ISRAEL IN PROPHECY

Israel in Prophecy
[3rd Edition – June 2007]
Page
Lesson 1 God’s purpose in choosing Israel 1
Lesson 2 Israel – natural and spiritual 5
Lesson 3 A Prophetic drama 9
Lesson 4 Whose land is it – legally? 11
Lesson 5 Israel in modern times – Part 1 14
Lesson 6 Israel in modern times – Part 2 17
Lesson 7 Israel in the future – Part 1 20
Lesson 8 Israel in the future – Part 2 24
Author:
Erling Rasmussen
Copyright © 1998 All Africa Bible College
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God’s purpose in choosing Israel
Lesson 1
A. Introduction
Read Romans 9:3-5
Israel is the most unique nation on the earth:
· Its people were specially chosen by God to reveal His will, His greatness and love.
· God made His binding covenant with them.
· They were given God’s law.
· They were given the promises.
· From them came the Holy Scriptures.
· From them all nations of the earth will be blessed.
· From them came Jesus Christ.
· In Israel the church was born and the gospel spread all over the world.
B. The beginning of the nation of Israel
1. One man’s obedience to God.
Read Genesis 12:1-8
a) The obedience of Abram to God’s call marks the beginning of the nation of
Israel. Abram had blind faith in, and total obedience to, God’s word for him.
b) Remember: Abram was a “gentile”, living in Ur in Mesopotamia – an idolworshipping
place. However Abram must, through honest seeking, have found
a relationship with the true God and left everything behind to worship Him
alone.
2. God’s response to Abram’s obedience.
Read Genesis 15:18-21 and 22:14-18
a) The promise of a land, with very specific boundaries “from the river of Egypt to
the great river Euphrates”.
i) A good land – “a land of milk and honey”.
ii) Later this land became the centre of the known world. Today it is the hub
where three continents meet: The East, Europe and Africa.
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b) The promise of a son, who would multiply into descendants as numerous as the
stars of heaven and the sand on the seashore.
c) God changed his name from Abram to Abraham.
Abram – means “Exalted Father”.
Abraham – means “Father of a multitude”.
So after that day, Abraham, by faith, had to introduce himself as “I am the father
of a multitude” although, in the advanced years of himself and his wife, he did
not even have one child, but he trusted God’s promise.
C. Why did God choose Abraham (Israel)?
1. To fulfil His Divine purpose of redemption.
Read Genesis 3:15 and 12:3
a) God’s purpose in choosing Abraham (Israel) was to create an earthly line of
descent for the promised Messiah.
b) At the fall of Adam, God promised “The seed of the woman shall bruise the
head of the serpent”.
c) So in Abraham God secured the line from which that “seed” (Christ) would be
born.
d) To Abraham He promised “In you shall all the families of the earth be blessed”.
2. To fulfil God’s wish to reveal Himself to man.
Read Hebrews 1:1-3
a) Through all the Jewish prophets, priests and leaders – right from Abraham and
Moses to John the Baptist – God revealed Himself to man.
b) But most of all, He revealed Himself in Jesus Christ of Nazareth – the “seed” of
the woman.
3. To give His law – His word to man.
Read Romans 3:1-2
a) “To them (the Jews) were committed the oracles of God”. It was to Israel God
gave His law from Mount Sinai.
b) Of the 44 writers of the 66 books in the Bible only two are not Jews (Job and
Luke).
c) Truly, God entrusted the Jews with the great task of communicating His
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infallible word to mankind.
4. To raise a people with whom God could have a deep love-relationship.
a) Abraham was God’s friend.
Read Deuteronomy 7:6-7 and Ephesians 2:11-22
i) In a world of idol worshippers, God chose Israel as a people for Himself.
He would shower them with blessings if they would remain fully His and
would worship Him alone.
ii) Through them God would bless the world and win for His Son a “Bride”
(The Church) out of all tribes and nations of the earth.
b) God confirms His covenant with Isaac.
Read Genesis 26:24
After Abraham’s death God appeared to Isaac, the miracle child of Abraham,
and confirmed the covenant He had made with his father.
c) God confirms His covenant with Jacob.
Read Genesis 28:10-22
In spite of Jacob’s bad character, God was faithful to His covenant with
Abraham and confirmed it to Jacob.
d) God changes Jacob into Israel.
Read Genesis 32:24-32
i) The name Jacob means Deceiver.
The name Israel means The Prince of God.
ii) Jacob wrestled with God: God forced Jacob to wrestle between the
consciousness of sin and repentance. The only way Jacob “won” was by
clinging to God’s promises.
iii) God’s blessing remains: It was a total change of His nature. His
deviousness and stubbornness were broken. He was given a brand new
name.
(This is God’s gift to any repentant sinner.)
iv) This new name “Israel” became the name of the nation, and Jacobs’s sons
gave names to the 12 tribes of Israel.
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5. God never lost His love for Israel, in spite of their failures.
Listen to God’s statements of love right throughout the Old Testament:
Exodus 19:5-9, “You shall be a SPECIAL TREASURE unto Me, above all people, for
all the earth is Mine; and you shall be unto Me a Kingdom of Priests and a Holy
Nation”.
Deuteronomy 14:2, “You are a holy people unto the Lord your God and the Lord has
CHOSEN you to be a special people unto Him, ABOVE ALL THE NATIONS THAT
ARE UPON THE EARTH”.
Deuteronomy 26:19, “And He will set you HIGH ABOVE ALL NATIONS which He
has made, in praise, in name and in honour, and that you may be a holy people to the
Lord your God, just as He has spoken”.
