The Bible record of Israel’s History and future role.

The Rebirth of Israel  – the Jewish people being scatted among the nations for centuries.

Many Christians do not understand or realise the significance of the rebirth of the Nation of Israel and that its fulfillment is in God’s plan.  Israel becoming a nation again on the 14th May 1948 after 2000 years is a miracle. This has never happened in the history of any other nation. Israel is a major part of God’s plan for this world. God is setting the stage for the coming again of the Lord Jesus Christ to this earth. The Bible tells us that when Jesus sets up his earthly kingdom He will rule from Jerusalem and all the Nations will go up to Jerusalem to worship Him. The Bible makes it clear that the nation of Israel will play an important role in the world but there will be continued conflict until Jesus their Messiah returns.

Documentary on the history of Israel how Britain played a major part in Restoring Israel to their land.

The Hope: The Rebirth of Israel  – Click Here

Israel’s Biblical History
1700 BC In the Bible, Abraham and Lot leave Mesopotamia and head for a Land that God would show him. He settled in the land of Canaan.                                                                                                          In Genesis 12:7a, we read: “The Lord appeared to Abram and said, ‘To your descendants I will give this land.’ In Genesis 13:15, “for all the land which you see, I will give it to you and to your descendants forever.”

Isaac, Jacob and Jacob’s 12 sons became the fathers of the 12 Tribes of Israel and settle in the Land of Israel. Genesis 32 – Jacob’s name was changed to Israel. Then the man said, ‘Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel, because you have struggled with God and with humans and have overcome.
Famine forces Jacob and the brothers to go to Egypt for food. They begged the food from Joseph who they had sold into Egypt many years before because of jealousy. Joseph, now promoted next to Pharaoh handled all the affairs of Egypt for Pharaoh – the Hebrews lived in Egypt for 400 years.

1300 BC   Another Pharaoh ruled who did not know Joseph, the ‘Israelite’s’ became slave to the Egyptians and cried to God for deliverance. After 400 years God instructed Moses & Aaron to lead the Israelite’s from Egypt, followed by 40 years of wandering in the desert where God provided for their needs.

• Exodus 6:2-5 God tells Moses “Therefore say to the children of Israel: ‘I am the LORD; I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, I will rescue you from their bondage, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great judgments. I will take you as My people, and I will be your God. Then you shall know that I am the LORD your God who brings you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians. And I will bring you into the land which I swore to give to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; and I will give it to you as a heritage: I am the LORD.'”                                                                               God’s Promises to Moses and Israel when they were in Egypt.
• I will bring you out
• I will rescue you from their bondage
• I will redeem you
• I will take you as My people
• I will be your God
• I will bring you into the Promised Land
• I will give it to you as a heritage

Moses also received the Ten Commandments at Mount Sinai which have been given to the world.

1300 -1200 BC          Moses on Mount Nebo. –  Viewed the Promised Land.

Then Moses went up from the plains of Moab to Mount Nebo, to the top of Pisgah, which is across from Jericho. And the Lord showed him all the land of Gilead as far as Dan, all Naphtali and the land of Ephraim and Manasseh, all the land of Judah as far as the Western Sea, the South, and the plain of the Valley of Jericho, the city of palm trees, as far as Zoar.

God’s last words to Moses:  Then the Lord said to him, “This is the land of which I swore to give Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, saying, ‘I will give it to your descendants.’ I have caused you to see it with your eyes, but you shall not cross over there.”

Israelite’s settle in the Promised Land under the Leadership of Joshua.

1020 BC                God appoints a King through Samuel the Prophet                                                   Saul becomes the first king.

1000 BC                Jerusalem is made the capital of David’s kingdom.

960 BC                  The First Temple is built in Jerusalem by King Solomon.

930 BC                  The kingdom is divided into Judah (2 Tribes) and Israel (10 Tribes)

722-720 BC           Israel crushed by Assyrians; 10 tribes exiled (10 Tribes still lost – mixed in the Nations).

586 BC            Judah conquered by Babylonia; Jerusalem and the First Temple destroyed;-  most Jews are exiled to Babylon for 70 years.

                                    THE SECOND TEMPLE PERIOD

538-142 BC           Persian and Hellenistic periods

538-515 BC   Many Jews return from Babylonia (Iraq)
Nehemiah rebuilds Jerusalem and the Temple. The Second Temple was completed in 349 BC. Under the leadership of Ezra and Nehemiah, the community in Judea became vibrant and secure. The Second Temple era spanned 420 years, ending with the Romans.

