The Israeli State

The existence of Israel is not a sign that the judgement of Israel has come to an end, because despite returning to the land, Israel is continuing to provoke the wrath of God. However, the establishment of the nation of Israel last century may be a sign that the judgement of the Jews is nearing completion.

The desire for a Jewish homeland came from a belief that the Jews would only survive as a people if they had a land of their own. This was not true, as their survival is the result of God's calling. As Revelation 12:16 foretold, God has ensured their survival for nearly 2000 years, without a homeland. No other people have survived for so long without a homeland of their own. The fact that the Jews maintained their identity, while dispersed among the nations, is a sign that God is gracious even in judgement. And the time will come when they will find that even a homeland is not enough to provide security. They will be forced to look to the Messiah who has protected them for 2000 years.

Return by the Sword

We must be careful not to make too much of the establishment of the state of Israel. The state of Israel is not the miracle that is often claimed. It is not a sign that Israel’s judgement is complete. And while there are many prophecies in the Old Testament which speak of the Jews being gathered to their land, most of these have not yet been fulfilled.

Apart from the return from Babylon, two other returns to the land are described in the Bible. The first is announced by Ezekiel, who addresses the nations and says,

After many days you will be summoned: in the latter years you will come into the land that is restored from the sword, whose inhabitants have been gathered from many nations to the mountains of Israel which had been a continual waste (Ezek 38:8 NASB).

Ezekiel says that in the latter years (of the times of the Gentiles) the land will be restored, when it has been desolate for a long time. This reminds us of Jesus' warning to the Jews that their house would be left desolate. Ezekiel says that this restoration to the land is "by the sword". This restoration is not an act of God, but is accomplished by political and military action.

Ezekiel's prophecy was fulfilled last century, when the state of Israel was established. It was the work of a well organised nationalism and not an act of God. Since 1948, Israel has been defended by a powerful army supplied by the United States. "The sword" is a symbol of political and military power, so it is now true to say that Israel has been "restored by the sword".

The birth of the Israeli nation was not a miraculous act of God, but a work of providence. God sets the boundaries of the nations (Deut 32:8). He determines the times set for them and the exact places where they should live (Acts 17:26; Dan 2:21; Job 12:23,24). By working through history he accomplishes his purposes. He allowed Israel to arise, just as he allows other nations to arise at various times. The birth of Israel was amazing in many ways, but it is not a miracle in the same sense as the Exodus. God allowed it to come into being, but he did not intervene directly to bring it about.

The second return to the land was also prophesied by Ezekiel. It takes place after the nations have attacked Jerusalem and the Israeli people have come to acknowledge Jesus as their Lord. It is described in Ezekiel 39:25,28.

I will now bring Jacob back from captivity and will have compassion on all the people of Israel.... I will gather them to their own land, not leaving any behind.

We have not yet seen the main return of the Jews. There are still more Israelites outside Israel than there are inside. There are many people who do not know that they are Israelites. The time will come when millions of Israelites return to Israel in a mighty Exodus. This will take place after the calling of the Jews.

In contrast to the earlier return "by the sword", this is a return in faith. Like the Exodus from Egypt, it will be a mighty demonstration of God's power that will amaze the nations (Is 11:11-16). Everyone will recognise it as an act of God. Isaiah says,

The Lord will lay bare his holy arm in the sight of all the nations, and all the ends of the earth will see the salvation of our God (Is 52:10).

Most of the biblical prophecies about a return to the land apply to this latter event. Applying these scriptures to the creation of the state of Israel in 1948 is a mistake. The fulfilment of these prophecies and the miracles they describe belong to the future. Confusion about this has led many Christians to believe that Israel's time of judgement has come to an end. The fact that Israel has not acknowledged Jesus as Lord and Saviour shows that this is not true.

The rise of the Jewish nation is not a sign that Israel's time of judgement has ended. It is a sign of God's mercy in judgement. God allowed the Jews to return to their land, but he was not directly involved, as he was in the Exodus. He allowed the people to return to the land, so that the events that will lead to their conversion can take place. It was an act of prevenient grace.

One sign that Israel’s judgement is not finished is that it has not yet returned to a place of covenant blessing. Life in Israel has been very hard for those who have returned. Young people have had to do extensive military service and casualties have been high. Economic progress has required a great deal of sacrifice, and rapid inflation has eroded many of the gains that have been made. Many Jews have found the life too hard and returned the places they came from. Many migrants from Russia have moved on to the United States. Israel, this time round, has not been a land flowing with milk and honey. Although tremendous progress has been made in agriculture, this has required intensive irrigation. In contrast, the promised land "drinks rain from heaven" (Deut 11:10, 11).