Deuteronomy 7:7-9, “The Lord did not set His love upon you, nor choose you
because you were more in number than any other people, for you were the least of all
peoples, but because THE LORD LOVES YOU and would keep the oath He swore to
your fathers”.
“Therefore know that the Lord your God, He is God, the faithful God who keeps
covenant and mercy for A THOUSAND GENERATIONS with those who love Him
and keep His commandments”.
Isaiah 54:10-13, “For the mountains shall depart and the hills be removed, but My
kindness shall not depart from you, nor shall My covenant of peace be removed, says
the Lord, who has mercy on you”.
“O you afflicted one, tossed with tempest, and not comforted. Behold I will lay your
stones with colourful gems, and lay your foundations with sapphires. I will make your
pinnacles of rubies, your gates of crystal, and all your walls of precious stones. All
your children shall be taught by the Lord, and great shall be the peace of your
children”.
Zechariah 2:8-10, “He who touches you (Israel) touches the apple of His eye”. “Sing
and rejoice O daughter of Zion, for behold I am coming and I will dwell in your midst,
says the Lord”.
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Israel – natural and spiritual
Lesson 2
A. A brief history of Israel
1. The Children of Israel.
Read Genesis 34:7 and Exodus 32:4
It was from this time that the descendants of Jacob began to be called Israel, or the
"Children of Israel".
2. Israel in Egypt.
Read Genesis 46:2-4
a) God allowed Israel to go to Egypt; He even gave them three promises in this
connection:
i) “I will go with you to Egypt”.
ii) “I will multiply you greatly there”.
iii) “I will bring you back”.
b) In about 1850 BC the whole family of Jacob (Israel) migrated to Egypt, where
they stayed for 430 years. Exodus 12:40.
3. The conquest of the Land under Joshua.
Read Joshua 1:1-5
This happened from 1420 BC and lasted 66 years, up to the time of the Judges.
4. The period of the Judges.
For the next 330 years Israel was led by Judges. The six major Judges in that period
being: Othniel, Ehud, Deborah, Gideon, Jephthah and Samson.
5. The period of Saul, David and Solomon.
This period, from about 1924 to 930 BC, was undoubtedly the greatest time in Israel’s
troubled history.
6. The Two Kingdoms.
Read 2 Samuel 2:10-11 and 2 Samuel 5:1-5
a) The Hebrew people split into two kingdoms at the death of Saul. The northern
and eastern tribes recognised Saul's son, Ishbosheth, as king. The tribe of Judah
followed David.
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b) From this time onward Israel is frequently used as the name for the ten tribes.
Ishbosheth reigned for two years and was assassinated, but seven years elapsed
before the breach was healed and David was anointed king over all Israel.
c) However, the jealousies continued and on the death of Solomon (David’s son),
ten tribes followed Jeroboam and two remained faithful to the house of David.
d) Compared to Judah and Benjamin (now called Judah), the Northern Kingdom
(called Israel) had ten tribes, twice the population, and nearly three times the
extent of territory, but spiritually they were weak.
e) The northern Israelites were constantly at war with Judah in the south. Israel and
Judah were taken into captivity as a punishment for their sin and disobedience.
(2 Kings 17:7-8; 2 Kings 17:15.)
7. The Old Testament is largely a record of the history of Israel and God's
revelation to them:
a) Their deliverance from Egypt, Exodus 3:7-10.
b) Their wanderings through the wilderness.
c) Their entrance into the Promised Land.
d) Their sin and, as a result thereof, their captivity and final dispersion among the
nations of the world, Deuteronomy 29:27-28.
e) God promised that His chosen people, Israel, would be restored to their land,
Isaiah 11:11-12.
B. The natural and the spiritual Israel
1. The significant difference.
Read Romans 9:6-8
a) There is a difference between Israel as a nation and spiritual Israel (The bornagain
believers).
"For they are not all Israel, which are of Israel". There is a definite distinction
between natural and spiritual Israel.
b) "Those who are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God; but
the children of the promise are counted as the seed".
NB: Isaac is a perfect type of Christ (verse 7).
c) Only by spiritual birth, through the finished work of Christ on the Cross, do we
become children of God.
d) Many of the Old Testament saints like Abraham, Moses, Samuel, David, Daniel
etc., in their worship of God, became foreshadows of the Cross of Christ, but
many others of Israel rejected God (Christ) and worshipped false gods.
e) Romans 2:28-29, "For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that
circumcision which is outward in the flesh. But he is a Jew which is one
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inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter;
whose praise is not of men, but of God".
f) Romans 4:3, "Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for
righteousness". Not a work of the Law!
g) Romans 4:5, "Faith was reckoned to Abraham for righteousness".
h) Romans 4:10-11. The Covenant was made with Abraham while he was a
Gentile. He became the father of gentiles in the faith.
i) Original justification by faith belonged to the Gentiles. When the Gospel came
they took hold of it as their original right. The Jews, to be saved, must come
under the Abrahamic Covenant, in which the Gentiles were originally included.
Read Romans 4:12-16. It is by faith in God’s grace that any person becomes a
child of God.
2. Israel in the Old Testament is a type of the Church.
Read 1 Corinthians 10:1-12
But only when they walked in obedience to God!
Blindness and disobedience cut them off, like a branch from the tree of God’s
promises, and they became a warning to us.
A type of the apostate Church!
3. God’s Judgement fell upon them.
a) They lost their Divine favour.
Read Deuteronomy 28:58-66
These curses have literally been fulfilled in the course of their history.
b) Israel became like a unfruitful vine.
