Table of contents#

1. How End-Times Theology Influenced My Spiritual Walk
2. How Your View of the End-Times and Israel Affects More Than Just Your Theology
3. Rough Overviews of the Main End-Times Views
   1. Dispensational Premillennialism
   2. Historic Premillennialism
   3. Amillennialism
   4. Postmillennialism
4. My View (Briefly Stated)
5. Progressive Revelation
   1. Jesus’ Supremacy Over OT Law
   2. Jesus As The Divine Interpreter of Messianic Prophecies
6. Matthew 24: The End of The Temple or the World?
   1. Matthew 24:3-35 Is About The Destruction of the Temple
      1. 2 Things That People Tend To Think Could Not Have Happened Yet
   2. The Bible Teaches That The Gospel Was Already Preached Throughout the Whole World
      1. Jesus Coming on The Clouds Was Not About His Final Return, But About His Enthronement as King of the Universe
   3. But Why “All Peoples of the Earth?”
      1. Why Your Bible Provides Alternate Translations
      2. Jesus Was Actually Alluding To An Old Testament Prophecy
   4. But Jesus Taught His “Coming” Would Be Visible Like Lightning
7. Was Israel’s Formation in 1948 A Fulfillment of Biblical Prophecy?
   1. How 1948 Doesn’t Fit Ezekiel 36-37, but The 1st Century Does
   2. How 1948 Doesn’t Align With God’s Conditions For Remaining In the Land
   3. Paul Taught That Jesus Is The Recipient of the Land Promises
8. Who are “God’s People”?
   1. Replacement Theology?
   2. A Definition of “God’s People” and “Chosenness”
      1. What it Means to be “Chosen”
      2. How Paul Defined “True Israel”
      3. Not Replacement, But Expansion and Unity
9. Will There Be a Massive War In the Middle East Before Jesus Comes Back?
   1. Why the “Rosh” Translation is No Longer Considered Accurate
      1. Hebrew Words Do Not Form the Foundation of English or Russian Words
      2. “Rosh” In Hebrew Means “Chief/Head” And Is Not a Nation
      3. The Northernmost Nation Listed By Ezekiel Was Not Russia
   2. Letting The New Testament Inform Our Understanding of Ezekiel
   3. New Details From John’s Revelation About Ezekiel 38-39
      1. Even The Old Testament Prophets Did Not Understand Mountains, the Temple, or Jerusalem as Primarily Physical, But Supernaturally
10. Summary
11. Suggested Reading
12. Notes

How End-Times Theology Influenced My Spiritual Walk#

One night when I was about 28, I woke up being attacked by a spirit of fear, feeling electricity pulsing through my body, and unable to speak. I woke up in the middle of a dream that was actually a memory: it was a time in 6th grade when I was hanging out with a friend and led him to Christ. But in the dream, a spirit of fear was hovering over me while I was talking with him. That’s when I woke up, paralyzed and unable to speak. I immediately knew from the Spirit that I had agreed with a spirit fear, because I used grotesque imagery from the popular Left Behind series and end-times rapture theology to convince him that he needed to be saved from end-times plagues! One plague in the book dramatized a passage from Revelation where people would not be able to die for 6 months. In the book, people were getting tortured and bitten by flying scorpions the size of your arm! I repented for using grotesque imagery, and the demon left and the electricity stopped. I share this not to prove one end-times view wrong, but to show that some theology can provide fear an opportunity.

When I was 18, the Lord called me to the Middle East. I’ve lived a total of 4.5 years in different parts of the Middle East. I talked with missionaries that had a different end-times view than I held, and told me things about Israel I never knew, because it was not reported on the news. I was forced to rethink what my upbringing taught me about the end-times.

Because of my time in the Middle East, I had some genuine concerns:

• How would I disciple people in the Middle East who have been deeply hurt and traumatized by war, partly because of Israel and America?
• How would Jesus show up in inner healing of war trauma for these people, if God was the one supplying the bombs to Israel through America?
• I have witnessed first hand the distrust that many Arab churches have of American Christians, especially those from a Muslim background. How would I respond to this?

My wife is from a Muslim background, and once was processing a traumatic war memory with an American counselor who told her in the middle of the session “it’s hard because the Bible says that nothing will get better in the Middle East.” Yikes!

When our end-times view starts hindering our ability to minister to believers from different nations, it’s time we re-consider it. Spiritual unity becomes even more important for churches who desire to send missionaries to all nations. Is our concern first “how is the way I’m communicating helping or hurting the advancement of the Gospel in the Middle East?” Or even better, “Do I fully understand how my political and theological views will impact our brothers and sisters from other nations, and how it impacts those we are called to reach?”

How Your View of the End-Times and Israel Affects More Than Just Your Theology#

Imagine meeting someone at church, and you begin to feel a prophetic word about this person’s destiny in God. You feel that the Spirit is saying that they are called to reconciliation ministry between nations and governments in the Middle East. Before sharing the word, you then remind yourself that you should check your prophetic word against Scripture, to make sure that it lines up to help you discern if it’s just your own thoughts, or perhaps a thought not from God.

You then think, “Scripture teaches that God has destined current events in the Middle East, and Arab nations will rise up against modern day Israel.” If this is what you firmly believe the Lord says in His word, you might face some confusion and hesitation in your prophetic word, thinking it’s not from God.

And how would this end-times view impact intercessory prayer? You might be far less likely to pray big prayers, like the salvation of entire nations and governments, if these governments will rise up against modern day Israel. And even more important, it prevents us from obeying a core teaching from the sermon on the mount: “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.” (Matt. 5:9). How can we be a peacemaker if God has destined the Middle East for war? Prayer/intercession is the primary way that God advances his kingdom and churches are planted. We can’t afford to put up any hindrance to intercession.

In summary, here’s why I think studying the end-times is important:

1. It affects how you prophesy to people.
2. It affects how you understand God’s purposes in the Middle East, and how you think the world will unfold in the near future.
3. It can impact how you vote.
4. It affects how you pray and intercede for nations, and how you discern the activity of Satan, and the activity of God. You might confuse God and Satan’s activity.
5. It affects your expectations and hopes in the world.
6. It is a wonderful opportunity to hear the Lord in Scripture, and grow in hearing Him.

Rough Overviews of the Main End-Times Views#

Dispensational Premillennialism#

• Before the Rapture: History worsens as evil grows.
• The Rapture: will occur at an unknown time in the future. The world experiences a 7 year period of unimaginable suffering directly after, and a massive battle at Jerusalem.
• The 1000 years in Revelation: a 1000 (literal) year reign of Christ on earth, in modern day Jerusalem after the major battle at Jerusalem.
• End of the 1000 Years in Revelation: Satan is released, deceives the nations again and leads a final global rebellion against Christ, which is swiftly crushed by God. Then comes the final judgment and new heavens and new earth.
• Israel and Promise Fulfillment: the Bible has strict promises for ethnic Israel, and strict promises for the church, with limited overlap.
• Interpretive Method: The literal/physical meaning of biblical prophecy is the primary meaning, and symbolic meaning is de-emphasized.
• Famous Christians Who Held/Hold This View: D.L. Moody, Oral Roberts, John MacArthur, Dr. David Jeremiah, Chuck Swindoll.

