Israel and the End Times

Last Updated: 05/02/2008 04:53 |

Israel is the apple of God's eye. That is why Israel is such an integral part of Bible prophecy. God dictated to us His plan and her destiny with that particular lens and focus to His servants the prophets. The Bible is of Jewish origin. Those of Gentile lineage are wild branches grafted onto Christ, the root of Jesse. Israel is the natural branches. Romans 11 If we do not imitate God with our lens matching His, then prophecy will be blurry and indistinct. However, it becomes laser-focused when taking into account God's promises and Israel's place while trusting the precision of God's Word. We look at Bible prophecy then in full focus and the more we read, the clearer it becomes... God is not done with Israel, that's what the study HIStory, Our Future is all about.

Israel-specific news - A look at current news stories having to do with Israel.
Israel and Revelation 12 - A look at the symbology and Biblical definition in Revelation 12.
InfoLive.TV - Live streaming online television from Jerusalem covering the Middle East.
Wailing Wall Webcam - A live streaming webcam of the Wailing Wall in Jerusalem.
History In A Nutshell - What exactly is the history of this little patch of land? Here's the quick overview in slideshow format.
- Miracles in Israel - Some stories of amazing miracles that show God's hand on Israel.
Israeli Innovations - See some of the amazing innovations coming out of Israel.
Israel 21c - A focus on Israeli institutions, businesses, and people whose technology innovations are changing the way we work and live.
The Camp of Israel - When Israel wandered the wilderness, they were told to camp a particular way. Talk about shadow of things to come! ...
Israel's Rights to the Land - A look at the reasons why the "Palestinians" have no case and how the brainwashed people who call themselves Philistines are being used by the Muslim nations to attack Israel. The land was desolate and nobody cared until it was given to Israel. Then the land bloomed, just like the Bible said it would.
- Big Lies: Demolishing The Myths of the Propaganda War Against Israel by David Meir-Levi

Is God done with the nation of Israel?

Jeremiah 31:35-37
Thus saith the LORD, which giveth the sun for a light by day, and the ordinances of the moon and of the stars for a light by night, which divideth the sea when the waves thereof roar; The LORD of hosts is his name: If those ordinances depart from before me, saith the LORD, then the seed of Israel also shall cease from being a nation before me for ever. Thus saith the LORD; If heaven above can be measured, and the foundations of the earth searched out beneath, I will also cast off all the seed of Israel for all that they have done, saith the LORD.
In other words, when there is no more sun, moon, stars, and sea cease to exist, then Israel will forever cease to exist. In addition, if we can somehow measure the vastness of space and beneath the earth, then what Israel has done will cause the Lord to cast off all their seed. If you believe in the Bible, then you must recognize that God is not done with the nation of Israel because we have a sun, moon, stars and there is no way to measure the fullness of space or beneath the earth's surface. This is fully supported and further validated in the details of Bible prophecy. Indeed, if national Israel and her seed are not viewed centrally in Bible prophecy, all conclusions will be skewed from reality because Bible prophecy revolves around God's plans for Israel, to bring the remnant who are His to the understanding of Yeshua being their Meshiach Nagid.

Israel's Prophesied Reappearance A sign of the end times

Deuteronomy 4:25-34
When thou shalt beget children, and children's children, and ye shall have remained long in the land, and shall corrupt yourselves, and make a graven image, or the likeness of any thing, and shall do evil in the sight of the LORD thy God, to provoke him to anger: I call heaven and earth to witness against you this day, that ye shall soon utterly perish from off the land whereunto ye go over Jordan to possess it; ye shall not prolong your days upon it, but shall utterly be destroyed. And the LORD shall scatter you among the nations, and ye shall be left few in number among the heathen, whither the LORD shall lead you. And there ye shall serve gods, the work of men's hands, wood and stone, which neither see, nor hear, nor eat, nor smell. But if from thence thou shalt seek the LORD thy God, thou shalt find him, if thou seek him with all thy heart and with all thy soul. When thou art in tribulation, and all these things are come upon thee, even in the latter days, if thou turn to the LORD thy God, and shalt be obedient unto his voice; (For the LORD thy God is a merciful God;) he will not forsake thee, neither destroy thee, nor forget the covenant of thy fathers which he sware unto them. For ask now of the days that are past, which were before thee, since the day that God created man upon the earth, and ask from the one side of heaven unto the other, whether there hath been any such thing as this great thing is, or hath been heard like it? Did ever people hear the voice of God speaking out of the midst of the fire, as thou hast heard, and live? Or hath God assayed to go and take him a nation from the midst of another nation, by temptations, by signs, and by wonders, and by war, and by a mighty hand, and by a stretched out arm, and by great terrors, according to all that the LORD your God did for you in Egypt before your eyes?

