An important key to unlocking our understanding of Bible prophecy is the nation of Israel.  In fact, Israel is the “great sign” referred in Revelation 12:1.  It’s important that we understand why.  God chose to work through the nation of Israel to reveal Himself to the world.

The Old Testament prophets were, above all, concerned with God’s purposes for Israel and the surrounding nations.  In fact, the Apostle Paul tells us that the existence of the Gentile church was not even revealed to the prophets of old (Ephesians 3:4-5). You see, the physical nation of Israel is God’s on-going witness in the world to the reality of His existence.

This is what God meant when he spoke to the nation of Israel through the prophet Isaiah: 

“'You are My witnesses,’ declares the Lord, ‘And My servant whom I have chosen, in order that you may know and believe Me, and understand that I am He. Before Me there was no God formed, and there will be none after Me. I, even I, am the Lord; and there is no savior besides Me’” (Isaiah 43:10-11).

The role of Israel for God’s purpose in history is symbolized in the burning bush.  At that time, all of Israel was in slavery under the hard-hearted rule of Egypt’s pharaoh.  When the time came for God to deliver His people from bondage, God appeared to Moses in a bush that was on fire, but was not being consumed.

 Have you ever wondered why God appeared in this way?  The bush represented the children of Israel and the fire God’s anger.  In other words, although Israel may experience His anger, God would see to it that Israel would never be completely consumed (Isaiah 4:4, 5:25, 6:13, Zechariah 13: 8,9).

When Moses asked God for His name, God answered, “I Am who I Am.”  This name that God gave to Moses was derived from the Hebrew verb, “to be.” By using this name, God was emphasizing His eternal existence.

You see, not only was God planning to reveal His name and nature through the children of Israel, He was going to make their continuing existence a proof of His Own continuing existence.  This is why – in the last book of the Old Testament – God reaffirmed His commitment to preserve His chosen people by promising through the prophet Malachi, “For I, the Lord, do not change: therefore you, O sons of Jacob, are not consumed” (Malachi 3:6).

But as a nation Israel did cease to exist.  In A.D. 70, the Roman Emperor Titus completely destroyed God’s favored city Jerusalem, and the Jewish people were scattered among the Gentile nations.  Yet this too was predicted in Bible prophecy.  Hundreds of years earlier Daniel wrote, “Then after the sixty-two weeks the Messiah will be cut off and have nothing, and the people of the prince who is to come will destroy the city and the sanctuary.  And its end will come with a flood; even to the end there will be war; desolations are determined” (Daniel 9-26).

It’s interesting to note that, at the time Daniel wrote these words, the temple in Jerusalem had already been destroyed by King Nebuchadnezzar’s armies.  This means it first had to be rebuilt, and then once again destroyed.  And this is exactly what happened.

Yet even more interesting is the part about the Messiah first being cut off and having nothing.  The only one this could have been referring to was Jesus.  He’s the only personality in history who could qualify as the Messiah that Daniel said would be “cut off and have nothing” before the destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70.  Jesus was crucified less than forty years earlier.

Jesus also correctly predicted the destruction that was coming to Jerusalem.  But when the destruction came in A.D. 70, not everything happened that Jesus said would happen.  For example, Jesus said:

“Therefore when you see the abomination of desolation which was spoken of through Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place, then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains; let him who is on the housetop not go down to get the things out that are in his house; and let him who is in the field not turn back to get his cloak.  But woe to those who are with child and to those who nurse babes in those days!  But pray that your flight may not be in the winter or on the Sabbath; for then there will be a great tribulation, such as has not occurred since the beginning of the world until now, nor ever shall.  And unless those days had been cut short, no life would have been saved; but for the sake of the elect those days shall be cut short” (Matthew 24:15-22)

The Roman Legions devastated the little nation of Israel in A.D. 70.  But as bad as it was, it was not the great tribulation Jesus spoke of: “a great tribulation, such as has not occurred since the beginning of the world until now, nor ever shall.”

And Jesus certainly wasn’t talking about that regional conflict fought with ancient weapons when He said,  “unless those days had been cut short, no life would have been saved; but for the sake of the elect those days shall be cut short.”

For students of Bible prophecy, the implications were clear.  Although Israel had ceased to be a nation in A.D. 70, someday Israel would be reborn.  And not only that, the temple would be rebuilt.  Then the Antichrist and the great tribulation would come just as predicted by Daniel and Jesus.

One of these faithful students of prophecy was a man by the name of Clarence Larkin.  His book, Dispensational Truth, copyrighted in 1918, laid the groundwork for many of the students of Bible prophecy who followed him.  What fascinated me about Clarence Larkin was how his absolute faith in Scripture foresaw the restoration of Israel many years before it happened.  Like a child, he looked at the pictures in prophecy and believed them.  And guess what? He was right.

You see, Israel is God's burning bush -- a bush that is still burning.