Bible scholar and founder of Israel Today Ministries, Dr. Jeffrey Johnson, is speaking out against growing antisemitism and what he perceives to be signs of the end times. His organization states it exists to “fulfill the Abrahamic Covenant (Genesis 12:1-3) in practical and profound ways through humanitarian relief and teaching Scripture.” Genesis 12:1-3 famously refers to the moment when God promised to create a great nation from Abraham, with God saying in verse 3, “I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.” Dr. Johnson, who recently published a book entitled Hope Rising: Messianic Promise, spoke with CBN News about the significance of the modern state of Israel as it approaches its 75th year of existence. 

He stated 75 years was “significant” and that there were a lot of changes occurring in Israel and a growing global movement of antisemitism. He noted how the Bible had foretold Israel’s current “diaspora” and how the 1948 creation of the state of Israel was a confirmation of Biblical prophecy. “What is so unprecedented in human history is that people had been scattered throughout the world for two and a half millennia, and they came back to the exact area where they were birthed. That’s unprecedented. God said that would happen,” he said. He also noted that Israel continues to face many enemies. “You have Iran that wants to obliterate Israel. You have Syria that wants to obliterate. You have Hezbollah up in Lebanon, Hamas in Gaza.” He went on to note that even Western countries like Europe and America have growing pockets of antisemitism. “Why is the world angry over this little piece of real estate, these Jewish people? I just remind people the reason they hate Israel … is because they hate the God of Israel.”

Dr. Johnson also rebutted the claims of a “self-fulfilling prophecy” that the state of Israel was only created because people believed the Bible said it would be. He noted that God is either in control or He is not. Host Billy Hallowell also pointed out that the events that preceded the creation of the state of Israel, namely World War II and the Holocaust, were beyond the ability of people to simply manifest or predict. Dr. Johnson also warned of the dangers of “replacement theology,” which essentially claims that the promises God made in the Old Testament to Israel no longer apply to Israel as a nation but to the church instead and that Israel has no particular significance. “When you look at Bible prophecy, you always have to understand that all prophecy points to Israel, and we have to ask ourselves, ‘What is God doing in Israel?’ Then we can answer the question, ‘Well, what is He doing in terms of the last days?’” He noted the growing coalition of nations like Iran, Russia, and China against Israel. “Evangelical scholars look at this [and] they go, ‘Oh my goodness. We’re living in the end times. Now, you have China and Russia. The kings of the east are, geographically, any nation, including, for example, Afghanistan, any country east of the Euphrates … you have the kings of east moving today.”

In a 2019 interview with The Jerusalem Post, Dr. Johnson argued against churches that try to minimize or ignore the Old Testament. “There are those who wish to eradicate, to do away with the Tanakh [Old Testament]. As a Christian Bible scholar, I can say that the Tanakh is God’s word, and it’s the crucible from which Christianity was birthed. The early followers of Jesus – and Jesus himself – read the Tanakh. We cannot do away with the Tanakh – that is just foolish,” he said.