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Israel in Bible Prophecy
by Wesley Walker
For many years, Israel has been in the headlines, either because of disputes over land or over personal disputes between the Arabs and Israelites. This conflict has been going on for nearly sixty years and will continue until true ownership of the land has been established. This conflict has the nations puzzled because they do not understand the basic problem. Or if they do understand, they fail to recognize God’s plan in the situation. We need to review and refresh our understanding of this prophecy of Israel, lest we too be caught up with the feelings of the natural world. In war, there are times when it is hard to understand what ought and what ought not be done. Our human minds are not able to grasp the right and wrong of the matter. Only if we allow the Scriptures to speak to us and remember God has a plan and that it will unfold according to that plan. At times God’s ways are hard to understand because, as He says in Isaiah 55:8, 9:
The present problems in the Middle East all began with a man named Abraham in the Bible. In Genesis 12 God speaks to Abraham and tells him to leave his father’s house and go into a land that He would show him. Abraham obeyed, left his homeland, not knowing where he was going (Hebrews 11:8). Then in Genesis 15:18, God gives Abraham the boundaries of that inheritance: “In the same day the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying, Unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates.” If you will check a Bible map, you will notice the river of Egypt is on the south end of Israel and the Euphrates River is on the north. Then the sea would be the west line, but the Bible does not give us a definite east boundary line. But it extended considerably over into present day Jordan and north into Syria, on the East side of the River Jordan (Joshua 22:1-4). We do not know exactly how far east it extended. Notice it says “The Lord made a covenant with Abram.”A covenant is a promise, or contract. More will be said about this later. Abraham had a son named Isaac (Genesis 17:19). He had an older son, Ishmael (v. 11). Normally the older child always received the first inheritance, but it was not to be in this case. In Genesis 17:21, God said, “But my covenant will I establish with Isaac”?So Isaac and his descendents were to receive the above inheritance that God had promised to Abraham. Isaac then married, and a set of twins was born to his wife. Look closely at what is recorded regarding these two sons, found in 25:22, 23: “And the Lord said unto her, Two nations are in thy womb, and two manner of people shall be separated from thy bowels; and the one people shall be stronger than the other people; and the elder shall serve the younger.” Much information is contained in the above two verses. First, these two sons represent two nations, diverse from the other. The passage also says the older will serve the younger. Remember, this is the plan of God. How we think or feel from here on will have nothing to do with the plan of God. We are not to think in terms of human reasoning but in how God has it planned. As we find in verses 24-27 of Genesis 25, the first twin who came out was Esau and the second, Jacob. Also, as they were born, the hand of Jacob took hold of Esau’s heel, indicating the conflict that would always exist between these two nations. How did this conflict begin? In verses 29-34, Esau came in from the field and was very hungry — so hungry, he felt he’s going to die. He asked Jacob for something to eat. Jacob, seeing an opportunity (from a human stand point) to get ahead, said in verse 31, “Sell me this day thy birthright.” Now from our point of view, Jacob shouldn’t have done this. He should have had compassion and given Esau something to eat. But remember, God was working out His plan. The birthright would go to the older son, but Jacob was chosen by God to receive the inheritance. Also remember that Esau had a choice in the matter: He chose to give up his birthright. He sold it for a bowl of “sod pottage.” Now the older would serve the younger, and the conflict began. Jacob and his descendents have a long and interesting history, which, due to space, we cannot cover. But in time, Jacob’s name was changed to Israel, and he had twelve sons who became the twelve tribes of Israel. Abraham’s son Ishmael (the son of the handmaid) and Esau (Jacob’s first twin) became the fathers of the Arabic nations. Although both were firstborn sons, neither was included in the covenant made to Abraham in regard to the land given to Abraham. In time a great famine came upon the land of Canaan. Jacob and his family went to Egypt to survive the famine and dwelled there for 430 years (Exodus 12:40, 41). During this time, the descendents of Ishmael and Esau populated the land promised to Abraham. When life became unbearable in Egypt, Israel cried out for deliverance, and God heard her cry. God led the Israelites back to the Promised Land, Canaan. But to receive it, they had to drive out the Philistines, Moabites, and all the other heathen tribes. They did this and were victorious. In Deuteronomy 28, God told the Israelites that if they obeyed and served Him faithfully, they would always dwell in the Promised Land. But if they