Have you noticed that when anything happens in Israel, the prophecy pundits start talking about the end of the world and the total destruction of the earth. The reason they do so is because the Bible connects Israel and the last days. But because these so-called prophecy experts ignoring the biblical timing and misunderstand the nature of the "last days," they continue to attempt to make a modern-day connection.
Greg Laurie in a video entitled, "What the Terror Attacks on Israel Mean for End Time Prophecy" says, "The Bible predicted thousands of years ago that the end-time events would revolve around Jerusalem. It is the focal point of end-time events. Here's what I know. We are in the last days." I completely agree with him until he says, "We are in the last days." And this is the real problem. We are not in the last days and, we'll talk about this in a minute.
In a YouTube video, Isaiah Saldivar says that "We are literally watching Bible prophecy fulfilled before our eyes. Bible prophecy revolves around Israel." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zgWMZM9oBCI
No, we are not watching prophecy fulfilled today. All prophecy was fulfilled in AD 70. Notice what Yeshua says in Luke 21.
"But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation has come near. Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, and let those who are inside the city depart, and let not those who are out in the country enter it, for these are days of vengeance, to fulfill all that is written. Luke 21:20-22 ESV
So, the Lord tells us that all prophecy was fulfilled in the destruction of Jerusalem and this happened in August of AD 70.
Isaiah Saldivar is right when he says that "Bible prophecy revolves around Israel."
The New Testament talks about the "last days."
But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. 2 Timothy 3:1 ESV
but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. Hebrews 1:2 ESV
Your gold and silver have corroded, and their corrosion will be evidence against you and will eat your flesh like fire. You have laid up treasure in the last days. James 5:3 ESV
knowing this first of all, that scoffers will come in the last days with scoffing, following their own sinful desires. 2 Peter 3:3 ESV
When you hear the phrase "last days" your first question should be, "Last days of what?" What is really sad is that when MOST Christians hear that we are in the "last days," they never ask that question. They see the phrase "last days" used in the Bible, but they don't stop to ask, "Last days of what?" They assume it is referring to the last days of the world.
Most Christians today would probably say that we (twenty-first century American Christians) are living in the last days of the earth. This is a commonly held view.
Joseph Tkach writes, "Do we see 'the signs of the times?' 'Mark this,' Paul wrote: 'There will be terrible times in the last days' (2 Timothy 3:1). And what do we see now? America at war. Shootings in our schools. Disasters in the weather. Is it all coming to a climax? Will World War III soon be upon us? We are living in the last days!" By "last days" he means the last days of the world, the "last days" of the earth.
Let's examine what the Bible says about the "last days" and see if we can come to an understanding of the meaning. I think that most everyone would agree that the last days had begun by the time Christ came into the world.
Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. Hebrews 1:1-2 ESV
The writer of Hebrews says that they (first-century Christians) were hearing God speak through his Son in the last days. Most Christians would agree that the last days began around the time of Christ, but the big debate comes over when the last days end? Hopefully, our study today will help us answer that question.
In order to understand the term "last days," let's look at how the phrase was originally used in the Hebrew Scriptures. The Bible's first use of the phrase "last days" is found in Genesis.
Then Jacob called his sons and said, "Gather yourselves together, that I may tell you what shall happen to you in days to come. Genesis 49:1 ESV
Notice how the Complete Jewish Bible translates this.
Then Ya`akov called for his sons and said, "Gather yourselves together, and I will tell you what will happen to you in the acharit-hayamim. Genesis 49:1 CJB
The "acharit- hayamim" is the Hebrew for the "last days." Consider carefully to whom the phrase "last days" is primarily addressed. Jacob is talking to his sons (the twelve tribes of Israel), and he pronounces the general evil that would come upon them. So, clearly, Israel is the subject of the last days, and the last days concern Israel.
'If Balak should give me his house full of silver and gold, I would not be able to go beyond the word of the LORD, to do either good or bad of my own will. What the LORD speaks, that will I speak'? And now, behold, I am going to my people. Come, I will let you know what this people will do to your people in the latter days." Numbers 24:13-14 ESV
The CJB has here "acharit-hayamim." The KJV says, "in the latter days." And YLT says, "in the latter end of the days." Here again the vision is concerning the Jews. It was concerning what would happen to Israel in the last days.
