The End Times
Israel becomes a country
"Who has heard such a thing? Who has seen such things? Shall a land be born in one day? Shall a nation be brought forth in one moment? For as soon as
Zion (Jerusalem) was in labor she brought forth her children." (Isa 66:8).The Israeli Declaration of Independence, formally the "Declaration of the Establishment of the State of Israel", was proclaimed on 14 May 1948.
On that day, Israel was formed as a country in modern times.
"In that day the Lord will extend his hand yet a second time to recover the remnant that remains of his people, from Assyria, from Egypt, from Pathros, from Cush, from Elam, from Shinar, from Hamath, and from the coastlands of the sea. He will raise a signal for the nations and will assemble the banished of Israel, and gather the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the Earth." (Isa 11:11–12).
"Fear not, for I am with you; I will bring your offspring from the east, and from the west I will gather you, and to the south, do not withhold; bring my sons from afar and my daughters from the end of the Earth, everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made." (Isa 43:5–7).
The displaced of Israel and the scattered of Judah will be gathered back to Israel from the four corners of the Earth (Micah 5:3). Reached from the formation of Israel in 1948 and beyond.
"In days to come Jacob shall take root, Israel shall blossom and put forth shoots and fill the whole world with fruit." (Isa 27:6).
Israel will grow green and flourish. Something we saw from the formation of Israel in 1948 and beyond.
See also The Valley of Dry Bones.
The Great Tribulation
God has a two-fold purpose for the seven-year Tribulation period:
- Give discipline to the nation of Israel.
- For wrath upon the Earth (see God has wrath in God's Attributes),
to those who have rejected God. It's God's glory to do so. The
born again believers will be persecuted on a large scale during this time.
The Great Tribulation is the last 3.5 years of the Tribulation period (Mat 24:21–22).
"I will make people more rare than fine gold, and mankind than the gold of Ophir." (Isa 13:12). There will be a great loss of life during the Great Tribulation. Two-thirds of the Jewish people will perish during that time, but one-third will be left alive
(Zechariah 13:8, 14:2).
"And like a hunted gazelle, or like sheep with none to gather them, each will turn to his own people, and each will flee to his own land. Whoever is found will be thrust through, and whoever is caught will fall by the sword. Their infants will be dashed in pieces before their eyes; their houses will be plundered and their wives ravished." (Isa 13:14–16).
"Come, my people, enter your chambers, and shut your doors behind you; hide yourselves for a little while until the fury has passed by. For behold, the Lord is coming out from his place to punish the inhabitants of the Earth for their iniquity, and the Earth will disclose the blood shed on it, and will no more cover its slain." (Isa 26:20–21). See also Isa 24:1–22.
The people will be severely disciplined by the Lord, those who have rejected Jesus. God's wrath will be poured out, see God's Attributes.
"Therefore I will make the heavens tremble, and the Earth will be shaken out of its place, at the wrath of the Lord of hosts in the day of his fierce anger." (Isa 13:13).
The Earth will be shaken (Haggai 2:6 (7 in some Bible translations), Heb 12:25–26).
"Enter into the rock and hide in the dust from before the terror of the Lord, and from the splendor of his majesty. The haughty looks of man shall be brought low, and the lofty pride of men shall be humbled, and the Lord alone will be exalted in that day. For the Lord of hosts has a day against all that is proud and lofty, against all that is lifted up, and it shall be brought low;"
"And the haughtiness of man shall be humbled, and the lofty pride of men shall be brought low, and the Lord alone will be exalted in that day. And the idols shall utterly pass away. And people shall enter the caves of the rocks and the holes of the ground, from before the terror of the Lord, and from the splendor of his majesty, when he rises to terrify the Earth. In that day mankind will cast away their idols of silver and their idols of gold, which they made for themselves to worship, to the moles and to the bats, to enter the caverns of the rocks and the clefts of the cliffs, from before the terror of the Lord, and from the splendor of his majesty, when he rises to terrify the Earth."
(Isa 2:10–12, 13–15, 17–21).
"the day of vengeance of our God;" (Isa 61:2b).