I believe the holocaust and the time since Israel became a nation speaks to the latter days of tribulation for Israel. Regarding this time here is a great interview from Zola Levitt Ministries:

Jobst Bittner Interview - Scroll down to "Bad Moon Rising," "Letting the Sun Shine" to watch this interview with the leader of a German church who discusses the reconciliation between his church members and Israel regarding the holocaust. It is a very powerful testimony that speaks to the nature of the current situation as well repeating the past. He makes a good point that the world didn't stand up to Hitler because they had a Hellenistic world view that is very prevalent today, trusting in the goodness of humanity when the Bible states clearly that our hearts are wicked. When people who deny this truth, they tend to trust those who don't show the fruits deserving that trust. Back to prophecy...
Micah 5:1-4
Now gather thyself in troops, O daughter of troops: he hath laid siege against us: they shall smite the judge of Israel with a rod upon the cheek. But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting. [Jesus] Therefore will he [Jesus] give them up, until the time that she which travaileth hath brought forth: then the remnant of his brethren shall return unto the children of Israel. And he shall stand and feed in the strength of the LORD, in the majesty of the name of the LORD his God; and they shall abide: for now shall he be great unto the ends of the earth.

Here we have the picture of Israel travailing...
Isaiah 66:6-14
A voice of noise from the city, a voice from the temple, a voice of the LORD that rendereth recompence to his enemies. Before she travailed, she brought forth; before her pain came, she was delivered of a man child. [Christ existed before being born through Israel] Who hath heard such a thing? who hath seen such things? Shall the earth be made to bring forth in one day? or shall a nation be born at once? for as soon as Zion travailed, she brought forth her children. Shall I bring to the birth, and not cause to bring forth? saith the LORD: shall I cause to bring forth, and shut the womb? saith thy God. Rejoice ye with Jerusalem, and be glad with her, all ye that love her: rejoice for joy with her, all ye that mourn for her: That ye may suck, and be satisfied with the breasts of her consolations; that ye may milk out, and be delighted with the abundance of her glory. For thus saith the LORD, Behold, I will extend peace to her like a river, and the glory of the Gentiles like a flowing stream: [After the holocaust: May 14, 1948] then shall ye suck, ye shall be borne upon her sides, and be dandled upon her knees. As one whom his mother comforteth, so will I comfort you; and ye shall be comforted in Jerusalem. And when ye see this, your heart shall rejoice, and your bones shall flourish like an herb: and the hand of the LORD shall be known toward his servants, and his indignation toward his enemies.
The bones remind me of Ezekiel 37...
Ezekiel 37:1-14
The hand of the LORD was upon me, and carried me out in the spirit of the LORD, and set me down in the midst of the valley which was full of bones, And caused me to pass by them round about: and, behold, there were very many in the open valley; and, lo, they were very dry. And he said unto me, Son of man, can these bones live? And I answered, O Lord GOD, thou knowest. Again he said unto me, Prophesy upon these bones, and say unto them, O ye dry bones, hear the word of the LORD. Thus saith the Lord GOD unto these bones; Behold, I will cause breath to enter into you, and ye shall live: And I will lay sinews upon you, and will bring up flesh upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and ye shall live; and ye shall know that I am the LORD. 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. And when I beheld, lo, the sinews and the flesh came up upon them, and the skin covered them above: but there was no breath in them. Then said he unto me, Prophesy unto the wind, prophesy, son of man, and say to the wind, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe upon these slain, that they may live. So I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived, and stood up upon their feet, an exceeding great army. Then he said unto me, Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel: behold, they say, Our bones are dried, and our hope is lost: we are cut off for our parts. Therefore prophesy and say unto them, 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 into the land of Israel. 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, And shall put my spirit in you, and ye shall live, and I shall place you in your own land: then shall ye know that I the LORD have spoken it, and performed it, saith the LORD.