Isaiah predicts these "last days" as well.
The word that Isaiah the son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem. It shall come to pass in the latter days that the mountain of the house of the LORD shall be established as the highest of the mountains, and shall be lifted up above the hills; and all the nations shall flow to it, Isaiah 2:1-2 ESV
The vision was concerning Judah and Jerusalem. This is speaking of the New Covenant that is inaugurated in the "last days." Nowhere is the phrase "last days" used to refer to the physical earth, but, rather, it is referring to the "last days" of the nation Israel.
Moses confirms that the "last days" of national Israel would be characterized by devastation and their ultimate scattering.
And the LORD will scatter you among the peoples, and you will be left few in number among the nations where the LORD will drive you. Deuteronomy 4:27 ESV
When you are in tribulation, and all these things come upon you in the latter days, you will return to the LORD your God and obey his voice. Deuteronomy 4:30 ESV
He continues this idea toward the end of the book.
For I know that after my death you will surely act corruptly and turn aside from the way that I have commanded you. And in the days to come evil will befall you, because you will do what is evil in the sight of the LORD, provoking him to anger through the work of your hands." Deuteronomy 31:29 ESV
"Moses says, "And in the days to come evil will befall you." Moses was leading the company of Israel. There is no reference to Gentiles being the subject of these latter days.
Thus says the LORD of hosts: "Do not listen to the words of the prophets who prophesy to you, filling you with vain hopes. They speak visions of their own minds, not from the mouth of the LORD. They say continually to those who despise the word of the LORD, 'It shall be well with you'; and to everyone who stubbornly follows his own heart, they say, 'No disaster shall come upon you.'" For who among them has stood in the council of the LORD to see and to hear his word, or who has paid attention to his word and listened? Behold, the storm of the LORD! Wrath has gone forth, a whirling tempest; it will burst upon the head of the wicked. The anger of the LORD will not turn back until he has executed and accomplished the intents of his heart. In the latter days you will understand it clearly. Jeremiah 23:16-20 ESV
Throughout the book of Jeremiah, God condemns the Jewish false prophets. Here Jeremiah predicts that when these last days come, the people of Yahweh will understand what He will do to the nation in destroying it and punishing it for its wickedness.
Yahweh, through Ezekiel, warns Israel (My people) of their destruction by the hand of foreign nations.
You will come up against my people Israel, like a cloud covering the land. In the latter days I will bring you against my land, that the nations may know me, when through you, O Gog, I vindicate my holiness before their eyes. Ezekiel 38:16 ESV
Michael, the archangel, spoke to Daniel associating the latter days with Daniel's people.
and came to make you understand what is to happen to your people in the latter days. For the vision is for days yet to come." Daniel 10:14 ESV
The phrase "your people" is referring to Israel. Israel is Daniel's people. The time of this writing is about 536 B.C. He says that the vision of what will happen to Israel in the latter days is a long way off ("the vision is for days yet to come"). So, in Daniel's time, the "last days" were a long way off.
Hosea talks about how the elect remnant will turn to Yahweh in the "last days."
Afterward the children of Israel shall return and seek the LORD their God, and David their king, and they shall come in fear to the LORD and to his goodness in the latter days. Hosea 3:5 ESV
This is talking about Israel's trusting her Messiah Yeshua. Finally, in Micah, the Prophet states that the last days involves the destruction of physical Israel and the establishment of the true Israel.
Therefore because of you Zion shall be plowed as a field; Jerusalem shall become a heap of ruins, and the mountain of the house a wooded height. Micah 3:12 ESV
Here we see the destruction of national Israel. But look at the next chapter.
It shall come to pass in the latter days that the mountain of the house of the LORD shall be established as the highest of the mountains, and it shall be lifted up above the hills; and peoples shall flow to it, Micah 4:1 ESV
In order to understand these verses, we must understand that there are two Israels.
But it is not as though the word of God has failed. For not all who are descended from Israel belong to Israel, Romans 9:6 ESV
Last week we looked at the remnant.
