God’s Land, God’s Plan: Israel at the Heart of Prophetic Hope and the Rapture
- Dr. Isaac Hayes
- Jul 1
- 5 min read
A spiritual exploration of the Israeli–Iran conflict reveals how the God‑ordained land and people of Israel stand at the heart of biblical prophecy, guiding us toward hope, readiness for the Rapture, and the unfolding drama of the tribulation.
The Israeli-Iran conflict has drawn the natural eyes of the world’s attention because of its geopolitical consequences. A land mass of approximately 22,072 square kilometers (8,522 square miles)—slightly larger than New Jersey—and nearly 10 million people, Israel is the most important real estate in the world.[1] Its significance is far more profound than that of the only democracy in the Middle East and requires spiritual insight.
Since its inception as a nation that began as a promise from God to Abram, whose name was later changed to Abraham, the land that became the home of Abraham’s descendants was bequeathed to them by God; thus, the land of Israel and its people carry natural and spiritual ramifications. They are both intertwined because the status of the land is based upon the spiritual status of the people.
My purpose is not to entangle us in the political and social debates around colonialism, occupation, and oppression. That’s for the natural eye. My concern is the spiritual implications of what we see happening and how it relates to the prelude of the church's rapture and the commencement of the seven years of tribulation.
God’s Promise(s) to Possess the Land
In Genesis 12:1-2, we find God appearing to Abram in Ur of the Chaldees and instructing him to “Go forth from your country, and from your relatives and from your father’s house, to the land which I will show you; and I will make you a great nation.”
With Abram, God is laying the foundation for a better tomorrow for humanity. Sin had broken down the structures of society, resulting in God executing judgment upon us by introducing foreign languages and scattering us across the planet (Genesis 11:1-9). At the same time, He selected Abram to be the person He would use to bless all the families of the earth through a future Descendant, i.e., Jesus (Galatians 3:16).
We later learn that the land God swore to show Abram upon his arrival there included the 22,072 square kilometers where modern-day Israel exists. God also promised, “all the land which you see, I will give it to you and to your descendants forever” (Genesis 13:15).
As Abram became Abraham, the father of many nations, he fathered a son named Isaac (Genesis 17:1-21). To Isaac, God reaffirmed His promise, stating, “I will be with you and bless you, for to you and to your descendants I will give all these lands, and I will establish the oath which I swore to your father Abraham” (Genesis 26:3).
And to Isaac’s son Jacob, God reaffirmed His promise, declaring, “I am the Lord, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac; the land on which you lie, I will give it to you and to your descendants” (Genesis 28:13).
Afterwards, Jacob had another defining encounter with God, during which the Lord said, “Your name shall no longer be Jacob, but Israel” (Genesis 32:28). Consequently, Israel not only became the name of a man but the name of a people because his twelve sons and their descendants from that moment on bear the moniker “the sons (children) of Israel” (Genesis 32:32). The name of the man became the name of the family and the land they would inhabit.
As the children of Israel prepared to take possession of the land the Lord promised, Moses reminded them that there were spiritual implications related to their natural occupation: “[W]hen the Lord your God brings you into the land which He swore to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, to give you, … You shall fear only the Lord your God; and you shall worship Him and swear by His name” (Deuteronomy 6:10, 13).
Israel’s responsibility was to live in the land according to the commandments Moses gave them. God fulfilled His promise, and Israel took possession of the land of Canaan. The book of Joshua records Israel’s successful occupancy of the land in chapter 21 verse 43: “And the Lord gave unto Israel all the land which he sware to give unto their fathers; and they possessed it, and dwelt therein.”
Israel Remains the Locus of God’s Universal Program
So, where does that leave us today? The same land that has kept the world on eggshells since Israel was reestablished as a nation on May 14, 1948, will become the center of attention.[2]
1. A future ruler, known as the antichrist, will establish a seven-year peace treaty with the nation of Israel, but in the middle of the treaty, he will diabolically turn against it (Daniel 9:27).
2. The armies of the earth will gather to wage war against Israel at Megiddo for what is known as the Battle of Armageddon (Revelation 16:16), but Jesus will heroically appear to defend Israel from its enemies (Revelation 19:11-21).
3. Jesus, along with His worshipers, will reign from Jerusalem over all the people of the earth for one thousand years, known as the Millennial Reign of Christ (Revelation 20:6).
4. After the thousand-year reign of Christ, Satan will deceive the nations of the earth who are not worshipers of Jesus into declaring war against Israel once more, ending with the absolute defeat of Satan and all who followed him (Revelation 20:7-10).
5. Finally, God will purify the existing universe, including planet Earth, and He will provide a new and improved city of Jerusalem, where all will enjoy perpetual bliss (Revelation 21:1-22:5).
The biblical evidence is overwhelmingly clear that Israel, both the people and the land, are central to God’s program for humanity. When we view the events surrounding this small plot of land and population of people in proportion to the rest of the globe, what we see happening today makes spiritual sense. We are witnessing the ongoing configurations of society that will make possible the sequence of events laid out above.
Hold Fast and Help Others
Those who look at it from a sociological frame will grossly miss the big picture, but those who step back and assess the unfolding drama biblically will prepare themselves for Christ's imminent return. That is the good news! Those who receive Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior now won’t have to experience the seven years of tribulation the earth will suffer from the signing of the seven-year peace treaty to Jesus’s rescue mission at Megiddo.
Until then, we must watch and pray, live a life consistent with Scripture's ethical system, and share the gospel of Jesus Christ with others so they, too, can escape the horror to come.
Dr. Isaac Hayes is an Assistant Pastor at the Apostolic Church of God in Chicago, Illinois, and author of Men After God’s Heart: 10 Principles of Brotherly Love. He also has a Doctor of Ministry degree from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. Follow Dr. Hayes on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube at @RevIsaacHayes.
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