These are all currently fulfilled prophecies which glorify God and testify to the accuracy of the Bible. Israel is back in the land given to her by God, but not of her own doing. There are so many times in history that Israel should have been wiped out, but she remains a burdensome stone which cuts those that try to move her to pieces.
Zechariah 12:1-10
The burden of the word of the LORD for Israel, saith the LORD, which stretcheth forth the heavens, and layeth the foundation of the earth, and formeth the spirit of man within him. Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of trembling unto all the people round about, when they shall be in the siege both against Judah and against Jerusalem. And in that day will I make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all people: all that burden themselves with it shall be cut in pieces, though all the people of the earth be gathered together against it. In that day, saith the LORD, I will smite every horse with astonishment, and his rider with madness: and I will open mine eyes upon the house of Judah, and will smite every horse of the people with blindness. And the governors of Judah shall say in their heart, The inhabitants of Jerusalem shall be my strength in the LORD of hosts their God. In that day will I make the governors of Judah like an hearth of fire among the wood, and like a torch of fire in a sheaf; and they shall devour all the people round about, on the right hand and on the left: and Jerusalem shall be inhabited again in her own place, even in Jerusalem. [June 7, 1967] The LORD also shall save the tents of Judah first, that the glory of the house of David and the glory of the inhabitants of Jerusalem do not magnify themselves against Judah. In that day shall the LORD defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem; and he that is feeble among them at that day shall be as David; and the house of David shall be as God, as the angel of the LORD before them. [Gog/Magog?] And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem. And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn. [Christ's return in glory]
Zechariah 2
I lifted up mine eyes again, and looked, and behold a man with a measuring line in his hand. Then said I, Whither goest thou? And he said unto me, To measure Jerusalem, to see what is the breadth thereof, and what is the length thereof. And, behold, the angel that talked with me went forth, and another angel went out to meet him, And said unto him, Run, speak to this young man, saying, Jerusalem shall be inhabited as towns without walls for the multitude of men and cattle therein: [Ezekiel 38:10-12 - Gog/Magog] For I, saith the LORD, will be unto her a wall of fire round about, and will be the glory in the midst of her. Ho, ho, come forth, and flee from the land of the north, saith the LORD: for I have spread you abroad as the four winds of the heaven, saith the LORD. Deliver thyself, O Zion, that dwellest with the daughter of Babylon. For thus saith the LORD of hosts; After the glory hath he sent me unto the nations which spoiled you: for he that toucheth you toucheth the apple [H892 lens] of his eye. For, behold, I will shake mine hand upon them, and they shall be a spoil to their servants: and ye shall know that the LORD of hosts hath sent me. Sing and rejoice, O daughter of Zion: for, lo, I come, and I will dwell in the midst of thee, saith the LORD. And many nations shall be joined to the LORD in that day [Millennium], and shall be my people: and I will dwell in the midst of thee, and thou shalt know that the LORD of hosts hath sent me unto thee. And the LORD shall inherit Judah his portion in the holy land, and shall choose Jerusalem again. Be silent, O all flesh, before the LORD: for he is raised up out of his holy habitation.