And Isaiah cries out concerning Israel: "Though the number of the sons of Israel be as the sand of the sea, only a remnant of them will be saved, Romans 9:27 ESV
And in this way all Israel will be saved, as it is written, "The Deliverer will come from Zion, he will banish ungodliness from Jacob"; Romans 11:26 ESV
Is this a contradiction in Scripture? No, there are no contradictions in Scripture. The primary rule of Hermeneutics is called The Analogy of Faith. This means that Scripture interprets Scripture. No part of Scripture can be interpreted in such a way as to render it in conflict with what is clearly taught elsewhere in Scripture. The Analogy of Faith is a safeguard that should help prevent us from reading into the Scriptures something that is not there.
Is this an apparent contradiction? Yes. It can't be only a remnant that is saved when scripture declares that all Israel is saved. The Greek word "saved" is sozo in both cases. Paul is talking about redemption in both cases, and he uses the same Greek word. How do we solve this? Paul told us in Romans 9:6 that there are two Israel's, physical (national) and spiritual. Romans 9:27 is referring to national Israel and 11:26 is referring to spiritual Israel. All the remnant of Israel will be saved. This includes the remnant of the house of Israel and the remnant of the house of Judah and all the believing Gentiles. The "all" here is the all of Romans 10.
For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him. Romans 10:12 ESV
Let's look closer at 9:27.
And Isaiah cries out concerning Israel: "Though the number of the sons of Israel be as the sand of the sea, only a remnant of them will be saved, Romans 9:27 ESV
Paul quotes the prophet Isaiah because the prophet loudly testifies of the doctrine which he is teaching. "Isaiah cries out" is from the Hebrew word, Krazo. It is an impassioned utterance. Isaiah in 10:22, quoted here by Paul, testifies of the rejection of the great body of the Jews and of the election of a small number among them. This is the proposition with which Paul began: "They are not all Israel which are of Israel."
For though your people Israel be as the sand of the sea, only a remnant of them will return. Destruction is decreed, overflowing with righteousness. Isaiah 10:22 ESV
Who is Isaiah speaking of here? Well, he is talking about the Assyrian captivity. Who was it that Assyria captivity? It is Israel, the ten northern tribes. Isaiah predicts that due to the Assyrian invasion, Israel would be greatly reduced in number, and only a remnant would return. The word "remnant" means that which is left. This Scriptures demonstrate that God's promises do not pertain to the mass of Israel but are fulfilled in the remnant.
for the Lord will carry out his sentence upon the earth fully and without delay." Romans 9:28 ESV
This is a quotation from Isaiah 10:23. The context of Isaiah's prophecy was that of the apostasy of the northern kingdom of Israel and the judgment of God through the Assyrians. But Paul uses this here as a warning to his fellow Jews. God is going to judge Israel thoroughly and quickly and only a remnant will be left. Paul is quoting Isaiah who talks about the Assyrians' invasion, but I think he is also using this as a reference to the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70 by the Roman armies.
Therefore, thus says the Lord GOD: "An adversary shall surround the land and bring down your defenses from you, and your strongholds shall be plundered." Thus says the LORD: "As the shepherd rescues from the mouth of the lion two legs, or a piece of an ear, so shall the people of Israel who dwell in Samaria be rescued, with the corner of a couch and part of a bed. Amos 3:11-12 ESV
This is a vivid picture of judgment. Any saving of Israel would be like a shepherd saving a couple of leg bones or part of an ear. These little bits of rescued evidence were to prove that a shepherd had not stolen or sold one of the sheep.
"You only have I known of all the families of the earth; therefore, I will punish you for all your iniquities. Amos 3:2 ESV
Israel had a special relationship with the Lord, and therefore, she also had great responsibility. God was going to save a little of Israel from judgment.
And as Isaiah predicted, "If the Lord of hosts had not left us offspring, we would have been like Sodom and become like Gomorrah." Romans 9:29 ESV
Here Paul is quoting from Isaiah 1:9. The word "offspring" is the Greek word sperma, which means "seed." He changes remnant to seed, but it means the same thing.
If the LORD of hosts had not left us a few survivors, we should have been like Sodom, and become like Gomorrah. Isaiah 1:9 ESV
Who is Isaiah talking to here? The previous three quotes were about Israel, but is this one also? Look at the context.