didn’t, they would not dwell in the Promise Land. Notice their inheritance was unconditional, but the privilege to dwell or live there was conditional. As we know, they failed and lost this privilege more than once. The last dispersion came in ad 70, fulfilling Ezekiel’s prophecy: “Son of man, thou dwellest in the midst of a rebellious house, which have eyes to see, and see not; they have ears to hear, and hear not: for they are a rebellious house” (12:2). The Jews no longer listened to His Word, nor to His prophets. God spoke of His attitude toward them in Ezekiel 36:17: “Son of man, when the house of Israel dwelt in their own land, they defiled it by their own way and by their doings: their way was before me as the uncleanness of a removed woman.” Under Moses’ law, a woman was unclean during her menstrual period, and everything she touched was unclean. That was how God had come to regard Israel. Because God became so angry with Israel, He said in Ezekiel 12:9-11:
God would take their rebellion no longer. When God could no longer get their attention, He allowed the Israelites to go into captivity and suffer persecution from their captors. He would again get their attention and they would cry out to Him. This time God would scatter them into all the world as He said He would in verse 15: “And they shall know that I am the Lord, when I shall scatter them among the nations, and disperse them in the countries.” There is hardly any country in the world where we do not find some Jews. Their being scattered into all the world was not to be a message to Israel, but to the rest of the world. Notice God’s words in Ezekiel 39:23:
God wanted the heathen (Gentiles) to understand He does not condone disobedience. “For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning” (Romans 15:4). That’s why Paul gives us a warning in Romans 11:20: “Be not highminded, but fear.” Notice again in Ezekiel 39:23 above, it was not one enemy God was going to give them unto, but “enemies.” This agrees with God’s statement, when He said He was going to scatter them “unto all countries.” Even though God scattered Israel into all countries because of her disobedience and His wrath toward them, yet He spoke a word that would show His mercy and kindness even during their captivity. Notice what He says in Ezekiel 11:16: “Therefore say, thus saith the Lord God; Although I have cast them far off among the heathen, and although I have scat-tered them among the countries, yet will I be to them as a little sanctuary in the countries where they shall come.”That was why Paul was able to say with conviction in Romans 11:1, 2, “I say then, Hath God cast away his people? God forbid. For I also am an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin. God hath not cast away his people which he foreknew.” Yes, Israel has suffered severely, even at times unbearably. But God has protected her as a nationality and has not allowed her to lose her identity.
Modern Israel We have seen prophecy fulfilled. The Israelites were scattered among all countries and suffered immensely. Yet the Bible tells us their punishment would end. Notice God’s assurance to them in Ezekiel 36:6:
Here God is talking to the mountains and the rivers, which are inanimate objects, but He is referring to Israel. All those years, she bore the shame of the heathen. But notice what He says in verse 7: “Therefore thus saith the Lord God; I have lifted up mine hand, Surly the heathen that are about you, they shall bear their shame.” What is God saying here? He is saying, “You have been punished long enough. The punishment has fit the crime. Now the heathen (Gentiles) will “bear their own shame.” Webster gives his meaning of shame (the second meaning): “To make appear worthless by comparison.” As God had given His power to the heathen (Gentile) nations over Israel, now the tables will be turned. Even though they would outnumber Israel hundred to one, they will appear helpless (worthless) compared to the success of Israel. Why does God do this? Does the Bible give us the answer? Yes, it does. The answer is found in Ezekiel 36:21-22, “But I had pity for mine holy name...Therefore say unto the house of Israel, Thus saith the Lord God; I do not this for your sakes, O house of Israel, but for mine holy name’s sake...” God’s name embodies His character. What is God’s character? It is “love, compassion, forgiveness.” We have to agree, Israel is not a Godly nation or as we say, “a Christian nation.” She still does not believe in Jesus as the Messiah or Savior of the world. So God is not doing this for her sake, but to show the world that He is still a God of love and compassion. He does not stay angry forever, nor His wrath extends forever. To show the name of God embodies the character of God, see Exodus 34:5-7 where God proclaimed His name. It says: “And the Lord passed by before him, and proclaimed, the Lord, The Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth, Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin.” What promise does God then extend to Israel? Notice verse 24 of the above chapter,“For I will take you from among the heathen, and gather you out of all countries, and will bring you into your own land.” What a glorious promise. Once again, Israel would have her own home, her own homeland. Notice the promise in Ezekiel 34:11-13:
Who can read such words and not have his heart touched? Israel knows of these promises. She now knows and understands this is what God has promised. Then there is the interesting prophecy found in Ezekiel 37 that some individuals find hard to understand. But in the light of scriptures, we have already considered, the Bible practically explains itself. In the first verse, Ezekiel was set down in a “valley full of bones.” As Ezekiel walked among them, God ask him “can these bones live?” (vv. 2, 3) Verse 5 God said, “I will cause breath to enter unto you, and ye shall live.” Verse 7 says, “So I prophesied as I was commanded: and as I prophesied, there was a noise, and behold a shaking, and the bones came together, bone to his bone.” Now what was God trying to tell Ezekiel? Apparently Ezekiel could not understand what this was all about. But God explained to him in verse 11, “Then he said unto me, Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel...” God was explaining to Ezekiel that Israel (as a nation) had died. For hundreds of years she would not reveal to the world God’s power and leadership. This is clearly revealed in Ezekiel 34:28, 29, “and they shall no more be a prey to the heathen...neither bear the shame of the heathen anymore.” The shame was, people would look upon them and say, “God has forsaken them, God is no longer with them.” That is the shame they had to bear all those years. But God is saying in Ezekiel 37 that this is going to change. The Israelites are going to come alive and once again God’s power is going to be revealed through them. But what was going to cause them to come alive? Let’s go back to verse 7 of Ezekiel 37 and we will see what caused the bones to come back together and life once again to appear in the nation of Israel. In verse 7, you will notice it was “a great shaking.” What was the great shaking? It was none other than the Holocaust, where five million Jews were slaughtered. The Zion moment began in 1897, and a few Jews went home. In 1922 when the League of Nations approved a British mandate over Palestine, the British government appointed a Zionist board and a few more went home. But following the Holocaust during the Second World War, at the end of the war, 600,000 Jews had gone back to their homeland. Once again people would say, “God is with Israel. God is showing His power through them.” Their shame no longer is shown or exists. Israel once again is alive today. That is why God tells Ezekiel in Ezekiel 37:12, “Therefore prophesy and say unto them (Israel), Thus saith the Lord God, Behold, O my people, I will open your graves, and cause you to come up out of your graves, and bring you unto the land of Israel.” Yes, Israel had been buried many years (but where?) in the different countries where she had been scattered. But God was going to open those graves (countries) and God was going to bring the Jews back to their own country. What will they then know and understand? See verse 13, “And ye shall know that I am the Lord, when I have opened your graves, O my people, and brought you up out of your graves.” When Israel became a sovereign nation in one day (1948) as Isaiah 66:7, 8 said she would, and the possibility of her going back to her homeland, Israel realized God once again was with her. Even though it was made possible for the Jews to go back to their homeland, the desire was not really there until the “great shaking” during the Second World War. Then the desire became so great the world wondered if Israel would be able to absorb such vast amount of people. But here again, God showed His power and provision. Israel was able to absorb them, and Jews are still going back. Their shame no longer exists among the Gentile nations. Even the little book of Amos speaks of the Jews’ return to their homeland, in Amos 9:14, 15: “And I will bring again the captivity of my people of Israel, and they shall build the waste cities, and inhabit them; and they shall plant vineyards, and drink the wine thereof; they shall also make gardens, and eat the fruit of them. And I will plant them upon their land, and they shall no more be pulled up out of their land which I have given them, saith the Lord thy God.” Notice that God speaks of a permanent presence in their land. The Jews are going to build, plant, eat, and enjoy. Further God says, “They will never be pulled up out of their land again,” no matter who tries to destroy them. Once Israel returned, it would be for ever. No one would uproot her again. Then another great promise is made in Isaiah 41:8-10 (NKJV):
Then the Lord’s promise to them in Isaiah 49:13-15:
I am sure that many times during the time of their being scattered into the various countries and especially during the time of Hitler’s torture, the Jews felt God had forgotten them, but He hadn’t and never will. They have never asked for anyone to fight their battles for them. They have asked for weapons and money to buy them, but never help in fighting. Every engagement the Jews have had, they have always enlarged their borders. Israel has not gotten all the land yet that was promised and included in the covenant to Abraham, but she will. She did not get it all at once in the beginning, nor is she getting it all at once today, but little by little she will, and there will be more engagements yet.
