The following in the full interview I had recently done with One Voice Magazine about the pressing issue of Israel and the Jewish people that I wrote about in the book released last year called “Flee To The Mountains“. Links to all 5 parts of the interview are at the end of this post.
A Look at Israel, the Church, and the End Times
Much is happening in the Middle East today. There are wars, plans to rebuild the temple in Israel, the influx of Jews back to their homeland, and much more. The Bible has foretold many End Time signs, and some of them are coming to pass. In his book, Flee to the Mountains: The Church’s Responsibility to Israel in the Final 7 Years of the Age, Pastor Christopher Mantei delves into the topic of “Jacob’s trouble,” when the great tribulation will take over Israel itself.
Pastor Christopher particularly wrote about the Church’s responsibility in the End Times. As Christians, we have a crucial role to play! Read on to find out what, how, and why the End Times will truly be a significant era for Israel and the Church.
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Tell us about your new book. How were you inspired to write it?
I have been personally interested in the End Times for over 25 years. There are many prophetic passages in the Bible regarding this period. In Matthew 24, it says, “Let the reader understand.” So [we can say] that Scripture was written for me and everyone who would read it. Understanding this was the genesis for me to realize how crucial this topic was.
What really solidified my decision to write the book was my trip to Israel in 2017. I started praying when I was there. I saw how Israel was significant in the Biblical passages, especially in the End Times.
The Scriptures talk about how it will not be a very good time for Israel (Jeremiah 30:7, Daniel 11:41, Matthew 24:16, Mark 13:14, Luke 21:21). As a Believer, I found myself asking, “What’s the status? What is the Believer’s part in this? Is anyone making plans? Is anyone preparing for this?
We toured around Israel and caught a pretty good glimpse of the nation’s slice of life. We talked to Messianic congregations and Arab churches, but I couldn’t find anyone actively planning anything. You can’t even get all of them to agree on what was coming. Period.
Sometimes, there was this attitude of, “We do agree with you… but we’re really not doing much. We’re kind of busy. We’re just reading Bibles.” And that’s great! Yes, we have to study the Word. But I didn’t see any concrete forward thinking regarding the End Times.
My prayer was, “I’m really not the one who should write the book. God, are you sure about this?” But the call to write it down and to collate a spiritual case persisted.
You mentioned how Israel is significant, especially in the End Times. How so?
The story of the Bible—even from the beginning of human history—is an Israel-centric story. If you look at our maps, you’d see Israel right smack in the center of the world. That’s not a coincidence.
The nations mentioned in the Scripture who have specific roles in the last days encompass a very small area. I took a pen and circled the nations mentioned from Scripture–they are all in the Middle East.
Scripturally speaking, God’s End Time plan is focused on this region.
So what should our role be when it comes to the impending Last Days? My opinion is very simple: whatever God is specifically concerned with, I should be specifically concerned with.
And that includes Israel and the events that will be unraveling around it.
Israel, the Center Stage of the End Times
How Is Israel Important in the Last Days?
To me, it’s very simple. Israel means everything. There is no alternate people that God has chosen (Deut. 7:6, Psalm 33:12, Jeremiah 33:20, Romans 11:29). As Christians of gentile nations, we are grafted into that Kingdom (Romans 9, 10, 11).
This Kingdom is an “Israeli” kingdom based on the covenant God made with Abraham. It was a real estate deal. The covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob was geographical. God promised to Abraham that his offspring would inherit a land and become a nation that would bless the world.
During Abraham’s encounter that night with God, God put him to sleep. God swore by Himself that He would honor the covenant. He put Abraham to sleep so that there would be zero chance of man breaking it (Genesis 15).
If Israel Is That Precious to God, Why Is It Always in Conflict?
Nowadays, Jerusalem has become the center of political issues. The conflicts happen because Satan hates Israel.
What God loves, the devil hates (John 10:10, Genesis 3:1, 1 Chron. 21:1, Job 2:4, Zechariah 3:1, Luke 22:31). Simple as that.
GOD’S COVENANT WITH ISRAEL
People might get hung up on their beliefs about the Jewish people and Israel today. However, that doesn’t change God’s covenant with them (Exodus 32:13, Deut. 9:27, Psalm 89:4, Luke 1:55).