The vision of Isaiah the son of Amoz, which he saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah. Isaiah 1:1 ESV
"The vision of Isaiah the son of Amoz which he saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem." He is speaking to Judah. A "seed" or remnant will be saved from Judah and a remnant will be saved from Israel and these two will be brought together to form "all Israel" or true Israel. Paul's primary focus here is Israel, not the Gentiles. As a result of Israel's salvation, the Gentiles would also be called.
An ancient Israelite might object to the doctrine of sovereign election because it teaches that God chooses some but not all to be saved. But Paul, in verse 29 quoting Isaiah 1:9, shows that if God had not intervened in sovereign love and mercy, they would "all" have become like Sodom and Gomorrah. God's election destroyed none; it's the sole reason that any were spared.
"Sodom and Gomorrah" are pictures of total and complete destruction—a devastating judgment from which a tiny remnant escaped. This is seen in the beginning as Lot and his family escape from Sodom. This is a foretaste of the Exodus and finally of the New Exodus. Only a remnant, a seed, escaped the destruction of Jerusalem as the true seed of Israel fled Jerusalem as their Lord had told them to.
"But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation has come near. Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, and let those who are inside the city depart, and let not those who are out in the country enter it, Luke 21:20-21 ESV
Only the remnant, the true seed, escaped and the rest of Israel was made like Sodom and Gomorrah. They were totally destroyed. This verse clearly shows that being an Israelite was not enough to secure either exemption from divine judgments or the enjoyment of God's favor.
Paul draws from Hosea and he draws from Isaiah as proof that God planned that not all Israel would be saved. The only reason people believe is because God has chosen them.
In a YouTube video, Isaiah Saldivar says, "Why we stand with Israel. God loves Israel. The Prophet Jerimiah states,"
Thus says the LORD: "The people who survived the sword found grace in the wilderness; when Israel sought for rest, the LORD appeared to him from far away. I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore, I have continued my faithfulness to you. Jeremiah 31:2-3 ESV
He says that God's love for Israel is an everlasting love. Let's drop down a few verses.
For thus says the LORD: "Sing aloud with gladness for Jacob, and raise shouts for the chief of the nations; proclaim, give praise, and say, 'O LORD, save your people, the remnant of Israel.' Jeremiah 31:7 ESV
So, this everlasting love of God is not for the nation Israel but for His remnant.
We have to understand that Israel is not a term like Ammon, Moab, Greece, or Rome. Israel cannot be defined in terms of physical descent or understood simply on the human side; it is created not by blood or soil, but by the promise of Yahweh. Within national Israel is "true Israel" or "spiritual Israel." Most of Israel was faithless and only a remnant was redeemed. Those of faith made up the remnant.
The Dispensationalists says, "God is going to defend National Israel in His time." The exact opposite was true! Yahweh said that there was going to be an end to some aspect of Israel and a resurrection of something else. Yahweh was going to destroy her national, political existence and spiritually resurrect her.
Israel's last days came, and Yahweh destroyed her. The nation of Israel has not existed for nearly 2,000 years. National Israel was destroyed in AD 70. Those in the Middle East who affirm themselves as Israel have no right to do so. There is no Jewish race or nation today. Yahweh put an end to Judaism in AD 70. The "last days" were the "last days" of Israel. The last days ended when the nation Israel ended.
Let's move into the New Testament and see if we can't verify these truths. In the book of Acts we find a profound statement made by Peter (a Jew) to a multitude of Jews out of every nation.
But Peter, standing with the eleven, lifted up his voice and addressed them: "Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and give ear to my words. For these people are not drunk, as you suppose, since it is only the third hour of the day. But this is what was uttered through the prophet Joel: "'And in the last days it shall be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams; even on my male servants and female servants in those days I will pour out my Spirit, and they shall prophesy. Acts 2:14-18 ESV
Let me ask you a couple of questions here. "Whom is Peter talking to?" The answer is to the men of Judea and all who dwelt in Jerusalem. "When did Peter say this?" He said this in the first century.