Historic Premillennialism#

• Overview: The world will become increasingly sinful and worse while the gospel continues to spread.
• The Rapture: there is no rapture.
• The 1000 years in Revelation: a 1000 (literal) year reign of Christ on earth, in modern day Jerusalem after the major battle at Jerusalem.
• End of the 1000 Years in Revelation: Satan is released, a final global rebellion occurs and God defeats it. Then comes the final judgment and new heavens and new earth.
• Israel and Promise Fulfillment: the church inherits the promises made to Israel, but people who hold this view may or may not emphasize future promises for ethnic Israel.
• Interpretive Method: A mix of literal and symbolic interpretation, with an emphasis on literal where possible.
• Famous Christians Who Held/Hold This View: The Church Fathers Irenaeus and Justin Martyr, George Eldon Ladd, John Piper, Dr. Michael Brown.

Amillennialism#

• Overview: The world will become increasingly sinful, but the gospel will advance equally.
• The Rapture: there is no rapture.
• The 1000 years in Revelation: symbolic of the church age—from Christ’s ascension to His return.
• At the End of the 1000 Years: Christ returns, defeats Satan and evil in a final global confrontation (symbolic or literal or both), and ushers in the new heavens and new earth.
• Israel and Promise Fulfillment: the church inherits the promises made to Israel, some proponents de-emphasize Israel altogether.
• Interpretive Method: The symbolic/spiritual meaning of prophecy is primary, with some people downplaying physical fulfillment.
• Famous Christians Who Held/Hold This View: St. Augustine, Martin Luther, Sam Storms, J.I. Packer.

Postmillennialism#

• Overview: Evil will increase, but the gospel will overtake it and Jesus will return to a mostly Christian world.
• The Rapture: there is no rapture.
• The 1000 years in Revelation: same as Amillennialism.
• At the End of the 1000 Years: same as Amillennialism.
• Israel and Promise Fulfillment: same as Amillennialism.
• Interpretive Method: same as Amillennialism.
• Famous Christians Who Held/Hold This View: Jonathan Edwards, John Wesley, John Calvin, William Carey, Douglas Wilson.

My View (Briefly Stated)#

The dispensational premillennial view is the most common view in the American Church that I think is the most problematic. Here’s the view that I would defend:

• Overview: I think the gospel will slowly begin to overtake evil, and Jesus might return to a world more Christian than not. Biblically, I’m not sure.
• The Rapture: there is no rapture.
• The 1000 years in Revelation: Same as Amillennialism/Postmillennialism: symbolic.
• After the 1000 Years: Same as Amillennialism/Postmillennialism, except I depart with some amil/postmil interpreters who believe the new heavens and new earth is not physical—I believe Scripture teaches that the New Earth is a new physical earth.
• Israel and Promise Fulfillment: Same as Amillennialism/Postmillennialism, except I depart from some amillennialist interpreters who have exaggerated “replacement theology” that can sometimes be anti-semitic. I believe there is a promise of future revival for the Jewish people, for example.
• Interpretive Method: Same as Amillennialism/Postmillennialism.

I think the advantage of my view avoids political biases, allows me to pray big prayers of faith for the Middle East, and makes Scripture more simple and easier to understand, which we’ll get to.

But the most important starting point is understanding the fascinating phenomenon in Scripture called progressive revelation, to which we now turn.

Progressive Revelation#

I think one of the most important things to know about Scripture is that God has inspired His word to progressively reveal who He is. The Old Testament is His word, but it doesn’t reveal the fullness of who He is until Jesus arrives.

The apostle John taught that “No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son…has made him known.” (John 1:17). The one and only Son has made him known! John doesn’t mean the Old Testament didn’t reveal God, rather, he’s teaching that Jesus’s revelation of God far surpasses any prior revelation. Paul also taught that God’s will was a mystery before Christ (Eph. 1:18-19).

The writer to the Hebrews also said that

In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son.
(Heb. 1:1-2)

Jesus’ Supremacy Over OT Law#

OT punishment is stated in terms of an “eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth”, along with the command to “show no pity” (Ex. 21:24, Lev. 24:19-20, Deut. 19:21). Far from agreeing with both the heart and application of this OT law, Jesus, under the inspiration of the Father says,

You have heard that it was said, “Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.” But I tell you, do not resist an evil person...love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven.
(Matt. 5:38)

In this case, Jesus overturns an OT law because He’s King over the law, and was a tool in His hand. One time, Jesus even said that divorce was allowed in Israel because people had hard hearts (Mark 10:5), which means that OT divorce law was given as a temporary accommodation.

Paul clearly taught that the Old Testament law and Israel’s history was all meant to lead to Jesus. Jesus is the focal point, the end-all-be-all, the crown point, the goal, the magnum opus, the apex, the beginning and the end, the alpha and the omega of all history! Old Testament law “…is only a shadow of the good things that are coming—not the realities themselves.” (Heb. 10:1). Paul even calls OT law a guardian that was meant to lead us to Christ:

...the law was our guardian until Christ came, in order that we might be justified by faith. But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian, for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith.
(Gal. 3:24-26)

And even more clearly, “…Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.” (Rom. 10:1).

Jesus As The Divine Interpreter of Messianic Prophecies#

The disciples once asked Jesus why he spoke in parables. Jesus told them that it is because they had eyes to see and ears to hear, so they were able to receive “the knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 13:11). These “secrets” were things that were completely new: “For truly I tell you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.” (Matthew 13:17). The nature of God’s kingdom was partially hidden to OT prophets! This is particularly relevant in interpreting OT prophecies - you can’t properly do it without filtering it through Jesus’ teaching.

OT prophets prophesied of a Messiah who would usher in God’s reign (Isaiah 11:1-10, Daniel 2:44-45, Jeremiah 23:5-6). The natural reading of these passages is that the Messiah would execute military might and deliver Israel from physical enemies, and that is what Jews at the time of Jesus were hoping for. Jesus and the early church, however, did not understand these prophecies from a purely natural standpoint.

When Pilate questioned Jesus about who He was, Jesus says, “My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jewish leaders.” (John 18:36). Earlier Jesus had rebuked Peter for taking out a sword, teaching that all who live by the sword will die by it (Matt. 26:52). God’s kingdom is not a physical kingdom, but a spiritual one composed of spirit-filled believers. It’s a kingdom of priests, not bound by geography. This was totally unexpected, yet it was still an authoritative revelation from God. All the Messianic prophecies in the Old Testament were understood to have been fulfilled in Christ by the early church (Acts 13:33, Acts 4:25-26)

But the real enemy is Satan and the powers of darkness, not nations. Jesus taught that “…if I drive out demons by the finger of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.” (Luke 11:20). Why did Jesus say this? Because He was pointing the Jewish people away from thinking of God’s kingdom from a purely natural or fleshly perspective, that the real enemy is Satan, and His kingdom’s reign is against Satan. Remember that it was Paul, the violent Pharisee of Pharisees, who was so transformed that he taught that our fight is not against flesh and blood, but against the powers of darkness (Eph. 6).

