Future Headlines: An Israel Peace Agreement
Again, this future headline doesn’t come as a surprise. It’s a repeat in the news cycle, for it seems every few years there’s talk of some type of peace treaty in Israel. There’ve been several already. Yet, a major piece of the prophetic puzzle is an agreement of peace between the Antichrist and Israel.
This series is looking at geopolitical prophetic events that will occur before the end of the age and considering them as future headlines. I make the clarification — geopolitical because there are other areas of prophecy that will be fulfilled. Our publisher of the Stand Firm Blog (blogs.standfirmministries.com/mainblog), Lisa Gallington, recently wrote a six-part piece on 25 prophecies that must be fulfilled before Jesus’ second coming. In her articles, she listed not only geopolitical prophecies of Israel, the Antichrist and other nations; but also shared environmental, astronomical, cultural and spiritual prophecies.
As we focus on end times geopolitics, the fulfillment of this peace agreement is a pivotal point. We find it most clearly written in Daniel 9, where Daniel shares an incredible vision he received that’s become known as the “Vision of the Seventy Weeks.” This vision uses the term “weeks” to talk about the seven-year sabbatical year cycle. Daniel is told there would be 69 of these 7-year cycles, starting with a decree to rebuild Jerusalem and running to the point the Messiah would be cut off. Think how valuable this prophecy was and continues to be. One could figure from the point of one of the return decrees from Babylonian exile, there would be 480ish years until the Messiah was cut off. This also reveals that it was part of God’s plan for Jesus to be the sacrificial lamb on the cross.
Remember the vision is 70 weeks, which is 70, 7-year periods. Only 69 of them were used in the figuring the years from decree to the sacrificial death of the Messiah. The final and 70th 7-year period is on pause until the rise of the Antichrist and he strengthens a covenant with Israel.
Here’s the source in Daniel 9: “After the sixty-two ‘sevens,’ the Anointed One will be put to death and will have nothing. The people of the ruler who will come will destroy the city and the sanctuary. The end will come like a flood: War will continue until the end, and desolations have been decreed. He will confirm a covenant with many for one ‘seven.’ In the middle of the ‘seven’ he will put an end to sacrifice and offering. And at the temple he will set up an abomination that causes desolation, until the end that is decreed is poured out on him” (Dan. 9:26-27 NIV).
As was read in this passage from Daniel 9, this “ruler to come” (the Antichrist) will confirm a covenant with Israel for seven years but will break it at the mid-point. It seems this agreement brings peace to Israel. It likely involves use of the temple mount, maybe even the rebuilding of the temple. Whatever it is, it does not end well for Israel.
In Isa. 28:18, this treaty is called the “covenant of death.” The events of the Assyrian invasion during Hezekiah’s reign are forerunners to Israel at the end of the age. During the Assyrian invasion, Hezekiah did everything he could to protect Jerusalem from the invading Assyrians. He fortified the city. He strengthened his army. He made sure the city had food and water. He worked to form alliances with Egypt and Babylon. All the while, Isaiah continually called the king to just trust the Lord to fight for him. Hezekiah tried to do it all in his power. At the last minute, he turned to the Lord and the city was rescued. This scene will repeat itself once the agreement is broken.
Another interesting aspect to this future headline is that within Islamic prophecy, their Messiah, called the Mahdi, makes a seven-year peace agreement with Israel. We’ll have to dive into that soon.
Each time there is a peace accord between Israel and other Middle Eastern countries, prophecy followers begin to speculate if it’s the “one.” Interestingly, the peace covenant could exist now because the language in Daniel is that the Antichrist strengthens a covenant. It doesn’t have to exist, but it could. Regardless of different treaties in the Middle East, the one we’re watching for is a Turkey-led coalition of nations making an agreement with Israel.
Though this event hasn’t fully happened, components are in existence. This prophecy requires Jews to be in the land of Israel. It requires Jews in Jerusalem. It requires a Jewish government. All these things have occurred; therefore, we should expect the rest to also come to fruition. Here are some future headlines for when these events occur:
• “The leader of the newly formed Turkish coalition has promised to renew the accords which promise protection and peace to the nation of Israel.”
• “Israeli leaders have agreed to sit down with the Turkish leader as he has promised protection and peace to the war-weary nation.”
• “Today Turkish leaders and Israeli leaders agreed to a peace agreement that ensures Israel protection provided by the new Turkish-led coalition.”
• “This new Ottoman-Israel peace accord has been guaranteed for seven years.”
• “The peace treaty signed today in Jerusalem, not only promises to bring peace to Israel but allows for the construction of a Jewish temple.”
Jake is available for revivals and preaching learn more at standfirmministries.com.
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Jake McCandless
Jake McCandless authors a weekly column titled, Stand Firm and Live Epic, through which he seeks to encourage the modern church to not just survive, but thrive in current times. He also addresses many end-times topics.
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