See also Isa 63:1–6.
Messiah will punish those who don't want to know the true God
(Mark 13:24, Rev 6:15–17, Jer 30:7).
"How you are fallen from Heaven, O Day Star, son of Dawn! How you are cut down to the ground, you who laid the nations low! You said in your heart, 'I will ascend to Heaven; above the stars of God I will set my throne on high; I will sit on the mount of assembly in the far reaches of the north; I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.'" (Isa 14:12–14).
"And behold, here come riders, horsemen in pairs!” And he answered, 'Fallen, fallen is Babylon; and all the carved images of her gods he has shattered to the ground.'" (Isa 21:9).
"Every valley shall be lifted up, and every mountain and hill be made low; the uneven ground shall become level, and the rough places a plain. And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together, for the mouth of the Lord has spoken." (Isa 40:4–5).
See this fulfilled when the seventh plague is poured out when the seventh angel blows his trumpet, see at the end of
The Seventh Seal and the Seven Trumpets in the Book of Revelation.
Messiah's second coming
"Then the moon will be confounded and the sun ashamed, for the Lord of hosts reigns on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem, and his glory will be before his elders."
(Isa 24:23). Messiah (Jesus) will rule as king over the entire world from Jerusalem
(Zechariah 9:10b, 14:9, Psalm 97:1, Zephaniah 3:17). Jerusalem will be the capital of the world. God will put
David as leader over Israel.
"Behold, I made him a witness to the peoples, a leader and commander for the peoples." (Isa 55:4).
Messiah will be a leader and commander for the peoples (Rev 19:14–16).
"In that day the remnant of Israel and the survivors of the house of Jacob will no more lean on him who struck them, but will lean on the Lord, the Holy One of Israel, in truth. A remnant will return, the remnant of Jacob, to the mighty God. For though your people Israel be as the sand of the sea, only a remnant of them will return. Destruction is decreed, overflowing with righteousness." (Isa 10:20–22).
"
Therefore by this the guilt of Jacob will be atoned for, and this will be the full fruit of the removal of his sin: when he makes all the stones of the altars like chalkstones crushed to pieces, no Asherim or incense altars will remain standing." (
Isa 27:9).
"'And a Redeemer will come to Zion (Jerusalem), to those in Jacob who turn from transgression,' declares the Lord." (Isa 59:20, 49:14–
17).
"Comfort, comfort my people, says your God. Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and cry to her that her warfare is ended, that her iniquity is pardoned, that she has received from the Lord’s hand double for all her sins." (Isa 40:1–2).
"
Go on up to a high mountain, O Zion (Jerusalem)
, herald of good news; lift up your voice with strength, O Jerusalem, herald of good news; lift it up, fear not; say to the cities of Judah, 'Behold your God!'" (
Isa 40:9).
The Redeemer (Jesus) comes to Zion (Jerusalem) (Psalm 2:6, 48:1–5 (2–6 in
some translations), 110:2), and the remnant of the people of Israel will be saved. (Zechariah 2:10–12, 8:3, 9:11–16, 13:9, Deu 30:6–10, Rom 9:27–28, 11:25–27,
Ezekiel 34:11–12, 27b, 36:11b, 25–29a, 31–32, 38b).
See The Depth of the Riches in The Book of Romans.
There will be great joy among the remaining Jews. The people of Israel will recognize Messiah as Jesus, whom they had rejected
(Zephaniah 3:9–13a, 14–16, 19a,
Zechariah 3:8–10, 6:12a, 12:9–10, 13:1, John 19:37, Rev 1:7,
Ezekiel 16:60–63, 39:21–22, 28–29, Psalm 97:7–9).
"For the Lord has a day of vengeance, a year of recompense for the cause of Zion (Jerusalem)." (Isa 34:8). There will be an outpouring of God's wrath, because the earthly people have persecuted and attacked Israel, God's earthly nation. It occurs when
Jesus returns on the Mount of Olives. (Zechariah 12:3–9, 14:1–4, Acts 1:9–12, Psalm 97:3–5, Rev 19:11–14, Luk 1:69–75). "For behold, the Lord will come in fire, and his chariots like the whirlwind, to render his anger in fury, and his rebuke with flames of fire. For by fire will the Lord enter into judgment, and by his sword, with all flesh; and those slain by the Lord shall be many." (Isa 66:15–16, 49:24–26).
