Does Israel Still Matter in End-Time Prophecy? What the Bible Really Says

Does Israel have any place in end-time prophecy?

The answer seems obvious but not to many theologians and influencers today. Let’s examine replacement theology in the light of Bible prophecy. As I plan to show, embracing replacement theology would require rewriting, or at least reimagining, many Scripture passages referring to end-time events, as well as most of the book of Revelation. We also look into the mystery of Daniel’s 70th week and what it means for us today.

When seeking an understanding of apocalyptic literature, including passages in the Bible that deal with end-time events, we must keep consistent hermeneutical principles in mind. (Hermeneutics is a fancy term that theologians use that deals with how Bible texts are interpreted.)

Double Reference, Now and in the Future

One of these principles involves double reference. This is when one Bible passage refers to more than one event—the first is immediate, and the second is distant. Sometimes the distant event to which the Bible passage refers is hundreds or even thousands of years in the future. Of course, there is no way anyone can know what is going to happen that far ahead of time without the influence of the Holy Spirit giving them insight into future events.

One such example is Isaiah 7:10-16:

Moreover the Lord spake again unto Ahaz, saying, Ask thee a sign of the Lord thy God; ask it either in the depth, or in the height above. But Ahaz said, I will not ask, neither will I tempt the Lord. And he said, Hear ye now, O house of David; Is it a small thing for you to weary men, but will ye weary my God also?

Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. Butter and honey shall he eat, that he may know to refuse the evil, and choose the good. For before the child shall know to refuse the evil, and choose the good, the land that thou abhor-rest shall be forsaken of both her kings.

The context of this passage is the prophet Isaiah speaking words of encouragement to King Ahaz of Judah. The Word from the Lord said that Ahaz did not need to be concerned with the apparent threats from Syria and Ephraim (the north-ern kingdom of Israel), since both of their leaders would soon be gone. The immediate fulfillment of this prophecy occurred when both those kings were overthrown within a few years, before a child would know how to choose between good and evil.

The distant fulfillment of this prophetic word came many centuries later, when Jesus was born of a virgin in Bethlehem. Matthew 1:20-23 attests to this specifically:

But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost. And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name Jesus: for he shall save his people from their sins.

Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.

Zion: Thou Art My People

Regarding Israel and the end times, consider this passage, which Jesus quoted from the prophet Isaiah in Luke 4:18-19:

The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, to preach the acceptable year of the Lord.

At this point, Jesus stopped reading and closed the scroll. The reason for this was the remainder of the passage in Isaiah did not deal with His first advent, but with His return to the earth, 2,000 years and still counting later.

Here is the remainder of the passage, starting with the phrase from Isaiah 61:2 that picks up after Jesus finished reading, and ends with verse 6:

…and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn; To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he might be glorified.

And they shall build the old wastes, they shall raise up the former desolations, and they shall repair the waste cities, the desolations of many generations. And strangers shall stand and feed your flocks, and the sons of the alien shall be your plowmen and your vinedressers.

But ye shall be named the Priests of the Lord: men shall call you the Ministers of our God: ye shall eat the riches of the Gentiles, and in their glory shall ye boast yourselves (Isaiah 61:2-6).

Zion, as the term is used here, does not mean a hill and fortification that David captured in the Jebusite stronghold of ancient Jebus, later known as Jerusalem. Zion means the nation of Israel. For additional proof, notice Isaiah 51:16: “…and say unto Zion, Thou art my people.” Clearly this passage is referencing God’s dealings with Israel in the future.

Wait just a cotton-pickin’ minute, as an entertainer of a previous generation used to say. If, as replacement theology maintains, God has replaced the Jews with the Church, why do we see so much language regarding the Jews and the nation of Israel (Zion) in prophetic literature? Why talk about the future of Israel if they were not even going to exist? That doesn’t make any sense at all!

The Timeline of Prophecy

There is no question that these prophecies are dealing with future events. In addition, Zion is regarded in these passages in contrast to the Gentiles, referring to the nations around Israel. Those nations and Israel are obviously separate and dis-tinct in the mind of God as He inspired His prophets to speak. How can anyone honestly say that the Jews are unnecessary? God obviously has them in mind when it comes to future events. In fact, as we will see, God will deal with Israel almost exclusively in end-time events. It is in the land of Israel that most of end-time prophecy unfolds.

Before I get to the language included in the book of Revelation, I want to refer to a unique and specific timeline given to the prophet Daniel by none other than a special emissary from Heaven, the angel Gabriel. Daniel 9:24-27 says:

Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy.

Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times.

And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined. And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.

Let me briefly unpack some of this passage, at least as much as refers to Israel and the end times. The term weeks as it is used here is sevens. It is generally understood to mean seven years. Therefore, 70 weeks is 490 years.

Keep in mind throughout this discussion that Gabriel is addressing Daniel, who is a Jew, and his people are Jews. Something significant is going to happen regarding the Jews involving 490 years. Some say this period of time is over, since we are much more than 490 years removed from Daniel’s day.