Israel continues to be dependent on the United States for its existence. When the Israelites entered Canaan, they did not need to depend on alliances with other nations for survival. These were unnecessary because God was with his people. In fact, alliances with other nations were expressly forbidden. The prophets condemned those who sought protection in an alliance with Egypt.

Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help.... but do not look to the Holy One of Israel, or seek help from the Lord (Is 31:1).

In contrast, modern Israel has to depend on an alliance with the United States for survival. Without financial and military support from the United States it would probably have been destroyed. The fact that this alliance has been necessary indicates that Israel has not been established under the covenant blessing of the Lord.

Many Christians assume that Israel is based on the Word of God, but this is not true. Israel is an irreligious nation founded by socialists and agnostics. Half of the Jewish population of Israel are secular Jews, who send their children to secular schools. Orthodox Jews are a minority in Israel. Most of the political leaders of Israel are from the secular stream.

The nation of Israel has regulations that prevent the gospel from being freely preached. However, Jesus said to the Jews,

Look, your house is left to you desolate. For I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord (Matt 23:38,39).

To get a revelation of Jesus and return to a place of blessing in him, Israel must bless those who preach the gospel. The nation of Israel is still provoking God by continuing to reject the gospel.

Israeli treatment of the Palestinians has been unnecessarily harsh and cruel. God requires his people to be kind to the strangers living in their midst.

When an alien lives with you in your land, do not mistreat him. The alien living with you must be treated as one of your native-born. Love him as yourself, for you were aliens in Egypt. I am the LORD your God (Lev 19:33,34).

The Jews have been aliens in the world for many centuries. They should be able to understand better than anyone else what it is like to be a refugee. God requires his people to love the aliens among them and treat them kindly. The Israeli people have not met this standard. Instead they have done everything possible to make life difficult for the Palestinian people. Given their experience of injustice under the Nazis this is shameful.

The history of Israeli treatment of the Palestinian people makes very distressing reading. The following list is just a few of the terrible things that have happened in Israel:

• arbitary arrest
• imprisonment for long period without trial
• torture and forced confession of crimes
• land and homes confiscated
• preventing crops from being grown or harvested
• thousands of homes demolished by bulldozers
• woman and children killed by missiles from helicopter gunships
• assassination of political leaders
• roads that stop farmers getting to their land.
• 75 percent of people in Gaza are below the poverty line
• fifty percent unemployment in some towns
• per capita income less than 10 percent of that in Israel.

God requires that the same laws should apply to all people living in a nation.

You are to have the same law for the alien and the native-born. I am the LORD your God (Lev 24:22).

This is not the current situation in Israel, as many Palestinians do not have the full privileges of citizenship. A vast number of laws and regulations discriminate against Palestinians. They are terrorised by unjust laws.

The recent war in Lebanon is another example of the excessive use of force by the nation of Israel.  The capture of two soldiers does not justify 1000 deaths, thousands of injuries and the destructions thousands of homes and buildings.

There is a tendency among some Christians to discount these evils. They claim that Israel’s actions are justified because it is surrounded by hostile nations. However, the defence of a nation never justifies evil treatment of civilians (Deut 20).

Many Israelis claim the right to the biblical boundaries of Israel. It is true that God gave the land to the children of Israel when Joshua led them into it, but the promise is conditional on obedience. While promising to bless Israel, God also warned that if they failed to obey him, they would be removed from the land.

You who were as numerous as the stars in the sky will be left but few in number, because you did not obey the LORD your God. Just as it pleased the LORD to make you prosper and increase in number, so it will please him to ruin and destroy you. You will be uprooted from the land you are entering to possess. Then the LORD will scatter you among all nations, from one end of the earth to the other (Deut 28:62-64).

God did not give the land in perpetuity. He warned that if they rejected him, they would be scattered among the nations. This warning was fulfilled when Jerusalem was destroyed and the people scattered throughout the earth. Given that God scattered them, they cannot claim title to the land until God gives it back to them. His word promises that he will do this after he has poured his Spirit on Israel. He has not yet poured out his spirit on Israel, so they do not yet have a right to the land.

Israel does not currently have a divine right to the land (as many people claim). The land was given to Israel on condition of obedience. The Jews lost their land because they rejected Christ. Until they repent, they do not have God's blessing on their ownership of the land. At present, Israel's right to the land depends on a United Nations decision and a successful defence of the land. This title is as legitimate as that of many other nations, but it is not a divine right. Israel will only have a divine right to the land when it fulfils the covenant by coming to faith in Christ (Deut 30:1-5).