Evangelical theologians G.K. Beale and Benjamin Gladd sum it up well when they write:

The upshot of the disclosed mystery of the kingdom is that it is somewhat different from Old Testament and Jewish expectations of the kingdom, which foresaw that it would come (1) very visibly for eyes to see, (2) all at once, (3) in its complete fullness, (4) when all of God’s enemies would be decisively defeated and (5) the saints would be separated from the ungodly, the former receiving reward and the latter punishment. The kingdom’s mystery that is revealed is that it commences (1) for the most part invisibly, so that one must have spiritual eyes to perceive it, (2) in two stages (already-and-not-yet), (3) growing over an extended time from one stage to the last stage. (4) God’s opponents are not defeated immediately all together, but the invisible satanic powers are first subjugated and then at the end of time, all foes will be vanquished and judged…¹

Because biblical revelation progressively gets more clear over time, and sometimes even changes direction, the NT takes priority over OT prophecy. This is why we don’t agree with violent and vindictive Psalms, where David cried out for God to obliterate his human enemies - we instead know from Jesus and Paul that the real enemies are Satan and demons.

Because of this, every opinion about the end-times must be filtered through the New Testament: what the apostles and Jesus taught.

Matthew 24: The End of The Temple or the World?#

I just finished watching the latest season of “The Chosen” where the disciples ask Jesus about the destruction of the Jerusalem temple - it was a moving experience, especially seeing Jesus weep over Jerusalem! Right after telling His disciples that every stone of the temple in Jerusalem would be “thrown down”, the disciples asked,

“Tell us,” they said, “when will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?”
(Matthew 24:3-4)

Note that the disciples are asking about two things, not just one:

1. When the temple would be destroyed.
2. What will be the sign of His coming and the end of the age.

Matthew 24:3-35 Is About The Destruction of the Temple#

Most Christians just tend to assume that Jesus was answering the disciples’ question about when He would return, when in fact Jesus was not. This is proven by the fact that Mark records the exact same interaction, but no question about the “end of the age” is asked:

"Do you see all these great buildings?” replied Jesus. “Not one stone here will be left on another; every one will be thrown down.”

As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter, James, John and Andrew asked him privately, “Tell us, when will these things happen? And what will be the sign that they are all about to be fulfilled?”
(Mark 13:2-3)

The destruction of the Jerusalem Temple happened in A.D. 70 when Rome besieged Jerusalem, and tore down the temple. More than 1 million Jews were killed. This event is an event that everyone from each view of the end-times agreed happened.

So how would the disciples know when this would happen? Jesus says disciples would hear of wars, rumors of wars, famines, earthquakes, the gospel being preached in the whole world, and that Jesus would come on the clouds. Most people tend to assume that some of these signs haven’t happened yet.

2 Things That People Tend To Think Could Not Have Happened Yet#

1. The gospel being preached throughout the whole world.
2. Jesus coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory

But Jesus gave these two signs when answering the disciple’s question about the end of the temple, so we shouldn’t change our interpretation of the Lord’s words because we just assume it can’t have happened yet.

Ready to put on your thinking cap? Let’s hear Jesus!

The Bible Teaches That The Gospel Was Already Preached Throughout the Whole World#

When answering the question the disciples asked about when the temple would be destroyed, Jesus says, “And the gospel must first be preached to all nations.” (Mark 13:10).

Well, surely that hasn’t happened yet dude! Just hang with me for a bit.

Check out something very interesting. The prophet Agabus once predicted a famine that would happen throughout the “whole world” (Acts 11:28, ESV).

But according to the NIV, it would only happen throughout “the Roman world” (Acts 11:28)!

The Greek word for “roman” doesn’t exist in Acts 11:28 at all. The NIV translators injected the English adjective “Roman” into the verse, because the translators knew that the original writers and readers of Scripture weren’t familiar with the actual size of the globe, and we know from history that the famine happened throughout the Roman Empire, not across the globe.

Paul also said that the gospel is growing throughout the “whole world” (Col. 1:6), and that the gospel “has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven.” (Col. 1:23, note the past tense), and that the Roman church’s faith is being reported “all over the world” (Rom. 1:8). Paul is not saying these things are happening across the entire globe, similarly to how Luke said that Jews from “every nation under heaven” were gathered in Jerusalem for Pentecost (Acts 2:5). Jews were scattered across lots of different places, but they weren’t in modern day Australia, modern day America, modern day Mexico, etc—they were scattered across the Roman empire’s rule.

Therefore when Jesus said the gospel must be preached throughout the “whole world”, He was speaking in a way that His hearers would have naturally understood the phrase—the world as they knew it. Since Jesus listed the gospel being preached throughout the world as a sign before the destruction of the temple, and that all the signs would take place in the generation of the disciples, and because Paul declared that this sign was being fulfilled in his generation, we must understand that Jesus was speaking in the way that made sense to them, not us. If we are to responsibly let Scripture interpret Scripture, I think we must come to this conclusion.

Jesus Coming on The Clouds Was Not About His Final Return, But About His Enthronement as King of the Universe#

At that time people will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory.
(Mark 13:26)

Good Bible interpretation, like good marital communication, keeps in mind the context of what the other person is answering or addressing. Jesus is answering the disciples’ question about the end of the temple, not the end of the age. Ok Jesus, what do you mean? Well, let’s look at another place where Jesus said the same thing (Scripture interpreting Scripture).

When standing before the Sanhedrin as He was about to be crucified, the high priest questioned Him:

“I charge you under oath by the living God: Tell us if you are the Messiah, the Son of God.”

“You have said so,” Jesus replied. “But I say to all of you: From now on you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven.”
(Matt. 24:63-64)

Did you notice that Jesus said “from now on you will see”? Take note: Jesus said that they (the Jewish Sanhedrin) would see Him coming on the clouds, and that this would happen as a present reality!

Ok, that’s a better clue. But right after Jesus said this, they got super mad, crazy mad at Him and tore their robes! That is the second clue as to what Jesus really meant. They got enraged because He was claiming, in front of everybody, to be the one who will be enthroned next to God from Daniel 7:14—in other words, God. Your bible probably has a footnote on Matthew 24:63 with a cross reference to Daniel 7:14. It says:

In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all nations and peoples of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed.
(Daniel 7:13-14, my underline)

They were enraged, not because Jesus was saying He would come back in a rapture, but that He is God’s son and will be given all authority. Jesus was saying “remember Daniel’s prophecy? I’m the ‘son of man’ spoken of by Daniel, about to be enthroned as King over the world.”