Read Isaiah 5:1-7
“I expected it to bring forth good grapes, but it brought forth wild grapes. Now
please let Me tell you what I will do to My vineyard: I will take away its hedge,
and it shall be burned, and break down its walls, and it shall be trampled down”.
c) Israel is characterised as an adulteress.
Read Ezekiel 6:9-10
To worship other gods is adultery in the eyes of God.
d) A tough judgement.
Read Jeremiah 15:1-3
“Let them go forth … to death … to the sword … to famine … to captivity”.
e) Utterly cut off.
Read Hosea 9:17
Cut off from all God’s blessings and even from the land.
4. Natural Israel is cut off, but only for a time.
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Read Romans 11:21-29
a) We are in the time of grace, where “the wild branches are grafted in on the good
tree” but only until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. (Verses 25-26)
b) Let us remind ourselves again that every true believer, born of the Spirit, is part
of Spiritual Israel. However, the Nation of Israel with its twelve tribes has not
been forgotten by God.
c) When the church period is complete, God will again deal with the natural Israel.
“God is able to graft them in again”, verse 23. And He will – that is His promise.
(Verses 25-26.)
d) Read Ezekiel 37:21.
The many end-time prophecies about Israel gathering in their land again, their
repentance, their cleansing and David reigning over them for ever, refers to this
period. (Jesus Christ is the “greater David”, Acts 1:6-7.)
e) Read Genesis 49:8-10.
The Tribe of Judah was distinguished as the kingly line through which the
Messiah would come. David came from this Royal Family and later, at the
appointed time, JESUS "the son of David" came.
5. The restoration of the nation of Israel, back to their country.
Read Ezekiel 11:16-20 and 20:40-44 and Isaiah 11:12
a) The restoration of Israel, back to their country, is spoken of throughout
Scripture.
b) It made the headlines in the newspapers on May 14, 1948, when Israel became
an independent state. The Star of David is again raised over the ancient land that
God gave to Abraham.
c) It was the late President Nasser of Egypt who declared on June 17, 1959: “We
will exterminate Israel!” It is obvious that he had not read the Bible prophecy,
which clearly declares: “And they shall no more be pulled up out of their land
which I have given them”, Amos 9:15.
6. Replacement Theology.
Read Matthew 21:41-43
Scriptures such as the above have been used to create a teaching that has been accepted
by certain believers. This doctrine says: “Israel (the Jews) are rejected forever, because
of their disobedience. God has given up His plan for them and turned all their powerful
promises over to the church in a spiritual form.
This study will prove beyond doubt that such teaching is unbiblical.
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A Prophetic drama
Lesson 3
A. Introduction
· It was a very common thing for God to call on the Old Testament Prophets to act out
their message before the people, in order to make a greater impact upon them.
· Of course God knew – what modern psychology has discovered – that what you only
hear, can easily be forgotten, but what you hear, see, and experience makes a far
greater impression on you.
· God called the Prophet Hosea to act out a very difficult prophetic drama in front of the
people of Israel. He wanted to show them how their idol worship had hurt Him and
how He would reject them and how He would later have mercy on them and accept
them back again.
B. Hosea marries a Harlot
Read Hosea 1:2
It was God’s clear command for Hosea to go and marry the harlot Gomer.
Why did God do that?
To make Israel understand how, by worshipping idols (committing spiritual adultery), they
had broken their covenant (marriage covenant) with Him.
C. Jezreel is born
Read Hosea 1:3-5
1. Significantly, God named the first son of Hosea and Gomer the harlot “Jezreel”, which
means “God shall scatter” or “God shall sow”.
2. Calamity will always come out of spiritual adultery: Israel was scattered and sown out
among the nations.
D. Lo-Ruhamah is born
Read Hosea 1:6
1. God named their next child “Lo-Ruhamah”, which means: “I have mercy no more”.
2. By continually being unfaithful, Israel over-stepped the mark of God’s patience with
them.
E. Lo-Ammi is born
Read Hosea 1:9
1. God named the child “Lo-Ammi”, which means “Not My people”.
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2. The child became a prophecy for the time when God would cut Israel off from the
“good Olive tree” of His blessings and care (as mentioned in Romans 11:15-22).
F. The tough judgement on Gomer (Israel)
Read Hosea 2:1-13
1. “I will strip her naked; I will make her like a desert; I will hedge up her way with
thorns; I will cause all her feasts to cease”.
2. All this has in fact happened to Israel!
3. “I will punish her for the days of the Baals, to which she burned incense, she decked
herself with earrings and jewellery and went after her lovers. Then she forgot Me says
the Lord”.
G. God’s covenant love
Read Hosea 1:10-11
1. Here, as in Romans 11:24-25, God’s covenant love shines through. He promised to
pick Israel up again some time in the future, and to graft them back into the good Olive
tree.
2. The promises of her restoration are found throughout the book.
Read Hosea 1:10-11
Here God actually repeats some of the original covenant promises given to Abraham.
3. Read Hosea 11:1-11.
You can hear the Fatherheart bleeding for the lost child, as in the story of the Prodigal
Son: “How can I give you up? How can I hand you over, Israel? How can I make you
like Admah? How can I treat you like Zeboiim! My heart churns within Me, I will not
execute the fierceness of my anger”.
4. Verses 10-11: The return of the people of Israel predicted: “His sons shall come
trembling from the west, they shall come trembling like a bird from Egypt, like a dove
from the land of Assyria. And I will let them dwell in their houses”.
Could this be a prediction of Jews returning to their land in modern aeroplanes, as also
indicated in Isaiah 60:8-9?
5. Read Hosea 14:1-9.
Once again a strong call from God to return to Him in repentance, and God promises
His wonderful healing and restoration.
