- Original picture by RMAX/istock
Does Israel have a Future?
To some people the name of Israel
and the word future do not sit
comfortably together. Many would
pose the question –
"Is there any future for Israel?"
Today there is a growing body of
opinion around the world that openly
condemns the Israelis for the way
that they are dealing with the
Palestinian problem. Israel is
condemned for what is generally
seen as heavy-handed tactics in
retaliating against the attacks from
their hostile neighbours. The pictures
in the news media show the
damage caused and, in many cases,
the destruction of buildings including
the homes of civilians, together with
many civilian deaths and injuries
including children. Public opinion is
aroused by the way the news media
report these events.
Statistics indicate that the instances
of anti-Semitic violence around the
world have doubled in the last
decade. These things come
together to paint a very gloomy
picture of the future for Israel.
Many who would have considered
themselves supporters of Israel
have felt compelled to question
their allegiance. Since the founding
of their State in 1948, the nation of
Israel has fought several wars for
its survival and has survived
against all the odds.
A time of trouble ahead for
Israel
Israel feels particularly threatened at
this present time by Iran, which
has made a public declaration of
intent to "wipe Israel off the map".
Iran is well on the way to the
development of nuclear weapons in
spite of the opposition of many
nations. The Israeli government has
declared that, if necessary, it is
prepared to go ahead with a preemptive
strike against Iran to destroy
their nuclear facilities.
Should we expect such
an escalation in the
tensions of this volatile
region, due to the threat sand
counter threats from
opposing forces with
such a divergence of political and
religious ideals? Further, if these threats turn into action, what should we expect the outcome to be?
Bible students do not need to
speculate on such matters. However,
in considering the future of Israel, we
need to be able to discern certain
signs or indicators that are given in
the Bible. It is the only book which
can provide reliable information
about God's people the Jews, in the
future.
An invasion of the land of Israel
Israel is a westernised and secular
nation, and in the main shows little
regard for God. Therefore, the
question must be asked whether we
will see Israel on the receiving end of
an assault by her enemies that will
bring about the defeat of the State of
Israel. There are a number of Bible
prophecies that indicate this will
indeed happen as the result of
Israel's departure from God. The
pattern of future events is suggested
by those events of long ago.
Since the establishment of the State
of Israel in 1948, she has proved to be
successful in her military campaigns
against her enemies. We should not
allow ourselves to think that such
successes will continue. Surrounded
as Israel is, by hostile nations vowing
to destroy her and to wipe her of
the map, we would do well to
watch developments in that area very
closely.
- Israeli artillery during the Yom Kippur war of 1973.
- When Israel was very nearly overwhelmed.
- Picture from the Modern War Institute
The Bible tells us of a time when a confederacy of nations will be
brought into the land of Israel for
a conflict that will surpass any
conflict that has ever been experienced
before. The Divine power to
be revealed at that time will draw
many people to the land of Israel.
The prophet Ezekiel had this to say
about this confederacy of nations
who will eventually attack a peaceful
Israel:
"In future years you will invade a land that has recovered from war, whose people were gathered from many nations to the mountains of Israel, which had long been desolate. They had been brought out from the nations, and now all of them live in safety... on that day thoughts will come into your mind ... You will say ... “I will attack a peaceful and unsuspecting people ... and turn my hand against... the people gathered from the nations"
This prophecy suggests that the
expected period of peace, will prove
to be but a lull before the final
storm of an invasion of Israel. The
prophet Ezekiel shows in chapters 37
and 38 that the return of the Jews to
Israel and this final attempt to
destroy them, will ultimately result
in the annihilation of the enemies of
Israel. Careful reading of Ezekiel
chapter 38 leaves us in no doubt
that this group of nations including
Persia (Iran), will attack the land of
Israel.
This federation of nations is led by
a power situated to the North of
Israel and named by Ezekiel
"Gog ... the prince of Rosh, Meshech, and Tubal."
It should be noted that both in the past, and at
the present time, Israel has needed
to look carefully to the security of
her northern borders. The Syrians
are a threat from that direction, just
as the Assyrians were some 2,800
years ago. God, speaking through
the prophet Ezekiel concerning this
northern aggressor, said:
"... you will come from your place out of the far north, you and many peoples with you... You will come up against My people Israel like a cloud, to cover the land. It will be in the latter days ..."
Directly to the north of Israel as mentioned above, is Syria, one of
Israel's many Arab enemies. Further
north through Armenia we come to
the troubled, now largely independent
States of the former USSR. We
note with interest the high Islamic
following that there is among this
group of nations. Further north still
is Russia, one of the world's
superpowers that, after a period of
decline has grown in both economic
and military strength.
As in the past, following a change
of heart and an acceptance of their
failures, God will provide a deliverer
for Israel in the person of Jesus
Christ. In the main the Jews today do
not accept that Christ is their
promised Messiah. This rejection
of Christ is also the subject of Bible
prophecy, as is his subsequent
acceptance by the Jews, foretold by
the prophet Zechariah:
"And I will pour on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and supplication; then they will look on Me whom they have pierced... they will mourn for Him as one mourns for his only son, and grieve for him as one grieves for a first-born."
- The Tower of David, Jerusalem
- Picture from lucky-photographer/istock
Israel's final deliverance
Now this acceptance of Christ will
coincide with the time of the final
deliverance of Israel from all her
enemies. The subject of the future
deliverance of Israel is very important.