Peter explicitly says, "This is what was spoken of through the prophet Joel." He then explains that what this multitude of Jews was experiencing was the fulfillment of the prophecy in Joel. Peter is telling this multitude that they (first-century Jews) were in the last days. Beyond this, he goes on to describe what would take place during these last days.
And I will show wonders in the heavens above and signs on the earth below, blood, and fire, and vapor of smoke; the sun shall be turned to darkness and the moon to blood, before the day of the Lord comes, the great and magnificent day. Acts 2:19-20 ESV
Notice how this corresponds to what Yeshua said in Matthew 24.
"Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Matthew 24:29 ESV
Yeshua spoke these words in answer to the disciples' question as to when the end of the age would com.
Yeshua left the temple and was going away, when his disciples came to point out to him the buildings of the temple. But he answered them, "You see all these, do you not? Truly, I say to you, there will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down." As he sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately, saying, "Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?" Matthew 24:1-3 ESV
Their question was two-fold. First, they asked, "When will these things be?" The "these things" refers to the temple's destruction in verse 2. In verse 1, the disciples point out the temple buildings to Yeshua. In verse 2, Yeshua says, "All' 'these things' shall be destroyed." It should be clear that they are asking, "WHEN will the temple be destroyed? When will our house be left desolate?" After all, when Yeshua spoke about judgment on Jerusalem (Matthew 23), and then about not one stone being left upon another, the disciples' response was, "When?" That makes sense, doesn't it? I would hope so.
The second part of their question is, "What will be the sign of Your coming and of the end of the age?" If you compare all three synoptic Gospel accounts, you will see that the disciples considered His "coming" and "the end of the age" to be identical events associated with the destruction of the temple.
"Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign when all these things are about to be accomplished?" Mark 13:4 ESV
Notice that in the first part of the verse, he says, "When will these things be?" —referring to the temples' destruction. Then in the second half, he asks, "What will be the sign when all 'these things' will be fulfilled?" The sign of His coming and of the end of the age was the same as the "these things," which referred to the destruction of Jerusalem in the year AD 70. The disciples had one thing, and only one thing, on their mind, and that was the destruction of the temple. With the destruction of the temple, they connected the coming of Messiah and the end of the age. Their question was, "When will the end be?" Yeshua tells them quite clearly that the end would come in "This generation."
Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place. Matthew 24:34 ESV
The word "generation" means "those who are contemporaries, or live at the same time."
So, the age that was to end was the Jewish age. It would end with the destruction of the Jewish temple and the city of Jerusalem. It was not the "last days" of the world or the "end" of the world. Jesus was talking about the "last days" or "end" of the age of Judaism, the Old Covenant Age.
In Jeremiah, God told Israel that He was going to make a new covenant with them.
"Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah, Jeremiah 31:31 ESV
This New Covenant began at Pentecost. Then for the next 40 years, the old covenant faded away.
In speaking of a new covenant, he makes the first one obsolete. And what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away. Hebrews 8:13 ESV
It vanished in AD 70 when God destroyed the city of Jerusalem and the Temple, thus putting an end to the Old Covenant and consummating the New Covenant. God was done with national Israel, and it was only those with faith in Christ who were his remnant, the true Israel.
The disciples knew that the fall of the temple and the destruction of the city meant the end of the Old Covenant Age and the inauguration of a New Age.
"Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Matthew 24:29 ESV
Modern commentators generally understand this and what follows to be the end of the world. But is that consistent with biblical language? Is this talking about worldwide destruction?
If you are not familiar with the apocalyptic language of the Tanakh, you will not understand what Christ is saying here. This language is common among the Old Covenant prophets. This idea is seen clearly as we look at passages where mention is made of the destruction of a state and government using language which seems to set forth the end of the world.
The oracle concerning Babylon which Isaiah the son of Amoz saw. Isaiah 13:1 ESV
In this chapter, Yahweh is talking about the judgment that is to fall upon Babylon. The word "oracle" is the Hebrew word massa' which means "an utterance, chiefly a doom." This introduction sets the stage for the subject matter in this chapter, and if we forget this, our interpretations of Isaiah 13 can go just about anywhere our imagination wants to go. This is not an oracle against the universe or world but against the nation of Babylon.
