Nowhere Is God’s Orchestration Of World Events Displayed More Dramatically Than In The Land Of Israel

February 15, 2025

By Tim Moore

Reprinted from Harbinger’s Daily

I was born in western Kentucky in 1966. Over the last 58 years, so much has transpired — and so much has changed!

When I was just three years old, my parents sat me in front of our black-and-white television so I could witness the first moon landing. Those grainy images from so far away seem quaint today, given our nonstop exposure to high-definition scenes from around the world and distant corners of the universe.

Certainly, our technology has evolved and progressed, while our spiritual and moral condition seems to be devolving — and at an accelerating pace! The breakdown of Western society, let alone the social fabric of our nation, leaves Christians and non-believers alike to wonder, what in the world is going on?!?

Behind the Scenes

There can be little doubt that Satan is raging right now. Realizing that his time is short, he is pulling out all the stops to deceive mankind, sow discord and destruction, and thwart God’s plan. But the will of God cannot be hindered. Jesus Christ is still on the throne of Heaven and none of the chaos on Earth is catching Him off guard.

We may like to think He is working behind the scenes, but for those who have studied Bible prophecy the Signs of the Times are shouting that history is approaching its final culmination.

Nowhere is God’s orchestration of world events displayed more dramatically than in the Eretz Yisrael (the Land of Israel). In fulfillment of prophecy, He allowed it to lie desolate for over 18 centuries. In fulfillment of prophecy, He has drawn His Chosen People back to claim the Land promised to Abraham and his descendants. In fulfillment of prophecy, He has protected and preserved the Jewish people, right in the face of satanically-inspired hatred and animosity all around — and often within — their own territory.

For those with spiritual eyes to see, the “miracle in the desert” is the greatest sign of all that Jesus is coming soon.

Desolate Land

During the Old Testament period, Israel was the home of foxes, bears, and lions (Judges 15:4, 2 Kings 2:23- 24, and 1 Samuel 17:34-37). Vegetation was plentiful and the Land produced tremendous bounty.

Following the exodus, spies who entered Canaan reported a Land flowing with milk and honey — the milk of goats and date honey. They also brought back pomegranates, figs, and a cluster of grapes so massive that two men had to carry it suspended on a pole (Numbers 13:23). During Solomon’s reign, the society produced enough bounty to support fortified cities with expansive stables of horses.

But due to their disobedience and rebellion, God allowed periodic pestilence, famine, and war to impact His wayward people. By late in the First Century AD, Roman oppression had devastated Jerusalem and what was then labeled Palestine as well. In the centuries that followed, the Land of Israel saw more bloodshed and more devastation. The Romans were followed by the Arabs, the Fatimids, the Turks, the Crusaders, the Egyptians, and the Mamelukes — among others. From 1517 to 1917, the Ottoman Empire ruled the Land with callous disregard.

The Ottomans were Islamists who did not care much for the Land. Ottoman taxation policy led to the denuding of the trees and vegetation throughout the Land (because trees were taxed). That is why Mark Twain found the Land desolate and devoid of population outside a few scattered cities and villages: “…[a] desolate country whose soil is rich enough, but is given over wholly to weeds-a silent mournful expanse….A desolation is here that not even imagination can grace with the pomp of life and action….We never saw a human being on the whole route….There was hardly a tree or a shrub anywhere. Even the olive and the cactus, those fast friends of the worthless soil, had almost deserted the country.”

Scattered People Regathered But God had promised to regather Israel to the Land And restore their prosperity. He commanded Ezekiel to prophesy: “Thus says the Lord GOD, ‘When I gather the house of Israel from the peoples among whom they are scattered, and will manifest My holiness in them in the sight of the nations, then they will live in their land which I gave to My servant Jacob. They will live in it securely; and they will build houses, plant vineyards and live securely when I execute judgments upon all who scorn them round about them. Then they will know that I am the Lord their God” (Ezekiel 28:26).

