Dr. Couch, you seem to have a handle on future prophecy. What specifically is said about Israel in the end times?
Oh, my word! There are thousands of verses that speak of the
tribulation, the visible return of Christ, and the establishing of the
Millennial kingdom. But below I have put down just a few of some of the
interesting passages for you to look at.
During the tribulation the Lord will make “Jerusalem a cup that causes
reeling to all the peoples around” (Zech. 12:2). He will “make
Jerusalem a heavy stone for all the peoples; all who lift it will be
severely injured. And all the nations of the earth will be gathered
against it” (v. 3). The Lord will be a strong “support for us [Israel at
that future prophetic time] ... through the Lord of hosts” (v. 5). The
Lord will save Judah to establish the glory of the house of David,
because the Messiah will be there as the Deliverer (v. 7).
God will continue to bring the offspring from afar, from the land of
their captivity among the world (Jer. 30:10). God will save Israel. He
“will destroy completely all the nations where I have scattered you.
Only I will not destroy you completely. But I will chasten you justly”
(v. 11). From verse 9 we understand that David and all the OT saints
will be resurrected to enjoy the kingdom. They will be resurrected for
the Messianic-Davidic-Kingdom (Matt. 8:11). Unger writes, “The Lord
tenderly reminded His people, Israel [not the church], that He was with
them in all their troubles to same a remnant of them (Jer. 1:8, 19).”
One of the most fascinating chapters on the future is found in Psalm
83. I have mentioned this chapter before on this website but it is worth
repeating. Unger even believes that this passage could come to pass
before the rapture of the church saints to glory, to escape the horrors
of the tribulation—the wrath of God!
The chapter points out that a group of nations surrounding Israel
conspire to make a covenant to come against Israel. They say “let us
wipe them out as a nation, that the name of Israel be remembered no
more” (v. 4). In order to do this they make an agreement, a covenant.
This agreement is made between the peoples of Jordan, some of Lebanon,
and possibly Iran and Iraq (vv. 6-8). God will blow them away like chaff
in a dust storm (v. 13). But the irony is that this may cause some of
these peoples to “seek Your name, O Lord” (v. 16). The result will be
that “they may know that You alone, whose name is the Lord, are the Most
High over all the earth” (v. 18).
The reason Unger believes this could happen before the rapture of the
church is that there is nothing like what Psalm 83 is talking about in
any time in past history. And in passages dealing with the details of
the tribulation, there is nothing mentioned like this.
Unger writes about Psalm 83:
I feel sorry for the (false) Covenant, allegorical guys, who have no
answers for such great prophetic passages. We premillennialists are in
good company with those who hold to the literal and normal
interpretation of the great orthodox Jewish scholars.
Thanks for asking.
Dr. Mal Couch
