Jewish people occupy Israel when all these things happen.
24 “Seventy [q]weeks have been determined for your people and for your holy city,
Another passage that tells us more of that detail is,
Zechariah 13:9. “And I will bring the third part through the fire, refine them as silver is refined, and test them as gold is tested. They will call on My name, and I will answer them; I will say, ‘They are My people,’ and they will say, ‘The LORD is my God.’” As part of the process of bringing the Jewish remnant to faith Zechariah 13:8 speaks of a purging out of the non-elect Jewish element from the nation. “’And it will come about in all the land,’ declares the LORD, ‘that two parts in it will be cut off and perish; but the third will be left in it.’” The Old Testament prophets speak frequently of the purging out of the Jewish non-elect during the tribulation.
This no surprise that the Jewish people have returned to Israel.
“For I will take you from the nations, gather you from all the lands and bring you into your own land” (Ezek. 36:24).
Jeremiah 16: 14 “Therefore behold, days are coming,” declares Yahweh, “when it will no longer be said, ‘As Yahweh lives, who brought up the sons of Israel out of the land of Egypt,’ 15 but, ‘As Yahweh lives, who brought up the sons of Israel from the land of the north and from all the lands where He had banished them.’ For I will return them to their own land which I gave to their fathers. 16 “Behold, I am going to send for many fishermen,” declares Yahweh, “and they will fish for them; and afterwards I will send for many hunters, and they will hunt them from every mountain and every hill and from the crevices of the rocks.
A. Continued hostility and war in the middle east; particularly in Israel.
even to the end [ae]there will be war; desolations are determined.
Jesus said in Matthew 24, 6 And you will be hearing of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, for those things must take place, but that is not yet the end. 7 For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places. 8 But all these things are merely the beginning of birth pains.
We can expect war. We can expect war in Israel. And it appears that the antichrist will arise during a time of war, because his first notable act is to make an accord, a treaty for 7 years.
Now, it is hardly noteworthy or prophetic to say that there will be war in Israel. As we’ve already noted, that condition has existed since their founding. But, when we put all the end-times prophecies together, we get the picture of a world-wide hostility toward Israel. That will be the state of things at the end of the Tribulation, the middle of the Tribulation, and I believe even at the start of the Tribulation. The antichrist doesn’t have to propose peace terms to people who are already at peace.
And to me, one of the things about history that has pointed to Israel’s future place in history has been this continued animosity toward the Jewish people. Hitler didn’t invent something new when he tried to destroy the Jews. Some of the first Jews immigrated to Israel in the 1800’s because of antisemitism and pogroms in Russia. A pogrom is an organized massacre of a particular group of people. And across Europe, like Haman in the book of Esther, nations and kingdoms made concerted efforts to rid their territories of Jews by violence and murder.
And you have to ask, “Why?” Why have so many targeted this one group for so long? Well it’s because the world is ruled by one individual.
Ephesians 2:2 in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the ruler of the power of the air, the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience,
And Satan’s chief aim is to destroy God’s purposes. And God has a purpose for Israel, so Satan wants to destroy that purpose, it’s as simple as that.
But, if we are looking for “signs” indicating that the end is close, there is no better one than this. It is no wonder that many thought that Hitler might be the antichrist. Because he took hatred for the Jewish people further than any other leader in history.
But, despite all of the education regarding history that the nations of the world have received since WW2, and Hitler, we seem to have come full circle. And the way things are looking today, we might see that Hitler sowed the wind, and our generation will reap the antisemitic whirlwind.
Have you been watching the news lately? Hundreds of thousands are protesting on behalf of “Palestinians.” In London, Austria, and across the U.S. including Washington D.C. Now, protests are nothing new, but when the protests include calls for Israel’s destruction, it causes you to think of the Scripture that foretells all nations gathering in the Valley of Megiddo to wipe Israel and the Jewish people off of the map.
"It is not Israel that is deliberately targeting civilians but Hamas that beheaded, burned and massacred civilians in the worst horrors perpetrated on Jews since the Holocaust," Netanyahu said.
"While Israel is doing everything to keep civilians out of harm's way, Hamas is doing everything to keep them in harm's way," he explained. "Israel provides civilians in Gaza humanitarian corridors and safe zones, Hamas prevents them from leaving at gunpoint.
"It is Hamas not Israel that should be held accountable for committing a double war crime — targeting civilians while hiding behind civilians. The forces of civilization must back Israel in defeating Hamas barbarism," Netanyahu said.
University of Michigan. Clips of the protest depicted marchers, chanting “Intifada, Intifada! Long live the Intifada” a call to violent overthrow of the Jewish state inspired by Palestinian riots and rebellions against Israel in the late 80s, early 90s, and early 2000s. “There is only one solution!” a female marcher was seen chanting, as the crowd behind her responded, “Intifada! Revolution!"
1. If you hear people chanting “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free…” here’s what it means:
This is a cry for Israel to not exist. It is calling for a Palestinian state that extends from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea – effectively erasing and destroying the entire Jewish state.
2. If you hear people calling for “resistance by any means necessary,” here’s what is being said:
This is support for terrorism. Saying “by any means necessary,” especially after October 7, indicates support, justification, and championing of violence and murder of civilians as a form of so-called resistance. Hamas’ “means” have included brutal torture and kidnapping of innocents, including babies and the elderly.
3. If you see a flyer related to Hamas’ war on Israel that features an image of a paraglider, here’s what that represents:
It’s glorifying the terrorists who used paragliders to infiltrate Israel on October 7, 2023 to massacre, kidnap, mutilate and brutalize thousands of people. There is no other meaning of these images.
