Prophetic Milestones

The One to whom true prophets bear witness

Edward F. Lundwall, Jr.

Shadows of the Nearness of the End of the Age: The Awakening of the Fig Tree (Jewish Nation)

Prophecies concerning Israel

1. Mosaic prophecies:
a. Deuteronomy 28: the sins of Israel will cause God to disperse them worldwide.
b. Deuteronomy 30: God will regathering of Israel and return them to the holy land.

2. Israel: God’s prophetic time clock.

Daniel 9:20-27: use a prophetic time clock for the history of Israel (v 24) unto the beginning of the millennial kingdom which will include God's eternal Kingdom. Verse 25 says when this time clock of 70 weeks of years will start, that is, the decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem. The Messiah appears after 69 weeks of years after the reconstruction of Jerusalem and the Temple. In verse 26a, Messiah will be killed after 69 weeks of years followed by the destruction of the city and the sanctuary by the Prince of Rome

Rise of Gentile Power

Daniel 9:26b begins with Israel’s destruction as the beginning of the end times climaxing in the tribulation period. This period is called the times of the Gentiles in which Jerusalem is spoken of as being trodden down by the Gentiles (Luke 21:24--26). This is also spoken of by the Apostle Paul as being the Church age in which the Church becomes the instrument of worldwide evangelism (Ephesians 3:9; Mark 16:15).

This age will end with prophetic milestones of Israel being as a blooming fig tree leading to the fruit of its regathering and then with Christ's return (Zechariah 12:1--14; Luke 21:24--32). This began after World War II with many Jews attempting to return to Israel because of the Balfour declaration of the establishing of a place for the terribly persecuted Jews to have as a place of safety. This was followed by United Nations designating the holy land as that place along with an Arab section. In 1948, Israel became a nation again. While the Islamic nations rejected this and hours later began an onslaught with an army from 6 Islamic nations, as according to Zech 12:1-9 God enabled them to survive and defeat those nations’ armies, except on the east including Jerusalem, just as the prophecies stated. In the 1967 war, they were enabled to liberate Jerusalem. While they let the Muslims retain the Temple mount, which will probably be taken in the great defeat prophesied in Ezekiel 28. Then the Tribulation Temple can be built permitting the fulfillment of the Tribulation prophecies about the revelation of Antichrist in the middle of the Tribulation.

According to Revelation 1:19b the picture of the Tribulation period (Greek wording: the hour the of trial of the great Rev 3:10) [tribulation KJV], the prophetic time clock begins with chapter 4:1, 2. In Chapter 7:2-8, Israel becoming God's witness to the earth in the 144,000 Jewish evangelists. Paul says in Romans 11 that Israel as the natural branches will be grafted in again to form great blessing. That God has Israel as an eternal witness of His glory, especially in his patience and final fulfillment to the promises given to the patriarchs is saved (Zech 12:9-14) and are part in New Jerusalem (Revelation 21:12). The names of the 12 tribes are inscribed on its gates of pearl.

Foreshadowing of the Great Tribulation

The Lord Jesus said: “"So you also, when you see these things happening, recognize that the kingdom of God is near.” (Luke 21:31 NASU).

1. Israel becomes a nation again (Zech 12:1-9). And we need to remember that the Tribulation (the time of Jacob’s trouble (Jer 30:7; Zech 13 &14) precedes the Kingdom.

2. The Church age is nearing completion (Rev 2 & 3). The rise of secular government and character of the Laodicean Church characterized by “the voice of the people.” (Rev 3:14-18). The advent of false teachers, cults and antichrists (Matt 24:11, 23-26).

(The Revelation is divided into 3 parts according to Rev 1:19: . . . Write the things which thou hast seen, the things which are, and the things which shall be hereafter;”

“The things which are” after Chapter one “the things which thou hast seen” is the Church Age ending, a great apostasy of the professed Church (2 Thess 2:4), and the Tribulation begins as seen from the wording in Rev 4:1, 2 which are nearly exactly as the third direction of the Lord in Rev 1:19c.

3. Present state of Daniel’s Legs of Iron mixed with clay. The European confederacy (Daniel 2:28-45).

4. The efforts to form the Islamic Caliphate (the Arab spring Ezek 38 and 39).

5. The building of Chinese economy that supports building of a great army for the battle of Armageddon (Rev 16:12-16).

6. The report of the Sun’s great flaring - the promise of relief from heat from the Sun and Moon after the Tribulation. (Rev 16:8). Signs in the heavens and great darkness (Mark 13:24). Roaring of the seas and great waves (Luke 21:25).

7. The great increase of knowledge with much travel in the end times. (Dan 12:4).

8. That people will be killing each other (Rev 12:17).

9. Inflation and hunger (Rev 6:5, 6).


Related reading:  Witnesses to the Truth of Christianity; Dispensationalism and the Three Witnesses