God has not said that the Palestinian people can be forcibly removed from the nation of Israel, yet this is what Israel has been doing. Many Palestinians were expelled from their homes and lands after the nation of Israel was established. In 1947, Israelis owned only 6 percent of Palestine. Today they control most of the land. While some of this land has been purchased, most of it has been seized by dubious means. This has not stopped. Palestinians are still being forced of their land in the occupied territories for Jewish settlements to be established. Since 1967, Israel has seized or restricted the use of 50 percent of the land on the West Bank and 30 percent of the Gaza strip.

The biblical prophecies about the return to the land do not say that the Jews will expel the inhabitants of the land with force and violence. They prophesy that people will return in joy and live in peace. Taking the land by force is not part of God’s prophetic plan.

We must understand that God placed the Palestinians in Israel for a purpose (Acts 17:26). He placed the Palestinians there so that he could demonstrate the power of the gospel when Israel returns to blessing. Destroying the Palestinians or forcing them out of the land is not part of his plan.

God does not intend to establish a Zionist state in Israel. His plan is to establish a Christian nation in which all the inhabitants of the land can live in peace together. When the people of Israel accept the gospel, they will no longer see the Palestinians as enemies, but as children of God. They will go to them asking for forgiveness and to share the gospel. Some Israelis will make restitution to the Palestinians who had been forced off their land. Instead of trying to destroy them, they will look for ways to bless them. The humility and contrition of the Jews will be a powerful witness, so many Palestinians will also become Christians. This will allow God to establish his kingdom in the nation of Israel.

Ethnicity does not count in the Kingdom of God, because we are all heirs of the same promise in Christ.

There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise (Gal 3:28,29).

When the gospel sweeps the nation, all the descendants of Abraham in Israel will belong to Christ and be heirs of his promise. There will be no need for a separate Palestinian or Israeli state.

Israel will fulfil it original calling by demonstrating the power of the gospel to the nations. In a nation divided by religion, Jesus will bring peace by breaking down the dividing world of hostility.

His purpose was to create in himself one new man out of the two, thus making peace, and in this one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility. He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near (Eph 2:15-17).

The gospel will bring unity between Israelis and Palestinians. The sight of Israelis and Palestinians living in unity will be a tremendous witness to the world.

Paul’s words are actually a prophecy. Israel is building an enormous fence half the length of the land to separate Palestinian cities from Jewish settlements. This is the opposite of what God is doing.

For he himself is our peace, who has made the two one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility (Eph 2:14).

Israel is building a wall of hostility at a time when God is breaking down barriers through the power of the gospel. Paul is prophesying that the fence will come down, in the same way that the Berlin wall was smashed.

The Old Testament promised that Jewish Christians will have a tremendous impact on the world. Isaiah prophesied that during a time when darkness had come onto the world, the glory of the Lord will arise on Israel and shine in the world. Nations will be drawn to that light (Is 60:1-3,19). When the people of the world see the power of the gospel to change the situation in Israel, many will come to see what has made the difference. When they see what Jesus had done, they will be amazed and give glory to God.

The Israeli nation does not trust in God for its defence. Israel has an army of almost one million troops and an arsenal of several hundred nuclear weapons. Instead of trusting in God it relies on military power supplied by the United States for security.

If you fully obey the LORD your God and carefully follow all his commands I give you today, the LORD your God will set you high above all the nations on earth. The LORD will grant that the enemies who rise up against you will be defeated before you. They will come at you from one direction but flee from you in seven (Deut 28:1,7).

If Israel was under the blessing of God they would not have to rely on the gods of war. This trust in force and violence has tended to de-sensitise and brutalise the people of Israel.

Israel is very quick to discredit Palestinian terrorism, but this is hypocritical, as Israel has made intensive use of terror and violence throughout its history. One of the great ironies of history is that modern terrorism was invented in Israel by Jewish groups. In 1946 a Jewish terrorist group called Irgun bombed the King David Hotel in Jerusalem. The hotel was being used as the headquarters for most of the British Administration of Palestine. Ninety-one people were killed in the explosion. After the bombing Irgun published a pamphlet claiming responsibility for the bombing and explaining what they wanted to achieve. Some textbooks on terrorism say that this act was the model copied by many modern terrorists. The leader of Irgun was Menachem Begin, who later became an Israeli Prime Minister.

Israel has always used a policy of "an iron fist" to control the Palestinian people in both Israel and the occupied territories. Although Palestinian groups have killed thousands of Israelis, the Israelis defence forces and secret services have killed nearly three times as many Palestinians. In the last three years, 2000 Palestinian civilians have been killed by Israeli defence forces, with very little legal accountability. This is not God’s way. Palestinian deaths far exceed the number of Israelis killed by terrorism. In the current conflict Israel has become the Goliath.

