Israel

Israel

PROPHETIC SIGNIFICANCE:
The nation and the land of Israel are the subject of many Old Testament prophecies. Many of them relate to God's plans for the nation, warnings of judgment because of their disobedience, and restoration after they were conquered by the Assyrians and the Babylonians.

There are also comforting prophecies about Israel's distant future, and especially their role in the future righteous kingdom that will be established by the Messiah.

In our lifetime we have witnessed one of the most amazing fulfillments - the promise of Ezekiel chapters 36 and 37 that the chosen people will be brought back from all over the Earth and re-born as a nation. This, of course, was fulfilled in 1948 when, against all odds, Israel declared independence, and with God's help, has been able to fight off enemies on all sides for over 65 years.

The current wave of violence between Israel and the Palestinians could die out and become one of many such cycles in the area, or it could lead to more serious war, such as the one predicted in Psalm 83. The outcome of this war could be a most welcome peace agreement.

Such a peace agreement might be just another phase in the age-old struggle between the descendants of Isaac and Ishmael, or it could be the false peace mentioned in 1 Thessalonians 5:3. While people are saying, "Peace and safety," destruction will come on them suddenly, as labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape. (NIV)

When Israel finally is at peace, it will be the first time since they became a nation in 1948 that they have enjoyed such security. This could cause them to lower their guard, which would set the scene for The War of Gog and Magog predicted in Ezekiel 38 and 39. This war will most likely correspond to the 2nd Seal of Revelation 6.

The dramatic end of this great war of the 2nd Seal could produce the treaty predicted in Daniel 9:27, which many prophecy scholars identify as the beginning of the seven-year Tribulation period.

Key Scriptures
Background
Current Events
Israel Links
Insight from 2010 In Review: The Year In Prophecy
Insight from 2008 In Review: The Year In Prophecy
Insight from 2012: The Year the World Didn't End


Key Scriptures

Click on one of these
references to see
the passage.
Thanks to the services of:

<I>Bible Gateway</I> And

<I>Blue Letter Bible</I>

Go To Bible GatewayGo To Blue Letter Bible
NIV & Other VersionsIncludes Commentary
Genesis 12:1-3 Further Study
Abrahamic Covenant
Psalm 105:8-11 Further Study
An Everlasting Covenant
Ezekiel 37:1-14 Further Study
Rebirth of Israel
Zechariah 12:2-3 Further Study
Future Conflict
Revelation 12 & 13 Further Study
Israel in the Tribulation
Romans 11 Further Study
Restoration of Israel

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Current Events and Links

Prophetic Significance of Israel

See also:
The Temple
Feasts of Israel
Mid-East Conflict
Peace
Other Israel Links
Archaeology (Apologetics Central)

Notice: Sources often remove their news links after a period of time. Some of them move older stories to a subscription-only section. Even if the story is no longer on line, our summary will still be available on this page.

Names translated from other languages may have different spelling, depending on the source. For example Hizbollah may be translated "Hezbollah," "Hizballah," etc.


See more recent articles: After December 31, 2016


John Kerry's Final, Harmful Insult to Israel

Dec. 28, 2016 -

Kerry tried to explain both last week's failure to veto a UN Security Council resolution and eight years of failed Obama policy. His central argument was that the two-state solution is essential, is possible, and is being destroyed by Israeli settlements.

Source: Elliot Abrams - Weekly Standard
Kerry rips ‘settler agenda’ in speech defending UN vote, Israeli PM fires back - Fox
Netanyahu slams Kerry's speech defending UN vote as 'unbalanced' - Fox
Obama to Israel: Drop dead - Washington Times
Israel-Palestine: Netanyahu condemns John Kerry speech - BBC
Obama’s Parting Betrayal of Israel - John Bolton - Far better to essay a “three-state solution,” returning Gaza to Egypt and giving those parts of the West Bank that Israel is prepared to cede to Jordan. - Wall Street Journal
Trump: Stay Strong Israel, January 20th Is Fast Approaching - Haaretz

Prophetic Significance of Israel


Hours Before Kerry's Speech, Israel Pulls Plans for East Jerusalem Construction

Dec. 28, 2016 -

Official quoted as saying Netanyahu requested delay in vote – which pertains to both Jewish and Palestinian homes – due to fears of further straining U.S. ties.

Source: Haaretz



US abstains in key Israel vote, clearing way for condemnation of settlements

Dec. 23, 2016 - The United Nations voted to condemn Israeli settlement expansion in the occupied West Bank. The U.S. could have vetoed the action, but instead, exercised a "shameful" abstention.