But notice the order that Daniel sees these things: first, he sees the son of man coming with the clouds, second, the son of man approaches the Ancient of Days and is led into His presence and given power. Sound familiar? Sounds like Matthew 29:19, when Jesus said that “all authority in heaven and earth was given to me. Therefore, go and make disciples…”

So when Jesus told the Sanhedrin this, and when he told the disciples that they would see him coming on the clouds, he was referring to Daniel 7 and being enthroned as King, and actually going from earth to heaven, not the other way around! Daniel saw the son of man “coming”, and then being led to the Ancient of Days. Jesus was going upward into heaven, not downward.

Recall that the Lord told the disciples before he would be “coming” on the clouds of heaven, that

Then will appear the sign of the Son of Man in heaven...
(Matt. 24:30, my underline)

First, notice that the Lord says the sign will be about Him being in heaven, not the sign of Him coming to earth. The Lord continues,

And then all the peoples of the earth will mourn when they see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven, with power and great glory.
(Matt. 24:30)

The Lord says that He will then gather his elect from the four winds (v. 31), and that in order to know when these things will happen, they must learn the lesson of the fig tree: when its leaves come out, summer is near (v. 32), assuring them that “…when you see these things, you know that it is near, right at the door. Truly, I tell you, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened.” (v. 33-34, my underline).

The Lord was addressing the disciples, and when they saw these things, they would know that the time is right at the door. The Lord then says that their generation will not pass away until all has happened, not ours.

The dispensational view teaches that Jesus wasn’t really talking to the disciples, because all of this was about some time in the future more than 2000 years later, and that when he addressed the disciples using the words “you will see”, He really meant “people alive more than 2000 years from now.” I strongly disagree with this interpretation: I think Jesus was giving them an answer they could understand.

While out of the scope of this article, a historical survey of the destruction of the temple in A.D. 70 show that other signs Jesus predicted came true, like the “abomination of desolation” standing in the holy place, and the distress “unequaled from the beginning of the world until now” happened (1-2 million Jews were brutally massacred).² Christians did flee into the hills to avoid God’s judgement on the temple. There were false messiahs in the wilderness leading up to the destruction of the temple, too.

But Why “All Peoples of the Earth?”#

But why would He say “all the peoples of the earth” would see him coming on the clouds? Well, if you want to know the answer, you’ll have to bear with me and get a little technical.

Biblical scholars disagree on how this verse should actually be translated. Now if I’m honest, I get a bit concerned when someone starts to say, “well that verse wasn’t translated correctly”, because Bible translators give their whole lives to studying ancient languages and coming up with the best translation, and are better at it than you and me.

Side note: that is why I don’t study Scripture using translations that are written by one person (e.g., The Message, the Passion Translation, J.B. Phillips) but instead use ones where there is a big committee of translators that all work together, and sometimes disagree and then rule by majority opinion (NIV, NLT, ESV, NRSV, NASB).

Why Your Bible Provides Alternate Translations#

But, from time to time, there is such strong disagreement in the committee that they decide that they need to give a hint to Bible readers that there is disagreement.

Have you ever noticed those footnotes in your Bible that says something like “or it means…”? That’s a signal there was a strong disagreement amongst the committee about the best translation for the verse.

The NIV and HCSB translations have the footnote for this verse, providing an alternate translation: “all the tribes of the land.” That’s why, in this case, I’m comfortable considering this alternate translation, because people who are 100X better at translating the Bible say so.

So the alternate translation is:

And then all the tribes of the land will mourn when they see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven, with power and great glory.
(Matt. 24:30)

The ESV, KJV, NASB, NET, NRSV all use tribes. So many translators believe that tribes is what Jesus actually said. Interestingly, the Complete Jewish Bible (CJB), a translation written by a Messianic Jew, translates this verse as “all the tribes of the land will mourn…”

Jesus Was Actually Alluding To An Old Testament Prophecy#

First, many biblical experts point out that when Jesus said “all the tribes/peoples of the earth/land” Jesus was actually alluding to an Old Testament prophecy about all the tribes of Israel mourning at one of God’s judgements. The top 2 dispensational bible teachers John MacArthur³ and John Walvoord,⁴ who generally teach that Jesus was talking about a future event, agree that Jesus was referring to the prophecy in Zechariah:

They will look on me, the one they have pierced, and they will mourn for him as one mourns for an only child, and grieve bitterly for him as one grieves for a firstborn son. On that day the weeping in Jerusalem will be as great as the weeping of Hadad Rimmon in the plain of Megiddo. The land will mourn, each clan by itself...
(Zech. 12:10-14)

R.T. France, a solid evangelical biblical scholar and world renowned expert in Matthew, explains why both Greek syntax as well as the context of Jesus’ prophecy make the “tribes of the land” interpretation the best option. He shows that in Zechariah’s prophecy that Jesus alluded to,

…the mourners are identified as “the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem” (v. 10), who are then listed by families (the families of David, Nathan, Levi, Shimei and others, vv. 12–14). That is why the phrase pasai hai phylae tēs gēs must here refer to all the tribes of the land (i.e., as in Zech 12, a specifically Jewish mourning) not “of the earth.” This is required also by the use of phylē, which in the NT (as normally in the LXX) is used specifically of the OT tribes (Luke 2:36, Acts 13:21).⁵

R.T. France is saying that the Greek word that the NIV translates as “all peoples” (phylē) is always used to refer to Old Testament tribes in the New Testament, so that’s why tribes is the better translation. And because Jesus is alluding to Zechariah 12, which is not a universal prophecy, “of the earth” doesn’t make sense.

In summary, here are the reasons why “all the tribes of the land” is the better translation:

1. Jesus was alluding to a prophecy from Zechariah about God’s judgement on the tribes of Israel, not the entire world.
2. Jesus was answering the disciples’ question about God’s judgement on the temple, not the entire world.
3. Elsewhere in the New Testament, the Greek words used in this particular verse are used to refer to actual Old Testament tribes, not the all people groups of the world.

That’s why I think Jesus really said “all the tribes of the land” will mourn, which means that He wasn’t talking about a global event.

But Jesus Taught His “Coming” Would Be Visible Like Lightning#

Recall that the flow of Matthew 24 is this order:

1. Disciples ask two questions (Matthew 24:3).
2. Jesus answers the first question about the destruction of the temple (Matthew 24:3-36).
3. Jesus answers the second question about His final return (Matthew 24:36 and on).

We know that Jesus transitions to the second question because He makes a clear transition. These verses capture that transition:

This generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened…But about that day or hour no one knows...
(Matt. 24:34-36)

Here, “this generation” refers to the disciples, who would see the signs leading up to the temple’s fall. Then Jesus shifts to answering their second question about His final coming, which he says no one can date.

But there is one sign Jesus gave that would happen before the temple was destroyed that can confuses some:

For false messiahs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. See, I have told you ahead of time.