However, what Gabriel is saying cannot be explained in linear arithmetic.

We have several markers to help guide us about this passage. The first one is regarding the commandment to restore and build Jerusalem.

This decree was issued in 454 BC (see Nehemiah 2:1-8). (The dates I am using may be different at the front and back end by a year or so, but the time interval between them is not.)

• Seven sevens of years later, or 49 years, Jerusalem was rebuilt.

• 62 weeks of years, or 434 years after Jerusalem was rebuilt, Jesus was crucified outside the gates of the city.

• 49 years plus 434 years equals 483 years, or 69 weeks of years (69 x 7 = 483).

• That ended this segment of time.

The following is a suggested timeline of these events:

• 454 BC minus 49 years = 405 BC

• 405 BC minus 400 years = 5 BC (the so-called silent years between Malachi and Matthew)

• 5 BC plus 34 years of Jesus’ lifetime on earth = AD 29 when Jesus was crucified (“…cut off, but not for Himself….” as Gabriel said to Daniel)

• Total = 483 years

As you can see, there are seven years remaining to make up the 490 years that Gabriel mentioned to Daniel. What period of time will result in 7 years of God dealing with Israel? I believe that it refers to the time known as the Tribulation period.

In the Daniel passage, the “people of the prince that shall come” refers to the Romans. They destroyed the city of Jerusalem and the temple under Titus in AD 70.

The Revealing of the Antichrist

The next “he” referred to in this passage does not refer to a Roman legionnaire of the 1st century. This will be a different leader of what many believe will be a coalition of nations representing what is essentially a revived Roman empire. This leader’s behavior reveals his identity. Among his other actions, he will:

• Confirm a covenant with many for one week (seven years). This is a covenant of peace with Israel, and marks the 70th seven-year period of 70-week or 490-year time frame mentioned in Daniel.

• Violate the covenant halfway through this seven-year period, causing the sacrifices being made in the rebuilt temple to cease.

• Do something that is abominable to the Jews, calling to remembrance the abomination of desolation accomplished by Antiochus Epiphanes centuries before.

• Ultimately be defeated. This is none other than the anti-christ, who is revealed in Revelation 6:2:

And I saw, and behold a white horse: and he that sat on him had a bow; and a crown was given unto him: and he went forth conquering, and to conquer.

The antichrist will rise to power as the result of satan’s influence (see Revelation 13:2). The first half of his seven-year reign will be marked by flattery, diplomacy, and treachery. He will not reveal his violent and deadly aims at first. He will attempt to get what he wants by means of deception and manipulation. Only when those tactics no longer fulfill his purposes will he resort to violence and repression.

Many say the antichrist’s aim will be world domination, but that will only be a secondary goal. His primary purpose will be singular and relentless. The reason he arises is to destroy the nation of Israel, and to annihilate every Jew on the face of the earth.

You may remember that I outlined several episodes in Israel’s history that were designed by their adversaries to kill them all. The antichrist will make all their efforts, as devastating as they were, look like children stepping on ants at a picnic. The antichrist will combine military might, economic power, media control, and social influence to identify, isolate, and immolate every Jew he can locate.

Jesus Discusses the End Times with His Followers

Jesus spoke to His followers about these events, recorded in Matthew chapter 24. Let’s take a brief look at what Jesus says in Matthew 24:3:

And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?

We can summarize Jesus’ answer as follows:

• Imposters will arise claiming to be Christ.

• You will hear of wars and rumors of wars.

• Famines, pestilence, and earthquakes will become common.

• Persecution will increase in frequency and severity.

• Betrayal and hatred will become common.

• False prophets will proliferate.

• Iniquity and apostasy will abound.

• The gospel will be preached to all nations before the end comes.

So far, we can legitimately say that the conditions Jesus is describing here could refer to either the present age or the first half of what is known as the Tribulation period. However, what comes next is certainly referring to the flash point that will kick off the second half of that seven-year period. The text continues with verses 15-30.

To summarize that passage, I offer these points:

• Jesus refers to the abomination of desolation described in Daniel 9:27. This is an unmistakable signal to every Jew living in Israel or in that entire region to flee. Where are they supposed to go? Very likely to Moab, Ammon, and Edom, according to Revelation 12:14.

• The warning is definite: run for your lives, and don’t turn back to try to take anything with you.

• Whatever persecution the Jews have endured up to now is about to be multiplied. It will be a time of great tribulation, not only for Jews, but especially for them.

• False prophets working deceptive signs and wonders will abound, and will try to trick people into revealing their whereabouts to meet those who pretend to be the Messiah. In order to stay safe, those in hiding must not believe the lies.

• Christ’s coming will be unmistakable. No lying sign or wonder will be able to mimic His appearing. Revelation 19:11-16 tells it this way:

And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself. And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God. And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, King Of Kings, And Lord Of Lords.

• The mention of the carcass and the vultures refers to this activity centering on Israel, and especially Jerusalem.

• The tribes (nations or peoples) of the earth shall mourn—this refers to unbelievers, whose righteous judgment is at hand.