This prophecy is still being fulfilled. And the fact that God’s promise was slow to be fulfilled does not lessen its significance. If anything, it demonstrates the miraculous nature of the regathering to inhabit the Land once again. Jeremiah said this regathering would be so amazing that it would make the Exodus from Egypt pale in comparison: “‘Therefore, behold, days are coming,’ declares the LORD, ‘when it will no longer be said, “As the LORD lives, who brought up the sons of Israel out of the land of Egypt,” but, ‘As the LORD lives, who brought up the sons of Israel from the land of the north and from all the countries where He had banished them.’ For I will restore them to their own land which I gave to their fathers’” Jeremiah 16:14-15.

Even now, most Jews and far too many Christians fail to recognize the miraculous fulfillment of ancient prophecies right before our eyes. Followers of Christ, who are indwelled by the Holy Spirit and given eyes to see and ears to hear, certainly should be praising God for His great faithfulness.

But there’s more…

Never to be Removed

The Lord also declared that when the Jews were regathered to Israel, they would never again be removed. His Word makes clear that the Jewish people will be hated and opposed by the surrounding nations. Those who said “Aha!” every time Israel suffered the discipline of God in the Old Testament will once again gloat at the thought of Israel’s demise.

In due time, all the nations of the world will come against Israel and Jerusalem. We are beginning to see that animosity borne out in failed institutions like the United Nations. We see the exuberant but irrational hatred of nations and terrorists incited by Satan himself. We even see the fickle nature of “frenemy” nations who oppose as often as they bless Israel.

The consistent demand of one American administration after another for Israel to “restrain itself” in the face of existential threats and outrageous, offensive attacks is as maddening as it is outlandish. Every US President for the past 60 years has insisted that Israel — in direct violation of God’s Word — must relinquish the Land in exchange for an elusive and never-realized peace. Do not forget that Hamas came to power in Gaza after the Bush Administration demanded that Israel support its ill-conceived peace efforts.

To this day, the constantly-cited American policy is to support a “Two-State Solution” — imagining a state of Israel and a state of Palestine co-existing in the Promised Land. Such a policy ignores the clear Arab antipathy to such an idea; Palestinian Islamists insist on the eradication of Israel and the annihilation of the Jews to claim all the land “from the river to the sea.” Feckless Secretaries of State like Anthony Blinken do not even bother recognizing that such a demand requires the obliteration of the State of Israel.

But the sovereign Lord has promised a different new world order that that of the blind leaders who disdain His Word. Amos 9:11-15 reveals: “‘In that day I will raise up the fallen booth of David, and wall up its breaches; I will also raise up its ruins and rebuild it as in the days of old; that they may repossess the remnant of Edom and all the nations who are called by My name,’ declares the LORD who does this. ‘Behold, days are coming,’ declares the LORD, ‘When the plowman will overtake the reaper and the treader of grapes him who sows seed; when the mountains will drip sweet wine and all the hills will be dissolved. Also I will restore the captivity of My people Israel, and they will rebuild the ruined cities and live in them; they will also plant vineyards and drink their wine, and make gardens and eat their fruit. I will also plant them on their land, and they will not again be rooted out from their land which I have given them,’ says the LORD your God.”

As Arab nations plot to destroy Israel, the UN resolves to ostracize the single democratic nation in the Middle East, and the West dithers and divests, Israel will endure. Not because of the IDF’s strength or Israeli elected leaders’ prowess, but because the LORD God Almighty has promised.

God’s purpose and plan for the Jewish people is not yet complete. He has grafted in other branches to the Righteous Branch and called other people to become a spiritual priesthood, bearing witness to Him on the Earth. But His ancient prophetic promises are still “Yes and Amen,” even if they are fulfilled in a slow-motion manner.

Abraham’s Anticipation

Abraham stands as a great exemplar of faith. Not because he was faultless or unwavering in his faithfulness, but because he believed God — and trusted in His slow-motion promises.

