Rev 22:7
Israel - God's Prophetic Timepiece
The Promised Land
The Land of Israel was promised to Abraham:
Genesis 15:17-18 And it came to pass, when the sun went down and it was dark, that behold, there appeared a smoking oven and a burning torch that passed between those pieces. On the same day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying: "To your descendants I have given this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the River Euphrates.
The land is an eternal promise to Abraham's descendants through Isaac:
Genesis 17:7-8 I will establish my covenant as an everlasting covenant between me and you and your descendants after you for the generations to come, to be your God and the God of your descendants after you. The whole land of Canaan, where you are now an alien, I will give as an everlasting possession to you and your descendants after you; and I will be their God."
However, the blessings of the land were contingent on obedience to the Lord. Disobedience resulted in punishment in the form of drought, pestilence and eventually, exile and Gentile rule.
Ezekiel 36:16-19 Moreover the word of the LORD came to me, saying: "Son of man, when the house of Israel dwelt in their own land, they defiled it by their own ways and deeds; to Me their way was like the uncleanness of a woman in her customary impurity. Therefore I poured out My fury on them for the blood they had shed on the land, and for their idols with which they had defiled it. So I scattered them among the nations, and they were dispersed throughout the countries; I judged them according to their ways and their deeds.
(See also Leviticus 26)
The first exiles, predicted by several Old Testament prophets, were fulfilled through the Assyrian and Babylonian exiles of the two Israeli kingdoms. The Old Testament prophets also spoke of a future worldwide exile, which was fulfilled after 70AD, when Jerusalem and the Temple were destroyed as prophesied by Jesus Himself in the Olivet Discourse. God promised, though, that He would bring His people back to the land:
Ezekiel 34:13 And I will bring them out from the peoples and gather them from the countries, and will bring them to their own land; I will feed them on the mountains of Israel, in the valleys and in all the inhabited places of the country.
The fulfillment of the promise for His people to return to the holy land was not contingent on anything the people of Israel did, but only because God keeps His promises and protects His Holy Name in doing so:
Ezekiel 36:20-24 When they came to the nations, wherever they went, they profaned My holy name-when they said of them, 'These are the people of the LORD, and yet they have gone out of His land.' But I had concern for My holy name, which the house of Israel had profaned among the nations wherever they went. "Therefore say to the house of Israel, 'Thus says the Lord GOD: "I do not do this for your sake, O house of Israel, but for My holy name's sake, which you have profaned among the nations wherever you went. And I will sanctify My great name, which has been profaned among the nations, which you have profaned in their midst; and the nations shall know that I am the LORD," says the Lord GOD, "when I am hallowed in you before their eyes. For I will take you from among the nations, gather you out of all countries, and bring you into your own land.
Israel's Disobedience
However, God will deal with Israel's disobedience one last time during the Tribulation or Daniel's 70th Week:
Ezekiel 36:25-28 Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean; I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols. I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them. Then you shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers; you shall be My people, and I will be your God.
Zechariah 13:8-9 "And it shall come to pass in all the land," Says the LORD, " That two-thirds in it shall be cut off and die, But one-third shall be left in it: I will bring the one-third through the fire, Will refine them as silver is refined, And test them as gold is tested. They will call on My name, And I will answer them. I will say, 'This is My people'; And each one will say, 'The LORD is my God.'"
Daniel 9:24 " Seventy weeks are determined For your people and for your holy city, To finish the transgression, To make an end of sins, To make reconciliation for iniquity,
The prophecy of the dry bones in the passage below, specifies that Israel will return to the land in unbelief before they become spiritually alive by accepting their Messiah (Zechariah 12) and receiving the Holy Spirit during the Great Tribulation. The Jews returning to the land in unbelief is being fulfilled today before our very eyes:
Ezekiel 37:1-6 The hand of the LORD came upon me and brought me out in the Spirit of the LORD, and set me down in the midst of the valley; and it was full of bones. Then He caused me to pass by them all around, and behold, there were very many in the open valley; and indeed they were very dry. And He said to me, "Son of man, can these bones live?" So I answered, "O Lord GOD, You know." Again He said to me, "Prophesy to these bones, and say to them, 'O dry bones, hear the word of the LORD!' Thus says the Lord GOD to these bones: "Surely I will cause breath to enter into you, and you shall live. I will put sinews on you and bring flesh upon you, cover you with skin and put breath in you; and you shall live. Then you shall know that I am the LORD."'
Ezekiel 37:7-10 So I prophesied as I was commanded; and as I prophesied, there was a noise, and suddenly a rattling; and the bones came together, bone to bone. Indeed, as I looked, the sinews and the flesh came upon them, and the skin covered them over; but there was no breath in them. Also He said to me, "Prophesy to the breath, prophesy, son of man, and say to the breath, 'Thus says the Lord GOD: "Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe on these slain, that they may live." So I prophesied as He commanded me, and breath came into them, and they lived, and stood upon their feet, an exceedingly great army.
