Greg Laurie - Israel: The Key to The End Times
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«Israel: The Key to Understanding the End Times». Okay, point number one if you’re taking notes: The Nation Israel is the key to understanding the end times. The nation Israel is the key to understanding the end times and the Bible makes bold and very specific predictions about her. And Israel and the Middle East in general have really been in the headlines a lot lately, haven’t they? On October 7th, the people of Israel were attacked by Hamas terrorists. These militants slaughtered 1300 people, men, women, and children, and did unspeakable things. Plus, they took into captivity 250 more people, many of whom are still in captivity. Now, this is in a nation with a population of less than ten million.
So, if we were to compare it to here, let’s just say this happened in America and let’s extrapolate the number proportionally so we can understand what it would be like. This would be like waking up one morning and opening the paper, going to your favorite news site, and reading that Hamas came in and murdered 40,000 Americans. So, you could see how significant and horrific that would be. That’s comparably what it was like for Israel to have 1200, 1300 of their people murdered. Now you would think in the wake of something this awful and unspeakable that there would be sympathy extended to Israel and the Jewish people, but instead the very opposite happened. Antisemitism exploded around the globe in the aftermath of October 7th. Protests happening, huge protests, in Europe and in America and on our Ivy League universities, people supporting Hamas and calling for violence and death for the Jews.
One of the slogans of the signs is, «From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free». And that’s just another way of saying, «We don’t want Jews in the Middle East. We don’t want a Nation Israel in the Middle East,» because the river would be the Jordan river, the sea would be the Mediterranean. And so antisemitism, which is hatred of Jewish people, has risen 80% in Germany since October 7th. Can you imagine that? Germany, Germany, which was responsible for the Holocaust under Adolf Hitler, resulting in the loss of the lives of six million Jewish people. Even in a synagogue in Los Angeles this week, pro-Hamas terrorists were blocking Jewish people from going into their own synagogues.
So, the question arises, «Why is there such a hatred for the Jews and for their homeland of Israel»? Well, by the way, antisemitism is not unique to our time, it goes all the way back to the book of Exodus. Well, we see the Pharaoh giving the order to kill all the Jewish baby boys. Then fast forward to the book of Esther. They’re in ancient Persia. We see Haman and his wicked plot to have all of the Jewish people exterminated. Interestingly, in both of those situations, courageous women stepped into the gap and saved the Jews. In the case of Pharaoh, the Jewish midwives refused to obey that order and would not kill those little Jewish baby boys. And in the case of the book of Esther, it was Esther herself who was the queen that put it all on the line and spoke up for her fellow Jews.
Now, let’s talk for a few moments about why there is a Nation Israel to begin with. How could such a thing even happen? It really seemed impossible, especially in the aftermath of the Holocaust. But Jews began to return to their homeland, as if on cue, and I think it was on cue because the Lord was prompting them to do so and they regathered there in the land, bringing me to point number two: A sign of the end times is the regathering of the Jews in Israel. Again, a sign of the end times is the regathering of the Jews in Israel. It was to alert us specifically that we’re in the last days. In Matthew 24, Jesus foretold the destruction of the temple and the dispersion of the Jews, remember?
The disciples said, «What would be the sign of your coming»? And he points to the temple. He says, «I tell you, there will not be one stone left upon another that will not be taken down». What do they… what? Do you see the size of this temple? What are you talking about? Well, he was foretelling the destruction of the temple, which happened in 70 AD when Titus and the Roman troops came in and set it all on fire, and it was dismantled stone by stone and many, many Jewish people were slaughtered and they dispersed from the land of Israel. Fast forward throughout human history and we come to the Holocaust. But then in the aftermath of that, a modern day miracle happened and the prophetic clock began to tick.
On May 14th, 1948, Israel, against all odds, became a nation again and I’m proud to announce that the United States was the first nation to recognize them as a nation. So, this is very significant. But here’s what we need to understand because there’s all kinds of false narratives out there. People say, «Well the Jews are colonizers». Give me a break, the Jews are indigenous to the land. They are the original occupants of the land that God specifically gave to them. To the Jewish people, God said in Deuteronomy 1:8, «Look, I’m giving all this land to you. Go in and occupy it for it is the land the Lord swore to give to your ancestors, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. And all their descendants».