Present problems Since Israel became a sovereign nation, there has been nothing but trouble between the two nationalities (Arabs and Jews). While the Jews have been in exile, the Arabs (the descendants of Esau) have populated all the land that was promised to Abraham. Just as the Jews had to drive them out before they could occupy the land the first time, they have to do it again. The Arabs say they were there first, were driven out of their homeland and feel they should have it back. This is where human feelings come into play. People feel they were there before 1948, when Israel became a nation, so they feel the Arabs are being unfairly treated. Israel needs to stop her aggression. But the land has never belonged to the Arabs. God in His covenant to Abraham gave it to him and his descendants. The Arabs have never recognized that agreement, nor Israel as a nation. Because of that, they hate Israel with a passion. Some feel this hatred only started when the Jews were driven from their land in 1948. But the hatred existed long before that. If you will check Genesis 27:41, it says, “And Esau hated Jacob because of the blessing wherewith his father blessed him...” Here is where the hatred began. Esau seems to have forgotten he had sold his birthright and was going to cheat his brother out of the blessing, but it did not work out that way. Then check with Genesis 28:8, 9, “And Esau seeing that the daughters of Canaan pleased not Isaac his father; Then went Esau unto Ishmael, and took unto the wives which he had Mahalath, to be his wife.” Esau took a daughter of Ishmael to be his wife. Now hard feelings existed between Ishmael and Isaac and upon the union to Esau and the daughter of Ishmael, there was double hatred bred into their offspring. So the hatred has existed down through the centuries, and the problem that arose in 1948 over the land only fueled the fire. God is using this hatred to destroy the Arabs. Notice Ezekiel 35:2-5:
Now you see why God is destroying Mount Seir: because of her hatred of Israel. Now just who is Mount Seir? We do not have to guess; the Bible tells us. Turn to Genesis 36:8, 9 and you will see who they are: “Thus dwelt Esau in mount Seir: Esau is Edom. “And these are the generations of Esau the father of the Edomites in mount Seir” (see also Joshua 24:4). Since Esau is the father of the Arabs, then those close to the land of Israel are the descendents of Esau, and since these two brothers have always hated one another, we can understand why the hatred exist. It is over the inheritance or the land. It belongs to Israel because of the covenant of the Lord with Abraham, and no one can change that.
When this engagement takes place, Israel will annihilate the Arabic nations. If we take the beginning, or birth of the twin sons of Isaac, as the beginning of the problems between the two sons, why not then take the end of the life of the two sons, as to what will happened in the later day of their relationship. In Genesis 32, Jacob decided to return home, but he was afraid of his brother Esau because of what had happened in the past. But God said He would be with him. In verse 18, Jacob sent out a truce, a present to his brother Esau. Genesis 33:3, 4 says,“And he passed over before them, and bowed himself to the ground seven times, until he came near to his brother [Esau]. And Esau ran to meet him, and embraced him, and fell on his neck, and kissed him; and they wept.” So there was a reunion of the two. So it will be after Obadiah 17—18, when Israel practically annihilates the Arabic nations. Israel will send out peace offerings, and they will be accepted. Then there will be peace in the Middle East. How long, we do not know. For Israel’s victory will effect the balance in the European countries. The Bible does not give us the full answer to this, only Zechariah 14:2 says, “For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle; and the city shall be taken, and the houses rifled, and the women ravished; and half of the city shall go forth into captivity, and the residue of the people shall not be cut off from the city.” Since Israel became a nation in 1948, America and her allies have been close friends with Israel, loaned her money, and sold her weapons and planes. But here it seems all nations are against Israel. Is it because now she is in control of most of the world’s oil and resources?
Israel's future What about Israel’s future? We have found that Israel will possess her homeland once again (Ezekiel 34:12; Obadiah 17), and the completeness of that is still future. But what about her future with God? Does the Bible speak of a full and close relationship that God desires to have with humanity, with Israel? Let’s again let God speak for Himself. In Ezekiel 36:24 God says, “For I will take you from among the heathen, and gather you out of all countries, and bring you into your own land.” Notice what the following verses say:
Up until now, these verses have not been fulfilled. Israel is not serving God fully, nor does she recognize Jesus as the Messiah that was to come and die for the sins of humanity. Yet God said that He was going to do all the above. Has God failed, or is it yet future? Let’s search further and see.