332 BC                   Land conquered by Alexander the Great; Hellenistic rule.

166-160 BC           Maccabean revolt against restrictions on worshiping God and desecration of the Temple.

142-129 BC           Jewish autonomy under Maccabean.

129-63 BC             Jewish independence under Maccabean monarchy.

63 BC                      Jerusalem captured by Roman general, Pompey.

63 BC-313 AD       Roman rule

63-4 BC                 Herod the Great a Roman vassal king, ruled the Land of Israel;  Herod the Great refurbished Temple in Jerusalem 

0-33 AD Jesus is born to Mary in Bethlehem, Joseph, Mary and the child escaped to Egypt from Herod, then returned to live in Nazareth. Jesus started his Ministry at the age of 30 years, preaching repentance and the forgiveness of sins. He also performing many miracles. The people flocked to hear Him and marvelled at the gracious words He spoke.

66 AD                     Jewish revolt against the Romans

70 AD

Destruction of Jerusalem and Second Temple – not one stone was left standing as the Romans looked for the Gold that had melted in the fire which destroyed the Temple. The only area left intact was the Wailing Wall which is part of the Temple Mount. Jesus predicted the fall of Jerusalem and the destruction of the temple.                               Mark13 v 1 As Jesus was leaving the temple, one of his disciples said to him, ‘Look, Teacher! What massive stones! What magnificent buildings!’ ‘Do you see all these great buildings? replied Jesus. ‘Not one stone here will be left on another; everyone will be thrown down.’

73 AD

The last stand of Jews at Masada where they were finally defeated by the  Romans. Most of the Jews rather than fall into the hands of the Romans committed suicide.

FOREIGN DOMINATION of Jerusalem – 63 BC – 1967 AD and Israel’s continued struggle for survival.

63 BC-313 AD      Roman rule

313-636 AD          Byzantine rule

614 AD                  Persian invasion

636-1099 AD        Arab rule

691 AD                 On the temple mount, the site of First and Second Temples in Jerusalem, the Dome of the Rock built by Caliph Abd el-Malik. 

1099-1291 AD     Crusader domination

1291-1516  AD    Mamluk rule

1517-1917  AD    Ottoman rule

The start of the in-gathering of the people of Israel – Israel’s Modern History.

1882-1903 AD   First large-scale immigration mainly from Russia. God says in various scriptures that he would scatter the people of Israel and then at the appropriate time gather them from the nations.
In chapter 20 the Prophet Ezekiel says: I will accept you as fragrant incense when I bring you out from the nations and gather you from the countries where you have been scattered, and I will be proved holy through you in the sight of the nations. Then you will know that I am the Lord, when I bring you into the land of Israel, the land I had sworn with uplifted hand to give to your ancestors.

1904-14 AD     Second large-scale immigration mainly from Russia and Poland.

1909 AD       First kibbutz and the modern city of Tel Aviv founded.

1917 AD

400 years of Ottoman rule was ended by  the British General,  Allenby – he took Jerusalem from the Turks without firing a shot.

British Foreign Minister Balfour pledged support for    establishment of a “Jewish national home in Palestine”

1918-48 AD

                                                                                                           

8 series video history – click on Logo

British rule the Holy Land

In November 1917 the British government made a pledge with the Jewish people through the Balfour Declaration to help establish a Jewish National Home in the territory known as Palestine. Find out what happened next  –  see video

1919-23 AD        Third large scale immigration, mainly from Russia

1922 AD            Britain granted a Mandate for the Holy Land by League of                               Nations; Transjordan was set up on three quarters of the     area, leaving  one quarter for the Nation of Israel.

1924-32 AD                    Fourth major immigration mainly from Poland.

1929 AD                          ‘Hebron’ Jews massacred by Arab terrorists.

1933-39 AD                     Fifth major immigration, mainly from Germany.

1936-39 AD                     Anti-Jewish riots instigated by Arab terrorists.

1939 AD                            Jewish immigration severely limited by British White Paper.

1939-45 AD                      World War II; Holocaust in Europe.