Israel's Blindness: What is it and why?

Romans 11:1-11
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. Wot ye not what the scripture saith of Elias? how he maketh intercession to God against Israel saying, Lord, they have killed thy prophets, and digged down thine altars; and I am left alone, and they seek my life. But what saith the answer of God unto him? I have reserved to myself seven thousand men, who have not bowed the knee to the image of Baal. Even so then at this present time also there is a remnant according to the election of grace. And if by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then it is no more grace: otherwise work is no more work. What then? Israel hath not obtained that which he seeketh for; but the election hath obtained it, and the rest were blinded. (According as it is written, God hath given them the spirit of slumber, eyes that they should not see, and ears that they should not hear;) unto this day. And David saith, Let their table be made a snare, and a trap, and a stumblingblock, and a recompence unto them: Let their eyes be darkened, that they may not see, and bow down their back alway. I say then, Have they stumbled that they should fall? God forbid: but rather through their fall salvation is come unto the Gentiles, for to provoke them to jealousy.

Luke 19:41-44
And when he was come near, he beheld the city, and wept over it, Saying, If thou hadst known, even thou, at least in this thy day, the things which belong unto thy peace! but now they are hid from thine eyes. For the days shall come upon thee, that thine enemies shall cast a trench about thee, and compass thee round, and keep thee in on every side, And shall lay thee even with the ground, and thy children within thee; and they shall not leave in thee one stone upon another; because thou knewest not the time of thy visitation.
What is this blindness, this spirit of slumber, that God has given Israel? Would God really blind an entire people from coming to the Truth and therefore condemning them to hell without any choice of their own? That doesn't sound like a God honoring free-will as the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob does. I have to reconcile that God is just and also causes blindness with the Bible that says, "God hath given them the spirit of slumber, eyes that they should not see, and ears that they should not hear..." But how is this blindness accomplished?
Isaiah 29:9-14
Stay yourselves, and wonder; cry ye out, and cry: they are drunken, but not with wine; they stagger, but not with strong drink. For the LORD hath poured out upon you the spirit of deep sleep, and hath closed your eyes: the prophets and your rulers, the seers hath he covered. And the vision of all is become unto you as the words of a book that is sealed, which men deliver to one that is learned, saying, Read this, I pray thee: and he saith, I cannot; for it is sealed: And the book is delivered to him that is not learned, saying, Read this, I pray thee: and he saith, I am not learned. Wherefore the Lord said, Forasmuch as this people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honour me, but have removed their heart far from me, and their fear toward me is taught by the precept of men: Therefore, behold, I will proceed to do a marvellous work among this people, even a marvellous work and a wonder: for the wisdom of their wise men shall perish, and the understanding of their prudent men shall be hid.
According to scripture it is God that does this. I believe this blindness is caused by the snares that come from not building doctrine from the Bible, but rather trusting doctrines of men. This is seen in the following passage from the chapter before.
Isaiah 28:9-13
Whom shall he teach knowledge? and whom shall he make to understand doctrine? them that are weaned from the milk, and drawn from the breasts. For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little: For with stammering lips and another tongue will he speak to this people. To whom he said, This is the rest wherewith ye may cause the weary to rest; and this is the refreshing: yet they would not hear. But the word of the LORD was unto them precept upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little; that they might go, and fall backward, and be broken, and snared, and taken.
God wrote the Bible with stumblingblocks for those who do not build their doctrine from only the Word of God. And when false doctrines of men are added in, the clarity of scripture becomes obscure and those without a love for Truth are blinded by the false doctrines created by not sticking to the literal Word of God. In this way, the blindness is sent from God by the way the scriptures were written to snare those without a love for His Word as written. In that desire to re-write doctrine, they are blinded to the Truth. In this way God blinds them with their own doctrines created from outside of the council of God.

2 Corinthians 3:12-18
Seeing then that we have such hope, we use great plainness of speech: And not as Moses, which put a veil over his face, that the children of Israel could not stedfastly look to the end of that which is abolished: But their minds were blinded: for until this day remaineth the same vail untaken away in the reading of the old testament; which vail is done away in Christ. But even unto this day, when Moses is read, the vail is upon their heart. Nevertheless when it shall turn to the Lord, the vail shall be taken away. Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.

Israel rejected the Messiah written of in the Word of God. If they had stuck to God's Word, they wouldn't have been blinded by their own additions causing stumblingblocks to keep them from the Truth. Jews especially are subject to this today because of the generations of denial of who Christ is. They're still waiting for His coming now that He has already left almost 2,000 years ago. By writing the Bible as He did, God blinded those who don't stick to the Bible and Orthadox Judaism is built more on traditions of men than the Bible. If it was built on the Bible, they would recognize Christ. Isaiah 53 should clear that up.

So their blindness is self-induced in that they don't trust the Word of God alone, but rather the doctrines of men. They are looking to men from their past instead of God here and now. That is where the blindness comes from. However that blindness would not be the case if God's Word was written in a very clear manner. But He made it so that to really understand, one must build precept upon precept, line upon line, here a little and there a little. Those unwilling to do so are blinded from the Truth because God wrote it that way to keep understanding to those that love His Word.
This extends to us as Christians
The only difference between Israel and Christians is the acceptance of Yeshua as the Meshiach Nagid. We have the added definition and interpretation of scripture through Christ's words and the rest of the New Testament, but both religions have the same source of information from the same Old Testament speaking about the same Christ. So when we read the same God's Word who blinded Israel in their reliance on doctrines of men over His Word, let us remember to take our God and the Creator of the universe at His Word and obey.
We are not blinded because the veil is done away with in Christ, but we can still shut our eyes and not see. Mark 13:34-37 So let us read God's Word that is a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path in this dark world. In this way, we will not be in blindness as the world is and we will be able to bring others to a place of understanding better having made that journey through God's Word to redemption ourselves to see God's design and plans for Israel.

I feel the following from a posts by Watcher on FulfilledProphecy.com touches on Israel becoming a nation as a sign very well.

