03/15/2026
Could the War With Iran Trigger the Last Gentiles to Tread Jerusalem?
Rev. 11:2 “But the court which is without the temple leave out, and measure it not; for it is given unto the Gentiles: and the holy city shall they tread under foot forty and two months.”
Most Seventh-day Adventists apply the prophecy of the 42 months to two historical periods:
1. The Papacy’s 1260-year supremacy (538–1798 A.D.), during which faithful believers and biblical truth were suppressed throughout what is commonly called the Dark Ages.
2. France’s rejection of the Bible during the French Revolution, when the National Convention abolished Christianity and outlawed the Bible for approximately three and a half years (1793–1797).
November 26, 1793 – The National Convention issued the decree establishing the Cult of Reason and abolishing Christianity. (See The Great Controversy, pp. 273.2 to 275.1)
The edict was reversed: June 17, 1797 – The French government officially restored religious toleration, ending the period of enforced atheism. (See Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, Vol. 7, p. 803).
“God’s faithful witnesses, slain by the blasphemous power that ‘ascendeth out of the bottomless pit,’ were not long to remain silent. ‘After three days and a half, the Spirit of life from God entered into them, and they stood upon their feet; and great fear fell upon them which saw them.’ [Revelation 11:11.] It was in 1793 that the decree which prohibited the Bible passed the French Assembly. Three years and a half later a resolution rescinding the decree, and granting toleration to the Scriptures, was adopted by the same body. The world stood aghast at the enormity of guilt which had resulted from a rejection of the Sacred Oracles, and men recognized the necessity of faith in God and his Word as the foundation of virtue and morality. Saith the Lord, ‘Whom hast thou reproached and blasphemed? and against whom hast thou exalted thy voice, and lifted up thine eyes on high? even against the Holy One of Israel.’ [Isaiah 37:23.] ‘Therefore, behold, I will this once cause them to know, I will cause them to know mine hand and my might; and they shall know that my name is Jehovah.’ [Jeremiah 16:21.]” The Great Controversy, p. 286.1.
Revelation chapter eleven speaks of another future event, the latter-day 42-month prophecy, the third and final treading of the Gentiles.
The final 42 Months
3. The United States and the United Nations will place peacekeeping troops or perhaps observers in Jerusalem for three and a half years.
“Zechariah then saw the powers that had ‘scattered Judah, Israel, and Jerusalem,’ symbolized by four horns. Immediately afterward he saw four carpenters, representing the agencies used by the Lord in restoring His people and the house of His worship. See verses 18-21. (par. 1) ‘I lifted up mine eyes again,’ Zechariah said, ‘and looked, and behold a man with a measuring line in his hand. Then said I, Whither goest thou? And he said unto me, To measure Jerusalem, to see what is the breadth thereof, and what is the length thereof. And, behold, the angel that talked with me went forth, and another angel went out to meet him, and said unto him, Run, speak to this young man, saying, Jerusalem shall be inhabited as towns without walls for the multitude of men and cattle therein: for I, saith the Lord, will be unto her a wall of fire round about, and will be the glory in the midst of her.’ Zechariah 2:1-5. (par. 2) God had commanded that Jerusalem be rebuilt; the vision of the measuring of the city was an assurance that He would give comfort and strength to His afflicted ones, and fulfill to them the promises of His everlasting covenant. His protecting care, He declared, would be like ‘a wall of fire round about;’ and through them His glory would be revealed to all the sons of men. That which He was accomplishing for His people was to be known in all the earth. ‘Cry out and shout, thou inhabitant of Zion: for great is the Holy One of Israel in the midst of thee.’ Isaiah 12:6. (par. 3)” Prophet and Kings, p. 581.
Plainly, history has shown us that the reference in Prophet and Kings does not apply to the two tribes when they came back from captivity because years later, the Jews crucified our Saviour, and then in 70 A.D., the Roman army destroyed Jerusalem. Israel ceased to exist as a nation.
What Actually Happened in 70 A.D.?
• Jerusalem destroyed.
• The temple was burned and destroyed.
• National sovereignty ended.
• Massive loss of life.
• Survivors were enslaved or scattered.