So if anyone tells you, ‘There he is, out in the wilderness,’ do not go out; or, ‘Here he is, in the inner rooms,’ do not believe it. For as lightning that comes from the east is visible even in the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.
(Matt. 24:26-27)

So why did Jesus mention His final coming here? Because one sign—false messiahs—relates to both the destruction of the temple AND Jesus’ final return. Before the temple’s fall and before His return, false messiahs would appear. The true Messiah, however, will return in a way visible to all, not hidden in the wilderness or inner rooms.

History confirms this. The ancient Jewish historian Josephus, who lived during and after the time of Jesus and documented the destruction of the temple in 70 A.D., reported that several false messiahs lured people into the wilderness, where Romans slaughtered them.⁶ Jesus needed to describe what the true Messiah’s return would be like in order to equip the disciples to protect believers and themselves from deception.

In other words, it was a quick lookahead. Jesus then shifts in Matthew 24:36 to the disciples’ 2nd question.

Was Israel’s Formation in 1948 A Fulfillment of Biblical Prophecy?#

God says “I will take the Israelites out of the nations where they have gone. I will gather them from all around and bring them back into their own land…” (Ezekiel 37:21).

The Lord also said,

On the day I cleanse you from all your sins, I will resettle your towns, and the ruins will be rebuilt. The desolate land will be cultivated instead of lying desolate in the sight of all who pass through it. They will say, “This land that was laid waste has become like the garden of Eden; the cities that were lying in ruins, desolate and destroyed, are now fortified and inhabited.” Then the nations around you that remain will know that I the Lord have rebuilt what was destroyed and have replanted what was desolate. I the Lord have spoken, and I will do it.
(Ezekiel 36:33-36)

How 1948 Doesn’t Fit Ezekiel 36-37, but The 1st Century Does#

Was this prophecy fulfilled in 1948? The requirements for the prophecy to have been fulfilled are the following conditions according to Ezekiel:

1. It will be on the day God cleanses the Israelites from all their sins (v. 33).
2. God describes the land as desolate which suggests that nobody is living there. (v. 34).
3. Surrounding nations will glorify God (v. 36).
4. Surrounding nations will know that the Lord Himself rebuilt what was destroyed. (v. 36).
5. The Spirit being poured out, and then being brought into the land. (v. 27)

A basic survey of what happened in 1948 proves that Israel being formed 1948 doesn’t fit:

Jesus used similar terminology to “land” by using the word “kingdom”. The land of Israel is a prototype and symbol of “God’s kingdom”. In the OT, the land of Israel was where God ruled; it was His territory. In the New Testament, now God’s kingdom/territory is wherever the Spirit is present. It is no longer tied to geography.

Whenever Jesus said “the kingdom of heaven is at hand”, early Jews would have thought he meant He was about to launch a military or political takeover as God’s Messiah, and restore the Jews to a new kingdom. Instead, The Lord changed their understanding of who the Messiah really was, and what God’s Messianic kingdom was really all about—the hearts of people, not political rule.

The author of Hebrews says that even famous OT heroes were longing for a “heavenly country” (Heb. 11:16). Abraham was the man who received the original promise of land. Yet Scripture says that OT heroes like Abraham

...were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised, since God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect.
(Heb. 11:39, my underline)

According to the New Testament, God planned something better than land promises: God’s kingdom! Since the land is a prototype of God’s kingdom in Christ, I think we can identify a much stronger fulfillment pattern of Ezekiel 36-37 in the New Testament itself, rather than the events of 1948:

Based on this simple comparison, a respect for Scripture, in my opinion, should make us think that Ezekiel’s prophecy (Ch. 36) was fulfilled in the 1st century, not 1948.

How 1948 Doesn’t Align With God’s Conditions For Remaining In the Land#

Some might say “well only the land promises in Ezekiel’s prophecy were fulfilled in 1948. It was only partially fulfilled.”

It is true that some prophecies can be fulfilled partially. For example, prophecies about the Messiah finally and fully defeating all His enemies once and for all hasn’t happened. That will happen when He comes back, but has been partially fulfilled in Satan’s defeat on the cross. But as believers in Christ, we understand that partial fulfillments are given to us from Scripture. I’m not necessarily against claiming a current event fulfills an ancient prophecy, but if there is an example in Scripture that corresponds more logically, the current event should be discarded.

For example, some charismatic Christians claim modern day Israel’s history was established through supernatural events, such as miraculous victories in wars, the nation being “born in a day”, etc. But current events are highly suspect to media bias, and can be debated.

I once heard a pastor claim that building-high angels surrounded Israel during the 1967 war and the Arab armies fled when seeing them. I asked him to verify that this really happened, and he couldn’t come up with a response. Claims of supernatural intervention are unverifiable and can be unfair. Once someone backs up their claims with supernatural experiences or unverifiable events, they may not know it, but they are strong-arming you into adopting their perspective.

If we wanted to debate if God was behind Israel’s formation as a nation, you’d have to come to some very confusing and troubling conclusions: you’d be forced to say that God orchestrated the death of Palestinians, and even Palestinian Christians; that is, God orchestrated the death of His own children. Some of the people whose land was taken away, and even died, were Christians.⁷ Moreover, even in the Old Testament, divine right to the land was conditional upon obedience to Torah:

The Lord once told King David to build an altar to the Lord on land owned by a foreigner living in Israel, Ornan the Jebusite (1 Chron. 21:18). David requested a piece of Ornan’s property (v. 22). Seemingly out of fear, the foreigner offered King David his property and animals for free (v. 23), but David then said, “No, I insist on paying the full price. I will not take for the Lord what is yours, or sacrifice a burnt offering that costs me nothing.” (1 Chron. 21:24). Instead of taking his land by force, David treated the foreigner in his midst with dignity, as God’s law commanded, and paid full price, even as King of Israel. In 1948, 700k+ Palestinians were forcibly removed from their homes—the total opposite of King David’s attitude.

Until Israel acts like King David did, God backing up ethnic Israel’s military with supernatural building-high angels seems unbiblical to me.

Paul Taught That Jesus Is The Recipient of the Land Promises#

Jesus taught that His kingdom was “not of this world” (John 18:36), meaning it was not tied to a geographical territory. In the Beatitudes, He declared, “the meek will inherit the earth” (Matt. 5:5). The choice of “inherit” and “earth” is significant—Jesus framed land inheritance in global terms, not as possession of a single plot of land in the Middle East.

Paul shared this understanding when he wrote that Abraham “received the promise that he would be heir of the world” (Rom. 4:13). Nowhere in the Old Testament is Abraham promised the entire world. Under the Spirit’s inspiration, Paul gave the authoritative interpretation of the original promise of land and descendants as having a fuller, expanded meaning.

Paul also gave some important revelation about Abraham’s promise of land:

Now the promises were made to Abraham and to his offspring. It does not say, ‘And to offsprings,’ referring to many, but referring to one, ‘And to your offspring,’ who is Christ.
(Gal. 3:16, ESV)

According to Paul’s Spirit-inspired understanding of Abraham’s promise about land (Gen. 12:7), that promise was ultimately about Christ being the recipient.