1944 AD                            Jewish Brigade formed as part of British forces.

1947 AD                       UN proposes the establishment of Arab and Jewish  states in the Land.

1948 AD         The rebirth of ISRAEL – foretold by the Old Testament Prophets and the Lord Jesus. 1. State of Israel proclaimed (14 May)  2. Israel invaded by five neighbouring states (15 May) .   3. War of Independence (May 1948 – July 1949).

1949 AD     1. Armistice agreements signed with Egypt, Jordan, Syria & Lebanon.   2. Jerusalem divided under Israeli and Jordanian rule. 3. First Knesset (parliament) elected.   4. Israel admitted to United Nations as 59th member.

1948-52 AD       Mass immigration from Europe and Arab countries.

1956 AD           Sinai Campaign – Israel fought alongside British and French forces   against Egypt to secure the Suez Canal.

1967 AD           Six-Day War – Jerusalem reunited.

Israel’s 1967 Miracle war – the whole world thought Israel would be defeated, no other nation came to their defence. The stage was set for war and Israel’s enemies prepared for victory but it was not to be. On June 7, 1967, Israel’s leaders were poised to do the unthinkable: to recapture Jerusalem and bring the city under Jewish control for the first time in nearly 2500 years.
This event was foretold by Jesus in Luke 21 v 24 – Jerusalem will be trampled on by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.

1968-70 AD                        Egypt’s War of Attrition against Israel.

1973 AD                             Yom Kippur War.

1975 AD         Israel becomes an associate member of the European Market.

1978 AD        Camp David Accords include framework for comprehensive peace in the Middle East and proposal for Palestinian self-government.

1979 AD                           Israel-Egypt Peace Treaty signed.
Prime Minister Menachem Begin and President Anwar Sadat awarded Nobel Peace Prize.

1981 AD       Israel Air Force destroys Iraqi nuclear reactor just before it is to                       become operative.

1982 AD       Israel’s three-stage withdrawal from Sinai Peninsula completed.

1984 AD        Operation Moses, immigration of Jews from Ethiopia.

1989 AD         Start of mass immigration of Jews from former Soviet Union.

1991 AD        Israel attacked by Iraqi Scud missiles during Gulf war.                                        Operation Solomon, airlift of Jews from Ethiopia.

1993 AD        Declaration of Principles on Interim Self-Government Arrangements  for the Palestinians signed by Israel and PLO, as representative of the  Palestinian people (Oslo Accords).

1994 AD       Implementation of Palestinian self-government in Gaza Strip and Jericho area. Full diplomatic relations with the Roman Catholic Church. Israel-Jordan Peace Treaty signed.

1996 AD Fundamentalist terrorism against Israel escalates.
Operation Grapes of Wrath, retaliation for Hezbollah terrorists’ attacks on northern Israel.
Binyamin Netanyahu elected prime minister.

1997 AD            Hebron Protocol signed by Israel and the PA.

1998 AD            Israel celebrates its 50th anniversary.

1999 AD          Israel and the PLO sign the Sharm-el-Sheikh Memorandum.

2000 AD       Israel withdraws from the Security Zone in southern Lebanon.
Israel admitted to UN Western European and Others Group.
Renewed violence (Second Intifada).

2002 AD   Israel launches Operation Defensive Shield in response to massive Palestinian terrorist attacks.
Israel begins building the anti-terrorist fence to stop West Bank terrorists from killing Israeli citizens.

2005 AD      Israel carries out the Disengagement Plan, ending Israel’s presence in the Gaza Strip.

2006 AD Israel carried out military operations against Palestinian terrorists in after kidnapping of Israeli soldier.
The Second War in Lebanon, during which Israel carried out military operations against Hezbollah terrorism from southern Lebanon, following missile attacks and kidnapping of two Israeli soldiers.

2007 AD     Israel declares Gaza “hostile territory” following Hamas violent   takeover of Gaza Strip.

2008 AD         Israel celebrates its 60th anniversary.
Israel launches its Gaza Operation (Operation Cast Lead) in response to the barrage of over 10,000 rockets and mortars fired from the Gaza Strip.

2009 AD             The city of Tel Aviv celebrates its 100th anniversary.

2014 AD           Israel attacks Hamas in Gaza after they fire rockets into Israel.

2017 AD           Israel Celebrates  100th Anniversary of the Balfour Declaration.

2018 AD           Israel Celebrates  70th Anniversary of Independence. The US embassy was officially opened in Jerusalem on May 14, 2018, coinciding with the 70th anniversary of the Israeli Declaration of Independence

2020 AD           Rockets fired from Gaza into Israel

2021 AD       11 day war with Hamas in Gaza

2023 AD    7th Oct 2023 Hamas attacked Israel from Gaza killing many civilians, starting a prolonged war with Israel attacking Hamas in Gaza.

