In the fourth part of our series on the importance of the “little, Big” Nation of Israel to the contemporary Christians, we focus on the subject of Israel being “the time-piece”…
Symbol…
Once the Fig tree–symbolic of Israel–starts blossoming again, you can assume that I am right at the door remarked the Saviour (Matt 24:32-33) speaking on the subject of the Signs preceding His Second Coming in the whole of Matthew’s 24th Chapter.
So Israel in a way is a time-piece by which we can discern and arrive at the proximity of the Master’s second advent. In 70 AD, with the destruction of Jerusalem by the Roman army (did they not ask for God’s wrath to come upon them? Matt 27:24-25) and the subsequent dispersion of the Jews, Israel resembled a withered fig tree for approximately 2000 years; but now 66 years hence post their re-birth in 1948 (God’s grace once again coming to the fore in conjunction with His covenant with their forefathers. Deu 7:7-8), they once again symbolize a budding, blossoming and a thriving fig tree.
Now looking at Israel’s rebirth from another dimension…it would not be possible for the Anti-Christ to emerge as a Global problem solver (after the Rapture of the Church) without the existence of Israel.
Rev 6:1-2 portrays him as a conqueror who would win over the people’s hearts initially by deception (Daniel 8:25) without shedding blood. Note, he is depicted as carrying a bow but no arrows.
Today, there is an Arab-Israeli conflict in West Asia because Israel is there (200 years back, it was not the case). If Israel had not been “re-born”, there would be no turmoil at all, leaving no scope for the anti-christ to display his “peaceful” problem-solving abilities and broker a temporary Arab-Jewish peace pact and consolidate his position as undisputed Global leader, during the seven years of tribulation.
Boy, if the anti-christ’s rapture seems imminent, how much more imminent is the Church’s rapture (Rev 4:1).
After initially posing as the friends of the Jews (he may be of Jewish origin also), the anti-christ would reveal his true colors in the second half of the tribulation (Daniel 9:27), posing as God himself (Rev 13:1-8) subjecting the Jews to severe persecution. In the midst of their heavy troubles, the Jews would in desperation finally look sky-ward to the rejected Messiah (they had rejected Him in His First advent, but would accept Him now as their Saviour–Romans 11:26) for the deliverance. Jesus, in answer to their prayers would come, defeat the anti-christ and his assistant, the False Prophet, in the Battle of Armageddon (Rev 19:11-21) and then usher in the Millennial rule (Psalms 2/Rev 20).
Prayer: Father, even as we see the Nation of Israel “budding and blossoming” in front of our own eyes as a sign of the imminent Church rapture, enable us to be alert and alert others’. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.
Suresh Manoharan
An Unworthy Servant
J and SM Ministries
(To access the entire “God of a Small Nation” mini-series, please click here.)