This idea was not new or uncommon for Paul or Jesus. For example, Jesus identified Himself as the “true vine” (John 15:1), a title used of Israel in Isaiah, showing that He is the true Israel—God’s Son in whom the promises find their fulfillment. After teaching that Jesus was the recipient of Abraham’s promises, Paul concludes, “If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise” (Gal. 3:29). In other words, only those in Christ inherit Abraham’s promises. This means Jesus is the ultimate heir of the land, and all who are united to Him share that inheritance.

Who are “God’s People”?#

Replacement Theology?#

Some Christians get concerned with theology labeled “replacement theology”, which suggests that God has no future plans for ethnic Israel, and that the church has “replaced” ethnic Israel. It is true that in the past Christians have persecuted the Jewish people, weaponizing the Bible to create racist theology.

I understand the strong reaction to “replacement theology”, and Christians should make every effort to address these terrible stains on the history of Christianity, and create strong gospel-centered bridges with the Jewish people.

But the definition of who “God’s people” are can really affect how you view God and the way He works. Dispensational theology teaches that “God’s people” are ethnic Jews, and believers in Christ, and that God will use violence if necessary to defend ethnic Jews, but will not use violence in defending believers in Christ. Is this the way God works? I think the answer is no.

A Definition of “God’s People” and “Chosenness”#

So what did Jesus and Paul teach us about God’s perspective of who His people are?

In the OT, God defines His people ethnically, when He says to the people of Israel (formerly Jacob) “I will take you as my own people, and I will be your God.” (Exodus 6:7). But why did God “choose” them? What does it mean to be “chosen”?

What it Means to be “Chosen”#

God “chose” for a couple reasons: He wanted to remain faithful to their forefathers like Abraham (Deut. 7:6-8), and wanted Israel to be a nation of priests among all other nations (Exodus 19:5-6). Priests always served on behalf of others, so God designed the entire nation of Israel to be a light to other nations (Isaiah 42:6-7). God promised Abraham the land of Israel, but also so that all nations would be blessed through him (Gen. 12:3). Later, prophets prophesied a time when God would begin calling other nations “his people”. In one place, the Lord says, “Blessed be Egypt my people, and Assyria the work of my hands, and Israel my inheritance.” (Isaiah 19:23-25). God was certainly passionate for His people Israel, but He never played favorites; He shows no favoritism (Rom. 2:11).

How Paul Defined “True Israel”#

Drawing from the prophets, the apostle Paul taught that true Israel is not an ethnic identity, but a spiritual identity. Paul directly addresses our question in Romans 9.

Paul expressed his deep anguish about his people, Israel, to whom belongs all the covenants and promises (Rom. 9:1-5). He then teaches,

It is not as though God’s word had failed. For not all who are descended from Israel are Israel. Nor because they are his descendants are they all Abraham’s children. On the contrary, “It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned.” In other words, it is not the children by physical descent who are God’s children, but it is the children of the promise who are regarded as Abraham’s offspring.
(Rom. 9:6-8)

Physical descent has nothing to do with being a child of God, but rather, being born again by the Spirit, supernaturally like Isaac.

Now, at this point I should say that this passage has been weaponized by some anti-semitic Christians in the past. However, Paul never would have intended anti-semitic sentiment to result from his teaching. In fact, he explicitly warns against anti-semitic arrogance (Rom. 11:18).

Not Replacement, But Expansion and Unity#

So while some would say God has “replaced” ethnic Israel with the church, I would say rather that God expands the meaning of “Israel” to be a people of faith in Jesus Christ, the true Israelite. “Israel” means “one who struggles with God” anyway - the definition was spiritual from the beginning. The only part of Israelite identity that is no longer required are some OT laws and rituals. This was certainly a huge part of Jewish identity that God was leading them away from to unite them to the world. Paul fought hard to remove these ethnic markers so that anyone could be saved: “Neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything; what counts is the new creation.” (Gal. 6:15).

Paul also puts Jew and Gentile on equal footing when comparing each group to branches grafted into an olive tree. However, Gentiles are branches from a wild, uncultivated olive tree, while the Jewish people are branches from a “cultivated olive tree” (Rom. 11:24). Our faith therefore rests upon the spiritual history of Israel - the prophets, the faithful kings, and righteous servants. They are our spiritual fathers and mothers. We shouldn’t be arrogant towards the more natural branches (Rom. 11:18), which is why the language of “replacement” isn’t right—but neither is exalting the natural branches above the wild ones.

God was faithful to His ancient promises to save Israel. Paul says that “Did God reject his people? By no means! I am an Israelite myself, a descendant of Abraham, from the tribe of Benjamin.” (Rom. 11:1-2). For Paul, the fact that he is saved is the proof that God was faithful to His promises! Scores and scores of the Jewish people came to faith in Christ in the early church. Paul then later says that in the future “all Israel will be saved” (Rom. 11:26).

Paul also taught that God’s design was for the 2 types of people, Jew and Gentile, to become one new people (Eph. 2:11-22) - which we are! Followers of Christ (Jew and Gentile) and all faithful followers of Yahweh before the time of Christ are one people and family. So who are God’s true people? Believers in the Messiah. Scripture defines “Abraham’s seed” and “God’s people” and “children of God” as followers of Christ, not ethnic Israel. That is not anti-semitic, it’s what Jesus and Paul taught.

Will There Be a Massive War In the Middle East Before Jesus Comes Back?#

Ezekiel 38 is the passage where many popular authors and Christians use to teach that God will cause Iran, Russia, and other Middle Eastern nations to fight against Israel:

The word of the Lord came to me: “Son of man, set your face against Gog, of the land of Magog, the chief prince of Meshek and Tubal; prophesy against him and say: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I am against you, Gog, chief prince of Meshek and Tubal. I will turn you around, put hooks in your jaws and bring you out with your whole army—your horses, your horsemen fully armed, and a great horde with large and small shields, all of them brandishing their swords. Persia, Cush and Put will be with them, all with shields and helmets, also Gomer with all its troops, and Beth Togarmah from the far north with all its troops—the many nations with you...

You will advance against my people Israel like a cloud that covers the land.

(Ezekiel 38:1-6, 16)

Why do people think that these nations, and Russia, will be involved in a military conflict? Well, one of the main reasons that Russia is involved is because 2 Bible translations say that Gog was not just a ruler of Meshek and Tubal, but also “Rosh” (NKJV, ASV).