Zechariah 2 cannot be referring to the post exilic (Babylonian Exile) return under Zerubbabel, because that restoration does not match the prophecy:
Zechariah 2 promises:
• Jerusalem inhabited “as towns without walls.”
• A “multitude of men and cattle.”
• God Himself as “a wall of fire.”
• A global revelation of God’s glory through Israel.
But what actually happened?
• The returned exiles were few.
• They rebuilt walls (Nehemiah).
• They remained under Persian, then Greek, then Roman rule.
• They rejected the Messiah.
• Jerusalem was destroyed again.
Did Israel cease to exist as a Nation?
After 70 A.D., and especially after the Bar Kokhba revolt in 135 A.D.:
• Judea was renamed Palestina.
• Jews were banned from Jerusalem.
• The Sanhedrin dissolved.
• No Jewish state existed.
There were survivors, but the nation-state did not continue until 1948.
The prophecy points to a future, end time fulfillment—not the small restoration after Babylon. Then the reference in Prophet and Kings has a latter-day application to the 144,000. The “everlasting covenant” is the restoration of the land to His people, the 144,000 firstfruits and the great multitude Rev. 7:9. Gen. 12:7; 13:14-17; Ps. 105:6-11; Gal. 3:16-29.
How does Jesus clear out the land of those claiming rights to it?
“Zechariah then saw the powers that had ‘scattered Judah, Israel, and Jerusalem’ (the type, also the anti-type), symbolized by ‘four horns.’ Immediately afterward, he saw the same horns as four carpenters (read Zech. 1:18-21), representing the agencies used by the Lord in restoring His people and the house of His worship, both in type and anti-type; that is, the Gentiles who scattered the church shall also come and build the same.” The Shepherd’s Rod, Vol. 2, p. 260.
“(18) Then lifted I up mine eyes, and saw, and behold four horns. (19) And I said unto the angel that talked with me, What be these? And he answered me, These are the horns which have scattered Judah, Israel, and Jerusalem. (20) And the LORD showed me four carpenters. (21) Then said I, What come these to do? And he spake, saying, These are the horns which have scattered Judah, so that no man did lift up his head: but these are come to fray them, to cast out the horns of the Gentiles, which lifted up their horn over the land of Judah to scatter it.” Zechariah 1:18-21.
Who were the “four horns” anciently that “scattered Judah, Israel, and Jerusalem”?
The Ten Tribes Removed by Assyria
In ancient times, the ten tribes were the first to be removed from the land by the Assyrians because of their idolatrous ways, which led to their “destruction” around 722 B.C.
“From generation to generation the Lord had borne with His wayward children, and even now, in the face of defiant rebellion, He still longed to reveal Himself to them as willing to save. ‘O Ephraim,’ He cried, ‘what shall I do unto thee? O Judah, what shall I do unto thee? for your goodness is as a morning cloud, and as the early dew it goeth away.’ Hosea 6:4. (par. 1) The evils that had overspread the land had become incurable; and upon Israel was pronounced the dread sentence: ‘Ephraim is joined to idols: let him alone.’ ‘The days of visitation are come, the days of recompense are come; Israel shall know it.’ Hosea 4:17; 9:7. (par. 2) The ten tribes of Israel were now to reap the fruitage of the apostasy that had taken form with the setting up of the strange altars at Bethel and at Dan. God’s message to them was: ‘Thy calf, O Samaria, hath cast thee off; Mine anger is kindled against them: how long will it be ere they attain to innocency? For from Israel was it also: the workman made it; therefore it is not God: but the calf of Samaria shall be broken in pieces.’ ‘The inhabitants of Samaria shall fear because of the calves of Bethaven: for the people thereof shall mourn over it, and the priests thereof that rejoiced on it. . . . It shall be also carried unto Assyria for a present to King Jareb’ (Sennacherib). Hosea 8:5, 6; 10:5, 6. (par. 3) ‘Behold, the eyes of the Lord God are upon the sinful kingdom, and I will destroy it from off the face of the earth; saying that I will not utterly destroy the house of Jacob, saith the Lord. For, lo, I will command, and I will sift the house of Israel among all nations, like as corn is sifted in a sieve, yet shall not the least grain fall upon the earth. All the sinners of My people shall die by the sword, which say, The evil shall not overtake nor prevent us.’ (par. 4)” Prophet and Kings, p. 285.