Failure by the U.S. to veto the measure was seen as a double-cross of America's key Middle Eastern ally, and attributed directly to outgoing President Barack Obama, who has had chilly relations with Israel throughout his eight-year tenure.

Source: Fox
The United States just made Middle East peace harder - Washington Post
The Obama administration fires a dangerous parting shot - Washington Post
Obama’s appalling UN betrayal - NY Post
Obama’s Shameful Parting Shot at Israel - National Review
Trump was right to try to stop Obama from tying his hands on Israel - Fox
Donald Trump calls United Nations resolution on Jewish settlements "unfair" to Israelis - Mic
Understanding the UN Resolution: What Will the Immediate Ramifications Be? read more: http://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/.premium-1.761049 - Barak Ravid - Haaretz
Congress Threatens to Defund UN over Anti-Israel Vote - Joel B. Pollak - Breitbart
Trump warns UN after Israel vote: 'Things will be different' soon - The Hill
Outraged Mike Huckabee Slams Obama on UN Vote: 'An Insult to Israel' - NewsMax
Netanyahu Office: Israel Will Not Adhere to UN Settlements Resolution - NewsMax
Update Dec. 26, 2012 Netanyahu summons US ambassador to protest UN vote - “We have rather ironclad information from sources in both the Arab world and internationally that this was a deliberate push by the United States and in fact they helped create the resolution in the first place.” - Fox

Israel receives F-35s, first country after USA

Dec. 13, 2016 - Yesterday Israel became the first country after the US to receive long-range stealth jets. U.S. Defense Secretary Ashton Carter participated in a celebration of the event.

Carter appreciated that Israel, which began by flying "leftover World War II aircraft," would now be flying the advanced F-35. ... He lauded Israel as being the first US ally in the region to receive the stealth fighter.

Source: YNet
Iran threatens to destroy Israel - again -Islamic regime also threatens Gulf kingdoms, World War III - Washington Times

Syria conflict: 'Israel missiles' hit Damascus military airport

Dec. 8, 2016 - According to Syrian state media, an Israeli missile strike targeted a military airport on the outskirts of Damascus. There is no official response from Israel, but it is thought that the attack was intended to stop the shipment of weapons intended for Lebanon's Hezbollah movement.

Hezbollah, which fought a month-long war with Israel in 2006, has sent thousands of fighters to Syria to support President Bashar al-Assad's forces.

Source: BBC
Report: Hezbollah accuses Israel of striking targets near Damascus - Jerusalem Post
Lieberman: Israel working to stop WMDs transfers from Syria to Hezbollah - YNet
Liberman: Israeli strikes aimed at thwarting WMD transfers to Hezbollah - Jerusalem Post
Israel 'Ready' to Operate F-35s Without Ever Actually Flying Them - Defense News
Israeli map reveals thousands of Hezbollah positions along border - Times of Israel

Pillar of Cloud Defends Israel's Border With Syria

Dec. 5, 2016 -

Amidst increasing ISIS activity on the Syrian side of the Golan Heights, Israeli soldiers stationed there reported that over the weekend a literal pillar of cloud descended on the border.

A video shows that the bizarre storm completely engulfed the Syrian side of the border, but did not cross into Israeli territory. Many observers called the event "divine intervention."

Source: Israel Today

Israel to buy an additional 17 F-35 fighter planes

Nov. 27, 2016 -

Irael will purchase 17 more advanced F-35 fighter jets from Lockheed Martin, the Prime Minister’s Office said Sunday... This brings the total number of F-35’s to be acquired to 50.

The additional fighter planes will cost Israel about $1.7 billion dollars.

Source:

Israel fires: Tens of thousands flee as fires hit Haifa

Nov. 24, 2016 - In the wake of a two-month drought and strong winds, Haifa, Israel's third largest city, is severely affected by wildfires. Tens of thousands of people have been evacuated. Fires have also broken out near Jerusalem and in the West Bank. Arson is expected. PM Benjamin Netanyahu said,

"Every fire that was the result of arson or incitement to arson is terror in every way and we'll treat it as such... Anyone who tries to burn parts of the state of Israel will be severely punished."

Source: BBC
Live Updates - Times of Israel
'Israel is burning': Palestinians, Arab world rejoice over fires - YNet
Haifa on fire, 60,000 people evacuated - DEBKAnews
Russia, Turkey and Cyprus send firefighting planes to Israel - The Guardian
As Israel burns, are we looking at a new form of eco-terrorism? - Jerusalem Post
US supertanker among 29 aircraft battling blazes across Israel - Times of Israek

Netanyahu calls on Obama not to back any new peace moves as term ends

Nov. 16, 2016 - In a video address to the Jewish Federations of North America, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said: “I very much hope President Obama will continue the policy he enunciated."