“O Israel, return to the Lord your God, for you have stumbled because of your iniquity.
I will heal their backsliding, I will love them freely, for My anger has turned away
from him. I will be like the dew to Israel, he shall grow like a lily”.
The whole prophetic book of Hosea is about Israel’s fall, rejection and restoration.
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Whose land is it – legally?
Lesson 4
A. Introduction
Throughout the generations, right up to modern time, the question of ownership of the land
of Palestine has been heatedly debated and claims have led to a lot of bloodshed and wars.
Today the eyes of the world are again focused on Palestine and a major war could break out
at any time over the rights to the title deed of this little piece of land.
Who does this land really belong to??
B. A covenant promise to Abraham
Read Genesis 15:18-21
1. We have already seen that God gave Abraham this land as a covenant promise, which
was confirmed to Isaac and Jacob.
2. Their side of the covenant was simply “full obedience to the Lord their God”.
C. Will disobedience cause them to lose their land for good?
Read Deuteronomy 28:64-67
1. If you disobey, “Then the Lord will scatter you among all peoples, from one end of the
earth to the other”. “Your life shall hang in doubt before you, you shall fear day and
night”.
2. Some hold that the covenant made by God, which gave Israel the land of Palestine,
was a conditional covenant and depended upon the obedience of Abraham’s
descendants for its fulfilment.
Notice that God promised chastisement for disobedience and even that they would be
scattered among the nations if they were to live in rebellion to Him, but never did He
indicate that His covenant would be put aside.
D. Full repentance would always bring them back
Read Deuteronomy 30:4-5
1. “If you return to the Lord your God and obey His voice … even if any of you are
driven out to the farthest parts under heaven, from there the Lord your God will gather
you … then the Lord your God will bring you to the land your fathers possessed, and
you shall possess it”.
This promise was given when they returned after 400 years in Egypt.
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2. Many could have thought “Such a long time away from the land … will God still
remember?” God spoke these powerful words through Moses. Read all of
Deuteronomy chapters 28, 29 and 30.
E. Assyrian and Babylonian captivities prophesied
Read Deuteronomy 28:47-62
1. Moses predicted their continued disobedience. As always, God stood by His word and
the people were punished and went into captivity.
2. Israel (the 10 tribes) was taken into captivity to Assyria for 150 years and only a
remnant of them returned. Some mixed with the tribe of Judah, some mixed with the
Samaritans and others remained in Assyria. (We meet some of them on the day of
Pentecost, Acts 2:7.)
3. Judah (+ Benjamin) were taken into captivity to Babylon and were released 70 years
later, as recorded in the books of Ezra and Nehemiah.
F. They rejected their Messiah (Jesus)
Read John 1:11 and 19:15
“He came to His own, but His own did not receive Him”.
They cried “Away with Him, crucify Him”. “We have no king but Caesar”.
Consequently terrible judgement was passed onto the nation. Jesus prophesied:
1. Read Luke 21:24, “And they will fall by the edge of the sword, and be led away
captive into all nations; and Jerusalem shall be trampled down by the gentiles until the
times of the gentiles are fulfilled”.
2. Read Matthew 23:38-39, “O Jerusalem … See your house shall be left to you
desolate”. How long?? Until you say “Blessed is He who comes in the name of the
Lord!”
G. By the hands of the Romans the judgement was executed
Read Luke 21:5-6 and Daniel 9:26
The prophecies of Daniel and Jesus were in fact fulfilled by the Roman Legions under Titus:
1. During the siege of Jerusalem 1.1 million men fell and another 97,000 were captured.
Those under 17 years of age were sold as private slaves. Some of the remaining
captives were sent to the Egyptian mines, others were killed in the theatres by the
sword or by wild beasts.
2. An equally dreadful destruction fell upon the rest of the nation. The Jewish nation
must have been effectually extirpated from the holy land. (Unger’s Dictionary)
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3. The Temple in Jerusalem was burned to the ground. History says that the gold in the
Temple melted and that the Roman soldiers broke all the stones apart to find it, thus
fulfilling the prophecy of Jesus.
The judgement continued throughout history.
H. What happened to the land?
1. The Roman occupation lasted about 600 years. Then the Persians and later the Arabs
took over.
2. In the year 1099 Jerusalem was taken over by the Crusaders. From 1517 until about
1917 the country was ruled by the Turks.
3. During the First World War (1914 to 1918) Palestine was the centre for the British
operations in the Middle East. The British took the territory from the Turks, thus
ending four centuries of Turkish control.
4. Following the war, Great Britain secured legal rights to rule the captured territory of
Palestine.
5. Great Britain issued the famous Balfour declaration, announcing British support for
the establishment in Palestine of a national homeland for the Jewish people.
6. Great Britain ruled the country for 30 years until 1947, when the United Nations took
over the authority and divided it up between the Arabs and the Jews who had entered
during the British rule.
7. In May 1948 Israel was declared an independent sovereign state, ruling over that area
of the land which the United Nations had allotted to them.
I. The Title Deed was given to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and their descendants
God never took it back. The land still belonged to the Israelites, even if others occupied it
during their long exile.
As the Prophets confirm: “I will take you from the nations and gather you from all the
countries and bring you back into your own land”, Ezekiel 36:22-24. “I will plant them in
their land, and they shall never again be plucked up out of the land which I have given them,
says the Lord your God”, Amos 9:15.
J. How much do they own, according to the Divine Title Deed?
Read Genesis 15:18-20, “On that day the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying: “To
your descendants I give this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river Euphrates, the
land of the Kenites”, etc.
