Journey to the Center of the Earth | And the Beloved Hated People Who Will Dwell There Forever

I recently traveled to Israel, my second visit in sixteen years. The first time, was as a typical Christian tourist, bursting with excitement to see the renowned remains of ancient biblical sites, which I had only read about and longed to experience firsthand. My reasons for going that first time were perfectly legitimate and, of course, Israelis always welcome our visits with open arms!

But the truth is, I had no concept of, or familiarity with, the contemporary Jewish people live there (among several other ethnicities), and too little awareness of their long struggle to find rest in the land that was promised to them by YHWH-God more than three millennia after he made it. Mine was simply a view of the land of the Bible through the eyes of an America-centric Christian.

This recent visit was quite different from the first one, foremost because I am different. Conversely, and paradoxically, I am different because I’ve come to understand Israel differently—both the land and the family-nation. Be forewarned: a proper view and understanding of Israel will change you.

The contrast: Once, my simple understanding was that I was going on a trip to see biblically significant things and to stand where my Jesus stood. Today, I have a sober recognition that I’ve gone on a journey to the center of the earth, to know and stand with the natural descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob/Israel, in the land that is still promised to them by Yah (YHWH), and where their remnant will dwell with Messiah forever (Ezekiel 38:12).

The people of Israel are standing on a roughly 3,500-year-old covenant, recorded in the biblical annals as having been formalized by Yah with the patriarch of the family-nation, Abram/Abraham (Genesis 15). Opposition to the fulfillment of these promises has been long-lived and multi-faceted. Three major religions trace their descendance back to Abraham—Judaism, Christianity, and Islam—making the land of Israel (and particularly Jerusalem and the Temple Mount), perhaps the longest, most intensely, contested piece of land in history.

Within Christianity, our founding promises are rooted in the Abrahamic covenant (Genesis 12:1-3; 15; 17:1-8), expanded upon in the Davidic covenant (2 Samuel 7), confirmed and reaffirmed in the Psalms and Prophets,[1] and made “new” and “better” by the perfect blood sacrifice and resurrection of Christ Jesus (Hebrews 8-10:18). That being said, some of the Abrahamic promises are more readily embraced by the gentile branches than others.

While acceptance of the blessing of all nations through Abraham and our eternal inheritance as his spiritual descendants has been easy (since we are counted among them), the parts pertaining to Israel’s permanent occupancy in the land as the natural branches of Abraham’s family tree (Genesis 15:7-21; 17:7-8) have suffered an outspoken, and often violent, resistance from certain pockets of the religious community over the centuries.

From a spiritual perspective, flying into Tel Aviv feels eerily like flying into a hurricane. Just as Moses told of birds of prey coming down on the ceremonially arranged carcasses of Yah’s covenant with Abram (Genesis 15:11), so the ancient, raging serpent and his minions roar and whirl around the partial geographical fulfillment of that covenant. But inside the eye of the storm, Israel refuses to be swayed or uprooted—held firm, for the moment, by the hand of her God.

With seven military fronts to attend to; endless iterations of religious death-cults attempting to penetrate and annihilate her; and an unprecedented global tsunami of unapprised Jew-hatred washing over the earth—I confess, it’s difficult to see the evidence of God’s promises in Israel’s present experience.

I returned home in a state of paradoxical euphoric-pain, conflicted between the richness of new and precious relationship with a people a thousand miles deep in destiny and complexity, against a tiny, but horrid, taste of the unspeakable trauma and grief inflicted upon the Jewish nation in the October 7^th massacre, and that piled on top of generations and centuries of senseless, violent persecution.

Understanding what is prophesied for Israel in the Last Days—that a time of trouble will shatter her strength, in preparation for the coming of Messiah, her Bride-groom, to deliver her from sin, death, and all her troubles, and then to marry his bride (Jeremiah 30:4-7; Daniel 12:7; Revelation 19:6-8)—my capacity to grasp it all was outstripped. Thankfully, sitting slumped on the couch, my hand was turned to Ezekiel 38 and 39.

Explicitly identifying this prophecy as belonging to the “latter years,” and repeatedly confirming this with the term  “on that day,” Ezekiel captures the sense of confusion that will accompany the events of that time. Speaking through his prophet, the Lord first describes the manner in which he will maneuver his enemies (Gog of Magog, his hordes, and the many people with him) to come against Israel.

“Therefore, son of man, prophesy, and say to Gog, Thus says the Lord God: On that day when my people Israel are dwelling securely, will you not know it? You will come from your place out of the uttermost parts of the north, you and many peoples with you, all of them riding on horses, a great host, a mighty army. You will come up against my people Israel, like a cloud covering the land. In the latter days I will bring you against my land, that the nations may know me, when through you, O Gog, I vindicate my holiness before their eyes.”