The Israeli prime minister was refering to a 2011 statement by Obama in which the president said that a resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict was best left to the parties and not to outside actors.

Source: Times of Israel a name="161112">

Israel won’t let Iran have military presence in Syria, Netanyahu tells Russian PM

Nov. 12, 2016 -

Israel will prevent Iran from establishing a military presence in Syria, and will continue to intervene to stop Iran arming Hezbollah and other Shiite militias there, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told his Russian counterpart, Dmitry Medvedev, on Thursday in Jerusalem.

Source: Times of Israel
Netanyahu: Iran supports 360 degree terror - Israel National News

What a President Trump means for Israel's regional security

Nov. 11, 2016 - President Trump has said that he is a “ lifelong supporter and true friend of Israel.”

He has promised to move the US Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem and to stop seeing the two-state solution as the way to end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Source: Jerusalem Post

Is Obama preparing a parting shot at Israel?

Oct. 29,, 2016 - Following last week's UNESCO (U.N. cultural agency) condemnation of Israel as “the Occupying Power,” Charles Krauthammer explains that their resolution treats Israel's Temple Mount as an exclusively Muslim site with no connection to the Jewish people and Jewish history. He also warns:

It is an insult not just to Judaism but to Christianity. It makes a mockery of the Gospels, which chronicle the story of a Galilean Jew whose life and ministry unfolded throughout the Holy Land, most especially in Jerusalem and the Temple.

President Obama, in his final days as President, might unveil his own two-state solution that could lead the U.N. to deny the legitimacy of the territory Israel came into possession of during the 1967 Six-Day War.

Source: Charles Krauthammer - Washington Post

Liberman to Palestinian paper: Israel would ‘completely destroy’ Hamas in next war

Oct. 24, 2015 -

Defense minister says Hamas has spent over $500 million on arms; insists Israel doesn’t seek another war, would rebuild Strip once rockets, tunnels cease.

Source: Times of Israel

UNESCO votes: No connection between Temple Mount and Judaism

Nov. 14, 2016 -

In a 24-6 vote, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization on Thursday gave preliminary approval to a resolution that denies Jewish ties to its most holy religious sites: the Temple Mount and the Western Wall.

Source: Jerusalem Post
Netanyahu leads angry denunciations of ‘absurd’ UNESCO decision - Times of Israel
Israel freezes ties with Unesco for 'denying Jewish holy sites' - BBC
UN chief rejects UNESCO resolution on Temple Mount - YNet
U.N's 'blatant appeasement' of Muslims denies Jewish tie to Temple Mount - WND
Islam originally recognized Jews as owners of Israel - Middle East expert Prof. Nissim Dana says that originally Islam saw the Jews as the owners of land of Israel and Jerusalem - Israel National News
Hamas: Neither Temple ever existed - Senior Hamas official claims there is no proof Temples ever existed, no archaeological remnants have been found. - Israel National News
In a dramatic twist, Italy vows to oppose UNESCO’s Jerusalem resolutions - Jerusalem Post
Debunking UNESCO’S dangerous anti-Semitic myth that Israel is trying to destroy the Al Aqsa Mosque - Tablet Magazine
Update: 10/24/16 - UNESCO chief after Temple Mount vote: I'll fight 'distorted visions' of history - Jerusalem Post

UNESCO to vote on resolutions ignoring Jewish ties to Temple Mount

Oct. 11, 2016 - The Executive Board of the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization will vote this week on resolutions that ignore Jewish history involving Jerusalem’s Temple Mount and the Western Wall. Israeli officials have given board members and international diplomats a brochure explaining Judaism's deep historical connections to those sites, and acknowledging that they are also holy to Christians and Muslims. Carmel Shama-Hacohen, Israel's Ambassador to UNESCO summarizes:

“These facts and evidence will leave no doubt, and without undermining other connection of other religions to the holy places in Jerusalem, of the deepest and longest Jewish presence in Jerusalem since ancient times.”

Source: Jerusalem Post

Israeli jets strike Hamas targets in Gaza

Oct. 7, 2016 -

The IAF attacked a string of Hamas outposts in the eastern and southern areas of the strip, following earlier IDF artillery fire into Gaza in retaliation for a rocket which landed in Sderot.

Source: YNet
Hamas warns it won’t ‘sit idly by’ as IDF planes strike Gaza - Times of Israel
After airstrikes, Hamas said to appeal to Israel for calm - Times of Israel

With 80 foreign leaders en route, Israel gears up for Peres funeral

Sept. 29, 2016 - Former Israeli president and Nobel Peace Prize recipient Shimon Peres died Wednesday morning at the age of 93. Some 80 heads of state, ministers and public figures will attend his funeral services.