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Israel in modern times – Part 1
Lesson 5
A. A unique miracle
The restoration of the people of Israel to their ancient land and its establishment as an
independent political state is without parallel in the history of the world.
1. Never before has an ancient people who were scattered all over the world for so many
centuries been able to return to their land and re-establish themselves, but it happened
on the 14th of May 1948 when Israel declared itself an independent state, with
boundaries set up by the United Nations. What a divine miracle!
The next day in Jerusalem, the first prime minister, David Ben-Gurion, read aloud to
his listeners a proclamation which declared: “The land of Israel was the birthplace of
the Jewish people … here they wrote and gave the Bible to the world … impelled by
this historical association, the Jews strove through the centuries to go back to the land
of their fathers and regain their statehood”.
2. It is a fulfilment of the many prophetic declarations, for example Jeremiah 16:14-15
and Zechariah 8:7-8.
Prophetic words keep on being fulfilled before our eyes!
Read Isaiah 43:5-7
God literally fulfilled Isaiah’s prophecy:
a) “I will bring your offspring from the East”. Thousands of Jews came from
countries such as India, Burma, Malaysia, Afganistan, Iraq, Iran and China.
b) “From the West I will gather you”. They flocked in from Argentina, Brazil,
Mexico, Canada, Egypt, Libya, Tunisia and Morocco.
c) “I will say to the North, give them up”. They came home from Estonia, Latvia,
Lithuania, Poland, Rumania, Bulgaria, Yugoslavia, Czechoslovakia, Hungary,
Austria, Germany, Holland, Great Britain, France and Italy.
d) “And to the South, do not withhold”. They returned from Saudi Arabia, Yemen,
Sudan, Ethiopia and South Africa.
3. The immigration figures for the first three and a half years of the nation of Israel
showed an influx of 684,275 Jews. Twelve years later that number had tripled. Since
1948, thousands of Jews return and settle in Israel every year.
B. The battle is not yours but God’s
Read 2 Chronicles 20:14-24 and Judges 7:20-23
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These are stories from the days of Gideon and Jehoshaphat in the Old Testament where God
fought for Israel and helped them win miraculous victories.
The very same thing has happened in our day. In 1948, 1967 and 1973 Israel, by God’s grace
and power, won miraculous victories.
1. The 1948 war: The new state of Israel was critically short of supplies of arms,
ammunition and food and was in dire need of soldiers with some prior military
training.
It was at this inopportune moment that the regular armies of Egypt, Syria, Jordan,
Lebanon and Iraq invaded the land. Suddenly the Jews were outnumbered 20 to 1. Yet
in the face of such odds, the Israeli soldiers outfought and outmanoeuvred the invading
Arab armies, who had counted on an easy victory over the outnumbered Jews.
On June 11, 1948, beaten and tired, the Arabs accepted a ceasefire. However, after the
humiliated Egyptians and Syrians had regrouped and rested, they broke the ceasefire
with another attack on the Jews. As a result, Israel counter-attacked and gained control
over almost half of Galilee, which had not been allotted to them by the United Nations.
Again there was a ceasefire, which was again broken by Egypt. When this battle ended
on January 7, 1949, Israel had captured the remaining portion of the Negev in the
South.
2. The 1967 “six day war”: During the “Six Day War” all the Arab countries
confederated against Israel. Theirs was an estimated population of 110 million
(compared to Israel’s 2.5 million) of whom many were native Palestinian Arabs, who
had never left the country.
The Arabs had a greatly superior arsenal of weapons: 2500 tanks against Israel’s 800;
1014 warplanes against Israel’s 280, etc., but the war lasted only six days. It ranks
amongst Israel’s all-time great victories, a true miracle from God, similar to what
happened in the days of Joshua, Gideon and Jehoshaphat. The Psalmist Asaph
prophesied about this war and prophetically prayed for Israel in Psalms 83:1-18.
3. The 1973 “Yom Kippur war”: It happened on one of the most holy days in Israel –
on the Day of Atonement – when everything stands still. There is no transport, the
airports and all shops are closed and there are no radio and TV programmes and no
communication with the outside world. It is a day for fasting and prayer – a day
people spend in the synagogue. Even soldiers at the front line were busy fasting and
praying.
On that day Egypt and Syria launched a massive attack on Israel. Syria attacked from
the North with 1200 tanks on a front that was 30 km wide. At that time Israel had only
70 tanks and few men at the headquarters in Golan in the North. Egypt attacked from
the South with 3000 tanks, 2000 heavy cannons, 1000 warplanes and 600,000 men.
Both Egypt and Syria had been equipped by Russia with the most modern weaponry.
For some inexplicable reason the Syrian tanks stopped only one and a half kilometres
from the Golan headquarters. The same happened in the South – suddenly the Egyptian
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forces stopped for no apparent reason. This delay gave Israel time to reorganize, and
this became the turning point in the war which Israel won resoundingly.
One Israeli captain in the Golan headquarters – a non religious man – reported how he
saw a mighty hand pressing downward from the sky as if to hold something back!
Surely this was God’s intervention, for otherwise Israel would have been blotted
out.
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Israel in modern times – Part 2
Lesson 6
A. The curse over the land
Read Deuteronomy 29:21-28
1. If Israel sinned and disobeyed the Lord, the wonderful land of “milk and honey” would
be turned into “salt and brimstone, and burning; it will not be sown, nor will it bear,
nor will any grass grow there, it will be like the overthrow of Sodom and Gomorrah”.
2. This prophecy was fulfilled. The land turned into a desert of sand and stones and for
centuries Palestine lay barren.