"Today in my Bible study, the Holy Spirit showed me something that I never really paid attention to before. And surprisingly, you stated in your commentary today, EXACTLY what the Holy Spirit showed me. Here's what you said that caught my eye:

'What convinced me was the part in Hal's book about the rebirth of Israel and the revival of the old Roman Empire -- two things that I could see for myself.'
I hope this is an encouragement to you. Here's what the Holy Spirit showed me today, from Luke 21:29-31.
Luke 21:29-31
And he spake to them a parable; Behold the fig tree, and all the trees; When they now shoot forth, ye see and know of your own selves that summer is now nigh at hand. So likewise ye, when ye see these things come to pass, know ye that the kingdom of God is nigh at hand.
Do you see it there in verse 30? When trees begin to put forth leaves, you can see for yourself that summer is near, and that it will soon come to pass. You don’t need anyone to tell you this, because you can see it for yourself. In the same way, when you see “these things” that Jesus spoke of (the signs), begin to come to pass, you can see for yourself that the kingdom of God is near and will soon come to pass. You don‘t need anyone to tell you this, because you can see it for yourself.
Here's something else I thought was interesting, and that I've noticed in a new way. Luke 21:29 says:

Luke 21:29
And he spake to them a parable; BEHOLD the fig tree, and all the trees;
Jesus says, BEHOLD, or "look and pay attention to" the "fig tree", first of all.........and then "all the trees”. He refers to the “fig tree” as being a specific kind of tree in nature, and biblically, it is the specific nation of Israel. “All the trees” that Jesus spoke of next, then, are general trees in nature and biblically, all the general nations. He's saying to look and pay attention to the specific nation of Israel and all the other, general nations, in the context of signs of the end times.
Now, from the “Jewish dispersion” until 1948, Israel did not even exist as a nation. So, until then, there was nothing to “look and pay attention to”. Also, before the advent of technology, it would have been nearly impossible to “look and pay attention to ” all the other nations, let alone non-existent Israel. With no radio, TV, Internet, worldwide newspapers, magazines, worldwide transportation systems, etc., it would be awfully difficult to access information even about our own nation, let alone other ancient nations.

But now, Daniel’s prophecy makes perfect sense…..regarding the end times, when KNOWLEDGE would be increased and people would travel TO and FRO.

Daniel 12:4
But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, [even] to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased.
The words of Daniel's prophecy have been "shut up" and "sealed" to the "time of the end." I believe Daniel 12:4 parallels what Jesus was talking about in the passage of Luke. It would not be until the time of the end, that it would even be POSSIBLE to BEHOLD the "fig tree" and "all the trees".
When Jesus said to "Behold the fig tree" (the Nation of Israel), He would not have been speaking to any generation before 1948, because there was no national Israel (fig tree) to BEHOLD before that time. We ARE the generation for whom it is possible to behold the fig tree. We are the generation that can see it.

This simply confirms in my mind, that we are in the END TIMES, specifically recognizable because,

Israel is in fact EXISTING as a nation after being NON-EXISTENT for almost 2000 years.

Our world has been changed with lightning speed, in just the last century, by a flood of technology, which has ENABLED God's people to do just what Jesus said to do.............WATCH!

This was not possible before, because there was no "fig tree" to look at and pay attention to, and so it proves to me that Jesus was speaking to our generation when He said to Behold the fig tree and all the trees. We are the ones who can literally SEE THESE THINGS COMING TO PASS.... other generations could not. Praise God." Read The Importance of Watching

The Apple of God's Eye

Deuteronomy 32:8-10
When the Most High divided to the nations their inheritance, when he separated the sons of Adam, he set the bounds of the people according to the number of the children of Israel. For the LORD's portion is his people; Jacob is the lot of his inheritance. He found him in a desert land, and in the waste howling wilderness; he led him about, he instructed him, he kept him as the apple of his eye.

Lamentations 2:18
Their heart cried unto the LORD, O wall of the daughter of Zion, let tears run down like a river day and night: give thyself no rest; let not the apple of thine eye cease.

Zechariah 2:8,9
For thus saith the LORD of hosts; After the glory hath he sent me unto the nations which spoiled you: for he that toucheth you toucheth the apple of his eye. For, behold, I will shake mine hand upon them, and they shall be a spoil to their servants: and ye shall know that the LORD of hosts hath sent me.
What does the "apple of God's eye" mean?
Apple (H380)
'îyshôn (ee-shone')
Diminutive from H376; the little man of the eye; the pupil or ball; hence the middle (of night): - apple [of the eye], black, obscure.
The "apple" is the lens of the eye. It is what gives our vision focus. Israel is the focus of God's eye.