When did Babylon start its first and last campaigns against Judah and Jerusalem?
The Two Tribes Removed by Babylon
“The visit of the ambassadors to Hezekiah was a test of his gratitude and devotion. The record says, ‘Howbeit in the business of the ambassadors of the princes of Babylon, who sent unto him to inquire of the wonder that was done in the land, God left him, to try him, that He might know all that was in his heart.’ 2 Chronicles 32:31. Had Hezekiah improved the opportunity given him to bear witness to the power, the goodness, the compassion, of the God of Israel, the report of the ambassadors would have been as light piercing darkness, but he magnified himself above the Lord of hosts. He ‘rendered not again according to the benefit done unto him; for his heart was lifted up.’ Verse 25. (par. 1) How disastrous the results which were to follow! To Isaiah it was revealed that the returning ambassadors were carrying with them a report of the riches they had seen, and that the king of Babylon and his counselors would plan to enrich their own country with the treasures of Jerusalem. Hezekiah had grievously sinned; ‘therefore there was wrath upon him, and upon Judah and Jerusalem.’ Verse 25. (par. 2) ‘Then came Isaiah the prophet unto King Hezekiah, and said unto him, What said these men? and from whence came they unto thee? And Hezekiah said, They are come from a far country unto me, even from Babylon. Then said he, What have they seen in thine house? And Hezekiah answered, All that is in mine house have they seen: there is nothing among my treasures that I have not showed them. (par. 3) ‘Then said Isaiah to Hezekiah, Hear the word of the Lord of hosts: Behold, the days come, that all that is in thine house, and that which thy fathers have laid up in store until this day, shall be carried to Babylon: nothing shall be left, saith the Lord. And of thy sons that shall issue from thee, which thou shalt beget, shall they take away; and they shall be eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon. (par. 4)” Prophet and Kings, p. 346.
“The first years of Jehoiakim’s reign were filled with warnings of approaching doom. The word of the Lord spoken by the prophets was about to be fulfilled. The Assyrian power to the northward, long supreme, was no longer to rule the nations. Egypt on the south, in whose power the king of Judah was vainly placing his trust, was soon to receive a decided check. All unexpectedly a new world power, the Babylonian Empire, was rising to the eastward and swiftly overshadowing all other nations. (par. 1) Within a few short years the king of Babylon was to be used as the instrument of God’s wrath upon impenitent Judah. Again and again Jerusalem was to be invested and entered by the besieging armies of Nebuchadnezzar. Company after company--at first a few only, but later on thousands and tens of thousands--were to be taken captive to the land of Shinar, there to dwell in enforced exile. Jehoiakim, Jehoiachin, Zedekiah--all these Jewish kings were in turn to become vassals of the Babylonian ruler, and all in turn were to rebel. Severer and yet more severe chastisements were to be inflicted upon the rebellious nation, until at last the entire land was to become a desolation, Jerusalem was to be laid waste and burned with fire, the temple Solomon had built was to be destroyed, and the kingdom of Judah was to fall, never again to occupy its former position among the nations of earth. (par. 2)” Prophet and Kings, p. 422.
Event Date What Happened
First Campaign 605 B.C. Daniel taken; Judah becomes a vassal.
Second Campaign 597 B.C. Jehoiachin exiled; Ezekiel taken.
Final Campaign 586 B.C. Jerusalem and the Temple were destroyed.
The Bible contains lessons drawn from nature and from the agencies God uses to carry out His purposes. This is why it is important to understand why Zechariah applies the four horns to the powers God used to remove the twelve tribes from the land of Israel. In nature, mammals that grow true horns—such as cattle, goats, sheep, antelope, bison, and water buffalo—follow a consistent pattern: they grow a pair of horns, one on each side of the skull, used primarily for defense and combat. Rhinos are the notable exception; whether they have one or two horns, theirs are not true horns at all but structures made entirely of keratin rather than bone.