God’s covenant is unchangeable, and ultimately, this is why the epistles are important. In Romans 11, Paul says that all Israel will be saved. Now we’re not there yet, but when the fullness of the Gentiles have come in—when Gentiles are grafted in to this tree, this natural root called Israel—Israel will be aroused into envy and be saved (Romans 11:14). We—as Gentiles—are going to serve in an Israeli kingdom, a Jewish kingdom with a Jewish king, since Jesus was indeed a Jewish man.
God opening up His Kingdom to the world was always prophetic of the Old Testament (Genesis 22:18, Deut. 32:43, Isaiah 60:3, Malachi 1:11). It was never just about Israel, but about God’s election and sovereignty.
THE SATANIC OPPRESSION AGAINST ISRAEL
If we look at the controversies regarding Jerusalem, we’d see that there is no legitimate reason why nations ought to care about the location of the true capital of the Jewish people. Statistically, the Jews are almost nonexistent! There’s a couple of million Jews scattered all over the world, while the rest are in a very small country.
It’s supernatural. There’s a satanic component that is fighting against God’s plan through Israel.
Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord and against his Anointed, saying, “Let us burst their bonds apart and cast away their cords from us.” He who sits in the heavens laughs; the Lord holds them in derision. Then he will speak to them in his wrath, and terrify them in his fury, saying, “As for me, I have set my King on Zion, my holy hill.” (Psalm 2:1- 6)
“Why do the nations rage? Why do the heathen gather?” Because it’s about the Son of God whom they hate. Nations in darkness refuse to be subject to His rule.
So what does Israel have to do with it? Israel has everything to do with it. God has always chosen Israel. He has put His name there.
But I have chosen Jerusalem that my name may be there… (2 Kings 21:4, 1 Chronicles 6:6:)
THE SIGNIFICANCE OF JERUSALEM
God has declared His name over the City of Jerusalem on Mt. Moriah. Isn’t that specific? It’s just one little place in the world where He says He’ll put His name. His name will stay there, and He will rule from there.
And Satan is opposing it all. If you go to Jerusalem today, you won’t see a temple. You’ll see a rock with a golden dome on it. There are Arabic inscriptions on that building that declare, “God has no son ; God is not a father” (20+ instances in the Quran state this, like Sura 112:3: “He has not begotten and has not been begotten.” Sura 9:30 also states: “The Christians say, ‘The Christ is God’s son. May God destroy them! How perverted are their minds!’ ”).
That’s anti-Christ 101. That’s the bait into Islam when people believe it and oppose the Jewish sovereignty of Jesus.
That’s why Israel has always been important in the history of mankind. That is the place that God has chosen. He is going to rule from there. Jesus is coming back there. (Isaiah 2:3, 31:4, 59:20, Micah 4:2, Zechariah 14, Luke 1:32, Acts 1:11). There is no other place. He is not coming to Washington. Or to Baghdad. Or Rome. Or to any of these other places. He’s coming to Jerusalem.
That’s why Israel is going to be the center of His attention, as it will be in the world’s attention during these last days.
It will also have Satan’s attention.
ISRAEL IS A TIME CLOCK FOR THE END TIMES
Israel is God’s time clock. You literally don’t have to look anywhere else. Because by now, this is what God is working with. We might get mixed up on the End Time prophecies (for example, in Daniel) about the weeks and years mentioned regarding the Last Days. But when you look at other passages like in Daniel 9, you’ll find details constantly referring back to Israel.
There will be a sequence of events to anticipate. For example, you have the prophesied reconstruction of the Jewish Temple and its desolation (Daniel 8:11, 9:27, 11:31, 12:11, Matthew 24:15, Mark 13:14, Luke 21:20, 2 Thessalonians 2:4, Revelation 11:1). These future events are key to that nation and city. All the other significant events of the Last Days are centered on Israel.
It’s because of these facts that we—as a Church—have an important responsibility in relating to Israel during the End Times.
The Church’s Responsibility to Israel in the Last Days
How should Christians relate to Israel in the End Times? This is what my book is about. It’s a call to action. That’s why I subtitled my book, The Church’s responsibility to Israel during the last 7 years.
WE HAVE A ROLE IN THE END TIMES. We have a crucial responsibility in the End Times. We have a role. The apostles themselves wrote it: “Let the reader understand” (Mark 13:14). Apostles from the first century wrote it for the people who would come in the future—that’s putting us in that category.
