Prophetic Distractions (4) - Prophetic Markers

Many Christians see the emergence of Israel is a marker for biblical prophecy.

The reality is that it was just one event that had to happen. At some point God will open the eyes of the Jews and they will acknowledge Jesus as saviour and Lord. This event, often referred to as the Calling of the Jews, is the next epochal event in history. Before it can happen, at least some of the Jews had to return to the land of Palestine.

However the process by which this happened was probably not God’s perfect plan. There are many prophecies about this event in the Old Testament, but most speak of people returning in faith and in peace and blessing. These have not been fulfilled yet. We have not yet seen the real miracle that God promised.

Ezekiel 38:8 seems to speak of God’s second best.

In the latter years you will come into the land that is restored by the sword, whose inhabitants have been gathered from many nations to the mountains of Israel which had been a continual waste.

This is not a return in peace and blessing, but a return “by the sword”. The birth of the nation was accomplished by secular men and women by political and military power. It was the work of a well organised nationalism rather than an act of God. The expansion of Israel has been accomplished by political alliances and military power. God allowed this to happen, because he can use all things for good, but that does not mean that this was his perfect plan.

The emergency of Israel had to happen so that God’s greater purposes can be achieved, but we cannot be sure that the timing of these events happened exactly according to his plan. They may have happened before God intended. Therefore, it is risky to turn the years 1948 or 1967 into markers for prophetic history.

Prophetic Distractions (3) - Israel Determines History

In recent years a strange doctrine has emerged. A belief has emerged that what happens in the church is determined by what happens in the nation of Israel. Some Bible teachers urge Christians to watch what is happening in Israel to understand what is happening in the church. This is a false teaching.

Firstly, what happens in the church is determined by the Holy Spirit. He is not constrained by political or national leaders in any nation. The only thing that constrains his work is the unwillingness of Christians to go with him. We can hold back his activity by refusing to trust and obey him.

Secondly, the leaders of the nation of Israel are not Christians. They have refused to acknowledge that Jesus is their messiah. They do not walk in the Spirit, so they do not hear his voice. Many are totally secular. They do not acknowledge God. They do not honour his law. The leaders of Israel continue to disobey the law, so they are living outside the blessing of the covenant. A nation in this state cannot be the determiner of the Holy Spirit’s work on earth.

There truth is the reverse. What happens on earth is largely determined by the church. When the church is weak and lost, the world goes down hill. When the church is in touch with the Holy Spirit and walks in his power, the world is changed.