The Book of Revelation: Session 4 – Israel In Prophecy

Notes:

Israel in Prophecy

The conflict in the Middle East is a collision between an unrelenting force, Islam, and an immovable object, Israel. Israel is mentioned in the Scriptures, either as a land or a people, over 2,500 times. There are hundreds of prophecies given thousands of years ago about Jerusalem and Israel. Note:

Israel and the Promised Land

1) When God singled out the nation of Israel He purposed for them to possess a land which He had prepared for them. He can do this because the whole earth is His, Gen.17:8; Psa.105:7-11; Deut.9:4&5. He has never made such a promise to any other nation.

2) He refers to the land known as Israel as ‘My Land’, Joel.3:2. The context of these passages is that of Gentile nations challenging rightful ownership of the land. Those who do this do not confront Israel, but God.

3) Since the land belongs to the LORD, He expressly forbids any permanent selling of it, Lev.25:23.

4) On 3 occasions the people of Israel have left their land, but after some time have returned:

  • When Jacob took his family to Egypt during a famine and remained there for over 400 years as foretold by God, Gen.15:12-18.
  • The time of the captivity, when the Jews were exiled to Babylon for 70 years for their disobedience.
  • In AD 70 when the Romans razed Jerusalem to the ground, destroyed their temple and scattered the Jews among the nations of the earth because of their rejection of Christ, Lk.21:20-24. Yet God promised that in the last days He would return them to their land. He would not let His people be destroyed, nor their distinct identity be lost, Jer.30:11; 31:35-36.

5) Each time Israel was not dwelling in their land it was still referred to as theirs. Ownership has never been transferred to another nation. God always said He would return them to ‘their land’, Ezek.36:24; Amos 9:15.

6) God has a special care for this land (Deut.11:12) and has warned that He will deal in judgment with any nation which seeks to possess His land, Psa.10:16. Likewise, He will not countenance with favour any attempts by Israel to trade His land for peace. Any such ‘peace’ will be a false peace with disastrous consequences.

The issue of the land is not one of whose side we are on or who is more worthy of the land, but whether or not we are submitted to the counsel of God as revealed clearly in His Word. It is not a question of being pro-Jewish or pro-Palestinian, but pro-Biblical.

The Modern State of Israel

The holocaust, as horrific as it was, became a catalyst for complacent Jews to seek a homeland, Isa.43:6; Jer.31:8. After the holocaust there was a mass migration of Jews to what was then called Palestine. By 1947 the UN announced that the then 800,000 Jews in Palestine be given a piece of land for themselves. In 1948 the State of Israel was birthed and Arabs in Palestine, together with other Arab nations, went to war against Israel. They have never known a day of peace since they became a nation, including several all-out wars:

  • The War of Independence. Israel, a fledgling nation, were poorly armed and grossly outnumbered yet overcame the might of the Arab world.
  • The Suez War, 1956. Only 8 years old as a nation Israel defeated Egypt who were strongly aligned to the Soviet Union.
  • The Six-Day War, 1967. Israel miraculously overcame the combined forces of Syria, Egypt and Jordan. They took control of the Golan Heights and also the West Bank, including Jerusalem.
  • The Lebanon War, 1982. Israel again, defeated Syria and the PLO who were based in Lebanon.

 Jerusalem –a cup of drunkenness for the nations (Zechariah 12)

  • Like a cup of wine Jerusalem will appear like a cup of wine, enticing the nations who gather against her to lay siege, v.2. But the cup will intoxicate them and send them staggering back, startled.
  • This will be the time of Jacob’s trouble when the nations attempt to destroy Israel as a nation.
  • But like a heavy stone, Israel will roll back on them and crush them to pieces, because the LORD will fight for Israel and be known to both Israel and the nations at this time, Zech.12:4-10; Ezek.38:23.

At this time will come the judgment of the Gentile nations and Israel’s salvation


# Answers to this quiz are found in the notes above. Click on quiz to commence. Only correct spelling is recognised. A minimum 70%  correct is required to advance to the next session.