See also Isa 13:6–14, 42:10–17, 61:2b, and 63:1–6.
Messiah will come as a conqueror
(2 Thess 1:6–10, Mat 24:29, Mark 13:24, Rev 19:11–21, Mal 3:2–5).
"Behold, the Lord God comes with might, and his arm rules for him; behold, his reward is with him, and his recompense before him." (Isa 40:10).
"According to their deeds, so will he repay, wrath to his adversaries, repayment to his enemies; to the coastlands he will render repayment." (Isa 59:18).
Messiah will repay the survivors of the Great Tribulation according to their works
"but with righteousness he shall judge the poor, and decide with equity for the meek of the Earth; and he shall strike the Earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked." (Isa 11:4).
Messiah will kill the wicked with the spirit of his mouth (2 Thess 2:8).
The Millennial Kingdom
Satan will be caught and bound for a thousand years (Rev 20:1–3). The world will be rebuilt under the leadership of Jesus. It will be ruled by Jesus and by the people who arose and transformed into eternal life (1 Thess 4:16–17, 1 Cor 15:51–52), see
The Rapture. Their primary task will be to to carry the gospel during these thousand years, to all those who are still alive after the Great Tribulation when Jesus returns, and are part of the millennial kingdom, see The Sheep and the Goats, helping them to achieve eternal life with God.
God will use Israel as a mother to the nations during this time, in a way that it hasn't been acted before (Isa 44:1–5, 54:1–17).
"In that day the branch of the Lord (Messiah) shall be beautiful and glorious, and the fruit of the land shall be the pride and honor of the survivors of Israel. And he who is left in Zion (Jerusalem) and remains in Jerusalem will be called holy, everyone who has been recorded for life in Jerusalem, when the Lord shall have washed away the filth of the daughters of Zion (Jerusalem) and cleansed the bloodstains of Jerusalem from its midst by a spirit of judgment and by a spirit of burning." (Isa 4:1–4, 5–6, 29:18–24, 30:19–22, 31:7).
Jesus will restore the Jews to the nation of Israel.
"And I will restore your judges as at the first, and your counselors as at the beginning. Afterward you shall be called the city of righteousness, the faithful city. Zion (Jerusalem)
shall be redeemed by justice, and those in her who repent, by righteousness." (Isa 1:26–27, 32:1–4).
"And his delight shall be in the fear of the Lord. He shall not judge by what his eyes see, or decide disputes by what his ears hear, but with righteousness he shall judge the poor, and decide with equity for the meek of the Earth; and he shall strike the Earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked." (Isa 11:3–4).
Messiah won't judge by outward appearance, he will judge the poor with justice.
"Righteousness shall be the belt of his waist, and faithfulness the belt of his loins."
(Isa 11:5).
"Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this." (Isa 9:7). Righteousness will be an essential part of his earthly rule
(Psalm 72:1–4, 97:2, 6, 98:2, 9).
"The wolf shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the young goat, and the calf and the lion and the fattened calf together; and a little child shall lead them. The cow and the bear shall graze; their young shall lie down together; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. The nursing child shall play over the hole of the cobra, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the adder’s den."
(Isa 11:6–8).
There will be a fundamental change in the way the predators live.
"They (the predators) shall not hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain; for the Earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea." (Isa 11:9).
The Earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord (1 Cor 13:12),
see Listen to Jesus.
"'The wolf and the lamb shall graze together; the lion shall eat straw like the ox, and dust shall be the serpent’s food. They shall not hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain,' says the Lord." (Isa 65:25).
The animals will return to a vegetarian diet. (Ezekiel 34:25b, 28b).
"No more shall there be in it an infant who lives but a few days, or an old man who does not fill out his days, for the young man shall die a hundred years old, and the sinner a hundred years old shall be accursed." (Isa 65:20).
