On July 30, Israel killed Fuad Shukr in a targeted airstrike on an apartment building in Beirut, Lebanon. Shukr was a senior commander for the Iranian-backed terrorist group Hezbollah.
Within hours, Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh was also assassinated in Tehran, Iran. Although Israel has not commented, it is widely believed they were responsible. Iran has vowed revenge.
Tensions in the region haven’t been this high since last October, when Hamas attacked Israel and killed more than 1,000 people, two-thirds being unarmed civilians. More than 200 hostages were also taken. In the wake of that attack, Israel promised to hunt down all Hamas leaders. At this point, they have killed nearly 40,000 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, where Hamas is based, and displaced millions.
Killing Haniyeh, one of the principal negotiators in a ceasefire deal, signals to some that Israel isn’t interested in peace. In response, Hamas replaced Ismail Haniyeh with Yahya Sinwar, the mastermind behind the October 7 terrorist attack.
Is an all-out regional war about to erupt between Israel and Iran? Such a conflict could potentially escalate into something even worse. Will there be a World War III between Israel and its allies, such as the United States and Great Britain, and Iran and its allies, China, Russia, and North Korea?
Truly, anything is possible in these precarious times.
Focus on Israel
Many Christians pay close attention to current events in Israel because they subscribe to dispensationalism, a system of theology popularized by men such as John Nelson Darby (1800–1882) and C. I. Scofield (1843–1921). Dispensationalists insist that the Jews must reclaim the temple mount, currently occupied by a mosque, and then rebuild the temple in Jerusalem to fulfill Bible prophecy.
While millions hold to this idea, it cannot be supported by Scripture.
At the moment the Son of God died on the cross, “the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom” by an unseen hand. This is recorded in three out of four Gospel accounts (Matthew 27:51; Mark 15:38; Luke 23:45). It signifies that the temple services had met their fulfillment in Christ, the ultimate sacrifice.
As the “Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29), Jesus, by His one sacrifice, put an end to the ceremonies that were “a shadow of things to come” (Colossians 2:16; Hebrews 10:10). Early in His ministry, Jesus mentioned how worshiping at the temple would soon be irrelevant, saying, “Believe Me, the hour is coming when you will neither on this mountain, nor in Jerusalem, worship the Father” (John 4:21).
As Jesus left the temple court for the last time, He told the Jewish priests and rulers, “Behold! Your house is left unto you desolate!” (Matthew 23:38 KJV). They had Him crucified a few days later.
True Israel
Christians’ obsession with what’s happening in Israel is misguided. God’s plans have always reached far beyond the literal nation of Israel. In fact, the apostle Paul says, “They are not all Israel who are of Israel” (Romans 9:6). Jesus also said, “God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth” (John 4:24). These have always been God’s true people, not those of a particular bloodline. “If you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise” (Galatians 3:29).
The destiny of the literal nation of Israel is not to rebuild the temple and offer meaningless sacrifices. God’s desire “for Israel is that they may be saved. … For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him. For ‘whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved’” (Romans 10:1, 12, 13).
World War
It’s impossible to predict exactly what will happen in Middle Eastern or world politics. However, the conflicts between countries are only a symptom of a greater war that is currently raging. It began in heaven when “Michael and his angels fought with … the dragon and his angels” (Revelation 12:7). We’ve been warned, “The devil has come down to you, having great wrath, because he knows that he has a short time” (Revelation 12:12).
This is a spiritual war involving the destiny of every man, woman, and child on Earth. We each must choose a side, that of Christ who “has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God” (Ephesians 5:2), or that of Satan, “a murderer … and … a liar” (John 8:44).
There is no neutral position.
This war will culminate in what Christians call the Battle of Armageddon (Revelation 16:16). Because Armageddon refers to a literal place in Israel where they fought several ancient battles, countless Christians are looking for a conflict to transpire there. Yet, the Bible portrays this final battle as spiritual and worldwide in nature, saying, “Spirits of demons, [perform] signs, [and] go out to the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty” (16:14).
The victory will go to those “who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus” (Revelation 14:12) and whose leader is Jesus, “KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS” (19:16).
Whose side are you on?
Watch Pastor Doug’s presentation on Israel and Armageddon here.
Learn more about spiritual Israel and the Battle of Armageddon in this free book.