Palestine & Biblical Prophecy

There has been dispute over the Jewish homeland since Joseph brought his Father Jacob and his brothers with their families to Egypt. When the tribes had lived in Egypt for nearly three centuries and been enslaved Moses came on the scene to bring them back to the land that had been promised to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. In order to claim the land back they had to evict the peoples who had occupied it during their time in Egypt.

Eventually the descendants of Abraham were able to restore the land and take up residence and the nation of Israel began। It consisted of separate states for each tribe and eventually the people united under one king and when David became king he claimed Jerusalem as the capital city. The nation of Israel was a major force in the ancient world until many drifted away from the strict theocratic rule becoming secular and dividing the kingdom. Without a unifying belief the land fell to invaders one after another; tribes were separated and dispersed with only the tribes of Benjamin and Judah remaining in Judea. Following defeat, and captivity in Babylon the people returned and rebuilt the Temple but subsequently were invaded and conquered first by the Greeks and then by the Romans. Eventually Rome expelled the Jews from Jerusalem, their capital, forbidding them entry and renamed the land Palestine. Many Jewish families remained in the rural areas but the religious leaders and learned members of society were either killed or sent to Rome or other Roman Provinces, completing the dispersion of the Jews in accordance with Biblical prophecy.

As if that were not enough the Bible also predicted that in the “end days” the dispersed Jews would be gathered back to the land promised to their forefathers Abraham, Isaac and Jacob (whom God had called Israel). For nearly two thousand years this seemed like the most ridiculous claim anyone could make, most Jews were living comfortably in Europe while Christian Crusaders and Muslim Arabs battled for what had been the Jewish homeland. Anciently the city of Jerusalem was conquered by Joshua, King David, Nebuchadnezzar, Alexander the Great, Antiochus Epiphanies, Roman emperors, Ottoman Turks and the Crusaders. In more recent times it was captured by the British, and ultimately its western half was given to the modern Israelis. During all this time Jerusalem has known precious little peace.
The Muslim Ottoman Empire controlled the region until WW1 when they were defeated and the British took control. At this time the Palestinian Mandate also included Jordan and other regions that had not been part of the original Jewish homeland. It seemed unbelievable that Jews could be gathered back to the Promised Land.

Following WW2 and the persecution of the Jews during the Holocaust many displaced Jews decided to make their way back to the traditional homeland and the United Nations divided the British controlled area of Palestine into Arab and Jewish areas. The state of modern Israel was created on the third day of the Jewish month of Lyyar, and the sixtieth anniversary of this will fall on May 8, 2008. The establishment of modern Israel is not the end of the story because despite fierce opposition and numerous attacks the tiny nation has survived sometimes miraculously and many of the events appear to be in fulfilment of Biblical Prophecy.

The fulfilment of prophecy appears to be happening in normal uneventful ways, no fire and brimstone no strange unexplained forces gathering people up and sweeping them off to their homeland. Events simply unfold causing the outcomes previously predicted. There are several further events expected to unfold before the predicted “end times” and using those that have already occurred as a guide we can expect these to pass almost unnoticed but the astute Bible student may see events that again indicate that Biblical prophecy is eventuating.

Another prediction that may soon be about to eventuate is a period of peace in the Middle East; as U.S. backed negotiations between Israel and Palestinian Arabs are expected to generate an agreement by the end of 2008 that would set up a Palestinian state in the West Bank and eastern sections of Jerusalem. In contradiction to statements by Israeli Prime Minister Olmert, the status of sections of Jerusalem is being negotiated but the specifics of any agreed Israeli withdrawals are as yet unclear.

Many Arab towns were constructed illegally on property owned by the Jewish National Fund, a Jewish non-profit organisation that purchases property using Jewish donor’s funds for the stated purpose of Jewish settlement, arrangements regarding these are vague. Israel is being pressured to commit further land to Arab interests despite the fact that previous land given in exchange for peace has not been honoured by any Arab faction. Instead this land simply becomes a launching site for further rocket attacks on Israeli targets. A period of respite is predicted to precede a future battle that will lead to the culmination of history. We do indeed live in very exciting times.


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