Ezekiel 37:11-14 Then He said to me, "Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. They indeed say, 'Our bones are dry, our hope is lost, and we ourselves are cut off!' Therefore prophesy and say to them, 'Thus says the Lord GOD: "Behold, O My people, I will open your graves and cause you to come up from your graves, and bring you into the land of Israel. Then you shall know that I am the LORD, when I have opened your graves, O My people, and brought you up from your graves. I will put My Spirit in you, and you shall live, and I will place you in your own land. Then you shall know that I, the LORD, have spoken it and performed it," says the LORD.'"
The Persecution of the Jews
The return of the Jews to the Holy Land began largely as a result of persecution:
Ezekiel 34:27-30...They shall be safe in their land; and they shall know that I am the LORD, when I have broken the bands of their yoke and delivered them from the hand of those who enslaved them. And they shall no longer be a prey for the nations, nor shall beasts of the land devour them; but they shall dwell safely, and no one shall make them afraid. I will raise up for them a garden of renown, and they shall no longer be consumed with hunger in the land, nor bear the shame of the Gentiles anymore. Thus they shall know that I, the LORD their God, am with them, and they, the house of Israel, are My people," says the Lord GOD.'"
After Great Britain conquered Palestine during World War I, steps were made towards pledging support for a Jewish State.
However, it wasn't until after the Holocaust (a Jewish "calamity" that was supported, and in some cases perpetuated by many Islamic/Arab groups) and World War II, that there was enough sympathetic support in the world to actually bring about an Israeli state.
The British Mandate of Palestine was a proposal for two nations side-by-side: an Arab nation, Transjordan, and a Jewish nation, Israel.
The Palestinians and War
Due to conflict with the Arabs, Great Britain handed the issue over to the United Nations where they further partitioned the land as shown on the map to the left. All of the Arab leaders voted against it.
After Israel declared their independence, the "ancient hatred" of the Arab nations turned into a war to try to prevent the nation from coming to fruition and to take both nations for themselves. Ironically, these same Arab groups are pushing for a similar partition plan to divide Israel today that they initially rejected.
Israel won their war of independence because God was there with them. However, the Bible is clear that future judgment is coming to these Arab nations because of their "ancient hatred" against Israel and their participation against them in the "calamity" (Holocaust?) because they want the two nations (Israel and Transjordan?) for themselves:
Ezekiel 35:5 "Because you have had an ancient hatred, and have shed the blood of the children of Israel by the power of the sword at the time of their calamity, when their iniquity came to an end
Ezekiel 35:10-11.... "Because you have said, 'These two nations and these two countries shall be mine, and we will possess them,' although the LORD was there, therefore, as I live," says the Lord GOD, "I will do according to your anger and according to the envy which you showed in your hatred against them; and I will make Myself known among them when I judge you."
God also said that when Israel returns, the land that turned desolate after the exile would be blessed again. The desert is blooming!
Ezekiel 36:8-11 But you, O mountains of Israel, you shall shoot forth your branches and yield your fruit to My people Israel, for they are about to come. For indeed I am for you, and I will turn to you, and you shall be tilled and sown. I will multiply men upon you, all the house of Israel, all of it; and the cities shall be inhabited and the ruins rebuilt. I will multiply upon you man and beast; and they shall increase and bear young; I will make you inhabited as in former times, and do better for you than at your beginnings. Then you shall know that I am the LORD.
Ironically, it was the improvement in the land after the Jews began their return from exile in the 19th century, that drew in the Arab people from the surrounding regions. There is evidence that many of these Arabs are descendants of the ancient Edomites, known later in history as the Idumaeans.
During Israel's War of Independence, over 700,000 Arabs that resided in Israel fled. After the war was over, the surrounding Arab countries refused to absorb these refugees into their countries. Instead, the countries of Jordan and Egypt annexed the Gaza Strip and West Bank through negotiations and forced the Palestinian refugees to live there.
These refugees in Israel are called Palestinians today. The passage below in Obadiah accurately describes how the surrounding countries have forced the Palestinian people to live as refugees. These countries have, in effect, been using the Palestinians as pawns to try to divide and destroy Israel, rather than absorbing them into their own countries after Israel won their war of Independence in 1948. The wording about deception and laying a trap supports the notion that the "tents of Edom" are being used as pawns, or bait in a trap being set for Israel.
Obadiah 1:6-7 Oh, how Esau shall be searched out! How his hidden treasures
shall be sought after! All the men in your confederacy Shall force you to the border; The men at peace with you Shall deceive you and prevail against you. Those who eat your bread shall lay a trap for you. No one is aware of it.