Some feel the above was accomplished on the Day of Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit was poured out upon those that believed. Upon the 144,000, the firstfruits of the gospel fell. That is true. But notice God is talking about the nation of Israel, not just a few. Verse 34: “And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the Lord: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember theirs in no more.” This did not happen on the Day of Pentecost. The whole nation of Israel did not accept the Lord. Not all of them knew Him. Let’s back up to verse 33 and notice three words that are the key to understanding this prophecy completely: “After those days.” God did not say, “After these days,” the Levitical time (days), but “after those days” — the Gentile time, or period. I know it can be said about the above, that it is a personal opinion, so this will have to be proven by other scriptures. It is always wise to prove anything by two or more witnesses (Matthew 18:16). But before we do that, we find that the author of Hebrews quotes the same prophecy in Hebrews 8:8-12, and again the same words are used: “After those days.” He was referring to the time when “all would know Him.” Now let’s call the apostle Paul to the witness stand and see what he has to say about the above subject. Turn to Romans 11:1, 2 and notice that Paul says emphatically, “Hath God cast away his people...God hath not cast away his people which he foreknew.” Paul very plainly says God is not done with His people. Then he begins with verse 13, speaking to the Gentiles, and explains the reason they became a part of Christ’s body was Israel’s rejection of Christ and the fact that they were broken off and the Gentiles grafted in. In verse 18 he reminds us not to boast, for in verses 23, 24, he says, “God is able to graff them in again [and will].” Remember Jeremiah 31:31-34 and Hebrews 8:8-12 spoke of “after those days.” Well in verse 25 of Romans 11, Paul says Israel will be blinded (cut off) “until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in.” So it is quite evident “after those days” refers to “after the Gentile time.” Now let’s look at what Paul says in verse 25 of Romans 11: “And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodli-ness from Jacob.” Yes, there is coming a time when the whole nation of Israel will know the Lord, from the greatest to the least. Then Paul reminds us in verse 27, “For this is my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins.” Paul is reminding us of the covenant that God made to Israel and that God had not cast away His people. Now let’s go to some Old Testament scriptures that will tie all the above information together. The first is found in Zechariah 12:9-11, where the prophet Zechariah foretells of Israel’s future relationship with her God. “And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem.” This gives us the time — the day of Armageddon, or the coming of the Lord. Then verse 10 says:
When they look upon Him, how will they know it was the one they pierced? “By the nail prints in his hands.” When they see this, the whole nation of Israel will repent and accept the Lord. She will really mourn (feel sorry) for having crucified the Son of God. Conversion to Israel will not come before that time. God blinded Israel, and God will take away her blindness and graft her back into the tree again (see Romans 11:23, 24). Notice Zechariah 13:1: “In that day [day of their conversion] there shall be a fountain opened to the house of David and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem for sin and for uncleanness.” “In that day” means not before the coming of the Lord. Everything in God’s plan. This agrees with Hosea 6:1, 2, “Come, and let us return unto the Lord: for he hath torn, and he will heal us; he hath smitten, and he will bind us up. After two days will he revive us: in the third day he will raise us up, and we shall live in his sight.” Now if one would look up the word day in the concordance, there are only three meanings of the word. One is a twenty-four-hour day. The second is a year. The third is an age. The first two meanings do not seem to fit what Hosea is talking about, but the last one makes sense and harmonizes with what all the other scriptures speak about, in reference to this subject. Since it is talking about Israel, then the first age would be the Levitical age. The second would refer to our present age, and the third age would be the millennial age. Complete harmony. But notice also verse 3, “Then shall we know, if we follow on to know the Lord: his going forth is prepared as the mourning; and he shall come unto us as the rain, as the latter and former rain unto the earth.” Notice how the wording is: “the latter and former rain.” It does not say “the former and latter rain, but the latter and former rain.” The Jews will receive the latter rain, not the Gentiles. All of this seems to agree with Jeremiah 23:5, 6:
Then tie this in with what Jesus himself said, when Peter questioned Him what their benefits were going to be if they served Him. Jesus assured them in Matt. 19:28, “And Jesus said unto them, Verily I say unto you, that ye which have followed me, in the regeneration when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.” You do not judge an immortal person, so during the millennial age, the Jews are not an immortal people, but mortal. They have to prove themselves, just as you and I have to prove ourselves today. So Israel will have a future relationship with God. It is all planned and spoken about in Scripture, if we will only search it out and put the information together. We should rejoice that God is with Israel today in her struggle to get her homeland back. We are sorry that she does not recognize her Messiah as who He truly is, but we rejoice that in God’s time, Israel will rejoice and mourn (weep) that she has crucified the Son of God. Let us believe and accept God’s plan.
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