Israel In The Land

More scriptures about Israel's right to exist in the land and God's placement of her there with the promise to never more be removed. Miracles in Israel
Jeremiah 23:3,4
Then I Myself will gather the remnant of My flock out of all the countries where I have driven them and bring them back to their pasture, and they will be fruitful and multiply. I will also raise up shepherds over them and they will tend them; and they will not be afraid any longer, nor be terrified, nor will any be missing, declares the LORD.
Ezekiel 28:20-26
Again the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, Son of man, set thy face against Zidon, and prophesy against it, And say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against thee, O Zidon; and I will be glorified in the midst of thee: and they shall know that I am the LORD, when I shall have executed judgments in her, and shall be sanctified in her. For I will send into her pestilence, and blood into her streets; and the wounded shall be judged in the midst of her by the sword upon her on every side; and they shall know that I am the LORD. And there shall be no more a pricking brier unto the house of Israel, nor any grieving thorn of all that are round about them, that despised them; and they shall know that I am the Lord GOD. Thus saith the Lord GOD; When I shall have gathered the house of Israel from the people among whom they are scattered, and shall be sanctified in them in the sight of the heathen, then shall they dwell in their land that I have given to my servant Jacob. And they shall dwell safely therein, and shall build houses, and plant vineyards; yea, they shall dwell with confidence, when I have executed judgments upon all those that despise them round about them; and they shall know that I am the LORD their God.

Ezekiel 36:1-15
Also, thou son of man, prophesy unto the mountains of Israel, and say, Ye mountains of Israel, hear the word of the LORD: Thus saith the Lord GOD; Because the enemy hath said against you, Aha, even the ancient high places are ours in possession: Therefore prophesy and say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Because they have made you desolate, and swallowed you up on every side, that ye might be a possession unto the residue of the heathen, and ye are taken up in the lips of talkers, and are an infamy of the people: Therefore, ye mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Lord GOD; Thus saith the Lord GOD to the mountains, and to the hills, to the rivers, and to the valleys, to the desolate wastes, and to the cities that are forsaken, which became a prey and derision to the residue of the heathen that are round about; Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Surely in the fire of my jealousy have I spoken against the residue of the heathen, and against all Idumea, which have appointed my land into their possession with the joy of all their heart, with despiteful minds, to cast it out for a prey. Prophesy therefore concerning the land of Israel, and say unto the mountains, and to the hills, to the rivers, and to the valleys, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I have spoken in my jealousy and in my fury, because ye have borne the shame of the heathen: Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; I have lifted up mine hand, Surely the heathen that are about you, they shall bear their shame. But ye, O mountains of Israel, ye shall shoot forth your branches, and yield your fruit to my people of Israel; for they are at hand to come. For, behold, I am for you, and I will turn unto you, and ye shall be tilled and sown: And I will multiply men upon you, all the house of Israel, even all of it: and the cities shall be inhabited, and the wastes shall be builded: And I will multiply upon you man and beast; and they shall increase and bring fruit: and I will settle you after your old estates, and will do better unto you than at your beginnings: and ye shall know that I am the LORD. Yea, I will cause men to walk upon you, even my people Israel; and they shall possess thee, and thou shalt be their inheritance, and thou shalt no more henceforth bereave them of men. Thus saith the Lord GOD; Because they say unto you, Thou land devourest up men, and hast bereaved thy nations: Therefore thou shalt devour men no more, neither bereave thy nations any more, saith the Lord GOD. Neither will I cause men to hear in thee the shame of the heathen any more, neither shalt thou bear the reproach of the people any more, neither shalt thou cause thy nations to fall any more, saith the Lord GOD.

The Nations Come to Learn How the Desert Bloomed (January 27, 2007) - Ben-Gurion University of the Negev hosted a major international conference last November on combating desertification, with experts coming to study Israel’s successes in “making the desert bloom.” The conference was sponsored by the Blaustein Institute of Desert Research (BIDR), Ben-Gurion University, the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The conference was part of international activities marking 2006 as the International Year of Deserts and Desertification, as declared by the United Nations in recognition of the acute problem of desertification or land degradation worldwide. Around 300 attendees from 20 countries and 5 continents took several field tours into Israel’s reclaimed and existing desert areas to glean from her experience with the problem. According to BIDR, desertification is responsible for the loss of agricultural productivity, famine, and population displacement, as well as the escalation of poverty; it affects about 400 million people in developing regions, especially Africa. Israel was selected as a uniquely appropriate venue for the desertification conference, due to its rich history of rolling back the desert through innovation and tenacity. When the state was established in 1948, much of its semiarid regions were degraded and the Negev Desert had expanded northward all the way to the Tel Aviv–Jerusalem corridor. Since then, a combination of intensive dryland agriculture, afforestation, and economic initiatives has reclaimed tens of thousands of acres for farming, residential construction, and industrial parks. | Israel |

