Here we have an important key to unlocking the images of Bible prophecy – remember to “Focus on Israel.” In prophecy, our geographical focus is always Israel. From God’s point of view, Jerusalem is the center of the world. He said through Ezekiel, “This is Jerusalem; I have set her at the center of the nations, with lands around her” (Ezekiel 5:5).

God chose to work through the nation of Israel to reveal Himself to the world. The Bible we study, the promises we rely on for our salvation, and the Messiah who fulfilled those promises and purchased our salvation – have all come through Israel. 

John Walvoord, author of many books on Bible prophecy and past president of Dallas Theological Seminary, also believes the nation of Israel is an important key to understanding prophecy. Walvoord said: 

“The biblical point of view, therefore, is quite different from that of the world in general to whom Israel was an insignificant people. From the standpoint of God’s divine election, Israel is instead the key, and through Israel God was to fulfill His purpose whether redemptive, political, or eschatological” (John F. Walvoord, The Nations in Prophecy (Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 1967) 52). 

So Bible prophecy mainly deals with hard historical realities that have to do with Israel, the surrounding nations, and Israel’s Messiah