Is This the End in Israel?

Evil was on full display on your screens, X feed, Facebook and Instagram.  We could either look away and pretend it does not exist or we could stare it in the face and grieve. In the past week we have been inundated with harrowing news and details concerning the Hamas terrorist attack on Israel on October 7^th of 2023. The worst attack against the Jewish people since the holocaust and the worst terror attack in the world since 9/11 and perhaps, even worse than 9/11 when we consider that babies have been mutilated, women raped and burned alive, and the elderly tortured and killed. Anyone faced with this horrific evil will surely sink to their knees and ask why as they fight back tears. And, of course, this is not where it ends. As Hamas hides behind their own civilian population in Gaza the death toll will only continue to rise. Innocent civilians, women and children will be slain and entire cities turned to rubble.  It is horrific and detestable, but it is the reality of the situation in that region of the world. I almost felt guilty a few nights ago when I read a story to my two little girls and tucked them into their beds for sleep. Why do I get to enjoy this immense privilege when thousands of miles away Israeli women are mourning the brutal savagery that took their little ones away? I’ve seen copious amount of support for Israel, and Freethinking Ministries also threw its hat in the ring of support:

As I was sitting in a men’s ministry meeting at my church on Wednesday night one person mentioned the need to support Israel in this trying time primarily because they are God’s people. I share this sentiment, but I believe there is much more to it than this. I do have a great affinity for the Jewish people, and I do wish they would turn to Christ and recognize him as Messiah and the Son of God but it is not this alone that drives me to support them. As Christians we ought to support any people group that is ruthlessly targeted due to their race, religion or ethnicity. If a group murders babies and rapes women the right thing to do is to support the right of such a government to respond with deadly force and avenge their citizenry.  The state does not bear the sword for nothing (Rom. 13) and thus, Israel must be supported on this basis alone regardless of your theological disposition towards the people itself. It matters not if you are a dispensationalist, amillennialist or any other eschatological “ist” on the list. Support should be clear because the moral implications are clear. There is a difference between targeting children as a purpose of violence and hiding behind your own children to avoid retribution.  There is no moral equivalence here. Amidst all of this I have also been inundated with other questions from Christians. Ernest questions about the end times, about Jesus’ imminent return, about the anti-Christ, and about Israel’s role in all of this.  I understand where these questions come from, and I understand the desire to seek to understand what God is doing and that the hope of Christ’s return may be the only hope we can hold onto as the world seems to be circling the drain. Is this the end?  Is it finally happening? As we gaze upon Israel are we witnessing the fulfillment of prophecy before our very eyes? I understand these questions, and in some moments find myself asking them, but might I beseech my brothers and sisters in Christ to stop seeking the end and perhaps only seek the Christ? When fielding these questions, I believe it prudent to take fellow believers not to Revelation 13 but to Acts 1. Recently, as someone asked me my thoughts on the current situation and how it related to the end of all things I responded by saying I take Acts 1:6-8 very seriously and must remind myself of my mission. The questions that are being asked about the end right now are similar to the question the disciples asked at Jesus’ ascension in Acts 1:6:

“Lord, is it at this time You are restoring the kingdom to Israel?”

Jesus’ response to this was not to give an eschatological dissertation but to give a reminder of the mission being entrusted to his disciples. We are not to know the “times or epochs” that are fixed. Those are his business. We are to know Christ, and Him crucified (1 Cor. 2:2). Our job as disciples of the one true King is not to predict the end but to prepare for it by living for and worship Him. When people ask my opinion on end times timelines I often frustrate them.  I find the question to miss the point. I find the desire to understand Revelation through the sphere of mapping out exactly how and when the end will come to be a violation of Acts 1:7. I have my opinions of course, but these opinions are of little to no importance when it comes to preparing for the ultimate return of Christ whether that is a day from now or a millennium. The book of Revelation highlights, not a road map to understanding the end and avoiding the “mark of the Beast,” but a definitive stamp on the story of God that the end is not in question. Yahweh is the one true God and He will ultimately set things right. He will answer the problem of evil once and for all and He alone is worthy of worship, praise, and glory forever and ever amen! For those concerned about the rise of the anti-Christ might I implore us to fix our eyes on the one true Christ? If we do that then we will not be persuaded or fooled by the anti-Christ for he is anti-Jesus. The counterfeit pales in comparison to the true glory of the Son. Be not afraid, he has no

real

power, least of all over the true believers in Jesus Christ. Remember Jesus' words in Matthew 24:6-13, his warning is not that we must know but that we must persevere. Fixing our eyes on him will help us to do so regardless of the exact timing of his return. For decades there have been wars and rumors of wars, for years the church has been maligned, but as we fix our eyes on Jesus we 

will

persevere and we will not be led astray by false prophets. For those concerned about the mark of the Beast might I implore us to fix our eyes on the one true Christ? The mark of the Beast is the mark of man, and whether you think it comes from the emperor Nero or is a literal computer chip in the right hand, one thing is clear, it is a mark of worship and if we are worshipping the one true God we cannot and will not receive this mark regardless of how enticing it may seem. The church in the first century did not, the church in the twenty-first century will not, and the church in centuries to come will not either. All of this to say, regardless of your eschatological position I believe the only biblical thing to do in times such as this is to pray, faithfully worship the King, and trust His power and authority over the very strand of time we find unsettling. As we pray, we pray for the salvation of all those in Israel and in Gaza before Christ’s return, we want

all

to come to a saving faith in Jesus Christ (1 Timothy 2:4). Praying for the Jews and the Arabs to find the truth of the gospel amidst this suffering and evil is

the

gospel centered thing to do. Praying for justice and safety for the innocent is as well. When we focus only on the eschatological implications, we become myopic in our theology and in our prayers. Jesus has the victory, his victory is guaranteed, but our mission is not done, Acts 1:8 must still be accomplished! That is the task before us in these times, not the discerning of this prophecy or that prophecy but of faithfully executing the mission set before us. When we faithfully worship the one true and Triune God we find ourselves grieving over all loss of life, over all injustice, and over his own people’s rejection of the heavenly gift. We find ourselves steeled against the wiles of the evil one and firm in our footing against falsehood. We will not be tossed to and fro by every wind of doctrine (Eph. 4:14) but firmly planted on the gospel of Jesus Christ. We will then, not be tempted by the promises of an evil regime that promises security on this mortal coil for we have a greater eternal destiny that awaits. That is not to say we cannot pray for the return of Christ. I do think it is okay to look forward to that final day when all things are revealed and Jesus triumphantly returns but this cannot be our sole focus. We still have a job to do. Brothers and sisters, our job is not done until that trumpet sounds. Our mission is not accomplished until we stand before Him as he claims victory over his people and his world and makes all things new. Our support of Israel now must be resolute not because we believe it will usher in the return of Christ but because our commitment to be the salt and light of Christ compels us to do so. There have been many times in history where Jesus’ return seemed imminent and the call to the believer always,

always

, remained the same. Be faithful to the mission, glorify Christ, seek to know and love God, fight for and support justice, and worship Him above all else.

Do not fear, for I am with you; Do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, Surely I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. Isaiah 41:10

In the midst of this tragedy and uncertainty let us keep the main thing the main thing and the Lord, to whom all of history bows, will handle the rest.