The Shattering of the Holy People

The "holy people" refers to Israel or a faithful remnant, and their "shattering" is understood as a period of intense tribulation and purification.

During a recent ICEJ daily Global Prayer Gathering via Zoom this Scripture was shared, and although I believe, as we rightly divide the Word of Truth, that it applies to the future period of Jacob’s Trouble (the Great Tribulation) nevertheless we are seeing it already partially come to pass.

Israeli hearts are shattered.

It is beyond comprehension that terrorists are so cruel that they would kill the Bibas babies with their own hands, but they also murdered, tortured, maimed and even burned alive other babies, children and adults on 7 October 2023.

An Israeli pastor shared today during the ICEJ Zoom that the Israel he knows now is not the Israel of the past. Due to the ongoing atrocities of Hamas, the people are filled, he said, “ more with grief than outrage.”

Truly the wisdom of Solomon is required concerning the ongoing conflict.

Following the handover of the bodies of four slain Israeli hostages by Hamas on February 20, 2025, Israeli Defense Minister Katz declared, "Hamas abducted, Hamas murdered, Hamas will be destroyed."

With America’s backing, Israel knows it must finish off Hamas, completely eradicating the evil, but they have the terrible dilemma of also harming in the crossfire the other remaining hostages.

One of the most pitiful and sadistic scenes was Hamas bringing living hostages out in a vehicle to watch the sick circus of other hostages being released. Then those tortured souls were driven back to the terror tunnels to await their fate.

Such behavior is not confined to Hamas. “Palestinian Arabs in general have systematically targeted Jewish children and adults for barbaric and sadistic slaughter and mutilation,” wrote columnist Melanie Phillips.

Images from the year 2000 still haunt me when two Israeli soldiers took a wrong turn and drove into Ramallah. They were dragged from their car into a police station, where they were murdered. One of their bodies was thrown out the window to a lynch mob that tore the body to shreds. One of the murderers proudly held up his hands drenched in Israeli blood. I tried to write to the widow of that person and don’t know if my condolence ever reached her—but how could any wife or family member recover, humanly speaking, from such demonic action?

In 2004, Arab terrorists opened fire on the Hatuel family’s car near their home in Gaza when Jews still lived there. They shot and murdered at close range Tali Hatuel, who was eight months pregnant, and her four daughters, ages 11, 9, 7 and 2.

Captivity survivor Yocheved Lipshitz spoke today of her disillusionment at the funeral of her 84-year-old hostage husband Oded: "Our kidnapping and death shake me. We fought all these years for peace and social justice - unfortunately we suffered a severe blow from the people we helped on the other side."

I am grateful for her honest assessment in the midst of heartbreak. Israel as a nation is being brought to the point of realizing that God Almighty truly means business when it comes to their exercising sovereignty over the Promised Land.

He stated in Joel 3: 2, "I will gather all nations

and bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat.

There I will put them on trial

for what they did to my inheritance, my people Israel,

because they scattered my people among the nations

and divided up my land."

This is part of the “shattering of the power of the holy people,” prophesied Daniel 12: 7 apocalyptically.

People who are not attuned to End-time prophecy and God’s eternal purposes may wonder why this is happening.

Theologians who interpret Daniel 12:7—where it speaks of "a time, times, and half a time" and the "shattering of the power of the holy people"—often see it as a prophetic necessity tied to the unfolding of divine history.

In this passage, an angelic figure swears by God that these events must occur before certain mysteries are resolved.

The "holy people" typically refers to Israel or a faithful remnant, and their "shattering" is understood as a period of intense tribulation or purification.

Many eschatologists argue that this shattering is inevitable because it aligns with God’s pattern of refining His people through trials like a forge—metal’s impurities are burned away to make it stronger.

In biblical terms, this is expressed in Deuteronomy 8:2, where God tests Israel to reveal their hearts, or Zechariah 13:9, where a remnant is refined through fire.

The idea is that the holy people’s power—whether political, spiritual, or cultural—must be broken to strip away self-reliance. They are being prepared for ultimate redemption.

As for the eternal purpose, it’s often tied to the climax of God’s plan: the establishment of His kingdom.

In Daniel’s broader vision (chapters 7-12), this shattering precedes the defeat of oppressive powers (like the "little horn" or Antichrist figures) and the resurrection of the dead (12:2-3).

Theologian professors like Tremper Longman III or John Goldingay suggest it’s about cosmic justice—evil must run its course, the faithful must endure, and then God intervenes to set everything right.

The eternal payoff is a purified people ready for everlasting life, where "those who are wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens." (Daniel 12:3)

In Romans 11 in the New Testament, Israel’s "partial hardening" leads to the inclusion of the Gentiles, culminating finally in "all Israel" being saved.

The shattering, then, is a pivot point for universal reconciliation under God’s rule.

Again, the Lord spoke to me this morning to ask all intercessors to pray for the wisdom of Solomon for Israel’s actions at this time. Another intercessor on the ICEJ Zoom had received the same word.

Lord, make a way where there seems to be no way for the remaining hostages to escape while at the same time eliminating the powers of darkness that have entrenched that stronghold.

Deuteronomy 32:35 declares, "Vengeance is Mine, and recompense; their foot shall slip in due time; for the day of their calamity is at hand, and the things to come hasten upon them."

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