How many people do you think recognized the Lord for the 100% fulfillment of this prophecy written by Ezekiel thousands of years before 1948? Yeah, not many. Even now people mock believers when they will be confronted with the clear truth in front of them and know their guilt for eternity. Read the rest of Ezekiel 36:16-38 for an even clearer statement of the above.
Ezekiel 36:24-28
For I will take you from the nations, gather you from all the lands and bring you into your own land. "Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols. "Moreover, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. "I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will be careful to observe My ordinances. You will live in the land that I gave to your forefathers; so you will be My people, and I will be your God.
Ezekiel 37:11-14
Then he said unto me, Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel: behold, they say, Our bones are dried, and our hope is lost: we are cut off for our parts. Therefore prophesy and say unto them, 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 into the land of Israel. 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, And shall put my spirit in you, and ye shall live, and I shall place you in your own land: then shall ye know that I the LORD have spoken it, and performed it, saith the LORD.

Amos 9:8-15
Behold, the eyes of the Lord GOD are upon the sinful kingdom, and I will destroy it from off the face of the earth; saving that I will not utterly destroy the house of Jacob, saith the LORD. For, lo, I will command, and I will sift the house of Israel among all nations, like as corn is sifted in a sieve, yet shall not the least grain fall upon the earth. All the sinners of my people shall die by the sword, which say, The evil shall not overtake nor prevent us. In that day will I raise up the tabernacle of David that is fallen, and close up the breaches thereof; and I will raise up his ruins, and I will build it as in the days of old: That they may possess the remnant of Edom, and of all the heathen, which are called by my name, saith the LORD that doeth this. Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that the plowman shall overtake the reaper, and the treader of grapes him that soweth seed; and the mountains shall drop sweet wine, and all the hills shall melt. 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.

Where did the name Palestine come from? - The name Palestine refers to a region of the eastern Mediterranean coast from the sea to the Jordan valley and from the southern Negev desert to the Galilee lake region in the north. The word itself derives from "Plesheth", a name that appears frequently in the Bible and has come into English as "Philistine". Plesheth, (root palash) was a general term meaning rolling or migratory. This referred to the Philistine's invasion and conquest of the coast from the sea. The Philistines were not Arabs nor even Semites, they were most closely related to the Greeks originating from Asia Minor and Greek localities. They did not speak Arabic. They had no connection, ethnic, linguistic or historical with Arabia or Arabs. The Philistines reached the southern coast of Israel in several waves. One group arrived in the pre-patriarchal period and settled south of Beersheba in Gerar where they came into conflict with Abraham, Isaac and Ishmael. Another group, coming from Crete after being repulsed from an attempted invasion of Egypt by Rameses III in 1194 BCE, seized the southern coastal area, where they founded five settlements (Gaza, Ascalon, Ashdod, Ekron and Gat). In the Persian and Greek periods, foreign settlers - chiefly from the Mediterranean islands - overran the Philistine districts. more...

An interesting list of statistics on Israel at this juncture in history:

"Israel's population has reached 7,026,000. This figure is 8.7 times larger than it was when the state was established. Israel had 806,000 citizens in 1948, and half of them still live here. According to the Central Bureau of Statistics, 80 percent of Israelis - 5,639,000 - are Jewish and 20 percent - 1,387,000 - are Arab. Over the past year Israel's population grew by 118,000, pushing it past the 7-million mark. Most of the increase - 104,000 individuals - was from natural growth (births minus deaths). Over the past year, some 138,000 babies were born and 21,000 immigrants arrived. Over the past 58 years, a total of seven children were named Atzmaut (independence), mainly in the early 1950s. Children born on Independence Day in the early years of the state, were also named Medina (state), Tikva (hope), Nitzhona (her victory), Dror and Drora (freedom)."

Current statistics from Rosh Hashanah, 2006

Is it true that the only people that should be called “Jews” are those from the tribe of Judah? Zola Levitt

The term Jew and Israel are synonymous terms that refer to one and the same people. The terms Jew and Israelite became synonymous terms from about the time of the Captivity in Babylon (586 BC). It is one of the historical fallacies of Replacement Theology and its variant Anglo-Israelism to presuppose that the term “Jew” stands for the bodily descendant of “Judah.” In the Bible it stands for all those from among the sons of Jacob who acknowledged them, or were considered, subjects of the theocratic kingdom of Judah, which they expected to be established by the promised “Son of David.”
The claim “Jews are not Israelites” is false. In the New Testament the same people who are called “Jews” 174 times are also called “Israel” no fewer than 75 times (see such statements as given in Acts 21:39; 22:3; Romans 11:1–3 where Paul calls himself a Jew though he was from the Northern tribe of Benjamin, Romans 9:4–5; 2 Corinthians 11:22; Philippians 3:5).