4. If you hear people chanting “Globalize the intifada!” here’s what it means:
The chant is a reference to violent Palestinian uprisings against Israel, specifically acts of terrorism and indiscriminate violence against civilians by terrorist groups, including suicide bombings in buses and restaurants. This slogan has been chanted at anti-Israel rallies for years. Jews and Israelis hear this slogan as a call for indiscriminate violence against Israel, and potentially against Jews and Jewish institutions worldwide.
And these words are being openly spoken in countries who were Jewish allies in WW2.
Let’s be clear. This is what Scripture says about the nations at the end of the Tribulation.Zechariah 14:2For I will gather all the nations against Jerusalem to battle, and the city shall be taken and the houses plundered and the women raped. Half of the city shall go out into exile, but the rest of the people shall not be cut off from the city.Joel 3:2I will gather all the nations and bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat. And I will enter into judgment with them there, on behalf of my people and my heritage Israel, because they have scattered them among the nations and have divided up my land,Zechariah 12:3On that day I will make Jerusalem a heavy stone for all the peoples. All who lift it will surely hurt themselves. And all the nations of the earth will gather against it.Zechariah 14:1-21ESV / 3,277 helpful votes Helpful Not Helpful
Behold, a day is coming for the Lord, when the spoil taken from you will be divided in your midst. For I will gather all the nations against Jerusalem to battle, and the city shall be taken and the houses plundered and the women raped. Half of the city shall go out into exile, but the rest of the people shall not be cut off from the city. Then the Lord will go out and fight against those nations as when he fights on a day of battle. On that day his feet shall stand on the Mount of Olives that lies before Jerusalem on the east, and the Mount of Olives shall be split in two from east to west by a very wide valley, so that one half of the Mount shall move northward, and the other half southward. And you shall flee to the valley of my mountains, for the valley of the mountains shall reach to Azal. And you shall flee as you fled from the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah. Then the Lord my God will come, and all the holy ones with him. ...Ezekiel 38:1-39:29ESV / 2,470 helpful votes Helpful Not Helpful
The word of the Lord came to me: “Son of man, set your face toward Gog, of the land of Magog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal, and prophesy against him and say, Thus says the Lord God: Behold, I am against you, O Gog, chief prince of Meshech and Tubal. And I will turn you about and put hooks into your jaws, and I will bring you out, and all your army, horses and horsemen, all of them clothed in full armor, a great host, all of them with buckler and shield, wielding swords. Persia, Cush, and Put are with them, all of them with shield and helmet; ...Joel 3:1-2ESV / 2,467 helpful votes Helpful Not Helpful
“For behold, in those days and at that time, when I restore the fortunes of Judah and Jerusalem, I will gather all the nations and bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat. And I will enter into judgment with them there, on behalf of my people and my heritage Israel, because they have scattered them among the nations and have divided up my land,Revelation 16:12-16ESV / 1,489 helpful votes Helpful Not Helpful
The sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrates, and its water was dried up, to prepare the way for the kings from the east. And I saw, coming out of the mouth of the dragon and out of the mouth of the beast and out of the mouth of the false prophet, three unclean spirits like frogs. For they are demonic spirits, performing signs, who go abroad to the kings of the whole world, to assemble them for battle on the great day of God the Almighty. (“Behold, I am coming like a thief! Blessed is the one who stays awake, keeping his garments on, that he may not go about naked and be seen exposed!”) And they assembled them at the place that in Hebrew is called Armageddon.
So, what can we expect to happen as we get ever closer to the end? Worldwide hatred expressed toward Israel, and the nations of the world talking about enforcing their will on Israel.
B. The rise of antichrist
Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition, who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God. (2 Thessalonians 2:3-4)
Now notice the next verses.
and the people of the prince who is to come will destroy the city and the sanctuary. And [ad]its end will come with a flood; even to the end [ae]there will be war; desolations are determined. 27 And he will confirm a covenant with the many for one week,
The very next words after Messiah is killed are “and the people of the prince who is to come.” He starts talking about another prince, “who is to come.” He indicates that this other prince will come at some unknown future date. And that future prince will make a “confirm a covenant with the many for one week.” How long? One week. One seven. Seven years. The final 7 years are separated in the account from the 483 years. Altogether they make 490 years that God will use to finish His work, but the last seven are separated from the first 483. Messiah is killed after the 483, and the prince who is to come, or the antichrist ascends to his moment of power at the start of the last 7 years.
This is the second indication in this prophecy that the 490 years are not continuous. In other words, God tells Daniel about 483 consecutive years starting with the word from Artaxerxes that Jerusalem can be rebuilt, leading to the triumphal entry of Jesus. Then there is a break in the 490 years. Jesus is killed after the 483 years, and the antichrist rise to power is before the final 7 years. How do we know when the last 7 years of history, called the Great Tribulation begin? The “prince who is to come” the antichrist makes a 7- year treaty with “the many.”
So, we can expect to hear of a world leader who will formulate and initiate a 7-year treaty. As war and animosity foments toward Israel, somebody steps into the ring who proposes a covenant or treaty for 7 years.
Now, it says that the 7-year covenant is with “the many.” Most commentators I’ve read said that this covenant is with Israel. I think the context indicates two things. Number one, the treaty or covenant has to be with more than just Israel, because other nations and peoples will be involved. Today, any treaty with Israel will naturally involve other middle eastern countries who have been hostile to Israel. It would likely also involve whatever country brokers the deal. For example, after WW2, Great Britain was instrumental in making the two-state deal and establishing a homeland for the Jewish people.
Today, if the U.N. was part of making a peace accord between Israel, and other middle eastern countries, you could say that all nations who are a part of the U.N. have entered the covenant. So, antichrist makes a covenant with many for 7-years.
So, we expect to see this antichrist figure arise.