The great debates of our day (evolution vs. creation, secularism vs. Christian faith, LGBTQ agenda vs. God’s ordained order) come down to the same simple question: Do you believe God? He was present at the beginning and has offered an eyewitness testimony. Do you believe Him? He bore testimony from Heaven that Jesus is His beloved Son, and then inspired multiple Gospel accounts of Jesus’ ministry — as well as His death, burial, and resurrection. Do you believe Him?

He provided clear and unequivocal guidelines regarding man and woman, the gift of marriage they share, and the blessing of children given by God for His own glory. Do you believe Him? “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness” (Romans 4:3).

Consider what Abraham believed. God said:

• Go to a land I will show you, and I will make you a great nation and I will bless you. (Genesis 12:2)
• I will bless those who bless you and the one who curses you I will curse. In you all the families of the earth will be blessed. (Genesis 12:3)
• Look toward the heavens, and count the stars, if you are able to count them; so shall your descendants be. (Genesis 15:5)
• To your descendants I have given this land, from the river of Egypt as far as the great river, the river Euphrates. (Genesis 15:18)
• You will be the father of a multitude of nations. (Genesis 17:4)

In all these things, Abraham believed God and the promises He had given (Genesis 15:6). But most of God’s promises were unfulfilled within his life. Clearly, God did bless him. He was “very rich in livestock, in silver and in gold” (Genesis 13:2). The blessing or the curse also fell upon those who honored or dishonored this chosen man of God — as Pharoah and Abimelech king of Gerar learned personally (Genesis 12:17 and 20:3).

But the promised son was painfully long in coming. Even by the end of his life, Abraham only had one son of promise and one grandson who would share in the Covenant — far from descendants so numerous that they could not be counted. Additionally, throughout his lifetime, Abraham wandered throughout Canaan as a sojourner living in a tent — not in full possession of the Land promised to him.

Abraham demonstrates that the promises of God — while absolute and trustworthy — come to pass according to God’s timing. The great nation, let alone the multitude of nations, would emerge long after Abraham’s death. His descendant’s possession of the Promised Land would not come to pass until they had been enslaved in Egypt for 400 years. Amazingly, God told His friend Abraham (referenced in Isaiah 41:8) that the promises would be fulfilled in slow motion, but then sealed the covenant Himself while Abraham slept (Genesis 15:13-21).

In hindsight, we recognize that God’s vow to bless all the families of the earth through Abraham was a Messianic promise. The Promised Son of Abraham, who fulfilled the role of Sacrificial Lamb (the role which Isaac avoided) enabled what John called “a great multitude which no one could count, from every nation and all tribes and peoples and tongues” (Revelation 7:9) to be counted as friends of God.

And even now, we are still awaiting the final culmination of God’s promises — to the Jews and to the Gentiles. All of God’s promises to Abraham and his descendants are on the cusp of being fulfilled in their entirety, because Jesus is coming again soon.

Living in the Messianic Age

While America was enduring the “long hot summer” of 1967, with racial unrest in multiple cities, rising tension over the war in Vietnam, and a sense that difficult days lay ahead, cataclysmic prophetic events were taking place half a world away.

Throughout early 1967, Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser was consolidating his power over the newly formed United Arab Republic and ratcheting up his vitriol toward Israel. When he massed the forces of Egypt and Syria on Israel’s south and north — threatening to squeeze the Jewish state out of existence in a violent vice, Israel was faced with an existential threat. The United States counseled restraint — even after Nasser cut off the supply of oil and goods to Israel’s southern port on the Red Sea (an indisputable “casus belli” — act of war).

Rather than be slaughtered without resisting, Israel decided to launch a preemptive strike. The air attack known as Operation Moked (“Focus”) that began the Six-Day War stands as the quintessential example of the role of air power. The air forces of Egypt and Syria were destroyed before they could enter the fight, and then the IAF turned its attention to the massed armor and infantry of the Arab army.

Very quickly, it became apparent that Israel was going to decimate Nasser’s forces. But in keeping with Arab belligerence, pride, and deception, Nasser refused to admit his losses. He insisted that Jordan enter the fray to join in the great victory and seize spoil (territory and assets) from Israel. Despite clear Israeli warnings to stay out of the fight, Jordan’s King Abdullah simply feared losing face among his hotheaded Arab friends. So, he launched a half-hearted attack from the east.