Why the “Rosh” Translation is No Longer Considered Accurate#

Arguably the most influential dispensationalist author, John Walvoord, has provided the core theology for this interpretation that serves as a foundation for many popular bible teachers:

The translation, “the prince of Rosh,” is a more literal rendering of the Hebrew. “Rosh” may be the root of the modern term, Russia. In the study of how ancient words come into modern language, it is quite common for the consonants to remain the same and the vowels to be changed. In the word “Rosh,” if the vowel “o” is changed to V it becomes the root of the modern word, Russia, with the suffix added. In other words, the word itself seems to be an early form of the word from which the modern word, Russia, comes. Genesius, the famous lexicographer, gives the assurance that this is a proper identification, that is, that Rosh is an early form of the word from which we get Russia. The two terms, “Meshech” and “Tubal,” also correspond to some prominent words in Russia. The term “Meshech” is similar to the modern name Moscow, and “Tubal,” obviously, is similar to the name of one of the prominent Asiatic provinces of Russia, the province of Tobolsk. When this evidence is put together, it points to the conclusion that these terms are early references to portions of Russia, and therefore, the geographic argument is reinforced by the linguistic argument and supports the idea that this invading force comes from Russia.⁸

Walvoord’s articulation is thoughtful, although I think it is severely flawed. Note that he uses speculative language like “may be the root of”, “if the vowel is changed”. Was it really the root, and was the vowel changed? He doesn’t provide any evidence. And how he equated “Meshech” with Moscow and “Tubal” with Tobolsk, is very problematic.

Hebrew Words Do Not Form the Foundation of English or Russian Words#

Dr. Michael Heiser, a modern evangelical Old Testament scholar known for his groundbreaking book The Unseen Realm, has pointed out that equating “Rosh” with “Russia” is simply not how linguistics work:⁹ words in one language might look and sound like words in another language, but your chances that the words mean the same exact thing are 1 in a million!

For example, the English word “Pie” is a dessert, but in Spanish it means “walk”. The English word “gift” in German means “poison”. The English verb “push” in Portuguese actually means the exact opposite: “to pull”!

So when Walvoord tries to say that the Hebrew word “rosh” (which in Hebrew means top, chief, head)¹⁰ somehow forms the root word of the English word “Russia”, it makes absolutely no sense. Hebrew words don’t form the foundation of English or Russian vocabulary.

“Rosh” In Hebrew Means “Chief/Head” And Is Not a Nation#

There is also a reason why translators don’t include the word “rosh” in English translations anymore—it doesn’t make sense grammatically. You don’t have to be a bible expert to see this. Check out the verse with the Hebrew words next to the English words:

...Gog (gôḡ), of the land ('ereṣ) of Magog (māḡôḡ), the prince of (nāśî') ___ (rō'š)

The blank part above is translated, according to Walvoord, as “of Rosh”, while other translations rendered nāśî’ rō’š as chief prince.

The Hebrew nāśî’ means prince. And rō’š also can mean prince, chief, or head (this link shows you all the examples of this word in the OT). So when the NKJV/ASV translations render the Hebrew into English, it’s like they are saying “Gog, of the land of Magog, the prince of chief…”, which doesn’t make sense.

In fact, the translations that say the “prince of Rosh” reveal that the translators decided not to even translate the Hebrew word rō’š! They just converted it into an English word that sounds the same—what is called a transliteration. So when Walvoord teaches that “prince of Rosh” “…is a more literal rendering of the Hebrew”, he is wrong—it doesn’t even qualify as a rendering, because it’s not a translation. We use transliterations all the time: if you’ve ever said you’ve eaten a burrito, you used a transliteration, not a translation. The real Spanish translation of “burrito” is “little donkey”!

So when other translators saw that the Hebrew text has nāśî’ (prince) and rō’š (chief/head) right next to each other, they rightly understand that rō’š is an adjective linked to the noun “prince” (nāśî’): hence the translation “chief prince” (CEB, ESV, HCSB, KJV, NASB, NRSV, NIV).

Moreover, Dr. Michael Heiser also points out not a single ancient text in the ancient world mentions a place called “Rosh”, and never existed as a territory.¹¹

The Northernmost Nation Listed By Ezekiel Was Not Russia#

The nations that are listed are Meshek, Tubal, Persia, Cush, Put, Gomer, Beth Togarmah who will all be rallied by “Gog”. Are we in the Lord of the Rings?!

Well, it turns out that all these areas were regions Ezekiel’s audience would have known about. Scholars have a wide range of primary source material with references to these regions, and even other Scripture about these regions. According to solid evangelical scholars, Meshek, Tubal, Gomer and Beth Togarmah were all north, in what we would call modern-day Turkey, not Russia. Isaiah, for example, pairs Tubal and Greece (Isaiah 66:19).

The northernmost nation listed would have to be Beth Togarmah since Ezekiel said they come from the “far north” (Ezekiel 38:6), or the “remotest parts of the north” (NRSVUE). Since Scripture says that this land exchanged war horses and mules with the city Tyre (Ezekiel 27:14) (Tyre is about an hour’s drive north of Israel in modern day Lebanon), it is not likely that Beth Togarmah, which Ezekiel says is the northernmost region, was Russia. It would be too far to travel to trade war horses and mules.

Moreover, ancient historical sources situate Beth Togarmah in the area of the upper Euphrates river (which originates in Turkey). For primary source material from solid evangelical biblical scholars about where these places are situated, see this transcript.

The other areas are well known: Persia maps to modern day Iran, Cush to northern Egypt, Put to Libya. But the biblical and historical data strongly refutes Ezekiel mentioning anything about modern day Russia.

Letting The New Testament Inform Our Understanding of Ezekiel#

The prophet John also saw the same vision about Gog and Magog.

And when the thousand years are ended, Satan will be released from his prison and will come out to deceive the nations that are at the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them for battle; their number is like the sand of the sea. And they marched up over the broad plain of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city, but fire came down from heaven and consumed them...
(Revelation 20:7-9)

As mentioned before, we must let New Testament writers be our guide when they explicitly mention the Old Testament. And, in fact, John’s vision draws heavily from Ezekiel 38-39 in very similar ways. Many of the elements of Ezekiel’s prophecy are mentioned:

New Details From John’s Revelation About Ezekiel 38-39#

John adds in several details to the prophecy of Ezekiel:

• Satan is behind the attack and gathering all the nations.
• Instead of being directed at the mountains of Israel, it is directed at two places: (1) the camp of the saints, and (2) the beloved city.
• The enemies being struck down are also demonic forces; the war is cosmic, not just purely earthbound.

Even The Old Testament Prophets Did Not Understand Mountains, the Temple, or Jerusalem as Primarily Physical, But Supernaturally#

This may be one of the most important points of this whole article, but even the ancient Jewish worldview used physical language to describe spiritual reality, often blending the two. They didn’t separate spiritual from physical like we do. Rather, OT prophets understood that God’s mountain was where He lived (more like our concept of heaven), not physically where He lived. The Psalmist says,

Great is the Lord and greatly to be praised
  in the city of our God!
His holy mountain, beautiful in elevation,
  is the joy of all the earth,
Mount Zion, in the far north,
  the city of the great King.
(Psalm 48:1-2)

Dr. Heiser insightfully points out,

As anyone who has been to Jerusalem knows, Mount Zion isn’t much of a mountain. It certainly isn’t located in the geographical north—it’s actually in the southern part of the country. So what’s meant by “the heights of the north”?