From the time of the return of the first remnant after the Babylonian exile, sacred historians, prophets, apostles, and the Lord Himself, regarded the “Jews” whether in the land or in “Dispersion” as representatives of “all Israel,” and the only people in line of the covenants and the promises which God made with the fathers (see the following passages where the use of Judah and Israel are found interchangeably: Zechariah 1:19; 8:13 10:6 Ezra 6:17; 8:35, etc.).

Israeli Innovations

Israel 21c - not-for-profit corporation organized under the laws of California that works with existing institutions and the media to inform Americans about 21st century Israel, its people, its institutions and its contributions to global society. ISRAEL21c creates, aggregates and broadly disseminates high-quality information to the American public about the Israel that exists beyond the pervasive imagery of conflict that characterizes so much of western media reporting. Our goal is to strengthen the vibrant and enduring partnership between the United States and Israel, and between Americans and Israelis.

Some of my favorites:

US fighting vehicles to be equipped with Israeli anti-RPG technology 04/16/06

Drive silently and carry an S-Chip 04/09/06

Health Breakthrough: A Natural Alternative to Ritalin 01/02/06

Israeli Adult Stem Cell Treatment Yields Amazing Recoveries 12/22/05

Nano-Armor: Protecting the Soldiers of Tomorrow 12/17/05

Israeli Company "Engineuity" Develops Car That Makes Its Own Fuel 10/31/05

Newly Developed Israeli "Baseball" Camera Could Help Spy Out Terrorists 06/21/05

Invention Allows Humans to Breathe Like Fish Underwater - 06/12/05

Israeli Company Develops New Way to Monitor Glucose Levels without Pain 02/07/06

Meet an Israeli 'virtual reality' helmet that raises IQ - 06/12/05

Israeli Father-Son Team Patents New Technology to Overcome Dyslexia - 06/05/05

The Israeli algorithm inside your satellite box - 06/05/05

Tangled garden hose? Israeli ingenuity solves a common suburban dilemma - 05/15/05

Israeli researcher introduces the 'Maestro' - voice-only Internet system for drivers - 05/29/05

Where there's smoke, there's Firesys - 05/29/05

Israel's Rosetta Genomics - cracking the RNA code - 05/22/05

Israeli super-towels mop up in Las Vegas - 05/08/05

Israeli airport technology detects intent of terrorists - 05/08/05

Israeli dental robot makes implants less painful, less expensive - 04/17/05

Israeli software leads the way in speech recognition technology - 04/03/05

Israeli TV chip launches boost in color - 04/03/05

Israeli biomolecular computer can operate a billion programs - 03/22/05

Israeli armor saves American lives in Iraq - 03/20/05

Anti-Semitism in the church

Anti-Semitism is the hatred of the Jews. It is a satanic hatred who's core is dedicated to the wiping out of Israel. They will be the ones who kill 2/3 of Israel in the great tribulation. We've seen the anti-Semitism expressed through Islam, but it also has a history in the deceived church. British journalist (and communist) William Norman Ewer, in the early part of the last century demonstrated this with a little poem.
How odd
Of God
To choose
The Jews.
The reply came from Cecil Browne:
But not so odd
As those who choose
A Jewish God
But spurn the Jews.
Browne's riposte may have won the poetic exchange. But Ewer's anti-Judaism prevailed in the next decades in Europe. Buried there after World War II, hatred of the Jews flourished for the rest of the 20th century in the Middle East. Is anti-Semitism now enjoying a broader revival? It would seem so watching the whole world coming down on Israel irrationally as they do.
The Truth of the matter is that every religion and nation has those who choose selfishness and hatred over God's ways of love. We should not have any hatred or malice against anyone because we are to forgive as we have been forgiven. If we don't, neither will the Father forgive our sins and we will be separated from Him eternally as well. We must OBEY God's Word to show the fruits of truly being a child of God.

God is not done with the nation of Israel, whom He chose from the beginning through which to carry out His plan of salvation for all mankind.

Jeremiah 30:20-24
Their children [Israel] also shall be as aforetime, and their congregation shall be established before me, and I will punish all that oppress them. And their nobles shall be of themselves, and their governor shall proceed from the midst of them; and I will cause him to draw near, and he shall approach unto me: for who is this that engaged his heart to approach unto me? saith the LORD. And ye shall be my people, and I will be your God. Behold, the whirlwind of the LORD goeth forth with fury, a continuing whirlwind: it shall fall with pain upon the head of the wicked. The fierce anger of the LORD shall not return, until he hath done it, and until he have performed the intents of his heart: in the latter days ye shall consider it.