Today and Tomorrow

Many have asked about how the war with Iran figures into prophecy. I’ve created a timeline of prophetic history and some thoughts about where we may be now on that timeline.

Prophecy is all about Israel.

The Timeline begins with the beginning of the nation of Israel. From the beginning to Jesus, it is blue. There were high points like the kingdom of David and low points like the Babylonian captivity.

When Jesus appeared, he came first to Israel. When the nation rejected Jesus, they entered a period of one generation of decline until 70 A.D. when Jerusalem and the temple were destroyed. After that in 135 A.D. the nation is destroyed and scattered among the nations.

That exile among the nations lasted from 70 A.D. to 1948 when Israel again became a nation. Each of the transition points had a ramp up to the point in history when they happened. And they had a period after that in which Israel settled into the new reality and how it affected the nation.

For example, the period of time ramping up to Israel becoming a nation under the leadership of Moses/Joshua took many years. The transition from Joshua to David when the 12 tribes were united took more than one hundred years.

The crash of the nation that ended in 596 B.C. as the Babylonian captivity took many years. The return of the nation to the land in 450 B.C also took many years. Following that there was a period of ups and downs when Israel was ruled by Persia, Greece, and Rome. At that point about 450 years after the people returned to the land of Israel Jesus the Messiah appeared.

He came offering himself as the Messiah King, but when he was rejected by the nation, there followed a one generation of decline that ended in another exile. That exile lasted until 1948 when the people of Israel were given their homeland again. There was a ramping up to that point that included a Zionist movement and the terrible ordeal of the Second World War and the death camps where 6 million Jews died.  

That is where we are at the moment. Israel lives in their homeland as a nation, but they do not really hold that land securely. In the 75 years since 1948, there has been almost constant war to keep the homeland and make it secure.

There are four prophetic histories in the Bible regarding Israel.

The first prophetic history is found in Daniel 7 and 8. This is called the Four Beasts and the Ram and the Goat.   Together two visions tell the history of Israel from the Babylonian Empire to the middle of the Tribulation period. 

The second prophetic history is in Daniel 9. It is called the 70 weeks of years of Daniel (Daniel 9:20-27). It is the history of the people of Israel from the return of the people after the Babylonian captivity to the announcement of Messiah Jesus - 69 weeks or 483 years. If we add from the decree to rebuild Jerusalem in 458 B.C. 483 years, we come to 26 A.D. and John the Baptist who announced the coming of Jesus the Messiah. (Mark 1:2-8)

The final week of the 70 is described in Daniel 9:27. The final. week begins with a treaty made with Israel and the great ruler who we usually call the antichrist. The treaty will be a promise of security for Israel and will allow them to rebuild the temple and begin sacrifices again.  

I think we are about at that point in prophecy.

If we are at that point, what we see happening is the ramping up to a point where Israel will be so endangered that they will need the protection of a great ruler powerful enough to guarantee the safety of Israel. It looks right now that the great ruler will come from the United States. But that could change in a very short time. One thing that does appear to be an increasing danger to Israel is the coalition of Islamic nations like Iran who are determined to destroy Israel. So far, the United States has supported Israel against that threat.

The third prophetic history is found in Matthew 24 and Mark 13 and Luke 21. It covers the period of time between the destruction of the temple and the return of Jesus as King. This is the period that has wars and rumors of wars, false messiahs, natural disasters, etc. It has two significant signs. These are also found in Revelation 6. The first is the darkening of the sun and moon and the falling of the stars.  This can be understood as symbolic of the decline of national leaders or an actual darkening of the skies. I think it will be the latter.

The second is the leafing of the fig tree in the parable at the end of the prophetic history (Matthew 24:32-34). I think that means the culmination of all the signs and the beginning of the period of the tribulation which if seen in redemption history is actually the ramping up to the return of Jesus (the beginning of new life) and the beginning of the eternal kingdom.

The fourth prophetic history is found in Revelation 12. It covers the period between the coming of Jesus, who is the child of Mother Israel, and the appearance of the beast in chapter 13. This period of history ends with two periods of 3 ½ years each. The first 3 ½ years is verses 6 with the woman Israel being protected by God. This is the believing remanent of Israel. Unredeemed Israel is protected by the strong man who made a covenant of protection with Israel.

The second 3 ½ years begins with the announcement in 12:10 and following. It is a time of salvation for Israel when all Israel will be saved. But it is also a time of unprecedented persecution of Israel (though she is protected by God) and danger for the “rest of the children” of Mother Israel, the church. Its beginning is marked by the revealing of the beast in Rev. 13:1 who will overturn the treaty with Israel.

Where we are now is in the ramping up period before the beginning of the tribulation period and the treaty of the strong man with Israel guaranteeing Israel's security.  So, where does the war with Iran figure into this ramping up period? Since the reentry of Israel into the homeland, Iran has been the enemy of Israel that stands out from all the others. They have sworn to destroy Israel. They represent a number of other Islamic states who might be consider a coalition, but Iran stands out. It is Iran and the coalition that are the existential threat to Israel. As it stands now, that coalition includes Russia and China who are supplying war materials to Iran.

The United States has been the one primary support to Israel. But there has been a coalition that includes many of the European nations. The United States, however, is the strongest both in support and military power in defense of Israel. There has not been a treaty guaranteeing security, however. So far, the security the United States has provided has been less official than a treaty.

So, here we are. The war and the threats to Israel and a more powerful coalition against Israel have not really come together to present an existential threat yet. There has also not been a coming together of the nations of the north who are mentioned in other prophecies as the enemies of Israel. The present situation may proceed to that, but it may also move back to a standoff. That is how it has been for 75 years. But the determination of Israel’s present leaders to secure absolute security will probably create a final crisis. That could be the outcome of the present war with Iran. But it might be delayed as leaders change.

The stage is set, however, for a coming existential threat and a treaty of security. When that happens, the prophecies of the tribulation period begin to unfold.