God Is Watching: The Nations, Antisemitism and the Prophetic Clock

Derek Prince once said, “The Jews are the minute hand on God’s prophetic clock.” If that is true—and Scripture confirms that it is—then what we are witnessing today is not random, nor is it merely another cycle of history. It is a warning, a clarion call to the nations and to the Church. The mounting hostility against the Jewish people signals that the prophetic timeline is advancing rapidly before our very eyes. The question is not whether the Lord will keep His covenant—He surely will—but whether we will awaken, discern the times and align ourselves with Him in this critical hour.

An Everlasting Covenant with Israel

From the very beginning, the Lord bound Himself to Abraham and his descendants with an everlasting covenant. In pro-Israel Christian circles, Genesis 12:3 is often quoted: “I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you.” While familiar, this verse has at times become a cliché; its depth and power seem dulled by repetition. Critics of Israel even point to it as evidence of what they define as blind, thoughtless Christian support for Israel and the Jewish people. Yet none of this diminishes the reality: the covenant remains valid, true and unshakable.

Can our human minds fully grasp the Lord’s covenantal commitment? We can only begin to try. Our attempts should start with a striking passage, where the Lord binds Himself irrevocably to Abraham and his descendants by an oath resting on no higher power than Himself.

In the Covenant of the Pieces (Gen. 15), the Lord, God Almighty, establishes a fourfold covenant with Abraham. First, He promises descendants from Abraham’s own body, as numerous as the stars, establishing Israel as his seed (Gen. 15:4–5). Second, He provides a prophetic foretelling that Abraham’s offspring will sojourn in a foreign land for 400 years, oppressed but ultimately delivered with great possessions (Gen. 15:13–14). Third, He grants these descendants a specific Land inheritance, defining boundaries “To your descendants I have given this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the River Euphrates” (Gen. 15:18b), a greater Israel if you will. Fourth and finally, the covenant is sealed in the dramatic ceremony where Abraham is put into a deep sleep and only the smoking firepot and flaming torch pass between the pieces (Gen. 15:17).

In the book Genesis: An Introduction and Commentary, Bible scholar Derek Kidner states: “By passing alone through the pieces, God was in effect signing both parts of the contract, binding Himself unconditionally.” The manner in which this covenant was made underscores that the Lord’s promise depends not on human merit or obedience but on His unchanging character. The New Testament confirms this truth: “For when God made a promise to Abraham, because He could swear by no one greater, He swore by Himself” (Heb. 6:13).

Thus, the covenant with Abraham and his seed, Israel, is grounded in the very nature of the Lord Himself: unconditional, everlasting and irrevocable. It is a covenant that continues to define the Lord’s relationship with Israel, demonstrating His ongoing faithfulness to His people and their Land even in our day. Old Testament scholar Walter Kaiser notes: “This was the most solemn guarantee that could possibly be given: God pledged His own being as security for the certainty of His word.”

Is the Modern State of Israel the Israel of the Bible?

A common objection to the Lord’s everlasting covenant with Abraham is that the modern State of Israel cannot be equated with the Israel of Scripture, making the promises and prophecies about Abraham’s descendants irrelevant. Yet the truth is clear: the Lord’s covenant is bound both to a people and to a Land. Regardless of differing opinions about who exactly constitutes “Israel” today, what is happening in this covenanted Land matters profoundly; it is part of the prophetic picture unfolding before our eyes.

The question of “who is Israel” is not left to human judgment either. The apostle Paul reminds us in Romans 11:1–2: “I say then, has God cast away His people? Certainly not!...God has not cast away His people whom He foreknew.” The Lord Himself underscores this in Jeremiah 31:35–37 (emphasis added): “Thus says the Lord, who gives the sun for a light by day, the ordinances of the moon and of the stars for a light by night… If those ordinances depart from before Me, says the Lord, then the seed of Israel also shall cease from being a nation before Me forever.”

So let me ask you: Are the sun, moon and stars still there? Then, by the Lord’s own promise, the seed of Israel still exists as a nation before Him. Even amid exile, persecution and threats to their Land, the permanence of creation itself stands as a witness to the permanence of God’s covenant. Israel endures because the Lord’s promise endures.

Historically, Israel is unique. No other people have experienced the complete loss of their homeland, centuries-long exile and global dispersion, yet been supernaturally regathered to the very Land promised to their forefathers. The exile began with Assyria in 722 BC and Babylon in 586 BC, followed by nearly two millennia under Persian, Greek, Roman, Byzantine, Arab, Crusader, Ottoman and British rule—largely without self-determination. Yet through it all, the Jewish people preserved their identity, faith and covenantal hope.The modern rebirth of the nation of Israel in 1948 is not a historical accident but the visible outworking of God’s covenant.

Not Colonialism, But Covenant

Accusations that the State of Israel seeks expansion through colonial conquest or ethnic cleansing distort both history and Scripture. The irony is that the current libel against the Jews of annexing land with a vision for a “Greater Israel” originates not in political ideology but in the covenant God made with Abraham.