Therefore, lessons from nature help us recognize that the four horns represent the ancient empires—Assyria and Babylon—that removed all twelve tribes from the land of Israel. As Zechariah records, “These are the horns which have scattered Judah, Israel, and Jerusalem” (Zech. 1:19).
Why are the 42 months of Revelation 11:2 so crucial to understand?
The war in Jerusalem occurs at the close of that allotted period. At that point, according to the prophetic pattern, the Seventh day Adventist Church undergoes the purification described in Ezekiel 9—a work consistently associated with the Spring (April) season. This means the 42 months must begin in the Fall (October). This does not imply that the period begins this coming Fall, for the year is unknown; what Scripture gives us are the events and the seasons (Gen. 1:14).
“Here in prophetic utterance is not only a promise to purify the church when modern Assyria is being crushed, but also a suggestive statement as to what constitutes ‘meat in due season’ for men today; and as to what movement they are to enlist in if they would make sure of salvation. They are enjoined to fix their vision upon the feet of him who brings ‘good tidings’ (message from the Lord), who publishes ‘peace’ (the peace of Christ’s Kingdom), and who declares that while the powers of earth are engulfed in a gigantic war, the wicked in the church shall be cut off, no more to pass through her. Specifically, the prophet exhorts all penitently to turn unto the house of Judah (the latter-day Kingdom of Judah -- Mic. 4; Ezek. 37:16-22), the church in the purification of which are to be sealed 12,000 out of each of the 12 tribes, as firstfruits. And he urges the subjects of the kingdom to perform their religious duties and to keep their promises to the Lord. In short, he admonishes them to give heed to the message of the hour -- the message which announces the imminence of the church’s purification, after which, as the promise is, ‘the wicked shall no more pass through’ her, for ‘he is utterly cut off.’ (See also Matt. 13:30, 47-50, Isa. 66:16, 19, 20).” War News Forecast, Tract 14, pp. 22, 23.
Does Inspiration say there is a latter-day 42 months?
“The ‘forty and two months’ (allowing thirty days to a month, and reckoning a day for a year -- Ezek. 4:6), represent the 1260-year prophetic period; 538 A.D. to 1798 A.D. (See The Shepherd’s Rod, Vol. 2, pp. 142, 261.) ‘The Gentiles’ here mentioned are those who tread ‘under foot’ the ‘holy city’ (the church), -- an act which calls our attention to the Master’s prediction concerning the fate of the saints during this forty and two months period: (page 111, par. 1) ‘And they [the church] shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away [from the promised land] captive into all nations: and Jerusalem shall be trodden down by the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled’ (Luke 21:24), the time that the Gentiles go out of Jerusalem and the Israelites go in. (page 111, par. 2) The occupation of the Promised Land by the Gentiles today was typified by yesterday’s Gentile occupation of it. (page 111, par. 3-112, par. 0) And when ancient Israel returned from Egypt to the land of promise the times of the Gentiles in those days were fulfilled. Likewise, now when antitypical Israel, the 144,000 guileless servants of God, are sealed and taken to Mt. Zion, there to stand with the Lamb, the ‘times of the Gentiles’ in these days will be fulfilled. (page. 112, par. 0)” Final Warning, Tract 5, pp. 111, 112.
Note what Inspiration says.
“The occupation of the Promised Land by the Gentiles today was typified by yesterday’s Gentile occupation of it.”
On page 111, Inspiration says, “the Gentiles” of the past during their occupation “typified” or are the type of the soon-coming occupation of “the Gentiles today” or our day.
Rev. 11:2 “But the court which is without the temple leave out, and measure it not; for it is given unto the Gentiles: and the holy city shall they tread under foot forty and two months.”
And what does it say on page 112 of Tract 5, par. 0?
“Likewise now when antitypical Israel, the 144,000 guileless servants of God, are sealed and taken to Mt. Zion, there to stand with the Lamb, the ‘times of the Gentiles’ in these days will be fulfilled.”
So “likewise” (similarly) the “Gentiles” of today will tread the “holy city” like the “Gentiles” who tread the “holy city” of their day. Hence, the 42 months have a third application!
What is fulfilled?
“And Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled.” Luke 21:24.
Inspiration is saying that the last “Gentiles” will again tread the “holy city,” the literal Jerusalem in Israel.