                                                                                    Ezekiel 38:14-16 (emphasis mine)

And in the very next paragraph:

“But on that day, the day that Gog shall come against the land of Israel, declares the Lord God, my wrath will be roused in my anger. For in my jealousy and in my blazing wrath I declare, On that day there shall be a great earthquake in the land of Israel... I will summon a sword against Gog on all my mountains, declares the Lord God. Every man’s sword will be against his brother. With pestilence and bloodshed I will enter into judgment with him, and I will rain upon him and his hordes and the many peoples who are with him torrential rains and hailstones, fire and sulfur. So I will show my greatness and my holiness and make myself known in the eyes of many nations. Then they will know that I am the Lord.

                                                                                 Ezekiel 38:18-19, 21-23 (emphasis mine)

We may ask, is God against Israel or against her enemies? But this is a misguided question, as is reflected in Joshua’s encounter with the commander of the army of the Lord, before leading the ancient Israelites in passing over into Canaan (future Israel) to take Jericho:

When Joshua was by Jericho, he lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, a man was standing before him with his drawn sword in his hand. And Joshua went to him and said to him, “Are you for us, or for our adversaries?” And he said, “No; but I am the commander of the army of the Lord. Now I have come.” And Joshua fell on his face to the earth and worshiped and said to him, “What does my lord say to his servant?” And the commander of the Lord’s army said to Joshua, “Take off your sandals from your feet, for the place where you are standing is holy.” And Joshua did so.

                                                                                   Joshua 5:13-15 (emphasis mine)

The Lord makes clear, both to Joshua at Jericho and to Israel for that coming Day: It’s not about Israel, and it’s not about their enemies. It’s about YHWH and making his Holy Name known in all the earth. In all that he does, he will vindicate his name.

“And I will set my glory among the nations, and all the nations shall see my judgment that I have executed, and my hand that I have laid on them. The house of Israel shall know that I am the Lord their God, from that day forward. And the nations shall know that the house of Israel went into captivity for their iniquity, because they dealt so treacherously with me that I hid my face from them and gave them into the hand of their adversaries, and they all fell by the sword. I dealt with them according to their uncleanness and their transgressions, and hid my face from them.

Ezekiel 39:21-24 (emphasis mine)

In the latter years, a remnant of Israel will go into captivity, not because YHWH failed them, but so that they, and the nations, will see and understand that YHWH is a holy God who unequivocally demands holiness from his chosen people. But this is not the end of the story of Israel’s promised inheritance:

“Therefore thus says the Lord God: Now I will restore the fortunes of Jacob and have mercy on the whole house of Israel, and I will be jealous for my holy name. They shall forget their shame and all the treachery they have practiced against me, when they dwell securely in their land with none to make them afraid, when I have brought them back from the peoples and gathered them from their enemies’ lands, and through them have vindicated my holiness in the sight of many nations. Then they shall know that I am the Lord their God, because I sent them into exile among the nations and then assembled them into their own land. I will leave none of them remaining among the nations anymore. And I will not hide my face anymore from them, when I pour out my Spirit upon the house of Israel, declares the Lord God.”

                                                                                             Ezekiel 39:25-29 (emphasis mine)

And so, I and my like-minded brothers and sisters will continue to go into all the nations, taking the good news of the Messiah-King-to-come to all those of whom the prophet, Zechariah, said: “In those days ten men from the nations of every tongue shall take hold of the robe of a Jew, saying, ‘Let us go with you, for we have heard that God is with you.” (Zechariah 8:23)

Likewise, we will go back to Israel (and to Jews everywhere) again and again—to comfort, help rebuild, stand with, and walk beside them, until the beautiful feet of “him who brings good news, who publishes peace... who says to Zion, ‘Your God reigns’” sits on his throne in Jerusalem. Bless you, Israel. You are loved, and your hope is Faithful and True.[2]

All Scripture references accessed through Biblehub.com, from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®) copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. The ESV® text has been reproduced in cooperation with and by permission of Good News Publishers. Unauthorized reproduction of this publication is prohibited. All rights reserved.The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®) is adapted from the Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the U.S.A. All rights reserved.

[1] References are too numerous to site. A few well-known examples include Isaiah 53, Psalm 89:4; Isaiah 7:10-17.

[2] For some of the best, and latest, work on the subject of biblical eschatology and Israel, I recommend: Joel Richardson’s books and resources, @joelstrumpet.com; First Fruits of Zion and their resources @ffoz.org; books and resources by contributors at The Emmaus Table @theemmaustable.world; The Apocalyptic Gospel Podcast and its contributors @apocalypticgospel.com; Travis Snow’s books and resources, @shilohmedia.org; Eschatology in the Psalms, by Nikolai Boyadjiev; books and resources by Reggie Kelly @mysteryofisrael.org; and works by Arthur Katz @http://artkatzministries.org.