In Genesis 15:18, the Lord declared: “To your descendants I have given this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the River Euphrates.” This promise was unilaterally sealed by the Lord, so if anyone desires a “Greater Israel” it is the God who promised it. Israel has never fully possessed this inheritance, only glimpses under Joshua and Solomon, demonstrating that the ultimate fulfillment remains prophetic. God declared this covenant everlasting, and the prophets reaffirmed it: Amos foresaw Israel restored, never again to be uprooted (Amos 9:14–15), and Ezekiel promised a regathering of the Jewish people for the sake of God’s holy name, not their merit (Ezek. 36:22–24; 37:21–22).

Far from a colonial project, modern Israel is part of this ongoing divine restoration. Since “God is not a man, that He should lie” (Num. 23:19), His covenant purposes will prevail, not through genocide or injustice, but through His sovereign timing and faithfulness. For the Christian Church, this calls for theological clarity and prophetic discernment: Israel’s restoration is a signpost of God’s redemptive plan, and the nations are measured against their treatment of His covenant Land and His covenant people. Derek Prince encapsulates the principle: “As the nations have treated the Jews, so the Lord has treated the nations.”

The Lord Will Judge the Nations

Antisemitism demonstrated in its latest iteration of rabid anti-Israel sentiment is not merely social prejudice; it is a direct affront to the Lord and His covenant, and He has promised repayment. The prophet Joel presents a sobering warning of future judgement of the nations: “I will also gather all nations, and bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat; and I will enter into judgment with them there on account of My people, My heritage Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations; they have also divided up My land” (Joel 3:2).

The Lord’s charge is twofold: scattering God’s people and dividing His land. Jewish and Christian scholars alike affirm that the Lord will hold the nations accountable. Jewish biblical scholar and theologian Rabbi David Kimhi (also known as Radak) explains that the Lord will judge the nations for how they treated Israel in exile—scattering the people—and for dividing the Land.Charles Spurgeon adds bluntly: The Lord’s charge is twofold: scattering God’s people and dividing His land. Jewish and Christian scholars alike affirm that the Lord will hold the nations accountable. Jewish biblical scholar and theologian Rabbi David Kimhi (also known as Radak) explains that the Lord will judge the nations for how they treated Israel in exile—scattering the people—and for dividing the Land. Charles Spurgeon adds bluntly: “The restoration of the Jews is certain; opposing nations will find themselves contending with the Lord.”

Today, this reality is not distant or abstract. Since October 7, antisemitism has surged across the globe. High-profile podcasters with millions of followers now use their platforms to spread damning rhetoric and lies, fueling conspiracy theories and delegitimizing Israel’s very right to exist. Activist organizations rally under slogans that cloak ancient hatred in modern language, while mainstream media outlets manufacture and spread new blood libels against Israel. Even more alarmingly, the ones paying the price are not the Israeli government but everyday Jewish people openly being attacked, and even murdered, in the streets of Washington, London, Paris and Sydney. Scripture shows that these actions are not overlooked; they are recorded in heaven. Antisemitism in all its modern disguises remains rebellion against God’s covenant and rejection of His prophetic plan, and He Himself has promised that judgment will follow.

Standing with Israel Amid the Nations’ Rebellion

For every Christian this carries a sobering and urgent message. When governments or societies stand against the Lord’s covenant with Israel, they stand against a covenant He made with Himself, and should be aware that He who watches over Israel will judge the nations in His appointed time. The Lord is also calling out a righteous remnant, those who will stand with His covenant people even amid widespread opposition.

Jesus (Yeshua) Himself affirmed this principle in Matthew 25:31–46, where He separates the sheep from the goats. In Thomas Constable’s commentary on understanding the sheep and the goats in Matthew 25, he explains that the judgment of the nations is based on how the Gentiles treat Jesus’ “brethren,” understood as the Jewish people. He notes that this treatment will demonstrate whether the Gentiles are true believers. In other words, in the darkest hours of Jewish suffering, the moral and spiritual test for the believers will be unmistakable: Did you stand with the Lord’s people, or did you turn away?

The question before us is not theoretical, it is a reality. Each believer, each congregation, faces a choice: Will we stand with Israel and honor the Lord’s covenant promises, or will we conform to the prevailing currents of the world? The answer marks not only our obedience but our alignment with the Lord’s prophetic purposes in these extraordinary times.The Lord is actively seeking a Church that will rise above, who will stand up, speak out, and align themselves with His covenant people, even when doing so carries cost or risk.

God Is Watching

Antisemitism is rising, just as the prophets warned. The hatred we see today is not new, only repackaged. Yet the Lord has not changed, and His covenant with Israel remains unshakable. The same covenant that has preserved the Jewish people through exile, persecution and dispersion now calls faithful Christians to respond with discernment, courage and love. The Lord is watching the nations—and He is watching His Church. Israel is the Lord’s timepiece, and our response to her reveals our alignment with His purposes. Will we stand with His covenant people, or compromise with the spirit of the age? May we be found among those who bless, pray for and stand with the Jewish people—living witnesses to the Lord’s faithfulness—until the day Messiah returns and Jerusalem is called the City of Truth (Zech. 8:3).