Most of these Arab people who live in and around Israel are Muslim. The reality of an Israeli state is a direct threat to their religion and belief in the Koran, which is why they deny Israel's sovereignty. Muslims believe that the Jews lost their right to the land because of their disobedience. The Koran teaches that once Islam has control of a territory, if it is taken by non-Muslims, they are required to take it back (Surah 13:41). Therefore, they believe Israel has no right to the holy land anymore, and it is Allah's will to take it back.
Some of the more extremist groups believe in the Hadith, a supplemental holy book to the Koran. The Hadith teaches that Jews and Christians are infidels that should be killed (Hadith 9:29). Instead of disbelieving in Islam, they reject Israel being a nation and believe that the Jews should be annihilated. In doing so, they blaspheme the Truth of God's Word:
Ezekiel 35:12-13 .... I have heard all your blasphemies which you have spoken against the mountains of Israel, saying, 'They are desolate; they are given to us to consume.' Thus with your mouth you have boasted against Me and multiplied your words against Me; I have heard them."
Ezekiel prophesied that the mountains of Israel would be taken from Israel's enemies and given back to Israel after their return from exile. These ancient heights are the Golan Heights and the mountains in the West Bank.
Ezekiel 36:1-5 "And you, son of man, prophesy to the mountains of Israel, and say, 'O mountains of Israel, hear the word of the LORD! Thus says the Lord GOD: "Because the enemy has said of you, 'Aha! The ancient heights have become our possession,'"' therefore prophesy, and say, 'Thus says the Lord GOD: "Because they made you desolate and swallowed you up on every side, so that you became the possession of the rest of the nations, and you are taken up by the lips of talkers and slandered by the people"- therefore, O mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Lord GOD! Thus says the Lord GOD to the mountains, the hills, the rivers, the valleys, the desolate wastes, and the cities that have been forsaken, which became plunder and mockery to the rest of the nations all around- therefore thus says the Lord GOD: "Surely I have spoken in My burning jealousy against the rest of the nations and against all Edom, who gave My land to themselves as a possession, with wholehearted joy and spiteful minds, in order to plunder its open country."'
This prophecy was fulfilled when Israel took back the Golan Heights and the West Bank in the Six-Day-War in 1967:
Six-Day War 1967
Since the Jews have been returning to the land, it has been a constant struggle in the Middle East in the form of wars and terrorism. The Islamic world is bent on destroying Israel, while the rest of the world is determined to bring peace to the region by dividing Israel and Jerusalem. What the world fails to realize is that Islamic ideology will never allow for a peace agreement to last.
Islam's "culture of death", in the form of raising suicide bombers, who believe they are doing the will of Allah, make the situation even more impossible. The reason the United States has been drawn into the struggle against Islamic extremists, is simply because we are an impediment to the destruction of Israel.
As was prophesied in the Bible, this region will continue in turmoil until the Messiah returns:
Zechariah 12:1-3 The burden of the word of the LORD against Israel. Thus says the LORD, who stretches out the heavens, lays the foundation of the earth, and forms the spirit of man within him: "Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of drunkenness to all the surrounding peoples, when they lay siege against Judah and Jerusalem. And it shall happen in that day that I will make Jerusalem a very heavy stone for all peoples; all who would heave it away will surely be cut in pieces, though all nations of the earth are gathered against it.
Those that try to divide the land appear to be peacemakers. However, they are acting in opposition to the Will of God, so destruction will come on those that try:
Ezekiel 36:5-7 & 12 therefore thus says the Lord GOD: "Surely I have spoken in My burning jealousy against the rest of the nations and against all Edom, who gave My land to themselves as a possession, with wholehearted joy and spiteful minds, in order to plunder its open country."' "Therefore prophesy concerning the land of Israel, and say to the mountains, the hills, the rivers, and the valleys, 'Thus says the Lord GOD: "Behold, I have spoken in My jealousy and My fury, because you have borne the shame of the nations." Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: "I have raised My hand in an oath that surely the nations that are around you shall bear their own shame....My people Israel; they shall take possession of you, and you shall be their inheritance; no more shall you bereave them of children."
1 Thessalonians 5:3 For when they say, "Peace and safety!", then sudden destruction comes upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman. And they shall not escape.
The world insists that the answer is to divide tiny Israel, but the Lord says it belongs to Israel. The Arabs want to take all of Israel. But has the Lord been unfair to the Arabs?
Judgment is coming in the form of two wars to Israel's neighbors who are bent on her destruction and who currently possess a large area of the land promised to Israel by God. The Old Testament prophets are littered with unfulfilled prophecies concerning the judgment on Israel's immediate neighbors.