As Israel turned its attention to Jordan, it quickly realized that the Old City could be wrested from the Jordanians. Moshe Dayan, who had initially insisted that no military operation be planned to seize Israel’s ancient capital, quickly realized that the winds of war had blown in favor of just such an effort.

With a hastily-organized outline of attack, Israeli paratroopers were told to take the Old City. At first, the Jordanians entrenched in the Old City put up a valiant fight. They had the upper hand in a city surrounded by difficult-to-breach walls. When the Israelis found it painfully difficult to enter the city by any of the usual gates, one unit suggested blowing open the sealed Eastern Gate that led right onto the Temple Mount complex.

Only when an Orthodox Jew decried that option as blasphemous (for according to prophetic Scriptures, that gate will only be opened when the Messiah enters the city once again) did the paratroopers decide to force their way in through the “Lion’s Gate.” Overcoming stiff resistance there, they swept into the city. Unfamiliar with the narrow streets and alleyways, they asked Arab shop owners for directions to the Western Wall.

Psalm 122:2 states, “Our feet are standing within your gates, O Jerusalem.”

The famous photo below captures the raw emotion of three battle-hardened Israeli troops as they regained possession of their ancient capital city and its treasured sacred sites. The magnitude of that moment was overlooked by Christians worldwide — as many who lived through that era have personally testified to me. Most churches were disinterested in the prophetic significance of the Jews taking Jerusalem. They did not understand that Jesus’ prophecy concerning Jerusalem being trampled underfoot by the Gentiles was coming to pass.

One man who did understand the prophetic significance of that moment was Shlomo Goren, the chief rabbi of the Israeli Defense Force. Upon learning that the city had been taken, he rushed to the Western Wall, blew a shofar, and said, “I proclaim to you the beginning of the Messianic Age.”

With all the Signs of the Times converging around us — and the greatest sign manifesting before our eyes in Israel — we can be assured that Jesus is at the gates of Heaven, waiting for His Father to tell Him to collect His Bride and bring her to the place He is preparing.

We who are longing for Him to return are ready for Him to call us to Himself. We long for His appearing every day, waiting with eager anticipation.

Waiting is the Hardest Part

A timeless children’s game involves one child counting while the others go and hide. When the count is complete, the seeker announces, “Ready or not, here I come!”

The other children snicker excitedly in the dark and hope their hiding place will stymie the seeker long enough to admit defeat. Truthfully, great fun is had whether a child is found or remains secreted away at the end of the game.

This game is a favorite pastime for my own grandchildren, who have learned that Saba is a good hider and a good seeker. But the game offers several theological insights — for those willing to discern the parable it represents.

The Bible tells us that Jesus will leave the flock to find a single lost sheep. It also tells us that His sheep know His voice and respond to Him. Since Jesus is an omniscient seeker of sheep, the only way a sheep can remain lost is if it does not want to be found — or refuses to heed the Shepherd’s call. All of us know people who fall into one of those categories. We urge them to wake up and come to their senses, but then we can only pray that their heart will be softened instead of hardened.

But another reality looms over the world and over each individual who has refused to come to our Good Shepherd. At some point, God the Father will tell His Son to “go and get your Bride.” Then, it will be as if Jesus says, “Ready or not, here I come.” Those of us who have been longing for our Blessed Hope to burst from the heavens will rise to meet Him in the twinkling of an eye. But some who merely gave lip service to following Jesus will be like the five foolish virgins: when the time comes they will be unprepared and excluded from the joy of the Rapture.

The choice of whether to be “ready or not” lies with you.

Tim Moore is a retired Air Force Colonel and the CEO and Senior Evangelist of Lion & Lamb Ministries.

RELATED:

You Just Might Want to Watch This: Living In the Days of Birth Pangs

The most powerful convergence of prophetic events since the 1948 rebirth of Israel begins now

Israel In The Tribulation, Part 2 [Part 1 Included]