3. Dr. Abraham Kuyper visited Palestine in 1905 and said “Here in this land where God’s
voice was once heard, man’s voice will never be heard again. Only God can check the
blight of the inrushing desert. Only a miracle can save the Holy Land”.
B. The land will bloom again
Read Deuteronomy 30:1-9 and Isaiah 35:1-2
1. With the return of the Jews to their land, a transforming miracle is happening in Israel.
Millions of trees have been planted, water canals have been built in the desert and it
has started to bloom again.
2. Thousands of acres of land are being turned into fertile land again. Crops such as
cotton, sugar cane, grapes and peanuts are plentiful, with oranges being one of the
main export products from this new nation. In 1961 Israel exported almost a million
eggs a day.
3. Even the weather pattern has changed, from almost no rain to a good early-rain and
latter-rain, as in former times.
4. This is just a beginning. The real transformation will happen in the future, when Israel
turns to the Lord and He sets up His Kingdom among them.
C. Israel is back in Jerusalem
Read Daniel 8:1-14
During the miraculous six day war Israel took another step in fulfilling the prophetic plan:
They re-captured the old Jerusalem.
1. On Wednesday the 7th of June 1967 the Israeli soldiers took over the old city and
raised the banner of the Star of David over old Jerusalem.
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2. Standing at the “Wailing Wall” (that is what is left of the old Temple) the chief Rabbi
Goren, surrounded by overjoyed Jewish soldiers, lifted a ram’s horn and sounded its
long, primitive tone to signify this historic occasion.
3. And Rabbi Goren prayed “Praise the Lord, praise ye servants of the Lord, praise the
name of the Lord. Trust in the Lord of Israel, for He is thy strength and shield, He has
become thy salvation. Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good and His steadfast love
endures forever”.
And then Rabbi Goren declared: “We have taken the city of God; we are entering the
Messianic era for the Jewish people”.
4. The Jews had not been here since they had been driven out by the Romans in the year
AD 70. The Old Jerusalem was again in their hands and they vowed never to give it up
again.
5. This is believed to be the fulfilment of Daniel’s prophecy in chapter 8:
a) The prophet Daniel said that the Temple site, which God had given over to the
Gentiles, would be returned to the Jews after exactly 2300 “days” (years) from
the date that the Ram and the He-goat first meet in battle.
b) The Prophet identified the Ram as the Medo-Persian Empire. The He-goat he
said stood for the Greek Empire led by Alexander the Great.
The first battle between these two took place at the river Granicus in 334 BC.
From that date to 1967 AD is 2300 years. On June 7, 1967 the Jews recaptured
the old City and blew the horn again at the old Temple wall.
D. Will there be another Temple on the site behind the Wall?
Read 2 Thessalonians 2:4 and Revelation 11:1-3
1. Many believe that Scriptures like these clearly indicate that the Temple will again be
built in Jerusalem. It is even believed that Ezekiel 40ff is a prophetic description of
this building work.
2. The devout Jews long for the day when the Temple will be raised again. For them
there is only one place where that can be done – the site on Mount Moria where the old
Temple stood.
The biggest problem is that the Arabs count this site as one of their most holy places;
the place from where Muhammad, they claim, ascended into heaven. It is the place
where their temple “The Dome of the Rock” is built.
Many say that if this was not the case the Jewish Temple would already be there again.
They also believe that God will deal with the Dome in His own miraculous way.
3. Many rumours have been circulating in reports published in magazines that Jews
around the world are secretly preparing material for the building of the new Temple.
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Jerusalem – the problem of the world! Both the Jews and the Palestine-Arabs want to make
Jerusalem their Capital City. The Prophet Zechariah prophesied that Jerusalem will be a
very heavy stone for all peoples. Zechariah 12:1-3.
E. The modern Jews and Jesus
Read Romans 10:1-3 and 11:25
1. Jews at this present time are receiving Jesus Christ as their personal Saviour and they
are called “Messianic Jews”.
2. However, most Jews are no more interested in Jesus as the Messiah now than they
were two thousand years ago. Many Jews are also non-religious.
3. Many Jews of today are looking for Messiah and the messianic era but their concept of
a coming deliverer is based upon their own understanding of the Old Testament
prophets.
They recognise that the events such as May 14, 1948 and June 7, 1967 are necessary
preparations for the appearance of the Messiah. They know that the Messiah’s coming
could not precede the regathering of Israel in Palestine. They are also convinced that it
will not happen until the Old Jerusalem and the Temple site are once again in the
hands of God’s chosen people.
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Israel in the future – Part 1
Lesson 7
A. Israel in the end-time
1. Israel and the antichrist.
Read Daniel 2:40-44 and 7:7-8
a) The four historical world empires about which Daniel prophesied in Chapter 2
are the Babylonian, the Media-Persian, the Greek and the Roman empires which
later divided into two: the Eastern and the Western Empires. The Roman Empire
was never conquered – it simply disappeared.
b) In the end time it will be revived in another form: a united Europe, a federation
of strong and weak nations. The ten toes of clay and iron on the statue and the
ten horns of the last beast illustrate this.
c) Out of this union will arise a world leader called antichrist (the little horn in
Daniel 7). He will come as a man of “peace” (he will look like Israel’s true
Messiah. Compare Revelation 6:2 with 19:11-16). He will even “solve” the
problem in the Middle-East and make a peace treaty and a kind of seven year
pact with Israel. Daniel 9:26-27.
d) In the middle of that period the antichrist will show his true colours as a
demonic person (read 2 Thessalonians 2:3-10 and Revelation 6:4) and the pact
with Israel will be broken.
e) This is the beginning of “Jacob’s trouble” prophesied by Daniel, Jeremiah and
Jesus:
i) Jeremiah 30:7-9, “Alas! For the day is great, there has not been a day like
it, and it is the time of Jacob’s trouble”.
ii) Daniel 9:27, “He (the antichrist) shall put up an abomination and make
desolate”.
iii) Daniel 12:1, “At that time shall arise Michael, the great prince who has
charge of your people (Israel). And there shall be a time of trouble such as
never has been since there was a nation till that time”.
