Israel’s creation is read by millennialists as the countdown trigger for the Tribulation
Evidence
According to Darby’s system, the Antichrist would become the leader of a global dictatorship after three and a half years, at the midpoint of the Tribulation, and seek to secure the world for Satan until the battle of Armageddon signaled Christ’s return. The leading dispensationalist theologian, John Walvoord, says of this period, “This man’s absolute control of the world politically, economically, and religiously will give him power such as no man has ever had in human history. His brilliance as a leader will be superhuman, for he will be dominated and directed by Satan himself.” This scenario might well be dismissed as merely idle speculation, were it not for the conviction of many contemporary millennialists that the Tribulation will begin soon. In keeping with Darby’s belief that the prophetic clock would begin to run only after scriptural prophecies concerning the Jews were fulfi lled, Christian millennialists see in the creation and expansion of the State of Israel indisputable evidence that their end-time expectations are about to be fulfi lled. — Michael Barkun, A Culture of Conspiracy, 250
Categorization
- XREF: The prophetic-clock trigger reading of Israel directly explains pro-Israel Christian Zionism in US foreign policy — connects to the reader’s imperialism and holy-war literatures. — connects to: Secular Zionism’s biblical narrative itself drives the apocalyptic impulse to rebuild the Temple — Nadim N. Rouhana and Nadera Shalhoub-Kevorkian, When Politics Are Sacralized:…, 369
- SEED: Article angle: how a two-century-old dispensational prophecy system materially shapes modern US Middle East policy toward Israel.
- QUESTION: How much do dispensationalist readings of Israel actually influence foreign-policy decision-makers versus merely post-hoc justification?
Broader Connections
- Secular Zionism’s biblical narrative itself drives the apocalyptic impulse to rebuild the Temple
#expands(0.85) — Nadim N. Rouhana and Nadera Shalhoub-Kevorkian, When Politics Are Sacralized, 369