“And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed… it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever.”
— Daniel 2:44
Many Christians and Jews today assume that because there’s a flag flying over Jerusalem, Israel is free. But Scripture never equates geography with sovereignty. Being in the land isn’t the same thing as being restored to God’s favor or Abraham’s blessing.
Think about it: a 16-year-old gets a car. Everyone cheers, “You’re free!” But the parents still pay the insurance, set the curfew, and hold the title. One wrong move and the keys are gone. That’s not freedom — that’s supervised privilege.
Is modern Israel any different?
In the Land Doesn’t Mean in the Promise
From Babylon onward, Israel’s story is one of being in the land but under foreign rule — allowed to exist, but never truly sovereign.
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Babylon: A remnant stayed in Judah, but Nebuchadnezzar owned the lease. The land belonged to Babylon’s empire, not Judah’s throne.
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Persia: They rebuilt the temple, but only because Cyrus signed a decree. Worship stood on borrowed permission.
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Greece: They offered sacrifices, but Hellenistic rulers dictated the culture and law. Even the Maccabean flicker of autonomy was short-lived.
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Rome: The second temple gleamed, but Rome set the taxes, stationed soldiers in Jerusalem, and gave them permission to crucify their own Messiah.
At no point did “being back in the land” equal sovereignty under God. Daniel 2 and 7 make this clear: exile continues until the Ancient of Days hands the Kingdom to the Son of Man (Daniel 7:13–14). There isn’t any other way to read it — and history has proven it to be true.
God isn’t through disciplining Israel for acting like a wild child and rebelling against Him. He told Moses exactly what would happen:
“This people will rise up, and go a whoring after the gods of the strangers of the land… then my anger shall be kindled against them in that day, and I will forsake them, and I will hide my face from them, and they shall be devoured, and many evils and troubles shall befall them…” (Deut. 31:16–17)
That wasn’t Moses’ opinion. That was God’s. And His Word still stands.
Israel 1948: UN Birth, U.S. Umbrella
Fast forward nearly two millennia. The modern state of Israel was birthed not by the stone cut without hands, but by a United Nations resolution in 1947 — a political partition plan, not a prophetic coronation.
Since then:
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Israel survives under the U.S. nuclear and weapons umbrella.
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It receives billions annually in military aid (multi-billion memoranda of understanding and appropriations enshrine this support).
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Every major decision — from striking Iran to annexing land — must account for Washington’s red lines.
Step out of line, and the consequences are swift: sanctions, aid freezes, diplomatic isolation. That’s not independence — that’s dependence.
Israel is closer to Puerto Rico than to Russia or China — a territory with its own elections and flag, but still tethered to a larger empire.
Rome 2.0: The Iron and Clay of Today
Daniel’s prophecy shows a final empire — divided, strong like iron yet brittle like clay. This is the revived Rome, fractured but global.
As I explain in more detail in my book Wicked Darkness: Johnny’s Survival Guide To The End Times, the United States rose out of the ashes of Rome as Rome 2.0 and it is “the little horn” of Daniel 7 — a Superpower unlike any of the other horns, speaking great things, reshaping the old order of Rome. This “little horn” is where the Beast rises from, according to Scripture.
Today, America leads the Western bloc. It not only has iron-and-clay alliances that prop up modern Israel, but it has also created a “melting pot” of all peoples, ethnic groups, and tongues.
America is the modern Babylon of Revelation, which is why it’s not just “iron,” but “iron mingled with clay.” There’s no getting around this fact. Biblical prophecy spells it out clearly: the final kingdom of mankind has appeared in the “last days.”
We are the technological juggernaut that has shaped our modern world. And as Israel’s protector it is the U.S. that is working with Hamas, telling Iran to back off, orchestrating “peace” without the Prince of Peace. Meanwhile, people ignore this fact as though truth needs to sit down in the corner while insanity rules.
A Contemporary Demonstration: Who’s Calling the Shots?
