If there is one phenomenon that has become increasingly visible across the world in recent years, it is the growing obsession with prophecies, the end of the world and attempts to predict future events through religious texts.
Despite frequent claims that modern societies have entered an age of enlightenment and moved beyond the authority of religious scripture, as many Western theorists argue, interest in self proclaimed prophets and apocalyptic predictions has become increasingly widespread. The rapid pace of political and military developments, particularly in the Middle East, has only intensified this trend.
This discussion is not about astrologers or horoscope writers whose annual predictions often become the subject of ridicule when reality proves them wrong. Rather, it concerns attempts to interpret sacred texts as roadmaps for future events, including claims about end times prophecies and, in some cases, attempts to assign precise timelines to them.
Many readers may immediately associate this phenomenon with the Muslim world, particularly given the prominence of certain contemporary figures who attempt to interpret Qur’anic texts as predictions of future events. That discussion, however, lies beyond the scope of this article.
What is less widely recognised is that Israel has become one of the principal centres for religious movements seeking to forecast the future through interpretations of the Torah. Unlike similar movements elsewhere, these approaches are formally rooted within Jewish religious tradition through what is known as Kabbalah, a complex mystical discipline that claims to uncover hidden meanings and signs within sacred texts.
The Rise of Rabbi Nir Ben Artzi
Kabbalah is regarded as one of the most intricate areas of study within traditional Jewish religious schools. While its primary focus is mystical interpretation, some followers use it as a basis for making claims about future events.
One of the most controversial figures associated with these claims is Rabbi Nir Ben Artzi, whose predictions are regularly discussed in Israeli media.
Ben Artzi leads a religious movement whose followers distinguish themselves from other Haredi communities through their strong belief in his almost daily prophetic declarations.
The 69 year old extremist Haredi rabbi was born and continues to live in the settlement of Talmei Yosef, located between Sderot and Kiryat Gat in southern occupied Palestine, near the Gaza Strip.
His family originally came from the Tunisian island of Djerba. After immigrating to Israel, his father changed the family name from Boukhris to Ben Artzi, meaning “Son of My Homeland.”
Unlike many senior rabbis, Ben Artzi was not known for exceptional scholarship in Torah studies. Instead, he rose to prominence during the 1990s by claiming to foresee future events through Kabbalah and by presenting himself as possessing extraordinary spiritual abilities. His public addresses are often delivered with his eyes closed in a manner intended to suggest divine inspiration.
These claims earned him a devoted following among Israeli settlers attracted to his teachings. He also gained support from prominent rabbis, including Safed Chief Rabbi Shmuel Eliyahu and Acre Rabbi Yosef Yashar, both of whom regarded him as a pious man with genuine spiritual insight.
This support persisted despite Ben Artzi becoming embroiled in multiple court cases and major financial corruption allegations involving organisations under his control, including the Ta’ir Niri association, through which hundreds of millions of shekels were reportedly raised.
The Predictions That Drew Public Attention
Since the 1990s, Ben Artzi has repeatedly issued predictions centred on the imminent arrival of the Jewish Messiah and the belief that current events are preparing the way for his appearance.
These messages have offered his followers hope that what he describes as the final victory of the Jewish people over their enemies is approaching, accompanied by increasing divine signs.
Following the events of 7 October, Israeli media widely circulated predictions Ben Artzi had made years earlier, claiming that some had come true.
One frequently cited example was a prediction issued in February 2024 in which he claimed Israel would kill Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar. Eight months later, Israeli occupation forces announced that Sinwar had been killed in Gaza.
Israeli media also revived a prediction he made in 2017 claiming Israel would destroy Iran’s nuclear capabilities without its air force suffering significant losses. This was widely referenced after Israeli attacks on Iranian nuclear facilities during the first twelve day war in 2025.
Prophecy or Political Messaging?
The Israeli media’s promotion of these alleged prophecies appears to have formed part of a broader psychological campaign aimed at reinforcing confidence on the Israeli home front.
A closer examination suggests that Ben Artzi’s statements bear little connection to either religious texts or Kabbalah. They are more accurately understood as expressions of political aspiration than genuine prophecy.
For example, in his prediction concerning Yahya Sinwar, Ben Artzi claimed Sinwar would die in exactly the same manner as Haman, the biblical figure described in the Book of Esther.
According to the biblical account, Haman was publicly executed by the Persian king after his treachery was exposed.
Nothing about Sinwar’s final moments resembled that narrative.
Instead, the widely circulated footage released by the Israeli military showing Sinwar’s final moments produced the opposite effect from what may have been intended. Rather than symbolising defeat, the images became an enduring symbol of resilience after he was seen throwing a stick at an Israeli drone in his final moments.
Likewise, Ben Artzi’s prediction that Iran’s nuclear programme would be eliminated has not materialised during either of the two wars. The strongest indication of this remains the repeated and often contradictory statements made by Donald Trump regarding the actual state of Iran’s nuclear capabilities.
Meanwhile, Ben Artzi’s followers largely ignore the numerous predictions that failed altogether.
Among them was a prophecy issued in October 2021 claiming that several regional leaders would die before the end of that year. Five years have now passed without those predictions coming to fruition.
New Predictions and a Familiar Pattern
Ben Artzi has now issued fresh predictions, claiming Benjamin Netanyahu will secure eighty seats in the next Israeli election and that the so called Third Temple will soon be built on the site of Al Aqsa Mosque.
He has also called on Jews around the world to gather in Israel in preparation for what he describes as this historic event.
The real concern, however, extends beyond Ben Artzi himself.
It lies in the broader approach adopted by several influential settler rabbis, including Yehuda Glick and David Wolfson, who encourage absolute confidence among their followers that biblical and Talmudic prophecies must be fulfilled in the present era.
Their calculation appears to be that unwavering belief itself can become a means of bringing those prophecies into reality through deliberate political and practical action.
When Belief Becomes a Political Programme
This illustrates the real power of prophecy.
Whether true or false, prophetic claims often become deeply embedded within collective consciousness. Once people become convinced that a predicted event is inevitable, they begin interpreting every related development as evidence that its fulfilment has already begun.
As a result, many believers seek to become active participants in bringing those events about rather than simply waiting for them to unfold.
At that point, prophecy ceases to be merely a prediction and becomes a movement dedicated to transforming belief into reality.
This is precisely the dynamic upon which rabbis aligned with Religious Zionism appear to rely as they raise future generations on narratives of prophetic fulfilment.
Some may argue that prophecy encourages passivity by causing people to wait for events to occur naturally.
That may be true where no political force exists to implement such beliefs.
However, when a political leadership possesses both state institutions and executive power while sincerely believing in a particular religious prophecy, prophecy can become a practical programme of government.
This, the author argues, increasingly reflects the current reality within Israel, particularly among figures associated with the Religious Zionist movement, whose worldview is shaped by expectations surrounding the coming of the Messiah, miraculous intervention and other elements of religious mythology.
Within such an environment, a figure like Nir Ben Artzi, despite his claims of divine inspiration and knowledge of the future, can become an influential voice behind the scenes.
According to this perspective, an entire state risks moving steadily towards a model of religious theocracy, with profound consequences not only for the region but potentially for the wider world, even if that path leads to further war, bloodshed and destruction.