Okay, so that brings us now to Ezekiel 37. Let’s read it together, I’m reading from the New Living Translation. «The Lord took hold of me, and I was carried away by the spirit of the Lord to a valley filled with bones. He led me around the old dry bones that covered the valley floor. They were scattered everywhere across the ground. Then he asked me, 'Son of man, can these bones become living people again? ' 'Oh Sovereign Lord, ' I replied, 'You alone know the answer to that.' Then he said, 'Speak to these bones and say, 'Dry bones, listen to the Word of the Lord. This is what the sovereign Lord says. Look, I’m gonna breathe into you and make you live again. I’m gonna put flesh and muscles on you and cover you with skin. I’ll put breath on you, and you will come to life and you will know that I am the Lord.'»
We’ll stop there. Now, I’ve spoken to some pretty dead audiences before but this takes the cake. God says to Ezekiel, «Go to the graveyard and preach to the bones». And that’s exactly what Ezekiel does. But what does this mean? What do these dry bones represent? Drop down to verse 17 of Ezekiel 37, excuse me, down to verse 11 of Ezekiel 37. «He said to me, 'Son of man, these bones represent the people of Israel. They’re saying, 'We become old dry bones. All hope is gone.' Now give this message from the Sovereign Lord to my people, 'I will open your graves of exile and cause you to rise again.'» Look at this, «'I’ll bring you back to the land of Israel.'»
Now verse 13, «'when this happens, so people know that I am the Lord. I’ll put my spirit in you and you’ll live and return home to your own land.'» It’s their land, «'You’ll return to your own land and you will know that I am the Lord. You’ll see how I’ve done everything as I promised. I, the Lord, have spoken.'» Stop there. This was written 2500 years ago. Very specific. So, what is Ezekiel telling us? He’s telling us a sign of the end times, Israel will be scattered, that’s happened. Israel will be regathered, that too has happened. Israel will regain Jerusalem. That also has happened. Israel will be isolated. That is happening. And the Bible tells us, «In the last days, the final conflict of men would be centered on Jerusalem». Not in Paris or Rome or London or any other city, on Jerusalem.
Bringing me to point number three: The city of Jerusalem will be a focal point of the end times. Why does this tiny little city create such a stir? Why this hostility toward Jerusalem? Because she plays a key role in the last days. The Bible says, «She will be an intoxicating drink, a heavy stone, and a burden for the whole world». Zachariah 12:2 says, God speaking, «I’ll make Jerusalem and Judah like an intoxicating drink to the nearby nations that send their armies to besiege Jerusalem. On that day, I’ll make Jerusalem a heavy stone, a burden of the world,» or for the world, «none of the nations who try will be able to lift it».
I mean, this tiny, little country. And in this tiny, little country called Israel is this little city called Jerusalem. Did you know that, at one point, the Nation of Israel is only nine miles wide? It’s incredible, but yet this little sliver of land plays such a key role in the end times. Now, here’s where it gets interesting. After Ezekiel 37 is Ezekiel 38. Isn’t that a profound insight? But what we read about in Ezekiel 38 is significant. This chapter speaks of a large force from the north of Israel attacking her in the end times. After she’s been regathered, this large force will attack Israel, along with her allies.
And so this is very specific, bringing me to point number four: After being regathered in her land, Israel will be attacked. After being regathered in their land, Israel will be attacked. Let’s go to Ezekiel 38 now and speaking from the New King James version, «Son of Man,» God says, «set your face against Gog, of the land of Magog,» you might underline Gog and Magog, we’ll come back to those. «The prince of Rosh, Meshech, and Tubal, and prophesy against him and say, 'Thus says the Lord God: 'Behold, I am against you, O Gog, the prince of Rosh, Meshech, and Tubal. I will turn you around and put hooks in your jaws and lead you out with all of your armies, horses, horsemen, all splendidly clothed. Persia, Ethiopia, and Libya are with them, along with shield and helmet; Gomer and all of his troops, the house of Togarmah from the far north and all of its troops-many people are with you.'»
Drop down to verse 10 of Ezekiel 38. «This is what the Sovereign Lord says: 'At that time, evil thoughts will come into your mind, you’ll devise a wicked scheme.' You will say, 'Israel is an unprotected land with unwalled villages. I’ll march against her and destroy those people who live in such confidence.'» Okay, we’ll stop there. All right, so who is Magog and the allies that march with her mentioned here in Ezekiel 38? So, these tribes intermarried, became known as Magog, they settled to the north of Israel. If you go to the north of Israel, any map will show you, that’s where modern-day Russia sits.
