The Future Has Arrived!The Fulfillment of Prophecy in Our Day and Timeby Dr. David R. Reagan
I am constantly running across articles by
Dispensationalists in which the argument is presented that in order to
be a "consistent futurist," you cannot contend that prophecies are being
fulfilled today. Instead, it is argued that all end time prophecy
relates to Israel in the Tribulation and Millennium. Therefore, all we
are seeing today is "stage setting," but not the fulfillment of
prophecy.1
I strongly disagree with this viewpoint. First of
all, there are four end time prophecies concerning Israel that were
fulfilled even before the 20th Century began. They are:
Some might respond by saying these are not end time prophecies, but they are. The end times or the "last days" began at the Cross. The writer of the Hebrew letter referred to his day and time (the First Century) as the "last days." The Apostle Peter also called the time in which he was living the "last times" (1 Peter 1:5 & 20). And in the same letter he stated that "the end of all things is at hand" (1 Peter 4:7).
The "end times" began 2,000 years ago. We are currently in the end of
the end times, and we know this because God's Word gives us signs to
watch for that will mark the end of the age.
The fulfillment of the prophecies listed above makes
it clear that all future prophecies in the Scriptures regarding Israel
do not relate to just the Tribulation and the Millennium. Additionally,
there are other futuristic prophecies in the Scriptures regarding Israel
that were either fulfilled in part or in whole during the 20th Century,
and they are prophecies that point to the soon return of Jesus.
Current Fulfillment of Prophecies Related to Israel
Consider, to begin with, the most prolific futuristic
prophecy in the Hebrew Scriptures — namely, that in the end times the
Jewish people will be regathered in unbelief from the four corners of
the earth.
This regathering began in the late 19th Century when Theodor Herzl wrote his book, The Jewish State,
in which he advocated that the time had come for the Jews to return to
their homeland. In 1900 there were only 40,000 Jews in Israel. By the
end of World War II this number had risen to 800,000. Today, it stands
at nearly 6 million. The Jews continue to come, but there is no doubt
this is a prophecy that is being fulfilled before our very eyes.
Or, consider the re-establishment of the state of
Israel on May 14, 1948. This was a clear and definite fulfillment of
Bible prophecy. It is an accomplished fact, and it is a miracle of God.
It is not mere "stage-setting," it is a play that has already been
performed in full.
Another accomplished fact is the revival of the
Hebrew language from the dead. When the Jews were scattered from their
homeland in the First and Second Centuries, they stopped speaking
Hebrew. The Jews in Europe mixed Hebrew with German and created a new
language called Yiddish. The Jews in the Mediterranean Basin mixed
Hebrew with Spanish and created a language called Ladino. But the Bible
prophesied that the Hebrew language would be revived in the end times (Zephaniah 3:9),
and that is exactly what happened in the late 19th and early 20th
Centuries through the efforts of one man — Eliezer Ben Yehuda. Today,
the people of Israel speak biblical Hebrew.
Equally certifiable is the reclamation of the Jewish
homeland. As pointed out earlier, the Bible prophesied that it would
become a desolation after the Jewish people were expelled from it. But
the Bible also prophesied that when the Jews returned to the land, it
would once again become a land of milk and honey:
"The desolate land will be cultivated instead of being a desolation in the sight of everyone who passed by. And they will say, 'This desolate land has become like the garden of Eden; and the waste, desolate, and ruined cities are fortified and inhabited.'" (Ezekiel 36:34-35)
When the Jews started returning to their homeland in
the late 19th Century, it was a total wasteland. Nearly all the trees
had been cut down and the soil was badly eroded. The land resembled a
desert. Most of the valleys had become malaria-infested swamp lands. The
Jewish pioneers began planting trees, reclaiming the soil, and draining
the swamps. Today, Israel is the bread basket of the Middle East.
Another prophecy that has definitely been fulfilled in our times is the resurgence of the Israeli military. Zechariah 12:6 says that in the end times, God "will
make the clans of Judah like a firepot among pieces of wood and a
flaming torch among sheaves, so they will consume on the right hand and
on the left all the surrounding peoples..."
The fulfillment of this prophecy can be seen today in
the incredible military power of Israel. It is one of the world's
smallest nations, yet it is ranked by all experts as one of the four top
military powers in the world.
Finally, with regard to Israel before the Tribulation
begins, the Bible prophesies that Jerusalem will be re-occupied by the
Jews (Zechariah 12:2-3 & 6) and that it will become the focal point of world politics (Zechariah 12:3).
The Jews returned to the city when it was captured in the Six Day War
in 1967, and today, all the nations of the world are coming against
Israel over the issue of who will control Jerusalem in the future.
Current Fulfillment of Non-Jewish Prophecies
But end time prophecies regarding Israel are not the
only ones we see being fulfilled in whole or in part before our very
eyes. Daniel prophesied that in the end times the old Roman Empire would
be revived (Daniel 2:31-45), and we can see that being accomplished today in the creation and expansion of the European Union.
The Bible prophesies repeatedly that in the end times there will be a great apostasy in the Church (1 Timothy 4:1, 2 Timothy 3:1 & 5, 2 Timothy 4:3-4).
We are up to our ears in that apostasy today as major Christian
denominations ordain homosexuals, approve same-sex marriage, deny the
deity of Jesus, and mock the inerrancy of the Scriptures.
In like manner, the Bible prophesies that "in the last days" society will disintegrate into a cesspool of immorality and violence (2 Timothy 3:1-5). Can there be any doubt that those days have arrived?
Daniel was told that the end time prophecies would
not be completely understood until the end time — that is, until the
time comes for their fulfillment (Daniel 12:8-9).
That time must be upon us for we are living in the time when ancient
prophecies are being understood for the first time ever, due to
historical developments and technological advances.
Taking the Signs of the Times Seriously
I could go on and on, but I think I have made my
point. The future has arrived! End time prophecies are being fulfilled
today. What we are witnessing is much more than "stage-setting." God is
clearly fulfilling promises He made thousands of years ago to the Jewish
people. And God is orchestrating the fulfillment of end time prophecies
that are not related to the Jewish people.
It is exciting to see these prophecies fulfilled, and
I am tired of seeing people attempt to depreciate their importance by
flipping them off in a cavalier way as nothing more than mere
"stage-setting."
Jesus is coming soon. The signs of the times attest
to that fact. God expects us to take those signs seriously because He is
about to pour out His wrath upon this world in the Great Tribulation,
and He does not desire that any should perish. The fulfillment of
prophecy all around us today is God's way of waking us up to the fact
that we are living on borrowed time, and we need to use the remaining
time to commit ourselves to holiness and evangelism.
Notes
1) A good example of the Dispensational viewpoint on this issue is an article by Ron J. Bigalke, Jr entitled, "Prophetic Fulfillment".
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The Future Has Arrived! The Fulfillment of Prophecy in Our Day and Time
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