Compare this to Revelation 12:7-14: “Michael and his angels fought
against the dragon, … the dragon, satan was cast out, … when he was cast
out, he went to persecute the woman” (Israel).
iv) Matthew 24:15-22, “Therefore when you see the abomination of
desolation, spoken of by Daniel the Prophet, standing in the Holy place,
… for then there shall be a great tribulation, such as has not been since the
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beginning of the World, until this time, no, nor shall ever be”.
f) It is obvious that it is the antichrist defiling the Temple of God in Jerusalem,
“That he sits as god in the Temple of God, showing himself that he is God”, 2
Thessalonians 2:4.
As also foretold in Revelation 13:15, “He was given great power, to give life to
the image of the beast …. and cause as many who would not worship the image
of the beast to be killed”.
g) The Jews will never accept the worship of a human. They know you are to
worship no one but God alone. They will reject the antichrist and that will be the
start of the last terrible tribulation for the Jews.
Jesus said: “Unless those days are shortened, no flesh would be saved, but for
the elect’s sake those days will be shortened”, Matthew 24:22.
2. The Nations at war against Israel.
Read Revelation 12:13-14; 16:13-16 and Zechariah 14:1-2
a) Because Israel are God’s special people, with a special role to play in God’s
eternal plan, satan (incarnate in the antichrist) will go after the woman (Israel) to
destroy her, but God will protect her.
b) A world army will be gathered under the leadership of the antichrist and they
will go up against Jerusalem with the purpose of destroying Israel.
All nations will be there in the valley of Jehoshaphat (Armageddon), Joel 3:1-2
and Revelation 16:12-16.
Certain nations are specifically mentioned: “I saw three unclean spirits coming
out of the mouth of the Dragon”.
i) (The north) Russia (Gog) and some of its allies. Ezekiel 38 and 39.
ii) (The east) Kings from the East (probably China +) Revelation 16:12.
iii) (The south) Some of the Arab states join “Gog”. Ezekiel 38:7-13.
(Sheba, Dedan and Tarshish were the names of tribes in Arabia.)
Armageddon is a great plain stretching from the Mediterranean Sea eastward
across the northern part of Palestine. (Napoleon called this plain the world’s
greatest natural battlefield.) The battlefield stretches from there down to the
valley of Jehoshaphat, which is east of Jerusalem, Joel 3:2.
These armies are driven by satan for the purpose of completely destroying Israel
and in that way hindering God’s plan of setting up His millennium reign in
Jerusalem.
c) God will execute His powerful judgement over these ungodly nations.
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Zechariah 12:3-9, “All who will try to wipe out Jerusalem will surely be cut to
pieces, though all nations of the earth are gathered against it”.
d) It will be tough for Israel and Jerusalem, as described by Daniel, Zechariah and
Jesus:
i) Daniel 7:23-27: The angel explained the vision to Daniel. Verse 25, “…
he shall persecute the saints of the Most High … The saints shall be given
into his hand for a time, times and a half time” (3 ½ years).
ii) Zechariah 14:1-3, “For I will gather nations to battle against Jerusalem, the
city shall be taken, the houses plundered, the women ravished, half the city
shall flee”.
iii) Matthew 24:15-22, “… let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains …
woe to those who are pregnant, and with nursing babies in those days”.
But God will rescue Israel!
B. The arrival of Messiah (Jesus Christ)
1. He will rescue the remnant of Israel.
Read Revelation 19:11-21 and Zechariah 12:8-9; 14:1-5 and 14:12-15
a) Christ (the rider on the white horse) will return to the Mount of Olives, with the
armies of heaven.
b) The antichrist and his army will turn against Christ and the heavenly army. “I
saw the beast (the antichrist) and the kings of the earth and their armies, gathered
together to make war against Him that sat on the horse (Christ) and against His
army”.
King David prophesied about this in Psalm 2.
c) They will be put to death, not by an ordinary military struggle, but by the word
of authority proceeding out of Christ’s mouth “like a sharp sword”.
d) The political world ruler (the antichrist) and the religious world ruler (the false
prophet) will be taken alive and thrown into the lake of fire.
2. Israel accepts Jesus as their Messiah.
Read Romans 11:25-26 and Zechariah 12:10-14 and 13:1-6
a) “Behold He comes with the clouds, and every eye shall see Him and they also
who pierced Him”, Revelation 1:7.
b) Israel will, at that time, realise that the Messiah who has come, is Jesus of
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Nazareth whom they crucified.
i) Zechariah 12:10, “They will look on Me whom they have pierced”.
ii) Zechariah 13:6, “Some will say: what are these wounds in Your hands?
Then He will answer: Those with which I was wounded in the house of
My friends”.
c) There will be a great repentance amongst the whole of the Jewish people: “In
that day there shall be a great mourning in Jerusalem … and the land shall
mourn, every family by itself”.
d) Israel will turn to Christ their Messiah for forgiveness and cleansing: Zechariah
13:1, “In that day a fountain shall be opened for the house of David and for the
inhabitants of Jerusalem, for sin and uncleanness”.
e) Ezekiel prophesied about that day: Ezekiel 36:24-29, “For I will take you from
the nations … and bring you into your own land … I will cleanse you from all
your filthiness … I will give you a new heart … and put My Spirit within you
and cause you to walk in My statutes … then you shall dwell in the land I gave
your fathers”.
f) The Apostle Paul wrote, “And so all Israel shall be saved”. As it is written “The
deliverer shall come out of Zion, and He will turn away ungodliness from Jacob
… I will take away their sins”.
g) At that time it seems that Christ will cause the rest of the Jews who are scattered
throughout the world to be gathered to the land of Israel, to set the scene for Him
to restore “the Kingdom to Israel”.
