President Trump recently announced that America recognizes that Jerusalem is the capital of Israel. Some Bible prophecy update teachers suggest that this will now become the catalyst for Muslims to launch an out war against Israel. They are quoting the first verses of Zec 12-14. They seem to ignore the full context of the three chapters. These prophetic events occur at the end of the great tribulation.

This passage is not talking about Muslim nations coming against Jerusalem. It is about all nations coming against Jerusalem. This prophecy occurs when the Beast and the False Prophet deceive the nations and bring all nations to war against YHWH at Jerusalem. The passage cannot be fulfilled until the end of the great tribulation. In other words, the world is not there yet. And it will not be there until several years after the Rapture.

So, in the prophetic picture what are we to make of Trump’s announcement? First let me say that speculation is just that. The one main point that I learned over my 45 years of studying Bible prophecy is that nobody has end time Bible prophecy all figured out. Thousands of books have been written on Bible prophecy over the years but very few remain relevant. Most of the other “prophetic” works will just burn up in the fire spoken of in 1 Co 3:15 (unless the teachings also led people to Christ). I also have noticed that Bible prophecy updates have little to do with teaching Bible prophecy. They mostly are soap boxes used to rant about  current events. (Admittedly they rant about the evil taking place on earth but what should we expect in these last days?)

With that said, I think what Trump did will either lead to a peace deal between the Arabs and Israel, or else it will lead to Psalm 83 should the Arab nations reject peace. Because of the threat from Iran, I think the first option is much more likely. I do not think Egypt and Saudi Arabia want war with Israel. I think these Sunni Arab nations will now broker a forced peace in the Arab world.

President Trump decided that for peace to come between the Arabs and the Jews the Arab Palestinians needed to face reality. Trump is correct. Israel is a nation and that is not going to change. There are reports that the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia has told the Palestinians that they must accept peace with Israel or else their funds will be cut off. The dangers posed by the Persians (Iran, Turkey) are a far greater worry to most Arabs than Israel. Iran intends to lead the Islamic world and Turkey wants a new Ottoman Empire that would rule over the Arab world.

If the Arab bloc makes peace with Israel, it sets up things for the Ezekiel 38, 39 war. Iran and Turkey are already aligning themselves with Russia.  We don’t know if Islam even survives as a religion until the great tribulation so saying Muslim nations come down in the Gog war because of Jerusalem may not be correct either. Ezekiel says Gog comes down to take a spoil.

Daniel 9:27 indicates that someone out of the area of the old Roman Empire signs the covenant with the many. I have pointed out in other articles that a Roman Empire revival occurs as a result of war in Europe and through demonic wonders promoted by the Vatican. The ten horns and the little horn that comes up among them makes up the Beast kingdom. This revived Roman empire Beast enforces the covenant.

There has to be a covenant in place for the future Antichrist to confirm the covenant with many for seven years (Dan 9:27). Therefore, A conditional peace deal needing to be renewed or confirmed happens first.

That conditional peace treaty is what I think is shaping up now. The Arabs and Israel will make peace but the treaty would have certain conditions needing to be met by each side over periods of time. The recognition of Israel will be the first condition that the Arabs will have to accept. A further condition will be recognition that West Jerusalem is the capital of Israel. A final condition would be allowing the rebuilding of the Temple.

For peace the Palestinians will be given their own state, much financial aid and told that they would be allowed to move their capital to East Jerusalem in due time. America will be taken out of the picture because Palestinians will insist that a neutral power broker hammer and enforce the peace process.

Later, 3.5 years after the Antichrist confirms the covenant, he wars against the two prophets of God preaching from Jerusalem, kills them and breaks the covenant with Israel. Then he enters the Temple of God claiming that he is God. This is what actually starts the great tribulation.

From a correlation of many things I think the great tribulation should play out in the 2030’s.  If that is true, then just about a dozen years from now the Antichrist would confirm the covenant. As I said, there first has to be a covenant in place to confirm. I do not think it is unreasonable to believe that a conditional peace deal would be in place for a dozen years before the Antichrist even arrives on the scene. In fact, if there were not a peace deal within the next few years I would be wondering how end time prophecy could be fulfilled by the 2030’s.