Current News – click here

THE FUTURE              Sadly, the Bible says there will be more conflict and Israel will find itself more isolated in the U.N.

The last Battle being the battle of  Armageddon  to be fought on the plain of Megiddo,

The Bible speaks about troubled times for Israel but God will deliver them –   Zechariah  14. 

1. A day of the Lord is coming, Jerusalem, when your possessions will be plundered and divided up within your very walls.

² I will gather all the nations to Jerusalem to fight against it; the city will be captured, the houses ransacked…………. 

³ Then the Lord will go out and fight against those nations, as he fights on a day of battle.⁴ On that day his feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, east of Jerusalem, and the Mount of Olives will be split in two from east to west, forming a great valley, with half of the mountain moving north and half moving south…………..     

⁸ On that day living water will flow out from Jerusalem, half of it east to the Dead Sea and half of it west to the Mediterranean Sea, in summer and in winter.

⁹ The Lord will be king over the whole earth. On that day there will be one LORD and his name the only name……….

¹¹ It (the land) will be inhabited; never again will it be destroyed. Jerusalem will be secure ………….

¹⁶ Then the survivors from all the nations that have attacked Jerusalem will go up year after year to worship the King, the Lord Almighty, and to celebrate the Festival of Tabernacles………….

Zechariah 12 Mourning for the one they pierced – Israel will recognise Jesus as their Messiah.

¹⁰ ‘And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and supplication. They will look on me, the one they have pierced, and they will mourn for him as one mourns for an only child, and grieve bitterly for him as one grieves for a firstborn son. ¹¹ On that day the weeping in Jerusalem will be as great as the weeping of Hadad Rimmon in the plain of Megiddo.

The Apostle Paul in Romans also confirms Israel’s Salvation.

Romans 10 New International Version

Brothers and sisters, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for the Israelites is that they may be saved……………….. 

⁹ if you declare with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. ¹⁰ For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved. ¹¹ As Scripture says, ‘Anyone who believes in him will never be put to shame.’ ¹² For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile – the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him,¹³ for, ‘Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.

Romans 11:1

1. I ask then: did God reject his people? By no means! I am an Israelite myself, a descendant of Abraham, from the tribe of Benjamin. ² God did not reject his people, whom he foreknew…………

¹¹ Again I ask: did they stumble so as to fall beyond recovery? Not at all! Rather, because of their transgression, salvation has come to the Gentiles to make Israel envious. ¹² But if their transgression means riches for the world, and their loss means riches for the Gentiles, how much greater riches will their full inclusion bring!

¹³ I am talking to you Gentiles…………….

¹⁵ For if their rejection brought reconciliation to the world, what will their acceptance be but life from the dead?  ……………

²⁵ I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers and sisters, so that you may not be conceited: Israel has experienced a hardening in part until the full number of the Gentiles has come in, ²⁶ and in this way all Israel will be saved. As it is written:  ‘The deliverer will come from Zion; he will turn godlessness away from Jacob.
²⁷ And this is my covenant with them when I take away their sins.’

²⁸ As far as the gospel is concerned, they are enemies for your sake; but as far as election is concerned, they are loved on account of the patriarchs, ²⁹ for God’s gifts and his call are irrevocable. ³⁰ Just as you who were at one time disobedient to God have now received mercy as a result of their disobedience,³¹ so they too have now become disobedient in order that they too may now receive mercy as a result of God’s mercy to you. ³² For God has bound everyone over to disobedience so that he may have mercy on them all.

Doxology

³³ Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God!
    How unsearchable his judgments,
    and his paths beyond tracing out!
³⁴ ‘Who has known the mind of the Lord?
    Or who has been his counsellor?’
³⁵ ‘Who has ever given to God,
    that God should repay them?’
³⁶ For from him and through him and for him are all things.
    To him be the glory forever! Amen.

Our Father, in heaven,
hallowed be your Name,
your Kingdom come,
your will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread
and forgive us our Sins
as we forgive them that Sin against us.
Lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil,
for yours is the kingdom,
the power, and the glory,
for ever.
Amen.