No one will die prematurely. The people will live longer than today.
(This applies to the mortal people). (Zechariah 8:4).
"He will swallow up death forever; and the Lord God will wipe away tears from all faces, and the reproach of his people he will take away from all the Earth, for the Lord has spoken." (Isa 25:8).
Messiah wipes out death (Rev 1:17–18). (This applies to the immortal people).
"Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf unstopped; then shall the lame man leap like a deer, and the tongue of the mute sing for joy. For waters break forth in the wilderness, and streams in the desert; the burning sand shall become a pool, and the thirsty ground springs of water; in the haunt of jackals, where they lie down, the grass shall become reeds and rushes. And a highway shall be there, and it shall be called the Way of Holiness; the unclean shall not pass over it. It shall belong to those who walk on the way; even if they are fools, they shall not go astray. No lion shall be there, nor shall any ravenous beast come up on it; they shall not be found there, but the redeemed shall walk there." (Isa 35:5–9).
We won't have to live in bodies of failures. This is fully fulfilled.
It was partially fulfilled in Jesus' ministry on Earth (see above).
"they shall not hunger or thirst, neither scorching wind nor sun shall strike them, for he who has pity on them will lead them, and by springs of water will guide them." (Isa 49:10).
There will be no hunger or thirst (John 6:35, Rev 7:16, Ezekiel 34:29, 36:29b–30, Psalm 72:16). Messiah will lead the believers to springs of water (Rev 7:17).
"And no inhabitant will say, 'I am sick'; the people who dwell there will be forgiven their iniquity." (Isa 33:24).
Diseases will be eradicated.
"In a very short time, will not Lebanon be turned into a fertile field and the fertile field seem like a forest?" (Isa 29:17).
"And he will give rain for the seed with which you sow the ground, and bread, the produce of the ground, which will be rich and plenteous. In that day your livestock will graze in large pastures, and the oxen and the donkeys that work the ground will eat seasoned fodder, which has been winnowed with shovel and fork. And on every lofty mountain and every high hill there will be brooks running with water, in the day of the great slaughter, when the towers fall. Moreover, the light of the moon will be as the light of the sun, and the light of the sun will be sevenfold, as the light of seven days, in the day when the Lord binds up the brokenness of his people, and heals the wounds inflicted by his blow." (Isa 30:23–26).
"The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad; the desert shall rejoice and blossom like the crocus; it shall blossom abundantly and rejoice with joy and singing. The glory of Lebanon shall be given to it, the majesty of Carmel and Sharon. They shall see the glory of the Lord, the majesty of our God." (Isa 35:1–2).
"I will open rivers on the bare heights, and fountains in the midst of the valleys. I will make the wilderness a pool of water, and the dry land springs of water. I will put in the wilderness the cedar, the acacia, the myrtle, and the olive. I will set in the desert the cypress, the plane and the pine together," (Isa 41:18–19).
"For the Lord comforts Zion (Jerusalem)
; he comforts all her waste places and makes her wilderness like Eden, her desert like the garden of the Lord; joy and gladness will be found in her, thanksgiving and the voice of song." (Isa 51:3). The wilderness and dry land will blossom abundantly (Ezekiel 34:14–15, 26–27a, 36:9–11a, 33–38a). Humanity will live in harmony with nature.
"Violence shall no more be heard in your land, devastation or destruction within your borders; you shall call your walls Salvation, and your gates Praise."
(Isa 60:18, 33:20–22).
People will live without fear of being attacked, beaten, or robbed of their possessions (Zephaniah 3:13b, 20c, Zechariah 8:11–12, 9:8, 14:11, Ezekiel 34:25a, 28a).
"He shall judge between the nations, and shall decide disputes for many peoples; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore." (Isa 2:4).
The thousand years kingdom will be a kingdom of peace (Micah 4:3–4, 5:4–5a,
Zechariah 8:5, 9:10a, Ezekiel 39:25–26, Psalm 72:7).