What we are seeing now has to take place. I wonder why some Bible prophecy watchmen get so mad about scripture playing out as written?  They make it clear that the time is short but while the stage is being set for prophecy to play out they rail against the world events and the players making it all possible.

Some Bible Prophecy teachers say the United States should not take part in any peace talks as if God does not want peace. Really? I have news for them. The tribulation does not start because Israel makes peace with the Arabs. It also does not start because Israel divides land once promised to Israel. The tribulation happens because Israel makes a covenant with death (Isa 28:15). Israel bring a curse on themselves by making a pack with the devil.

In correct context what is spoken of in Zec 12-14 about Jerusalem occurs after Israel accepts Jesus as Messiah and after the Holy Spirit is poured out on the remnant of Israel. When all nations come against Jerusalem the Antichrist will be leading the nations against the Lord.

The Lord is not fighting for Israel today. Israel is in disbelief. It has seven years of indignation (God’s anger) that still remains to be fulfilled under Gentile dominion. The dominion they will be under in the final seven years will be the revived Roman Empire. The seven years that remain start with the signing of the covenant. For the first 3.5 years Israel is given two prophets that deliver the gospel of the kingdom. However, even after God sends them prophets Israel still accepts the false Messiah. They bring the great tribulation on themselves.

Christians should not be under the delusion that God is fawning over unbelieving Israel today. The scriptures say two-thirds of Jews in the land will be killed and one-third refined through the fires of the great tribulation. The people of God are believers not unbelievers, whether they be Jew or Gentile.

I consider myself to be a Christian Zionist because I know God choose Jerusalem to be His footstool on earth. I know the covenants that God made with the people of Israel. The covenant of blessing and curses given to Israel are conditional. The covenant of blessings is for a nation of believers not unbelievers. All the promises of blessings by God were made to believers.

Some Christian Zionists need to figure out what motivates them to be so obsessed with exalting a nation full of antichrists. Some are more obsessed with Israel than their own saved brothers in Christ. They say natural Jews are the apple of God’s eye. Really? Would that include Karl Marx and all the unbelieving Jewish atheists like him? You would be arrested for preaching the Christian gospel in the streets of Jerusalem today but you can take part in a homosexual pride parade.

Is God now fawning over unbelieving Jews because some were brought back to occupy part of the promised land? Why then did He cast them out of the land in the first place? Why did God not protect Jews from the persecutions of the last 2000 years? Has God now repented or will Jews have to accept their God-given Messiah before they are blessed again?

God brought some Jews back so prophecy could be fulfilled not because they are already blessed. Contrary to what some are teaching, God is not now taking Israel’s side against all other nations. There are no tit-for-tat judgments coming on America or any other nation because they do not kiss up to Israel. It is true that God will not allow the Jews to be defeated before the tribulation. That is because He brought them back to the land so they can fulfill the scriptures. God is not fighting for unbelieving Israel. Israel exists today so prophecy can be fulfilled. There is a difference.

It will not just be Jews that will be saved in the tribulation. All that come to believe in Jesus Christ will be saved. Until they come to Christ no unbeliever is saved be he Jew or Gentile. The sons of God are believers.

Ezekiel 38, 39 claims that Israel will be living in peace and security before the Gog invasion. How can that be without any peace deal with the Arabs nations that surround Israel? Prophecy cannot play out until Jews are back in their land and build the Temple in Jerusalem under conditions of relative peace. Actually, the Temple will be built under the protection of the two prophets of God. They arrive on the scene when the covenant is signed.

I think Bible prophecy teachers that rant against any two state solution need to face the reality that there has to be a covenant in place for any confirmation of the covenant to happen. Trump’s own reality about Jerusalem may have set the stage for the peace covenant that will lead to the Antichrist covenant confirmation and the fulfillment of prophetic scripture.