Scripture talks about the time of trouble. God is going to do a specific work to a specific land and a specific people for a specific reason. And when you go over the Gospels, Jesus tells us what is going to occur.
“When you see ‘the abomination that causes desolation’ standing where it does not belong—let the reader understand—then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. Let no one on the housetop go down or enter the house to take anything out. Let no one in the field go back to get their cloak. How dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers! Pray that this will not take place in winter because those will be days of distress unequaled from the beginning, when God created the world, until now—and never to be equaled again.” (Mark 13:14-18, NIV)
He tells us, “When you see all these things happening, but especially when you see the desolation prophesied in Daniel (Dan. 8:11, 9:27, 11:31, 12:11), flee to the mountains. Don’t even look behind you. You’ve got to go right now.”
But where are the mountains? How does this process work? Because you’re potentially talking about millions of souls—millions of people, who must flee immediately. Where are they going? What are they going to do when they get there? Who is going to meet them? A lot of believers might fall into the thinking of, “Well, this is not our job. God is going to take care of that.”
That might be good enough for others, but that’s not good enough for me. I don’t think the Lord is going to leave cracks in the whole story. He won’t write the climax of history and leave the Church out of it. I don’t see how that’s Scripturally doable.
THE CHURCH’S RESPONSIBILITIES IN THE END TIMES
As a Church, we have responsibilities in this unfolding drama, but first we must understand certain things:
1) We must understand that we will be here for the End Time events. Somebody will be—whether our generation or our children’s or our grandchildren’s. The Church will take part in it. 2) We must understand what is coming and why God would allow it.
OUR RESPONSIBILITY REGARDING ISRAEL First of all, we should address Israel like any other people who do not know the Lord–with selfless love and commitment to proclaim the Gospel to them.
A hundred years ago, there was no Israel, politically speaking. They were scattered everywhere. Now more than half of all the Jews in the world live in Israel. It’s been the first time since 70 AD that the majority have lived there and have been recognized as a nation. That is a fulfillment of the prophecies in Jeremiah 16:15 and Ezekiel 36:24. However, many Jews, even Messianic Jews, unfortunately believe that since they have already returned to their land, God will not allow any other attack against them to succeed.
As a Church, we must rightly divide the situation. The Word says that yes, there will be a return to their land. It’s happening now, but that’s not yet the final return.
ISRAEL WILL FLEE TO THE MOUNTAINS The final return will only come after a period of trouble and chastisement for the Jews. An invasion and eventual defeat of Israel will ensue (Jeremiah 30:7, Daniel 12:1, Zechariah 14:2, Luke 21:20-24). A remnant will return after they’ve fled to the mountains (Isaiah 11:11-16, Hosea 2:14-15, Micah 2:12-13), calling on the Messiah, Yeshua. The Jews will be in a position to call upon Jesus, and when that happens, the second coming of Jesus will hasten.
For I tell you, you will not see me again, until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord’” (Matthew 23:39).
It is the Jews who must do this. Those who will flee to the wilderness during their tribulation, those who will be saved and fed there, will come out of those mountains and be witnesses.
Now, if these things are going to take place, Jesus has already made a way for them. “Fleeing to the mountains” is for their benefit.
THE SIGN OF MT. SINAI If you look at Daniel 11, the prophet declares that there is only one strip of land where the Anti-Christ can’t enter. These places are Edom, Moab, and Ammon.
These modern day places are the equivalent to the Mountains of Jordan and Arabia. But when the Jews flee there, who will meet them?
You hear of the phrase “at the mouth of 2 or 3 witnesses, every word will be established” (Deuteronomy 19:15, Matthew 18:16, 2 Corinthians 13:1).
In my book, I show not 2 or 3, but 34 witnesses of Scripture that talk about this period of “fleeing to the mountains.” There will truly be a people who will receive the Jews there. There will be people who will care for them, feed them, and show them the way.
Perhaps it’s not a coincidence, but when you look at the map, the Jews will end up at Mount Sinai as they head south through those mountains. That’s the path Elijah took after fleeing from Jezebel. That’s the path that the Apostle Paul took (Galatians 1). It follows an ancient road called, “The Kings Highway” –the name itself is prophetic.