If you think this is theory, look at recent headlines. Former and current President Donald J. Trump didn’t just comment on Israel and Hamas — he set the terms:
“Great, powerful, and very rich Nations of the Middle East, and the surrounding areas beyond, together with the United States of America, have agreed, with Israel signing on, to PEACE, after 3000 years, in the Middle East… If this agreement is not reached, all HELL, like no one has ever seen before, will break out against Hamas.”
Read that again. Who’s in charge here? Who dictates war, peace, and terms of survival? Israel may fly its own flag, but it is the United States — Rome 2.0, the little horn — calling the shots.
Prophetic Perspective: Exile Isn’t Over
Daniel and Revelation agree: the exile doesn’t end until the stone cut without hands shatters the statue and the saints inherit the Kingdom (Daniel 2:44; 7:18).
Israel today is:
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In the land, but not in covenant.
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Militarily strong, but spiritually barren.
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Politically active, but under “Gentile” oversight.
From God’s perspective, the exile continues. The “times of the Gentiles” (Luke 21:24) aren’t finished. Jerusalem may have parades and elections, but the throne of David is still empty, and the King has not yet returned.
From Babylon to Biden, Israel has been in the land but not free.
The Illusion of Freedom
So let’s strip away the illusion:
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Being in the land doesn’t mean being free.
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Flying a flag doesn’t mean possessing the Kingdom.
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Having U.S. weapons doesn’t mean God’s favor has returned.
Today’s Israel is like that 16-year-old with the car: given keys, but not the deed. They’re “free” only as long as they drive where their guardians say. The Ancient of Days hasn’t yet handed them the Kingdom. The stone hasn’t struck the feet.
A Jealous God and a Borrowed Protector
“For the LORD your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God.” (Deuteronomy 4:24)
Here’s the deeper problem: Israel has a history of depending on their God to be their shield and their Savior. But when you replace Him with an empire that meets your needs, provides for you, and protects you, you stop depending on Him at all.
That’s the danger. Israel today has traded covenant dependence on Yahweh for military dependence on Washington. The U.S. gives the aid, the weapons, and the diplomatic cover. The scale matters: multi-billion dollar commitments and treaties have locked in this structural dependency.
History says this never ends well. Every time Israel trusted in foreign powers instead of their God, it ended in collapse, captivity, or judgment. And it will again.
When Israel creates their shiny new temple with the backing of the United States, you will know that the Beast and False Prophet are coming soon and God is wrapping up the age of men. There’s only seven years remaining for Israel’s 70 weeks prophecy:
“Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy.” (Daniel 9:24)
Even though mankind is building, creating, scheming — even as AI rises to take your jobs and control your future — when the Ancient of Days stands up, it’s all going to collapse. And Israel is His timeline.
And Here’s the Hard Truth
God sits and laughs at the opinions of men. You know why? His is the only one that matters. If Israel is His and He put them in exile, you’re living an illusion if you think He took them out. Especially when His Word clearly says otherwise.
There is no kingdom or peace without the King.
No matter how men try to play dress up with God’s property.
Why This Matters
If you think 1948 was the end of exile, you’ll misread the signs of the times. Scripture says the real restoration only comes when Israel looks on Him whom they pierced (Zechariah 12:10), when the kingdoms of this world become the Kingdom of our Lord and His Christ (Revelation 11:15).
Until then, the modern state is just another chapter in the exile.
The great illusion continues – but not for long.
That’s why I wrote Wicked Darkness: Johnny’s Survival Guide To The End Times — to show that prophecy is unfolding before our eyes, and the great illusion is nearly over.
Sources & further reading
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Reuters — Trump gives Hamas until Sunday to accept Gaza plan (news report and Truth Social summary). Reuters
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Time — coverage and excerpts of Trump’s Truth Social post. TIME
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Britannica / UN history — UN Partition Resolution 181 (1947) and the political origin of the modern state of Israel. Encyclopedia Britannica+1
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Congressional Research Service / U.S. State Dept. briefings — U.S.-Israel security MOU and multi-billion aid commitments. Congress.gov+1