Matthew 24:30-31, “And He shall send His angels out to gather His “elect” from
the four winds” (east, west, south, north).
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Israel in the future – Part 2
Lesson 8
A. The Millennium Kingdom
1. The kingdom to Israel.
Read Ezekiel 37:21-28; Zechariah 14:9 and Acts 1:6
a) All the hundreds of Messianic prophecies promise that when the Messiah comes
He will set Israel free and set up a kingdom of peace and righteousness. This was
why the disciples asked Jesus “Is the time now, that You will restore the
Kingdom to Israel?” Acts 1:6.
b) God said through Ezekiel:
i) “I will gather you from all nations … I will bring you into your own land
… I will cleanse them, they shall be My people”.
ii) “David My servant shall be King over them and they shall all have one
shepherd”.
iii) “My servant David shall be their Prince forever”.
iv) “The nations also will know that I the Lord sanctify Israel”.
c) Isaiah prophesied about the Messiah (Jesus Christ) “The government will be on
His shoulders … of the increase of His government and peace there shall be no
end, upon the throne of David and over His kingdom … from that time forward,
even forever”, Isaiah 9:6-7.
d) Zechariah tells us that the one reigning over the world at that time is “the greater
David” (Jesus Christ who has returned to the Mount of Olives), Zechariah 14:3-
4, 9. (See also Luke 1:32.)
e) Some think that “King David of Israel” will also be involved in the reign over
Israel since he will have been raised and returned to earth with Christ (just as
Jesus also promised His 12 Apostles a part in the reign over Israel, Matthew
19:28).
f) The whole scene is described by the prophet Daniel in 7:11-14 and explained by
the angel in Daniel 7:25-27: After the dominion was taken from the beast, he
saw the Son of man coming with the clouds of heaven, and He was given the
dominion, glory and kingdom by God.
g) If not before, this will be the time when the Promised Land will reach its full
size, “To your descendants I have given this land, from the river of Egypt to the
great river Euphrates”, Genesis 15:18-21.
h) From Jerusalem Jesus Christ will reign over the world.
Read Micah 4:1-7; Isaiah 2:1-4 and Zechariah 8:3
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“Many nations shall come and say: come let us go up to the mountain of the
Lord, to the house of Jacob … out of Zion the law shall go forth, and the word of
the Lord from Jerusalem. … The Lord shall reign over them in Mount Zion”.
i) Jeremiah prophesied: “At that time Jerusalem shall be called the Throne of the
Lord, and all the nations shall be gathered to it”, Jeremiah 3:17-18.
j) It will be the most wonderful time of peace and harmony on earth because Jesus
will reign, satan and all evil will be bound and all curses will be lifted,
Revelation 20:1-3 and Isaiah 11:6-8; 35:1-7.
2. Jewish people will be “missionaries” to the nations.
Read Isaiah 66:18-20 and Zechariah 8:22-23
a) Israel will receive Christ at His return to the Mount of Olives and the Jews will
be born again by His Spirit. Then they will spread His knowledge over the
world.
b) Isaiah prophesied: “I will send them to the nations … they shall declare My
glory among the Gentiles”. Isaiah 11:10, “In that day there shall be a root of
Jesse (Jesus Christ) who shall stand as a banner to the people, for the gentiles
shall seek Him”.
c) Zechariah prophesied: “Many people and strong nations shall come and seek the
Lord of Hosts in Jerusalem … in those days ten men from every language of the
nations shall grasp the garment of a Jewish man and say: let us go with you, for
we have heard that God is with you”.
B. Israel’s final war
1. Satan is released from prison.
Read Revelation 20:7-10
a) At the end of the thousand years’ reign of Christ, satan will again be released for
a short time, probably to test whether the peoples’ worship and commitment to
Christ is genuine.
b) Satan will go out all over the world and deceive the nations. He will again gather
an army for battle, and some of the same nations are involved – Gog and Magog.
2. Israel attacked again.
a) Israel and Jerusalem will again be the target and will be completely surrounded
by the enemy.
b) We do not know the details of this war, only that God will again intervene and
devour the satanic army with fire from heaven. Satan will be captured and
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thrown into the Lake of Fire.
c) This fire from heaven is probably the one that will melt and dissolve the earth
and the elements, according to 2 Peter 3:10-13 and Hebrews 1:10-12. However,
according to His promise, we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new
earth where righteousness dwells.
C. Israel in eternity
1. The new heaven and the new earth.
Read Revelation 21:1
a) It will be glorious – everything new and wonderful – no more death, no sorrow,
no crying and no more pain. The old things will have passed away.
b) There will be a well-structured society with nations and kings, according to
Revelation 21:24-26.
2. The New Jerusalem.
Read Revelation 21:9-21
a) Jerusalem will be the very centre of everything; the capital of the new world.
God’s throne will be right in the midst of the city and His glory will fill the
place.
b) It is indicated that here the people of Israel will also have a special ministry
before God: Read Revelation 21:12-14, “She had a great and high wall with
twelve gates, and twelve angels at the gates, and names written on them, which
are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel … Now the wall of
the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the names of the Twelve
Apostles of the Lamb”.