Magog today may represent the former underbelly of the Soviet Union; Pakistan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Stan the man. No, I don’t know Stan the man, Afghanistan, and in other parts. So, Rosh is the remote part of the north, so a direct reference to Russia. Most prophecy experts believe Magog is Russia. Now, I don’t think anyone can say with 100% certainty that Magog is Russia, but I think it’s a really good educated guess. Now having said that, I think you can say with absolute certainty who some of these allies that March with Russia are. We have Gomer. Gomer is modern-day Turkey. So, we have to ask the question, is Turkey hostile toward Israel? Well, it hasn’t always been hostile. But as recently as 2017, the state-run Turkish newspaper called for a United Army of Islam to invade Israel, so in recent days, in fact, Turkey has become hostile toward Israel. Ethiopia is mentioned and Libya is mentioned. Persia is modern Iran.
Now, all of these nations are Islamic, okay? And so, Persia was Persia until 1935 and they changed their name to Iran. Now, if Magog is Russia and the Bible specifically saying an ally of Magog is Persia, and it is saying that of course, that’s a pretty remarkable statement. I mean, that’s really going out on a limb. Historically, Russia and Persia/Iran, have had no real relationship for the last 2500 years, but Russia now has signed a billion dollar deal to send missiles and other weapons to Iran. Iran has provided drones for Russia to use in their war with Ukraine. And so, an alliance that was prophesied 2500 years ago has happened before our very eyes. One expert on the Middle East made this statement, and I quote, «Iran clearly knows how to unlock the doors to a nuclear Armageddon. There’s a growing sense in Israel that Jerusalem is quickly running out of time». End quote.
So, Iran… and let me say this about Iran. There are many wonderful Persian people. We have some in our church, many who have fled Iran for freedom and many of them are followers of Jesus Christ and I hear many stories about people in Iran today coming to Christ and there’s like an underground spiritual movement. So, when I say Iran, I’m not talking of the people of Iran, but I am talking about the evil regime that is in charge of Iran. And this group of people, they are funding terrorism around the world. And I can’t think of one reason why we would send one dollar to fund terrorism around the world to Iran. Makes no sense. And Iran works with these proxy organizations, Hamas and Hezbollah, and so when you see Hamas attack Israel, when you see Hezbollah fire missiles into Israel, they are being told to do so or cooperating with Iran.
So, this is what is happening and they all hate Israel. And if that’s not blatant enough, Iran recently attacked Israel herself. Remember it was not long ago they fired 300 drones and missiles into Israel. But thankfully, technology that America provided for Israel called the Iron Dome, which is a sophisticated missile system that shoots these incoming missiles and drones out of the air, and another weapon system we help them with called the Sling of David.
Okay, so this technology has helped them and and it’s been very significant, but the Iranian leaders make no secret of their dislike and hatred of Israel and what their ultimate agenda is. One leader of Iran made this statement, and I quote, «Is it possible for us to witness a world without America and Zionism? You best know that this slogan and this goal is attainable and can be achieved. The regime that is occupying Jerusalem must be wiped off the map». Pretty clear. So, when we hear of a two-state solution, sounds good on paper, what does it mean? It means that two states live in peace with each other. Israel would love to live at peace with Iran. They would love to live at peace with the Palestinians.
The problem is how can you live at peace with someone who says, «I want you wiped off the map». It’s like saying to someone, «Can we be friends»? And they say, «If you cease to exist, we can be». How does that work, right? That’s literally what they’re saying. And Jerusalem, of all things, it’s mentioned specifically, there’s that heavy stone again. Now here comes the United States. We have been a strong and staunch ally of Israel historically, but more recently we have backed off from that. Why should we support the nation Israel? Well, one would say, because they’re the only real democracy in the Middle East, and that’s true, but that’s not the reason, the primary reason we should support them. I think the primary reason we should support Israel is because God has placed them in the land and we wanna stand with that, right? So, Magog, maybe Russia, and her allies, we know Persia is one of those allies, will march against Israel.