Israel was built on foundation of political opportunism and military power. Terrorism was there from the beginning. This cracked foundation will have to be smashed before Israel can return to faith and trust and God. The Bible teaches that we reap what we sow. Israel was sprouted in a seedbed of terrorism and now it is reaping a whirlwind of violence. Before, the end of the Times of the Gentiles, Israeli military power will be totally smashed by a greater military power. This will destroy their trust in military power once and for all.

Luke 21:24 says that Jerusalem will be trampled until the Times of the Gentiles are fulfilled. Some people believe this prophecy was fulfilled in 1967, when Israel took control of Jerusalem. The Bible actually teaches that Jerusalem will be trampled again. The nation has further tribulations to undergo because it is still adding to its sins. The Times of the Gentiles will only come to an end when the Jews have come to faith in Jesus. Before that happens Jerusalem will be trampled by the nations one last time.

Israel is still provoking God by its faith in the god of war. The judgement of Israel began with a terrible tribulation. It will end with a time of terrible distress that will cause it to cry out to God for mercy. This first tribulation was provoked by their rejection of the Messiah. Towards the end of the Times of the Gentiles, the Jews will provoke God’s wrath one last time. The time of distress will also be triggered by an unjustified and provocative use of the Israeli military force. This will begin a terrible time of distress for the nation that will only end when they call on the mercy of God.

Daniel describes a time when the people of Israel will use violence to try and force God’s plan to be fulfilled before the time has come. This is not faith but presumption.

The violent men among your own people will rebel in fulfilment of the vision, but without success (Dan 11:14b).

They will use violence and force to try and establish their vision for the dominance of Israel. There are several things they might do attempt to do:

• Smash the Palestinians,
• Destroy the Dome of the Rock mosque in Jerusalem,
• Attack against Syria (their last major enemy).

Daniel says that they will fail to establish their vision, because they are rushing ahead of God’s agenda in obedience to the god of war.

Presumption always ends in disaster. The result will be a disaster for Israel. It will be invaded by a power nation.

The invader will do as he pleases; no one will be able to stand against him. He will establish himself in the Beautiful Land and will have the power to destroy it (Dan 11:16).

The nations of the world will turn against Israel and a powerful army will also invade Israel. The expression "power to destroy" literally means "destruction in his hand". The invading army will have weapons of mass destruction. The only reason I can see why they would bring such weapons is that Israel has already used them. (I suspect that Israel might use nuclear weapons to destroy Syria or a Palestinian nation. It would be terrible, if Israel were the first nation in the Middle East to use weapons of mass destruction.)

A great army will take control of Israel. It will be so powerful that resistance is impossible.

And he shall set his face to come with the strength of his whole kingdom, and with him equitable conditions; and he shall perform them (Dan 11:17a ASV)

The invading nation will use force an to impose a solution to a major outstanding problem in the Middle East. They will force Israel to adopt a more equitable solution to the Palestinian problem. Israel may have to accept a full Palestinian state.

A series of invasions of Israel will add to the distress of this time (see also Dan 11:41). This will be terrible time for the people of Israel. Each army that travels through the land will plunder and destroy as it goes. Although the Jewish people have been allowed to return to their land, they have put their faith in alliances and military power. Terrible destruction at the hands of alliances of nation and their might military machines will be the logical consequence of this lack of faith. The nation that has trusted the god of war that will be ravaged by the god it trusted.

One reason for the time of distress is that Israel’s trust in military and economic power will have to be broken. Michael the angel said to David,

The man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the river, lifted his right hand and his left hand toward heaven, and I heard him swear by him who lives forever, saying, "It will be for a time, times and half a time. When the power of the holy people has been finally broken, all these things will be completed (Dan 12:7).

Since 1949, the people of Israel have trusted in military and economic power for their security. At the same time they have continued to reject the salvation that Jesus died for. This faith in their "own arm" will have to be broken. Interestingly, Michael says that it will happen after a "time, times and half a time". This is the length of the Times of the Gentiles. The power of Israel will be broken during the Time of Distress that marks the end of the Times of the Gentiles.

Days of Darkness

Many Jewish people have looked forward to the day of the Lord. The prophet Amos warned that it would be a day of darkness for the people of Israel.

Woe to you who long
for the day of the LORD!
Why do you long for the day of the LORD?
That day will be darkness, not light.
It will be as though a man fled from a lion
only to meet a bear,
as though he entered his house
and rested his hand on the wall
only to have a snake bite him
(Amos 5:18,19)

We can see why Amos called it a day of darkness. With great armies invading the land, Israel will have a terrible time.

Christians who love Israel will find this hard to accept. They long for Israel’s suffering to end. However, wishful thinking cannot make this happen. Israel cannot return to peace and blessing until is willing to repent and acknowledge Jesus as Saviour and Lord. Christians must be careful not to give Israel a false hope that is not supported by God’s word.

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