Over the last two years, the Middle-East has been totally transformed. The nations and terror groups threatening Israel have been largely neutralized one after another. They have fallen like dominos. First, Hezbollah, then the Syrian regime fell, this hindered Iran’s ability to get it’s weapons to Hezbollah. Then Iran suffered a major blow, the other Iranian proxy, the Houthis in Yemen have also suffered hard blows. This whole axis, that threatened Israel’s existance has been largely neutralized. Hamas is now also on the chopping block. The brutal October 7 attacks two years ago, have proved to be a major strategic blunder for the terror group.

The events and national trauma since October 7, have had a major transformative impact on the nation of Israel.

The October 7th attack on Israel was brutal and horrendous beyond words. However, despite all this difficulty, there is a positive aspect. While Israel has been moving to being a more religious country, the events of October 7th and after have accelerated this transformation.

A recent opinion piece in the Jerusalem Post, entitled, “Days of Awe: Israel’s turn toward tradition.” The article noted - in my words - that many Israelis, are turning to Jewish roots, tradition and God, while not adopting observant Judasim. The article says,

"The fact that a religious song, written by Rabbi Shalom Arush and Yosef Elitzur, became the number one hit on Galgalatz – the radio station most closely associated with secular Israeli culture – was not just another musical footnote. It was a dramatic cultural and social phenomenon. A moment like this, when a wholly secular mainstream embraces lyrics steeped in faith and longing for closeness to God, signals something profound: the growing “traditionalization” of Israeli society.

"This middle ground – between Orthodox observance and secularism – has become the central terrain of identity in Israel. Increasingly, Israelis are forgoing the religious-secular binary. Instead, many are locating themselves along a continuum, adopting symbols, customs, and language rooted in Jewish tradition, while not defining themselves as observant.

"One can see this in the secular soldiers in Gaza who wrap tefillin before heading into battle, the high school students who insist on wearing tzitzit but not kippot, and the crowds who flock to slihot (penitential prayers), though they rarely set foot in synagogues.”

I have personally been in Israel for the slichot prayers at the Western Wall seven years ago. The amount of people attending was absolutely phenomenal. The plaza was full. One of the things that really struck us, was the mixture of people, many who did not look religious. This year it was even more phenomenal. The Western Wall plaza was at capacity and people were literally climbing over the walls of Jerusalem to attend. I have never heard of that happening in Israel before. Since October 7, two years ago, Israel’s perspective of their place in the world, has changed.

Moshe Feiglin, is a right wing Israeli politician and author. He is sometimes misquoted and misunderstood and at the centre of controversy. However, Moshe Feiglin understands Jewish and Israeli history and culture. He is a deep thinker and has his finger on the Israeli pulse. His deep perception and viewpoints, make for interesting reading. I had difficulty finding the source article for the following quotation in English. I was however able to find the complete article on Moshe Feiglin’s Telegram channel in Hebrew. The following is somewhat condensed from a portion of the original Hebrew article.

“Until October 7, we felt safe — confident in our army, proud of our modern, Western identity… Then came the earthquake of October 7 — a massacre that shattered every illusion. In one day, the foundations we trusted crumbled. We realized that hatred of the Jewish people is not about politics, nor borders, nor Gaza.It is ancient, spiritual, and unrelenting.

“The great Zionist dream — meant to free us from exile — was suddenly tested in ways we thought were gone forever. And yet, out of the horror, something began to stir. The return to Jewish identity is no longer a matter of religion — it has become our culture. A deep current is awakening across Israel: from Jerusalem to Tel Aviv, synagogues are full, hearts are searching and a new Israeli consciousness is forming — one that refuses to separate faith from life, strength from spirit.

“October 7 tore us from our comfort, but it also opened our eyes. Our children will grow up in a different Israel — one that is both modern and rooted, strong and spiritual, connected again to its soul. An Israel more mature, more powerful — and far better than before.”

To reinforce this point, here are two more perspectives from two people well connected to Israel and the Jewish people. From a Land of Israel Network podcast from over the last year, Jeremy Gimpel and Ari Abramowitz, speaking about the change in Israeli society.

Jeremy Gimpel

“Something is really changing in like the fabric of the culture of the heart of the people of Israel.”

Ari Abramowitz

“Something deeply beautiful is happening, there is an awakening happening, but it’s painful to wake up, it’s painful and it’s scary, and we’re waking up from a coma, a 2000 year coma.”Ari Abramowitz

Regardless of what we may think, or want, Israel is changing as a nation. The Jerusalem Post, Moshe Feiglin, Jeremy and Ari all think so.

One entity that certainly does not want this transformation to happen to the Jewish nation, is the Vatican. This explains the Roman Catholic church's growing hostility to the Jewish state. In 1948 when the state of Israel was proclaimed, the Vatican newspaper Osservatore Romano stated: “Modern Zionism is not the true heir of Biblical Israel, but a secular state ... Therefore the Holy Land and its sacred sites belong to Christianity, the True Israel.” But what if it wasn’t a secular state? What if it became more and more religious?