Upon reaching the end of their own understanding, men in Scripture (like Elijah and Paul) went to Sinai to seek God. It’s possible that the Jews en masse will do this very same thing. A couple of years ago, nobody knew where Mt. Sinai was. Now all of a sudden, Saudi Arabia is about to blow the lid off this thing. They know they have Mt. Sinai in their country, and they’re about to open up tourism.
Things are changing fast, and it’s all because of the Lord. God is orchestrating everything in His time.
A CALL TO THE CHRISTIANS As Christians, we ought to prepare to meet the Israeli people there. Our role is to share the Gospel to them. It must be us. There is no other people. It’s actually a basic call to minister to anyone in need of Christ. Yes, there will be a physical need that must be met, but Jesus also said, “I am the Manna that came down from heaven. I am the bread of life” (John 6:57-58).
We have a dual responsibility [when Israel flees to the mountains]: we must feed them physically and feed them the bread of life. Present the Gospel and many will come to faith, despite the coming hardship.
Personally, I know a lot of Christians who come to faith once they have hit the bottom, reaching the end of themselves. It’s when you’re completely broken that you won’t know where else to go, and you are at the end of yourself saying, ‘Alright God, What’s the truth?”
It’s possible that this is what will happen with the Israeli people. And when that happens, the Church must meet them. For “how would they hear without a preacher?” (Romans 10:14)
BACK TO ISRAEL—THE HARVEST IS READY! It will be like a final push, the final frontier. We’ll be making a “full 360” back to the beginning. The Gospel came out of Jerusalem, reaching the Gentile nations and spreading throughout the world. Now, we’re looping back to where it started. Back to Jerusalem. Back to Israel.
And the world is focusing there. The enemy is focusing there. And now the Church must also focus the Gospel there. Because throughout Israel and the Islamic nations, the harvest is ready! There are so many souls waiting. And we should be excited. Because this is one of the greatest dramas unfolding in human history.
We must get on it. Let’s get on the train of Heaven’s stirring and go.
The Supernatural Origin of Anti-Semitism & the Spread of the Gospel
You’ve mentioned how, as a people, Israel is ready to hear the Gospel. But how is that so? Historically, there have been aversions in the Jewish communities toward Christianity.
Actually, the orthodox Jews are being saved now. There are testimonies. In fact, there is a ministry called One For Israel that is releasing “I Met Messiah.” Regular Jewish folks are coming to the Lord and are bearing witness. It’s happening already.
HISTORICAL PERSECUTION AGAINST ISRAEL IS SUPERNATURAL
However, aversion to the Gospel does still happen. It’s a historical reality. The Jews are such a small people group and throughout the centuries, they’ve experienced persecution over and over again.
And it [persecution] is from the devil.
Remember: what Satan hates is what Satan wants to die. He wants to kill them (Matthew 24:22, Mark 13:20, Luke 21:24, John 10:10, Revelation 12:13).
In the past, the Jews have been hurt by religions. Christianity during the Crusades of the AD 1000’s brought out a wave of violent anti-Semitism. If the Jews did not convert to the Church, they were purged.
CHRISTIANITY AND ANTI-SEMITISM
It [the hurt] is still fresh in Israel today because of how Hitler brought the Holocaust against them. The Holocaust was the plan to solve the “Jewish Problem.” This was a term coined by Martin Luther himself, the Christian leader of the Reformation. Near the end of his life, he wrote anti-Jewish writing, urging people to burn their synagogues, burn their Torah scrolls, and to keep the Jews out of the land, forcing them to be baptized!
And that’s how Hitler was inspired. Somehow, there would be no Hitler without our assent as a Church.
But as a Church, we can speak out and say, “Wait, that’s not right! This is not how we follow Jesus!” We are ultimately called to follow Him—not to follow our imperfect Church or government leaders.
PERSECUTION OF MESSIANIC JEWS
On the other side, there are dangers to becoming a Christian if you’ve grown up in a religious Jewish background. Rabbis reiterate it to them that Jesus is a Gentile God. “He isn’t one of us,” they say. “If you follow Jesus, you’re turning your back on your whole identity as a Jew!”
Your whole Jewishness is forfeited. Personally, I have Messianic Jewish friends who have been disowned by their parents because of this. They weren’t considered Jewish anymore. Their religion and identity are so linked together that the two cannot be separated.