In the first war, the Palestinian refugees, who are the "tents of Edom", (Psalm 83:6) will form a confederacy with Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria against Israel. The devastation of this war on both sides, including the complete destruction of Damascus (Isaiah 17), leads to the conclusion that Israel's existence will be threatened to the point that they will have no choice but to unleash what they call the "Samson Option"; taking down their enemies with massive retaliation in the form of nuclear warfare.
The following scriptures describing this "Great Middle East War":
Before looking at the second war, a note must be made about two countries not directly mentioned in either war; Iraq and Egypt. If the fulfillment of these coming wars is in the near future, we can see that Iraq will not be in either war as it has been neutralized as a threat by the United States.
As for Egypt, currently Israel and Egypt have a nearly three decade long peace agreement that could possibly hold through the conflicts. However, there are several prophecies in the Old Testament of judgment against Egypt that have not been fulfilled yet. It is possible that these prophecies are either fulfilled during the Tribulation, or in one of these two other wars as a result of collateral damage, as they are not listed as being a member of either confederation.
The second war, found in Ezekiel 38-39, is known as the "Gog and Magog War". There are at least five pre-requisites of the state of Israel before this war can take place:
- The Jews will return from exile to the mountains of Israel (Ezekiel 38:8 & 12)
- They will be living securely in Israel (Ezekiel 38:8 & 11)
- They will have recovered from war (Ezekiel 38:8)
- The Jews and the land of Israel will have great wealth (Ezekiel 38:8 & 12-13)
- The land east of the Dead Sea will be included in Israel's borders (Ezekiel 39:11-12)
The Jews have returned from exile and took the West Bank and the Golan Heights in the Six-Day War. Israel is doing rather well economically, and they have recovered from several wars, yet, they are not living securely with the threat looming by her immediate neighbors. Also, the land east of the Dead Sea is currently under Jordanian rule. The "Great Middle East War" will wipe out the threat from her neighbors. In addition, Israel's borders will greatly expand and Jordan will be included in this expansion. As a result, Israel's wealth will vastly increase.
The devastation on Israel described in the "Great Middle East War" will be difficult to recover from, especially population-wise. However, the likely rise in anti-Semitism after the war will probably force much of the rest of the world's Jews to move to Israel for safety. God has allowed persecution of the Jews time and again over the past century to re-gather them home:
Ezekiel 28:25-26 'Thus says the Lord GOD: "When I have gathered the house of Israel from the peoples among whom they are scattered, and am hallowed in them in the sight of the Gentiles, then they will dwell in their own land which I gave to My servant Jacob. And they will dwell safely there, build houses, and plant vineyards; yes, they will dwell securely, when I execute judgments on all those around them who despise them. Then they shall know that I am the LORD their God."'"
Notice in the passage above, that Israel will dwell securely only after God executes judgment on her neighbors that despise them. Ezekiel also tells us Israel will be dwelling securely before the war in Ezekiel 38-39. Also, consider the members listed in the Gog and Magog horde:
Israel's immediate neighbors are conspicuously missing from the list, suggesting that the Great Middle East War occurs first; before the Gog and Magog War. This scenario fits, considering the other pre-requisites for the Gog and Magog War as well. God will be judging these nations because they have come against Israel:
Genesis 12:3 I will bless those who bless you, and curse those who curse you...
This outer-ring of Israel's neighbors has not been directly involved in war with Israel. However, they have supported the inner-ring of Israel's enemies; including the terrorist groups who have been, in effect, fighting a proxy war for this outer ring of nations, namely Iran.
Islam and Atheism will be judged in the Gog and Magog and Great Middle East Wars. All the nations, except Russia, in these two wars are Islamic. However, while Russians largely profess Orthodox Christianity, the government is atheistic and the Islamic population is growing rapidly there. After God pours out His Judgment in these two wars, both Islam and atheism will virtually cease to exist as all "gods" will be reduced to nothing.
Zephaniah 2:10-11 This they shall have for their pride, because they have reproached and made arrogant threats against the people of the LORD of hosts. The LORD will be awesome to them, for He will reduce to nothing all the gods of the earth; People shall worship Him, each one from his place, indeed all the shores of the nations.
Ezekiel 38:22-23 And I will bring him to judgment with pestilence and bloodshed; I will rain down on him, on his troops, and on the many peoples who are with him, flooding rain, great hailstones, fire, and brimstone. Thus I will magnify Myself and sanctify Myself, and I will be known in the eyes of many nations. Then they shall know that I am the LORD."'
For more on the two wars described above see:
As God is turning back to Israel and pouring out His Judgment and Wrath on their enemies, these two wars are likely to usher in the Tribulation, where Israel will be tested and refined and her enemies will all be destroyed at the Second Coming of Jesus (Zechariah 12-14). Not only is Israel God's prophetic timepiece, she is also the epicenter of prophecy:
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