Revival of Prophecy In Israel

Since the destruction of the Temple, wisdom has taken precedence over prophecy in Judaism. While the current resurgence of interest in Kabbalah, a tradition of Jewish mysticism, might imply a renewed openness to prophecy, wisdom is in fact still prioritized: "The advantage of wisdom over prophecy as a pathway to enlightenment is evident from the teaching of the sages that 'the wise man is greater than the prophet.'" Given this continued preference of wisdom over prophecy in Judaism, it may come as a surprise that there will be an end-time resurgence of prophecy, both true and false, in Israel.

We know this first of all from the book of Revelation. In Rev 11.3 the Lord declares that He will empower His "two witnesses and they will prophesy for 1,260 days, clothed in sackcloth." The 1,260 days identifies the time of their ministry as that 3 and 1/2 years immediately preceding the apocalypse.

It is during this same final 3-and-1/2-year period that false prophecy will come to its apex in the person of The False Prophet, an individual explicitly given this title in Rev 16.13, 19.20 and 20.10. This False Prophet, a dragon in lamb’s clothing (Rev 13.11), will forcefully direct the populace to worship Antichrist and Antichrist’s image (Rev 13.12-15).

Human nature being what it is, when Antichrist inaugurates his new religion with its unholy trinity of dragon, beast and false prophet, some in Israel will become sycophants, aiding and abetting The False Prophet in calling Israel to worship the Beast and his image. By so doing, these Israelites will themselves become false prophets, incurring the full penalty of the law against those who lead Israel astray. When Antichrist finally decides to destroy Israel and Jerusalem because of those who refuse to worship him, the Israelite false prophets will not escape. The combination of war ravages, cosmic upheavals and divine judgments will eliminate two thirds of Israel’s population. Among the casualties will be the "[false] prophet, the soothsayer … and clever enchanter" (Isa 3.2,3). Jeremiah concurs. "In that Day … the [false] prophets shall stand aghast" (Jer 4.9, TNK).

This background, then, illuminates the teaching of Zec 13.2-6. The prophets described in this passage are directly connected to idolatry and the "spirit of impurity," i.e., "unclean spirit" (v. 2). The prophets will be executed, not for prophesying as such, but for telling lies (NIV) or speaking falsely (NASB) in the Name of YWHW (v.3). Repentant family members who strike down these false prophets, will do so in obedience to Deu 13.6-10 and 18.20. The implication is that these false prophets of Zec 13 will be found guilty, not simply of having made erroneous predictions, but of having encouraged the people to follow a false god, apparently Antichrist.

"Second Pentecost" Coming

As you know, God has already poured out His Holy Spirit for all believers on the day of Pentecost in AD 30, fulfilling the prediction of Joel 2.28-31. However, when Christ returns, God will pour out His Holy Spirit again, this time particularly upon Israel, or as Zechariah 12.10 puts it, "on the House of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem." Ezekiel also speaks of this second outpouring in Eze 36.25-27. While the first outpouring (Joel) was an outpouring for empowering, this "Second Pentecost" will be an outpouring for repentance, cleansing and obedience in Israel. In the power of the Holy Spirit, Israel will begin to flesh out the promise to Abram: "all peoples on earth will be blessed through you." That promise has already been fulfilled in Christ, but subsequent to Christ’s return, Israel will walk it out as faithful representatives of Messiah.

The Day of Man Draws to a Close

The history of man's self-exaltation helps us understand the significance of The Day of The Lord. Since Eden, man has tended to choose autonomy, i.e., self-rule, rather than God's lordship. That human autonomy led eventually to the Nazi holocaust and the Stalinist purges. Now we know what a world without God looks like. It looks like man's most depraved nature unleashed.

True, religionists have also started wars and oppressed their peoples. However, upon close inspection we discover that the motives and impetuses of religious wars and oppressions since the time of Christ have not been divine, but born of human rapacity using religion as a cloak. At the core, even religious oppressions expresses human autonomy -- a refusal to submit to God's law.

The propensity of man to exalt himself and assert his independence from God will come to a head in The Man of Lawlessness described by Paul in 2Th 2. By this Autonomous Man's Satanic agency, a spiritual night will descend upon the eastern Mediterranean world that will make advancement of God's kingdom nearly impossible in that region (cf. John 9.4). Nevertheless, the devastation caused by this one man will provide a final demonstration of fallen man's inability to rule himself.

The Day of Man will close with the dark night of Antichrist, but then "the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings" (Mal 4.2): the God-Man, Jesus Christ, will return to show the Earth God's way of shepherding the nations. Man will have had his day; The Day of the Lord will begin.