The war of Zechariah 14, which says, “I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle,” is the final battle that takes place at the end of the 42 months in Jerusalem, clearing the land to make way for the 144,000.
Zechariah 1:20, 21 says, “And the LORD showed me four carpenters. (21) Then said I, What come these to do? And he spake, saying, These are the horns which have scattered Judah, so that no man did lift up his head: but these are come to fray them, to cast out the horns of the Gentiles, which lifted up their horn over the land of Judah to scatter it.”
“Previously the prophet saw these as four horns, as powers that scattered Judah, Israel and Jerusalem throughout the Gentile nations, but as the angel projected the prophetic view to the time of the end he saw them as four carpenters; that is, as ‘horns’ they come to ‘fray’ and to ‘cast out the horns of the Gentiles’ from the land of Judah, but as carpenters they obviously come to build for Judah. Evidently, then, when the horns (powers) of the Gentiles are cast out of the land, and God’s people are brought into it, then ‘the times of the Gentiles’ shall have been fulfilled.” Timely Greetings, Vol. 1, No. 12, p. 15.
“Once God raised ‘horns,’ nations, to scatter His people throughout the Gentile nations, but those ‘horns’ in the restoration of ‘all things,’ are seen to become ‘carpenters,’ so that while they as horns at long last cast the Gentiles out from the promised land, they are as carpenters to build for Judah. Thus, Zechariah, as do all the prophets before him, prophesies of the restoration of the kingdom of Judah. …” Timely Greetings, Vol. 1, No. 15, p. 18.
“(15) And to this agree the words of the prophets; as it is written, (16) After this I will return, and will build again the tabernacle of David, which is fallen down; and I will build again the ruins thereof, and I will set it up: (17) That the residue of men might seek after the Lord, and all the Gentiles, upon whom my name is called, saith the Lord, who doeth all these things.” Acts 15:15-17.
What would happen if one of Iran’s missiles destroyed the Temple Mount, or were supposedly destroyed by one of their missile? How would that affect the three main religions: Christendom, Judaism, and Mohammedanism? Could that draw the U.S. and the U.N. into the conflict over Jerusalem?
The Bible says, “For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle…” Zechariah 14:2.
If such an event happens, then the U.S. would take on the role of stabilizing the chaos created to avoid being drawn into a religious war. Here is where Daniel 11:45 further expounds what prophecy reveals. The last king of the north does not apply to the Papacy as many seem to believe, because the Bible places it on the United States.
The United States plants “the tabernacles” in the “glorious holy mountain” and then comes to “his end.” The Papacy comes to its end at the brightness of the Second Coming of Jesus (2 Thess. 2:8; The Signs of the Times, May 28, 1894 par. 10).
In other words, the U.S. builds tabernacles for the three main religions, Christendom, Judaism, and Mohammedanism, on the true Mount Sinai in Saudi Arabia, which becomes the headquarters for the image of the beast. Then, the United States gets “crushed” by the war in Jerusalem at the end of the forty-two months. (Dan. 11:45 “yet he shall come to his end.”; War News Forecast, Tract 14, p. 22.2).
1. Here are the possible outcomes if the Temple Mount is destroyed:
A. Massive regional escalation
• It will trigger a global religious crisis.
• Iran and its proxies would mobilize.
• Jordan would face an internal crisis.
• Turkey and Saudi Arabia would condemn Israel.
• The Arab League and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) would demand action.
B. Global diplomatic pressure
• Calls for international investigations.
• Demands to rebuild Al Aqsa.
• Pressure to halt Jewish Temple construction.
C. U.S. involvement would increase
• Diplomacy
• Mediation
• Security guarantees
• Crisis management
D. International Intervention:
• Peacekeeping troops or observers are placed in Jerusalem to maintain order.
• The U.S. -- “king of the north.”
o Builds three tabernacles or sanctuaries.
o On the true Mount Sinai in Saudi Arabia, the headquarters for a unified world religious–political system (Rev. 17).
o To appease Christianity, Judaism, and Islam.
