The Bible contains hundreds of predictions about the future of planet earth and humanity. To write these predictions, God personally selected individuals in whom he placed his Holy Spirit. United with these human spirits, the Holy Spirit accurately foretold many events. These forecasts are normally called prophecies.
Three Men God Chose
Bible prophecy can only be understood if we appreciate three men God selected for His purposes.
Abraham was a regular heathen who knew nothing about the true God, the Creator of heaven and earth. Nevertheless, God broke through Abram’s ignorance and began revealing himself to this ordinary human. Genesis 12: 1-3 records:
“The Lord had said to Abram, leave your country, your people and your father’s household and go to the land I will show you. I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing…all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.”
After Abraham passed away God spoke to his son, Isaac:
“The Lord appeared to Isaac and said, ‘I will be with you and will bless you. For to you and your descendants I will give all these lands and will confirm the oath I swore to your father Abraham…. Through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed,’” Genesis 26:2-4.
On one occasion the Lord appeared to Isaac’s son Jacob and declared:
“I am the Lord, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac. I will give you and your descendants the land on which you are lying; your descendants will be like the dust of the earth….All peoples on earth will be blessed through you and your offspring,” Genesis 28:13-14.
In view of all these promises, we understand that God’s commitment to Israel isn’t based upon the Jewish people. God’s commitment to Israel is based on his promises to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. But the Jewish Jesus is God’s instrument for reaching out to everyone of each race and nationality. Therefore, our hope for humanity’s survival and salvation includes hope for all mankind. Let’s look at a concise picture of earth’s future as recorded in the book of Jeremiah chapter 30.
The re-establishment of the nation Israel
In about 606 BC the prophet Jeremiah spoke for the Lord and predicted, “‘The days are coming,’ declares the Lord, ‘when I will bring my people Israel and Judah back from captivity and restore them to the land I gave their forefathers,’ says the Lord,” Jeremiah 30:3.
In the year 70 AD the Roman Empire crushed the little nation of Israel. The Jewish people were dispersed over the face of the earth and remained a scattered people until the year 1948. In that year the United Nations re-established Israel as an independent nation.
The birth of modern-day Israel represents an absolutely huge step forward in God’s plan for mankind. God always keeps his promises! “God is not human, that he should lie, not a human being, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill,” Numbers 23:19? The promises to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob will certainly come to pass and all humanity will benefit from God’s faithfulness to his Word!
A Time of Terrible Trouble for Israel
Most people and nations hate Israel. This animosity springs out of mankind’s hatred of the Creator. This abhorrence will not decrease but intensify as time passes. The prophet Jeremiah referred to this worldwide hatred of Israel as “a time of trouble for Jacob,” Jeremiah 30:7 (The name “Jacob” in prophecy is synonymous with the word “Israel”). This “time of trouble for Jacob” will be awful beyond description.
Sinful humans find it easy to blame God for earth’s problems. “If God is good why does he allow bad things to happen?” they shout. In reality, God is not the author of confusion, tragedy and heartache. He instituted the law of cause and effect at creation. Consequently, the angry rejection of the loving Maker of everything causes unpleasant effects that create unimaginable trouble on planet earth. So, mankind’s rejection of the Lord brought about the immeasurable pain that humanity has endured.
As we watch world news, we witness mankind’s march toward total loathing of our loving Creator. This rebellion culminates in what Scripture calls the battle of Armageddon. Armageddon is a location in Israel where Satan and his earthly partners “gather the kings together,” Revelation 16:16. At this time, Israel is almost annihilated. “I will gather all the nations to Jerusalem to fight against it;….Half of the city will go into exile, but the rest of the people will not be taken from the city,” Zechariah 14:2. As the armies of the Antichrist exult in the destruction of Israel, Jesus appears in the heavens. His armies obliterate the followers of Satan and the armies of Antichrist! Israel is almost destroyed, but not quite, because Jesus is faithful to his promises to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
The Beginning Is at Hand
There is no such thing as the end of the world. Yes, mankind will almost be eliminated from planet earth, but not before Jesus rescues heavenly Father’s plan for human beings. Bible prophecy never predicts the annihilation of God’s work. It predicts a wonderful change for planet earth, but this change is a beginning, not an ending. A brighter future awaits mankind!
Be greatly encouraged,
Pastor James Fields