"In that day the Lord will extend his hand yet a second time to recover the remnant that remains of his people, from Assyria, from Egypt, from Pathros, from Cush, from Elam, from Shinar, from Hamath, and from the coastlands of the sea. He will raise a signal for the nations and will assemble the banished of Israel, and gather the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the Earth."
"And there will be a highway from Assyria for the remnant that remains of his people, as there was for Israel when they came up from the land of Egypt."
(Isa 11:11–12, 16).
"In that day from the river Euphrates to the Brook of Egypt the Lord will thresh out the grain, and you will be gleaned one by one, O people of Israel. And in that day a great trumpet will be blown, and those who were lost in the land of Assyria and those who were driven out to the land of Egypt will come and worship the Lord on the holy mountain at Jerusalem." (Isa 27:12–13).
"your sons shall come from afar, and your daughters shall be carried on the hip."
"For the coastlands shall hope for me, the ships of Tarshish first, to bring your children from afar, their silver and gold with them,"
(Isa 60:4b, 9a).
"And they shall bring all your brothers from all the nations as an offering to the Lord, on horses and in chariots and in litters and on mules and on dromedaries, to my holy mountain Jerusalem, says the Lord, just as the Israelites bring their grain offering in a clean vessel to the house of the Lord." (Isa 66:20).
Jesus will gather the remnants of the Jews back to Israel
(Micah 2:12–13, 4:6–7, Zephaniah 3:18, 19b, 20a, Zechariah 8:7–8,
Ezekiel 20:40–44, 28:25–26, 34:13, 16a, 36:8, 24, 39:23–24, 27).
"For in the last days the mountain of the Lord shall be manifest, and the house of the Lord shall be manifest, and the house of God (a rebuilt temple)
shall be on the tops of the mountains and shall be raised above the hills, and all the nations shall come to it. And many nations shall go and say, 'Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord and to the house of the God of Iakob, and he will declare to us his way, and he will walk in it.' For out of Sion (Jerusalem) shall go forth a law, and a Word of the Lord from Ierousalem (Jerusalem)
." (Isa 2:2–3 (LXX)). See Ezekiel's Temple. "And there shall be on that day the root of Iessai (Jesse), even the one who stands up to rule nations; nations shall hope in him, and his rest shall be honor."
(Isa 11:10 (LXX), Rom 15:12). "As one whom his mother comforts, so I will comfort you; you shall be comforted in Jerusalem."
"For I know their works and their thoughts, and the time is coming to gather all nations and tongues. And they shall come and shall see my glory, and I will set a sign among them. And from them I will send survivors to the nations, to Tarshish, Pul, and Lud, who draw the bow, to Tubal and Javan, to the coastlands far away, that have not heard my fame or seen my glory. And they shall declare my glory among the nations."
(Isa 66:13, 18–19).
Representatives of the nations of the world will visit Jerusalem
(Micah 4:1–2, Zechariah 8:20, Rom 15:12, Psalm 72:11, Psalm 87).
"And nations shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising. Lift up your eyes all around, and see; they all gather together, they come to you;" (Isa 60:3–4a, 51:4, 52:15b).
"For the nation and kingdom that will not serve you shall perish; those nations shall be utterly laid waste. The glory of Lebanon shall come to you, the cypress, the plane, and the pine, to beautify the place of my sanctuary, and I will make the place of my feet glorious. The sons of those who afflicted you shall come bending low to you, and all who despised you shall bow down at your feet; they shall call you the City of the Lord, the Zion (Jerusalem) of the Holy One of Israel. Whereas you have been forsaken and hated, with no one passing through, I will make you majestic forever, a joy from age to age." (Isa 60:12–15). The nations of the world will regard Jerusalem as majestic and speak well of it because Jesus is there as a ruler over the whole world. Israel will be the focal point on Earth where people will want to visit. They would like to hear what Jesus has to say. (Zephaniah 3:16–17, 19c, 20b, Zechariah 8:13, 23,
Psalm 47:7–9 (8–10 in some translations), 138:4–5).
"From new moon to new moon, and from Sabbath to Sabbath, all flesh shall come to worship before me, declares the Lord." (Isa 66:23).