Wail, for the day of the LORD is near; as destruction from the Almighty it will come! Isaiah 13:6 ESV
Behold, the day of the LORD comes, cruel, with wrath and fierce anger, to make the land a desolation and to destroy its sinners from it. For the stars of the heavens and their constellations will not give their light; the sun will be dark at its rising, and the moon will not shed its light. I will punish the world for its evil, and the wicked for their iniquity; I will put an end to the pomp of the arrogant, and lay low the pompous pride of the ruthless. I will make people more rare than fine gold, and mankind than the gold of Ophir. Therefore, I will make the heavens tremble, and the earth will be shaken out of its place, at the wrath of the LORD of hosts in the day of his fierce anger. Isaiah 13:9-13 ESV
Remember Isaiah is referring to the destruction of Babylon even though it sounds like worldwide destruction. The terminology of a context cannot be expanded beyond the scope of the subject under discussion. The spectrum of language surely cannot go outside the land of Babylon. If you were a Babylonian and Babylon was destroyed, would it seem like the world was destroyed? Yes! Your world would be destroyed.
Behold, I am stirring up the Medes against them, who have no regard for silver and do not delight in gold. Isaiah 13:17 ESV
This is a historical event that took place in 539 BC. When the Medes destroyed Babylon, the Babylonian world came to an end. This destruction is said (verse 6) to be from the Almighty, and the Medes constitute the means that Yahweh uses to accomplish this task. This is apocalyptic language. This is the way the Bible discusses the fall of a nation. This is obviously figurative language. Yahweh did not intend for us to take this literally. If we take this literally, the world ended in 539 BC, and we're not really here.
As we have seen, the "last days" concerned the nation of Israel. In fact, the very first mention of the "last days," as we have seen, was by Jacob, the father of the twelve tribes of Israel. More importantly, Jacob was addressing the twelve sons, or tribes, in speaking about the evil that would befall those tribes in the last days. The question is, how does this relate to the language of Yeshua and Peter in speaking of the sun, moon, and the stars? Do you remember Joseph's dream about his family?
Then he dreamed another dream and told it to his brothers and said, "Behold, I have dreamed another dream. Behold, the sun, the moon, and eleven stars were bowing down to me." Genesis 37:9 ESV
Is Joseph's dream about the literal sun and moon and stars bowing to him? How would the sun bow down to him? This may confuse us, but Joseph's father knew exactly what he was saying.
But when he told it to his father and to his brothers, his father rebuked him and said to him, "What is this dream that you have dreamed? Shall I and your mother and your brothers indeed come to bow ourselves to the ground before you?" Genesis 37:10 ESV
He related it to his father and to his brothers; and his father rebuked him and said to him,
"What is this dream that you have had? Shall I and your mother and your brothers actually come to bow ourselves down before you to the ground?" Jacob, Joseph's father, interprets this dream as referring to himself, his wife, and their sons, who were the heads of the twelve tribes identified as the sun, moon, and stars, respectively. They represented the foundation of the whole Jewish nation. When Yeshua, therefore, spoke of the sun being darkened, the moon not giving its light, and the stars falling from heaven, He was not referring to the destruction of the raqiya, but of the complete dissolution of the Jewish state. Peter was addressing the same event.
In the prophetic language, great commotions and revolutions upon earth are often represented by commotions and changes in the heavens. None of these things literally took place!
Contrary to popular opinion, we are not living in what the Bible calls the "last days." The biblical last days referred to the last days of Old Covenant Israel. We are now living in the New Covenant age. The New Covenant age is "the eternal covenant."
Now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Yeshua, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant, Hebrews 13:20 ESV
An eternal covenant has no "last days." We are living in the first days of the eternal age. Missing these important time statements causes people to misapply many verses in the Bible by nearly 2000 years.
The old heavens and earth of Judaism have passed away, and we now live in the New Heavens and New Earth of the New Covenant. May Yahweh help us to fully understand and appreciate our position in the New Heaven and Earth where righteousness dwells and where Yahweh dwells with His people.
So, believers whatever happens in Israel today has nothing to do with Bible Prophecy. All prophecy came to a conclusion in the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70. Those people living in modern-day Israel have no ethnic or biblical connection to the people that Yahweh called out of Egypt. The last days were Israel's last days, not ours.