THE MESSIANIC JEWS OF TODAY
They [the Messianic Jews] are still growing in Israel. They’re not Gentiles who moved in. They are all legitimate Jews, and they are very bold. They face opposition. Orthodox Rabbis curse them in the streets, trying to take their property away, exposing their addresses. They are being forced to get out.
Persecution occurs against them, but praise God because He is still calling people from Israel. If we will be prophetic, we have a promise of the 144,000 that will come from the tribes of Israel in the last days (Revelation 7:4-8, 14:1-4). These people will be very bold, and we will learn a lot from them.
How Should Christians Individually Prepare for the End Times?
How should Christians prepare for the End Times?
To me, it boils down to 2 things:
1) You need to prepare spiritually
Make your spiritual preparations. Number one, first and foremost: prepare yourself in a way that you will never deny Christ. Never deny Jesus. No matter what. That’s what really matters.
Everything else is temporary. We’re not supposed to think [worry] about what we’re going to wear or eat. If it comes down to Jesus or your food for the day, it should be an easy answer for you.
But the pressure during the tribulation hour is going to be so profound—especially in the areas around Israel. It’s going to be incredibly difficult to be a Christian in the Last Days.
You must decide beforehand that you’re going to stand; that you’re going to stay with Jesus no matter what. You will never deny Him, no matter what happens to you or even your family—whether they’re against you or are threatened because of your faith.
Medicine, food, shelter? Prepare to lose comfort. Prepare spiritually to never deny the Lord. Grow in intimacy with Him. No matter how bad it gets, suffering will always be temporary (2 Corinthians 4:17). You’re never going to regret staying with the Lord.
2) You need to prepare Scripturally
Be Scriptural in your preparations. For example, the Bible provides details of what is coming and what our responsibilities as believers will be. And as we’ve previously discussed, one of our responsibilities is to provide a place for the fleeing Israeli people in the mountains. (Revelation 12:6, et al.)
We have very specific information from the Bible, so we must stick with what Scripture does say. Don’t rely on what it doesn’t say.
Stand on that. You’re specifically warned by the Lord many times. Watch and don’t be deceived.
Jesus answered: “Watch out that no one deceives you. For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah,’ and will deceive many” (Matthew 24:4-5).
And He tells us to never deny Him.
So everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven, but whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven (Matthew 10: 32 – 33).
On Judgment Day, Jesus will ask, “What did you do to me—to my people? When they were in need, when they needed food, clothing, and shelter— what did you do? (Matthew 25:35-40)
When the end comes, I would rather be sure that Jesus would tell me, “Well, done, my good and faithful servant (Matthew 25:21). You did exactly what I told you to do. You followed exactly what I wrote. You paid attention.”
Dig into the Word. Stay on mission. Stay on point. Stay Scriptural. And you can’t go wrong because the Holy Spirit will help you! He will reveal the details. He is going to make sure you’re equipped! (John 16:13)
Without the LORD, without the Holy Spirit, our endeavors in the Last Days will fail.
Prepare by being in a conscious, daily communion with Him. Prepare spiritually. Prepare Scripturally. The Lord will help us.
Is there anything else you want to say to our readers about your book?
I would like church and ministry leaders to be reading this.
It’s time to revisit all of these Scriptural messages because it’s not going to be easy the farther we go into the Last Days. Personally, I believe that the closer we get to the return of the Lord, the harder it will be to get on board with His plan.
We must seize the opportunity now to prepare for it and to sync our plans with His.
He’s the God of the last second shot. He waits till the very last millisecond; that none should perish so that all could come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9).
Thank God that He’s like that.
But we are also responsible. It’s good to have all this information about the End Times, but God has also put it in His Word that we should be active.
We shouldn’t only be hearers of the Word, but doers of it (James 1:22-25). And that takes maturity.
So I’d hope for church leaders in particular to think about this. I hope my book can be like the first shot across the bow of a much larger effort in the conversations that must take place, even in the church.
I am humbled and honored to do it.
Links to original postings at One Voice Magazine:
2) https://onevoicemagazine.com/why-should-israel-matter-to-me-israel-the-center-stage-of-the-end-times-part-2-of-5-an-interview-with-christopher-mantei-by-nicole-gusto/ 3) https://onevoicemagazine.com/pastor-chris-5-part-interview-on-israel-part-3/ 4) https://onevoicemagazine.com/why-should-israel-matter-to-me-part-4-of-5/