People from all over the world will come and worship Jesus in truth and sincerity (Zechariah 8:21–22, 14:16, Psalm 102:21–22 (22–23 in some translations)).
"Then you shall see and be radiant; your heart shall thrill and exult, because the abundance of the sea shall be turned to you, the wealth of the nations shall come to you. A multitude of camels shall cover you, the young camels of Midian and Ephah; all those from Sheba shall come. They shall bring gold and frankincense, and shall bring good news, the praises of the Lord. All the flocks of Kedar shall be gathered to you; the rams of Nebaioth shall minister to you; they shall come up with acceptance on my altar, and I will beautify my beautiful house. Who are these that fly like a cloud, and like doves to their windows? For the coastlands shall hope for me, the ships of Tarshish first, to bring your children from afar, their silver and gold with them, for the name of the Lord your God, and for the Holy One of Israel, because he has made you beautiful. Foreigners shall build up your walls, and their kings shall minister to you; for in my wrath I struck you, but in my favor I have had mercy on you. Your gates shall be open continually; day and night they shall not be shut, that people may bring to you the wealth of the nations, with their kings led in procession." (Isa 60:5–11).
"Strangers shall stand and tend your flocks; foreigners shall be your plowmen and vinedressers;"
"you shall eat the wealth of the nations, and in their glory you shall boast. Instead of your shame there shall be a double portion; instead of dishonor they shall rejoice in their lot; therefore in their land they shall possess a double portion; they shall have everlasting joy. For I the Lord love justice; I hate robbery and wrong;"
(Isa 61:5, 6b–8a).
Wealth will be brought from the nations of the world to Israel
(Zechariah 14:14b, Psalm 72:10).
"The jealousy of Ephraim shall depart, and those who harass Judah shall be cut off; Ephraim shall not be jealous of Judah, and Judah shall not harass Ephraim."
(Isa 11:13).
"They shall build up the ancient ruins; they shall raise up the former devastations; they shall repair the ruined cities, the devastations of many generations."
(Isa 61:4).
Cities that are destroyed will be rebuilt.
"The nations shall see your righteousness, and all the kings your glory, and you shall be called by a new name that the mouth of the Lord will give. You shall be a crown of beauty in the hand of the Lord, and a royal diadem in the hand of your God. You shall no more be termed Forsaken, and your land shall no more be termed Desolate, but you shall be called My Delight Is in Her, and your land Married; for the Lord delights in you, and your land shall be married. For as a young man marries a young woman, so shall your sons marry you, and as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride, so shall your God rejoice over you. On your walls, O Jerusalem, I have set watchmen; all the day and all the night they shall never be silent. You who put the Lord in remembrance, take no rest, and give him no rest until he establishes Jerusalem and makes it a praise in the Earth. The Lord has sworn by his right hand and by his mighty arm: 'I will not again give your grain to be food for your enemies, and foreigners shall not drink your wine for which you have labored; but those who garner it shall eat it and praise the Lord, and those who gather it shall drink it in the courts of my sanctuary.' Go through, go through the gates; prepare the way for the people; build up, build up the highway; clear it of stones; lift up a signal over the peoples. Behold, the Lord has proclaimed to the end of the Earth: Say to the daughter of Zion (Jerusalem), 'Behold, your salvation comes; behold, his reward is with him, and his recompense before him.' And they shall be called The Holy People, The Redeemed of the Lord; and you shall be called Sought Out, A City Not Forsaken." (Isa 62:2–12, 49:18–23).
"They shall build houses and inhabit them; they shall plant vineyards and eat their fruit. They shall not build and another inhabit; they shall not plant and another eat; for like the days of a tree shall the days of my people be, and my chosen shall long enjoy the work of their hands. They shall not labor in vain or bear children for calamity, for they shall be the offspring of the blessed of the Lord, and their descendants with them." (Isa 65:21–23).
Israel will be restored (Zechariah 8:14–15).
"I am the Lord; in its time I will hasten it". (Isa 60:22b).
Israel will be blessed, and it will happen quickly when Jesus returns
(Zechariah 3:8
–10, 6:12a).