What happens next? Ezekiel 38:18. «This is what will happen in that day when Gog attacks the land of Israel. God says, 'My hot anger will be aroused.' Declares the sovereign Lord». Don’t tick off God. You don’t want to get on his bad side. He says, «You’re gonna attack my people»? Notice how the Lord takes it personally. Why? Because Israel, the Jewish people, his chosen people, are the apple of his eye. And so now God decimates the armies of Magog along with their allies and there’s so many weapons there, it takes seven years to destroy them. And then God promises to pour his spirit out on Israel in Ezekiel 39:29. So, a national revival takes place in Israel.
Now, when will this happen? Let’s go back to our map again. When will this happen, chronologically. Here’s the answer, ready? I don’t know. Okay, but I’ll take a guess. Okay, so if they’re going to burn the weapons for seven years, it seems likely to me that this attack of Magog against Israel could happen before the rapture, it could happen right after the rapture, perhaps a little bit later. I don’t know the answer to that. But now let’s go to our second passage, Romans 11, verse 25, the apostle Paul. «I want you to understand the mystery, dear brothers and sisters,» which brings me back to my point. God wants us to understand Bible prophecy, right? Here’s Paul saying, «I want you to understand this mystery, so you won’t feel proud about yourselves. Blindness in part is happened to Israel but this will only last until the full number of the Gentiles come to Christ and so all Israel will be saved».
Okay, point number five: A spiritual awakening is going to happen to the Jewish people. A spiritual awakening is gonna happen to the Jewish people. There’s a spiritual blindness among many Jews when it comes to Jesus. There’s a resistance, but actually, there’s been a dramatic change even recently. I read just the other day that requests for Bibles in Israel have risen dramatically since October 7th. I can think of many conversations that I’ve had with Jewish people who have thanked me personally for speaking up for them. Listen, God made a promise to Israel and God keeps his promises. And I wanna bring this up because there’s something called replacement theology that has gained some popularity in the church.
So, replacement theology basically says that all the promises given to the Jews have now been transferred to the church and the promises given to the Jews are no longer operative, they’re all given to us. That is wrong and incorrect and is refuted many times in Scripture. God is a promise keeper, he’s not a promise breaker. And he’s made promises to Israel that he will keep. Here’s a promise he made to the Jewish people in Jeremiah 33. It can’t get any plainer than this. «The Lord gave another message to Jeremiah. He said, 'Have you noticed what people are saying? They’re saying, 'The Lord chose Judah in Israel and then abandon them.' They’re sneering and saying Israel is not worthy to be counted as a nation.' And this is what the Lord says. 'I would no more reject my people than I would change my laws that govern night and day, earth and sky.'»
How’s that for clarity? It’s so current. And people are saying, «Oh, God has broken his covenant with the Jews and he doesn’t care about the Nation of Israel». God’s saying, «Are you kidding me? I’ll never abandon my covenant with them». Okay, so this is the way it is. You see, I am a Gentile, as most of you are, and the Bible says, «We’ve been grafted into the promises of God». Means he made the promises to them but through Jesus, our Messiah, we have been brought into these promises with the Lord, not replacing them, but grafted in. That’s what the Bible says. God promises, of course, in Genesis 12 to Abraham and his descendants, the Jews, says, «I’ll bless those that bless you. I’ll curse those that curse you». So, that’s why we want to bless the Jewish people.
Number six: God wants to use us to bless the people who have blessed us. God wants to use you to bless the people who have blessed us. Verse 14. «I want somehow to make the people of Israel jealous of what the Gentiles have so I might save some of them». Make them jealous. Okay, so God keeps his promises and he’s made a lot of promises to us. So many I could spend the next 20 minutes listing them for you, but we’ll have to do that at another time.
Bring me to point number seven: God is waiting for the complete number of Gentiles to come to Christ. Look, let me just put a little bow on it now, we’re done. Jesus is coming again. The signs are getting bigger and they’re getting brighter and they’re getting closer together and he could come at any time. «Oh, Greg. I’ve been hearing this forever». Yeah, I know. The Bible even says, «A sign of the end times will be people saying, 'Oh, we’ve heard this forever, '» but one of these days it’s gonna be the day and we’ll be caught up to meet the Lord in a moment in the twinkling of an eye. My question for you is, «Are you ready? Are you ready to meet the Lord»? Are you? I hope so.