The Vatican could ignore what they saw as a Godless secular Israel, but the emerging Israel they cannot accept theologically.

I believe the same Almighty hand that brought the Jewish people back from the four corners of the earth, is working with them to shape them, to prepare them for a glorious future. If we believe it was the Almighty hand of God that brought them back, is it not absurd to think that they were brought back to the land and nothing has changed in their hearts for the last century of that process? All the wars, all the antisemitism, the rejection by the nations of the world — all the pain for nothing? But the scriptural truth and principle is, “...how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?” (Romans 10:14)

But before preachers are sent, hearts are prepared. The afore mentioned burdens change hearts. It took a whole reign of a tyrant in Egypt before the record notes that the people’s “cry came up unto God.” Exodus tells us, "Now there arose up a new king over Egypt, which knew not Joseph. … Therefore they did set over them taskmasters to afflict them with their burdens. … And it came to pass in process of time, that the king of Egypt died: and the children of Israel sighed by reason of the bondage, and they cried, and their cry came up unto God by reason of the bondage. And God heard their groaning, and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob. And God looked upon the children of Israel, and God had respect unto them."

Israel is changing drastically as a nation and we should expect God to be working with his people, to prepare them for the new covenant. To think otherwise is absurd.

Ezekiel 36 specifically says that when God brings His people back to the land again he will change their hearts. "A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh.”

A heart of flesh can be inscribed with the word, a heart of adamant stone (Zechariah 7:11–12) cannot be written on. The Apostle reflects on this in 2 Corinthians 3:3.

"Forasmuch as ye are manifestly declared to be the epistle of Christ ministered by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tables of stone, but in fleshy tables of the heart."

This new heart is a prerequisite to the introduction of the new covenant. Jeremiah 31:31-33 reads:

"Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah: Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith the LORD: But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people.”

Today the heart of Israel is being changed. If we can see it, it is a thrilling, monumental and miraculous sign.

A coming time of rest, peace and prosperity.

Ezekiel 38 gives us a snapshot of what the land of Israel will look like around the time of the return of the Lord Jesus. This in fact, is Gog’s assessment of the situation. He describes the land in this way:

“I will invade a land of open towns, I will fall upon a tranquil people living secure, all of them living in unwalled towns and lacking bars and gates, in order to take spoil and seize plunder” Ezekiel 38:11–12 (JPS)

The Hebrew verb translated “tranquil” in the JPS and “at rest” in the KJV, means “to be at rest, to be at peace”. B.D.B says it means, “be quiet, undisturbed,” and in reference to a land, it means, “at peace.” Therefore, the idea, is of a people living in peace and tranquility. Ezekiel goes on to add that they are also "living secure."

This is a situation, which has not fully developed, however, it is very important to understand that this development could come after the return of Jesus Christ.

What we are seeing today, with a potential enlargement of the Abraham accords, could definitely be a contributing factor to the situation of tranquility and prosperity as described by Ezekiel.

The purpose of a time of rest.

Bro. John Thomas in Eureka, wrote that the purpose of the drying up of the Euphratean Ottoman power, would to create a situation of peace, at least so that the regional powers, would be, “devoid of all power to impede, or interfere with operations developing in the south.” (Eureka Vol. 5, pg 178) This would be so that the “judicial and preparatory work,” would not be “interrupted by battle, and the burial of a host…” (Eureka Vol. 5, pg 185) A large part of this preparatory work would consist of the necessity, to make "Israel after the flesh," willing "to move in obedience to the commands of Jesus, as the Leader and Commander of the people” — Psalm 110:3, Isaiah 55:4”. Bro. Thomas goes on to write, “This may be also the mission of the angels. But this work of the Spirit, however, executed by the angles or by the saints, it would seem to be a necessary preliminary to a general movement for their deliverance.”

A period of peace and rest in the land is useful for Biblical education. An example of this was in the reign of Jehoshaphat King of Judah, who sent princes and Levities throughout the land, with the book of the law with them, to teach the people. The result of this was peace and prosperity. Later in his reign, Jehoshaphat did this again, and it prepared the people spiritually for the great invasion of the land that happened. (2 Chronicles 15:3; 2 Chronicles 17:9–13, 2 Chronicles 19:2–4,8, 2 Chronicles 20:3,4)

A New Testament example of this, is in the book of Revelation, where the judgments are restrained or held back, until the work of sealing the servants of God in the foreheads is completed. There was a time of peace, for the teaching work to proceed unhindered. (Revelation 7:1–3)

Events are trending towards a peace in the Middle East, with the Trump administration looking to expand the Abraham Accords, which could bring prosperity and peace to the Middle East as described by the prophet Ezekiel.

Come back next week, God willing, as we continue to watch these exciting events by the light of Bible Prophecy. This has been David Billington with you. Thanks for listening.