“It is self-evident that planting ‘the tabernacles of his palace’ cannot mean planting his capitol. The tabernacles, therefore, may denote a branch of his palace. And his choosing to plant them ‘in the glorious holy mountain,’ indicates that the place is intended to attach to his tabernacles the holiness of the Christian’s God. Investing the tabernacles of his palace with such sanctity, can mean that it is to house the headquarters of the soon-coming ecclesiastical world-government, which we have already considered.” The World Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow, Tract 12, p. 89.
2. Historically, non governmental organizations (NGOs) and academic planners have explored ideas involving the Sinai region in Egypt, including:
• Proposed peace parks in the Sinai Peninsula.
• Multi faith dialogue zones.
• Concepts of shared sacred spaces for regional cooperation.
But it collapsed because:
• Egypt rejected foreign religious structures.
• Israel rejected internationalization of any site connected to its security or religious identity.
• The timing was wrong.
• The location was wrong.
3. Could the U.S. attempt to unite religions?
Under extreme global crisis conditions — such as:
• Destruction of the Temple Mount.
• Religious war.
• Breakdown of religious rights.
• Pressure from Muslim, Jewish, and Christian blocs.
In a catastrophic scenario, the U.S. would attempt a religious project to stabilize the region.
Revelation 13:15 “And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed.”
“The lamblike horns and dragon voice of the symbol point to a striking contradiction between the professions and the practice of the nation thus represented. The ‘speaking’ of the nation is the action of its legislative and judicial authorities. By such action it will give the lie to those liberal and peaceful principles which it has put forth as the foundation of its policy. The prediction that it will speak ‘as a dragon’ and exercise ‘all the power of the first beast’ plainly foretells a development of the spirit of intolerance and persecution that was manifested by the nations represented by the dragon and the leopardlike beast. And the statement that the beast with two horns ‘causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast’ indicates that the authority of this nation is to be exercised in enforcing some observance which shall be an act of homage to the papacy. (par. 1) Such action would be directly contrary to the principles of this government, to the genius of its free institutions, to the direct and solemn avowals of the Declaration of Independence, and to the Constitution. The founders of the nation wisely sought to guard against the employment of secular power on the part of the church, with its inevitable result--intolerance and persecution. The Constitution provides that ‘Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof,’ and that ‘no religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office or public trust under the United States.’ Only in flagrant violation of these safeguards to the nation’s liberty, can any religious observance be enforced by civil authority. But the inconsistency of such action is no greater than is represented in the symbol. It is the beast with lamblike horns--in profession pure, gentle, and harmless--that speaks as a dragon. (par. 2)” The Great Controversy, p. 442.
The legislative and judicial authorities will undermine the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution by repudiating every principle on which it was established.
Another significant point is that the Abraham Accords seem to be a timely peace agreement that will further bring all three religions together, but something has to affect all of them to unite them. Prophetically, psychologically, historically, and geopolitically. A shared crisis could draw together all three Abrahamic religions. It is a major point at which prophetic interpretation and real-world diplomatic logic seem to overlap.
4. All three religions share a common root in Abraham
This shared lineage creates a built in theological bridge:
• Judaism → Abraham as the father of Isaac.
• Christianity → Abraham as the father of faith.
• Islam → Abraham (Ibrahim) as the father of Ishmael.
This shared ancestry is why:
• All three religions claim the Holy Land.
• All three revere Jerusalem.
• All three see Mount Sinai as foundational (the glorious holy mountain).
• All three have end time expectations involving a final crisis.
Could this be the unifying event that touches all three religions at once and is one of the few things capable of creating a global religious realignment? (A New World Order).
5. The Abraham Accords are a symbolic step towards multi religious cooperation:
• Normalize relations between Israel and several Arab states.
• Use Abraham as the symbolic unifier (unites).
• Promote religious coexistence as part of the diplomatic package.
• Encourage interfaith dialogue between Jews, Christians, and Muslims.
The Abraham Accords are not a religious treaty, but they intentionally use religious language to soften political barriers.
Many analysts see the Accords as:
• A precursor to broader regional cooperation.
• A framework that could expand to include religious dimensions.
• A symbolic “reset” of Jewish Muslim relations.
The Accords create the psychological and diplomatic scaffolding for a future multi faith initiative.
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