This description would be a familiar one to Israel’s pagan neighbors, particularly at Ugarit. It’s actually taken out of their literature. The “heights of the north” (Ugaritic: “the heights of tsaphon”) is the places where Baal lived and, supposedly, ran the cosmos at the behest of the high god El and the divine council. The psalmist is stealing glory from Baal, restoring it to the One to whom it rightfully belongs—Yahweh.¹²

In other words, the Psalmist was saying “the place in the north where Baal lives actually God reigns above Baal.” Mount Zion was about Yahweh’s real dwelling place in the spiritual realm.

The other prophets thought about Mount Zion and God’s mountain the same way. Zechariah prophesied a future time when the Lord would call Jerusalem His holy mountain (Zech. 8:3), which suggests that God’s “mountain” is a separate entity from any physical mountain—it can move. The prophet Micah said that one day in the “latter days” (which we are living in now) that the mountain of the Lord will be established as the highest of all mountains, and nations will come to it (Micah 4:1-2). Ezekiel once described Eden as “God’s holy mountain” (Ezekiel 28:17-18).

In other words, in Old Testament theology, God’s “mountain” is where He dwells, independent of a physical location. This is why NT authors teach us that we are God’s temple, where He dwells, because God decided that it was time to live within the hearts of His children.

New Testament revelation makes it clear that God no longer dwells in the physical temple or mountain, but rather within us, who are temples of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 6:19). This is why the author of Hebrews can say that we have *already come to Mount Zion*:

But you have come to Mount Zion, to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem.
(Heb. 12:22)

If we are to properly let this passage interpret complement Revelation 20, we must understand this attack as a global assault on believers, not ethnic Israel:

1. John saw that the “camp of the saints” were being attacked by Gog and Magog and Satan, and “the beloved city”, which believers in Christ already dwell in (Heb. 12:22).
2. Ezekiel said that the final attack will be on the mountains of Israel, the foremost “mountain” being Mount Zion, which is not tied to a physical location, but is the supernatural dwelling place of God.
3. John’s revelation, given to him by Jesus Christ, makes explicit what was implicit in Ezekiel’s prophecy: the primary foe is Satan and his minions, and the war is primarily cosmic.

Some think that Gog is a symbol of evil, although I’m inclined to think of Gog more as a human that Satan uses. The final battle could manifest as nations banding together, or it could be primarily a supernatural battle of some sort.

I don’t think Revelation makes it clear what exactly will happen. From John’s vision, it appears that they only gather for battle, and then are incinerated before being able to attack. The main point of Ezekiel and John’s vision is that God will defeat evil once and for all, and destroy Satan and evil forever! Jesus will make every wrong right, and after this final battle, will set up His kingdom on earth, and renew it, and begin the eternal kingdom! What a hope we have!

Summary#

Scripture reveals an important trend: God’s self-revelation gets clearer and clearer over time. The New Testament makes it crystal clear that revelation they received, and Jesus’ teaching stand head and shoulders above all previous revelation of God. So when Jesus and the New Testament authors talk about a prophecy, their interpretation is God revealing the fulfillment.

Jesus’ message to the disciples in Matthew 24 (up until verse 36) was primarily about the end of the temple and was about events that would take place in their generation. Jesus said so (Matt 24:34). Because of this, the potential wars and “rumors of wars” we are currently hearing about were not prophesied by Jesus—those signs already happened. Instead, we should pray for the peace of God to reign in the Middle East in every nation, for reconciliation between all people groups, and share the gospel and make disciples.

Paul defined the “children of God” as those who are born again in Christ: they are true Israel, but I believe that Paul also spoke of a future revival amongst the Jewish people. Replacement theology, as it has been labeled, sets up a false dichotomy that Scripture never sets up. Ethnic Israel doesn’t get replaced, it expands and contracts: it expands by being defined as anyone who calls on Jesus, and contracts in that only ethnic Israelites who follow Jesus are considered Abraham’s seed. The very meaning of the name “Israel” was always about following Yahweh, not about an ethnic identity.

The 1000 years in Revelation are not literal because Jesus said we just simply can’t know when He will return at the end of the age. If the 1000 years are literal, we can know when He will return - that’s why the 1000 years must be symbolic. Revelation also uses symbolic numbers all throughout the book, like 7, 3.5 (half of seven), 12, 144,000 (12 squared), etc. We should interpret more symbolic genres of the Bible more symbolically, and more plain genres, like Jesus’ teaching, straightforwardly. The direct/straightforward interprets the symbolic, if we are to let Scripture interpret Scripture responsibly. This doesn’t mean that symbolic Scripture doesn’t apply to anything physical, just that the physical manifestation is not clear.

Lastly, I find that the Dispensational view can be strongly influenced by people’s perception of world events. Having lived in the Middle East, I can tell you that our American media does not tell us everything about Israel. Palestinians are severely mistreated and have been for years. The violent attack on Israel from Hamas on October 7, 2023, did not take place in a vacuum, for example. It was preceded by an increase in Israeli violence where Palestinians were being killed by Israelis, which was never reported and gave the impression to the world that the aggression from Hamas was an unprovoked attack. This is not to excuse the attack, but to show that reliance on the media to help you understand Scripture is dangerous.

Instead, I’d like to see more Christians call Israel to obey the Torah, and instead of killing tens of thousands of innocent civilians, they should be caring for the foreigner in their midst, as the Torah demands. They continue to bulldoze homes, annex land, strip Palestinians of their rights, and, even more recently, starve people. The Torah explicitly lays out the consequences for such actions. Paul taught that “God is not mocked, a man reaps what he sows.” (Gal. 6). If they keep sowing violence, they will only reap more; Jesus taught that all who live by the sword will die by it (Matt. 26:52); violence is a self-replicating virus that can only be eradicated through the cross of Christ.

Let’s keep our eyes off the media and on Scripture. If we use the media, there will always be an endless debate. Rather, if we are to respect the Lord, our views must come from the authority of Scripture alone.

Suggested Reading#

1. Four Views on the Book of Revelation (Counterpoints: Bible and Theology) - Very important read. One representative for each end-times view writes why they think their view is correct, and all others respond in turn.
2. The Unseen Realm: Recovering the Supernatural Worldview of the Bible - Very important read. Clarifies important teaching on the spirit world and how to interpret OT prophecy the way ancient Israel did.
3. Kingdom Come - The Amillennial Alternative by Sam Storms. An in-depth overview of the amillennial view, with strong engagement with the dispensational views.
4. Jesus and the Land: The New Testament Challenge to “Holy Land” Theology by Gary Burge. Very thoughtful book from a top Evangelical theologian/scholar.
5. Hidden But Now Revealed: A Biblical Theology of Mystery - A rare find, a book devoted to identifying ways which the New Testament reveals, adds, or reorganizes OT prophetic timelines.
6. My “Progressive Revelation” articles - A survey of fascinating examples of inner-biblical conflict, and ways which NT writers add to, modify, and occasionally change OT surface-level readings. Lays the foundation for properly understanding war and violence in the Old Testament.

Notes#