Indeed, there are prophecies about the descendants of Judah which apply today, and some are finding dramatic fulfillment now!
Specifically, note this end-time prophecy in the Book of Zechariah:
“‘Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of drunkenness to all the surrounding peoples, when they lay siege against Judah and Jerusalem. And it shall happen in that day that I will make Jerusalem a very heavy stone for all peoples; all who would heave it away will surely be cut in pieces, though all nations of the earth are gathered against it’” (Zechariah 12:2-3).
This prophecy will find its ultimate fulfillment “in that day”—a reference to the Day of the Lord, immediately before the return of Christ. We should see from the events which are taking place right now that that time cannot be that far off.
The State of Israel became a worrisome focus for many beginning with its founding in 1948. Since then, this tiny nation has fought wars, suffered attacks and been the focus of raging hatred by people all over the earth, but especially in the Middle East.
Now, in November of 2023, there is war between Israel and Hamas-led Palestinian militants from the Gaza Strip. However, this has drawn worldwide attention. Demonstrations by the tens-of-thousands are taking place in many nations, and, predominantly, support is for Hamas.
The mantra repeated by these crowds attacks not only the State of Israel but all Jewish people! Note the following from a Jewish Internet entry, acj.org: “From the River to the Sea”:
“‘From the River to the Sea, Palestine Will Be Free’ is a common call-to-arms for pro-Palestinian activists, especially student activists on college campuses. It calls for the establishment of a State of Palestine from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea, erasing the State of Israel and its people. It is also a rallying cry for terrorist groups and their sympathizers, from the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) to Hamas, which called for Israel’s destruction in its original governing charter in 1988 and was responsible for the October 7, 2023, terror attack on Israeli civilians, murdering over 1,000 people in the single deadliest day for Jews since the Holocaust.”
Movements, such as Hamas, openly proclaim their vile hatred toward the State of Israel:
Top Hamas official Ghazi Hamad “… made the threat explicit last week in an interview republished Wednesday: Hamas’ Oct. 7 bloodletting ‘is just the first time, and there will be a second, a third, a fourth, because we have the determination, the resolve and the capabilities to fight,’ he vowed. ‘We will do this again and again’” (New York Post, November 1, 2023).
What is ahead for the State of Israel might first be more victories over its enemies (as has been the case since 1948), but we also read that Judah will receive a wound (Hosea 5:13)—apparently a military defeat—prior to the beginning of the Great Tribulation, and subsequently, Jerusalem and the State of Israel will suffer terrible domination by the Beast power [a powerful European army under German leadership] until Christ returns. Zechariah 12, verses 1-9, summarizes these current and future events.
Our two booklets, “The Book of Zechariah,” and, “The Great Tribulation and the Day of the Lord,” go into more detail about the Jewish people. Also, our booklet, “The Fall and Rise of the Jewish People,” provides insight for what must still happen in Jerusalem and the State of Israel—which includes the building of a new Temple on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem!
The possibility of the Jews gaining control of the Temple Mount and constructing a Third Temple is a source of ongoing violence in the State of Israel. The Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock, an Islamic shrine, sit atop the Temple Mount, and Muslims want exclusive control of this area. However, so do the Israelis.
In the near future, a Third Temple will be built on the Temple Mount: Beginning with Chapter 40 of Ezekiel, the plans for what will become the Third Temple are carefully described; Zechariah 6:12-13 notes that the BRANCH (a reference to Jesus Christ) will inspire and guide the construction of the new Temple; Malachi 3:1 reveals that “the Lord” will return and come to the Temple; Paul writes of a future Temple of God being occupied by “the man of sin” (a designation of the “false prophet”—an influential religious personage) in 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4; and Revelation 11:1-2 speaks of an existing Temple of God at the beginning of the work of the Two Witnesses.
The building of the Third Temple is one of the many things of prophecy which deal specifically with the Jewish People and which will lead up to the return of Jesus Christ.
Right now, President Biden is trying to dictate war strategy to Israel, and this comes along with people in the U.S. turning against Israel. We see the State of Israel becoming more and more isolated and without friends in the world. This foreshadows a time in which Israel’s staunchest supporters will turn against the Israelis—as prophesied in Isaiah 9:21:
“Manasseh shall devour Ephraim, and Ephraim Manasseh; Together they shall be against Judah. For all this His anger is not turned away, But His hand is stretched out still.”
In this end-time prophecy, Manasseh refers to the USA, and Ephraim to the United Kingdom and possibly other English-speaking nations such as Canada, Australia and New Zealand. While there will be fighting between modern Ephraim and Manasseh, they will be combined in their disapproval of Judah—the State of Israel.
Our booklet, “The Fall and Rise of Britain and America,” presents further proof of this important understanding.
Also, Zechariah 11:14 points to this event:
“Then I cut in two my other staff, Bonds, that I might break the brotherhood between Judah and Israel.”
Israel is used in this end-time prophecy as referring to the leading modern nations of the ancient House of Israel—primarily the USA and the UK.
Verses 19-21 of Joel 3 point to the unending future which Judah will have—in spite of being surrounded by enemies now, who are seeking to wipe these people from the face of the earth:
“‘Egypt shall be a desolation, And Edom [modern Turkey] a desolate wilderness, Because of violence against the people of Judah, For they have shed innocent blood in their land. But Judah shall abide forever, And Jerusalem from generation to generation. For I will acquit them of the guilt of bloodshed, whom I had not acquitted; For the LORD dwells in Zion.’”
And as a contrast to the claims about the State of Israel’s destruction, it is interesting to consider what the Bible says in the last part of Zechariah 9:10 about the future reign of the Messiah, Jesus Christ:
“‘I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim And the horse from Jerusalem; The battle bow shall be cut off. He shall speak peace to the nations; His dominion shall be “from sea to sea, And from the River to the ends of the earth.”’”
The immediate future of the State of Israel is taking place on the world stage—involving people and events which will only grow more troublesome… until Jesus Christ returns to save Judah, Israel, and the rest of mankind and establish the Kingdom of God on the earth!
Lead Writer: Dave Harris
