Even though he wrote The Late Great Planet Earth over fifty years ago, Hal Lindsey remains a leading voice in the realm of biblical prophecy.
In a recent article of his, “Recognizing ‘Palestine’ as a State in the Aftermath of Oct. 7 Would Reward the Worst Kind of Evil,” Lindsey correctly ties any near-term recognition of a Palestinian state as a prize for terrorism in the following paragraphs:
The idea is that the United States would make this move soon after Israel’s campaign in Gaza ends — and US pressure to end the campaign is already enormous. Hamas would then be able to say to every terror group in the world, “Here’s how you get the really big concessions. Kill, mutilate, rape, burn people to death, and take lots of innocents as hostages.”
To recognize a state of Palestine in the aftermath of their October terror attacks on Israel would encourage every rogue group on earth to follow that wicked path. It would bring chaos to this planet, the likes of which have never been seen before!
The determination of America and other nations to reward the murderous brutality of Hamas in such a way by dividing the Land of Israel demonstrates the nearness of the seven-year Tribulation. I say this for a couple of reasons.
The Warnings of Scripture Point to the Current Determination for Divide Israel
Long ago, Israel’s prophets wrote about the determination to divide Israel in the latter days. The Lord spoke these words to the prophet Joel:
Joel 3:2 KJV – “I will also gather all nations, and will bring them down into the valley of Jehoshaphat, and will plead with them there for my people and for my heritage Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations, and parted my land.”
The current determination to divide the Land of Israel will continue, resulting in God’s final judgment of the nations at the end of the Tribulation. Since we already see such widespread passion for this, how close must we be to the Day of the Lord?
The prophet Zechariah wrote about a future time when the nations of the world would become consumed with the future Jerusalem (12:1-5). This prophecy is coming to life in our time.
Do any UN members seek to give away a part of any other capital city in the world? Of course not. But just as the Lord predicted long ago through Zechariah, this would happen to Jerusalem in the last days. Does this not point to our soon disappearance followed by this time of wrath upon the earth? (1 Thessalonians 5:1-10).
The sad news is that the world’s preoccupation with Jerusalem will lead to much suffering for the Israelites. The good news is that it will cause a remnant to recognize Jesus as their Messiah by the end of the seven-year Tribulation (Zechariah 12:10-13:9).
Israel’s Covenant with Death Lurks in the Future
The Bible tells us that the clock will start ticking on the seven-year Tribulation when Israel agrees to a peace covenant with the Antichrist (Daniel 9:27). Isaiah describes this future agreement as “a covenant with death” (Isaiah 28:14-18). Do we see any stage setting for this in the aftermath of all that’s transpired regarding Israel since October 7, 2023? Absolutely. However, it will be a more long-term result of current events.
As Hal Lindsey points out in his article, the Biden administration’s proposal for a two-state solution rewards barbarism, murder, and rape of innocent people. Benjamin Netanyahu will not agree to any such plan now or in the near future. He recently turned down a Hamas proposal to end the war in Gaza.
However, several factors seem likely to weaken the current resolve of Israel’s leaders in the future. Israel’s ongoing war on many fronts, the likelihood of a much deadlier encounter with Hezbollah, and the obtaining of a nuclear bomb by Iran are likely to continue for many months or longer. We can expect that the nonstop threats to the nation’s existence will, at some point, make its leaders vulnerable to an offer of peace.
What if someone suddenly appears on the world scene who seems both able and willing to guarantee a time of peace for the nation? What if this coming “man of lawlessness” sweetens the deal by including the construction of the Jewish third temple on the Temple Mount?
I believe such factors will cause Israel’s leaders to come to terms with the “covenant of death” offered by the antichrist. Although this seems out of the realm of possibility in the near future, events could, and will, rapidly progress to this point after the Rapture of the Church.
The Rapture is a signless event that could happen at any moment. It’s the nearness of the Tribulation that leads to our awareness that it could happen very soon since the New Testament assures us that our disappearance will happen before Israel inks the “covenant of death” with the antichrist.