There are many references in the
Bible to this aspect of Israel's future
and details are given about events
that will unfold when the promised
return of Christ to the earth becomes
a reality. While this task is being
completed, it will become apparent to
the rest of the world that an entirely
new and unexpected force will have
appeared in this region.
We have become used t o the
attempted predictions of military
strategists, as they have tried to
assess the offensive capabilities
of countries around the world; considering
as they do the degree of
threats posed by factions and driven
by extreme political and religious
idealism. These experts can only base
their predictions on what they have
learnt from history. The appearance
of a force predicted by the
Bible falls into an entirely different
category. This begs the question –
will the nations of the world accept
this intervention?
The Bible's answer to this question is
No! Instead, it will lead to a final
great conflict as predicted by the
ancient prophets of Israel. This
conflict will bring about the solution
to Israel's problems and indeed the
problems that affect the whole world.
It will not be the final destruction of
Israel, as envisaged and plotted by
her enemies – but the setting up of
the kingdom of God on earth, with
none other than the Lord Jesus Christ
as its king!
The word "Armageddon" conjures up
a picture of complete world
devastation in the minds of many
people. However, it must be
noted that the name "Armageddon"
occurs only once in the Bible in the
Book of Revelation, which predicts
the final conflict that will take place
(find this in Revelation 16:16).
For this reason we must consider other Bible
prophecies that tell us about this
conflict. The prophets Joel and
Zechariah predicted that such a
battle would take place in the land of
Israel:
"In those days and at that time, when I restore the fortunes of Judah and Jerusalem, 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."
and
"I will gather all the nations to Jerusalem to fight against it; the city will be captured...Then the LORD will go out and fight against those nations, as he fights on a day of battle."
The future of Jerusalem – undivided capital city
Few, we suggest, would disagree
that the world is in desperate need
of a complete change in practically
all aspects of life. Radical changes
will come about, as described in the
Bible, starting with Israel. Following
the dramatic deliverance of Israel,
the whole world will then become
subject to this wise and righteous
ruler, Jesus Christ.
Jerusalem will become the capital
city, not only of Israel but also of
the whole world. This will be the
centre from which laws and justice
will be perfectly administered.
Jerusalem will no longer be a
divided city with so many claims
upon its ownership, as the Old
Testament prophet Isaiah foretold:
"... in the latter days ... Many peoples shall come and say, "Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob; He will teach us his ways, and we shall walk in his paths." For out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem."
Today we find the three major
religions of the world making
claims with regards to who should
have the right of control over and
access to Jerusalem. As the words of
the prophets of Israel foretold, God
himself, through the work of His son
Jesus Christ, will determine the
future of this city. A reading of
Isaiah chapter 62 underlines the
prophetic statements above. This
confirms that God himself will
make Jerusalem:
"a praise in the earth."
There can be no doubt that the
world needs a single all-powerful
ruler and a unified government.
However, it must be accepted that
this kind of authority will be
superior to anything within our
experience. You can rest assured
that the form of government to be
administered with divine authority
by Jesus Christ will be based on
divine principles as foretold by the
prophet Isaiah (Isaiah 11:1-5 – see
below the Isaiah scroll from the Dead
Sea caves, written well over 2,000
years ago but still so relevant today!).
- Isaiah 11:1-5
- Isaiah scroll from the Dead Sea caves
- Written well over 2,000 years ago but still so relevant today!
- Picture from KU Leuven
The blessing of Abraham to
come on all nations
Such a time of change and blessing,
for Israel and the world, is at the
very centre of all of God's promises
throughout the Bible. Way back in
history, as recorded in the Book of
Genesis, when God chose Abraham,
the father of the Jewish race, He
made him a promise. That promise is
centred in a particular descendant of
Abraham, the Lord Jesus Christ. From the time of
Abraham, God has developed His
purpose through the nation of Israel
and is still working through that
same nation today. Israel's existence
today, its revival and survival,
confirm the existence of God as we
read in these words:
"You are my witnesses...that I am God. Yes, and from ancient days I am he. No-one can deliver out of my hand. When I act, who can reverse it? ... I am the LORD, your Holy One, Israel's Creator, your King."
Now whatever our personal feelings
or prejudices regarding the Jewish
race, the fact remains that God has
chosen them, and the Jews are
central to His plan for the world.
What we need to focus on is the
outcome and the culmination of this
divine plan which was revealed to
Abraham and his descendants - a
three-fold promise. God said to
Abraham:
"I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you."
The whole world will benefit from the
blessings that God will bring about
following the return of Jesus Christ to
this earth and the establishment of
His kingdom. It will only be then that
the conflict between Jews and Arabs
will be resolved. As we consider the
state of the world today, we find that
the ongoing problems of the Middle
East and in particular the Palestinian
conflict are at the very centre of the
political arena.
The future of Israel and you
It is recognised by politicians and
statesmen that the resolution of this
conflict is essential to the future
stability of the whole world. We
recommend that you forget what the
politicians say and concentrate on
the only authority that really
matters. As we have seen from the
Bible, Israel's long-term future
is assured – but what about your
future?
Although it may not be apparent to
you that God is active in our present
world, you may rest assured that
very soon these events will affect us
all. For this we should be very
grateful. However, this message
comes with a warning in the form of
a question:
Are you watching out for the return of Jesus to the earth as its future king, and, more importantly, will you be prepared and ready for it when it happens?
Author Various
Country UK
Source Light on a New World reprint from Volume 34.4
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