FAP BIBLE PROPHECY Q&A: "Israel as a Sign of the Rapture? Bakit Hindi Sign ng End Times ang Modern Israel?"

FAP BIBLE PROPHECY Q&A: "Israel as a Sign of the Rapture? Bakit Hindi Sign ng End Times ang Modern Israel?" 

Today, I want to talk about something that hits close to home for many of us in the church, especially here in the Philippines. Alam niyo naman sa ating culture, mahilig tayo sa "end times" talk. Tuwing may balita tungkol sa Israel o sa Middle East, biglang dadami ang posts sa Facebook about the "Rapture" and how the world is ending soon.

Madalas nating marinig: "Israel is a nation again! This is the sign that the Rapture is near!"

Pero, let’s do a bit of "real talk" and Bible study. Is it really biblical to claim that the modern state of Israel is the "super sign" of the Rapture? Or are we just caught in a loop of confusing theology?

The "Signless" Paradox: May Warning o Wala?

Isa sa main tenets ng Dispensationalism (yung system of interpretation na madalas gamitin sa mga "Left Behind" type of preaching) ay ang doctrine ng Imminency. Sinasabi nila na ang Rapture ay signless. Ibig sabihin, wala dapat mangyari bago ito mag-happen. Pwede siyang mangyari anytime, even before the tribulation begins.

Ang gulo lang, 'di ba? Kasi, the very same people who teach that the Rapture is "signless" are the same people writing books filled with "signs" of the times.

Isipin mo ito: Sabi nina John MacArthur, Mark Hitchcock, at marami pang iba, "No signs necessary for the Rapture." Pero sa kabilang banda, susulat sila ng mga libro na pinapaliwanag na ang pag-usbong ng Israel noong 1948, ang European Union, o ang pag-unlad ng technology ay mga signs na malapit na ang Rapture.

Para itong prophetic schizophrenia. Sinasabi nilang walang sign, pero todo-benta sila ng mga librong naglilista ng mga signs.

Ang "Stage-Setting" Excuse

Kapag tinanong mo sila kung bakit sila naglilista ng signs kung "signless" naman ang Rapture, ang sagot nila ay: "We are stage-setting." Sinasabi nila na kahit hindi pa fulfill ang prophecy ngayon, God is just "preparing the stage" for the future Tribulation period.

Pero honestly, logic-wise, hindi ito papasa. Kung kailangan pa ng "stage-setting," tulad ng pagtatatag ng state of Israel, para mangyari ang end-time events, eh di hindi pala "imminent" ang Rapture for the past 1,900 years! Kung ang pagiging bansa ng Israel ang "Super Sign," edi dapat hindi inasahan ng mga Christians noon (like those in Paul’s time) na babalik si Jesus, dahil wala pa naman ang state of Israel noon, 'di ba?

Ang logic ng imminency requires that nothing needs to happen. Pero ginagawa nilang "prerequisite" ang pagkakaroon ng modern state of Israel. It’s a contradiction.

The Fig Tree Myth

Marami ang gumagamit sa Matthew 24:32: "Now learn the parable from the fig tree..." para sabihing ang "fig tree" ay Israel, at ang pag-bloom nito (1948) ay sign na malapit na ang summer (the End).

Pero, let's be real sa context:

Walang exclusivity: Sa Bible, ang Israel ay tinatawag ding vine, olive tree, at cedar. Ang fig tree ay hindi exclusive code for Israel.

Luke’s Account: Sa Luke 21:29, sabi ni Jesus, "Look at the fig tree and all the trees." Kung "Israel" ang fig tree, ano naman ang "all the trees"? Bakit hindi ’yon pinapaliwanag?

Nature Lesson: Simply put, Jesus was giving a nature lesson. Kapag nakita mong nagkakadahon ang puno, alam mong malapit na ang summer. It’s a general observation of the seasons, not a secret code about 1948.

The Better View: Kingdom Growth 

Instead of living in fear, waiting for a "sign" to escape via Rapture, bakit hindi natin tingnan ang Kingdom of God sa paraang ginagawa ng mga Reformed theologians?

Ang kingdom ni Kristo ay hindi "naka-pause" habang naghihintay ng Rapture. It is currently growing. As a Partial Preterist, I believe that the prophecies in the Olivet Discourse (Matthew 24) had their primary fulfillment in the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D.

And as a Postmillennialist, I believe the Great Commission is actually working! The gospel is conquering nations. The Kingdom is not waiting for a political state in the Middle East to "start" the clock; the clock is already ticking, and the Kingdom is advancing through the preaching of the Gospel and the power of the Holy Spirit.

Real Talk Reflection

Bible Verse:

"But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone." (Matthew 24:36)

Call to Action: Stop obsessing over the newspaper headlines as if they are the "Bible" for our generation. Stop waiting for a "sign" to escape. Instead, focus on the here and now. The mandate is clear: go and make disciples of all nations.

If we are truly living in the "last days" (which the New Testament authors described as the time starting from the early church), then our job is not to track geopolitical signs, but to track how well we are living out the Gospel. How are you influencing your community for the Kingdom today? Huwag kang mag-abang ng signs; mag-abang ka ng opportunities to serve.

What are your thoughts on this? Do you think the obsession with "end times signs" actually distracts us from the work God has for us today? Let me know in the comments!

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