Among those planning to attend the funeral at Mount Herzl cemetery are US President Barack Obama, US Secretary of State John Kerry, French President Francois Hollande...

Source: Times of Israel
Seventy world leaders arriving in Israel for Peres funeral. Please pray for safety & the peace of Jerusalem. - Joel Rosenberg
Foreign dignitaries amass for Peres funeral - YNet News
Shimon Peres funeral: Leaders hail legacy of former Israeli leader - BBC

Powell says Israel has 200 nukes pointed at Iran in leaked 2015 email

Sept. 17, 2016 -

In a private email exchange last year leaked this week by hackers, former Secretary of State Colin Powell discussed Israel's nuclear weapons capability with a friend, saying the country has 200 warheads.

However, on Friday POwell said that he was referring to public estimates of Israel's nukes.

Source: Fox

Israel strikes ‘terror targets’ in Gaza in retaliation to rocket fire

Sept. 17, 2016 -

The IDF Spokesperson’s Unit confirmed that Israeli planes targeted three Hamas terror infrastructure sites in the Gaza Strip, blaming the organization for launching a rocket at Israel, Jerusalem Post reports.

Source: RT

Israel expands patrols into East Jerusalem to stem Palestinian attacks

Aug. 29, 2016 -

Israeli police are expanding their presence into East Jerusalem's Palestinian neighborhoods to extend a lull in attacks on Israelis by young residents that began last fall.

Source: USA Today

Israeli warplanes said to hit Hezbollah targets in Syria

Aug. 26, 2016 -

Syrian opposition figures said Israeli warplanes struck targets belonging to the Shiite terror group Hezbollah in the Qalamoun Mountains along the Syria-Lebanon border, on Wednesday, according to Hebrew news sites citing Arab media.

At this time, neither Israeli nor Hezbollah officials have acknowledged the attack.

Source: Times of Israel
Iranian military official: We have 100,000 missiles in Lebanon ready to hit Israe - Jerusalem Post
Hezbollah Threatens to Invade Israel, Destroy Jewish State - Israel Today
Another War Between Israel and Hezbollah Is Inevitable - Newsweek

Egyptian FM sparks uproar by saying Israel not guilty of 'terrorism'

Aug. 23, 2016 -

Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry said on Sunday that Israel’s actions against Palestinians does not constitute terrorism, eliciting an angry response from a Hamas spokesman who said Egypt’s top diplomat is blind.

Source: Jerusalem Post

Israel, Islam and the West
You can attend a two-day event featuring Jack Hibbs, Amir Tsarfati and Erick Stakelbeck Today and tomorrow at Calvary Chapel of Chino Hills.

Source: CCCH

Some good news: Terror attacks in Israel hit 10 month low in July

Aug. 8, 2016 - According to the Jerusalem Post:

“There were six attacks in July, according to the IDF, a drastic fall from the 70 seen last October. Since the current wave of terrorism began, 41 Israelis and foreigners and about 250 Palestinians have died.”

Source: Joel Rosenberg

Israel Gearing Up for Worst-Case ‘Day After’ Scenarios Against ISIS, Hezbollah if Russia-Brokered Syria Deal Materializes

Aug. 1, 2016 - Last week the Israeli military conducted drills along the Syrian and Lebanese borders. Israel is planning for trouble the “day after” an agreement is reached in Syria between the Assad regime and rebel forces.

The IDF is taking into account that after the two warring sides in Syria achieve understandings, jihadists will turn their attention to and aim their fire at the Israeli border.

Source: Algemeiner

Third Lebanon-Israel War: Not ‘If’ But ‘When’

July 15, 2016 -

Iran-backed Hezbollah has embedded itself into Lebanon, trained highly skilled fighters and amassed thousands of weapons directed at Israel’s civilian population, in anticipation of a third Lebanon-Israel war.

The Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) commander Hossein Salami boasted that they plan to wipe out Israel, usiing some 100,000 missiles many of which are already in the homes of civilians in South Lebanon.

Source: Observer.com

The covert dimension of Israeli-Egyptian ties

July 10, 2016

The Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry’s visit to Israel Sunday, July 10 and the two conversations he held with Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu ... underscored the intensified ties between the two governments and their leaders.

Source: DEBKAfile

Iranian military official: We have 100,000 missiles in Lebanon ready to hit Israel

July 3, 2016 - The threat of a new war is looming between Israel and Lebanon, which is supported by Iran. Iran's deputy commander of the Revolutionary Guards, Brig.-Gen. Hossein Salami, declared,

“Today, the grounds for the annihilation and collapse of the Zionist regime are [present] more than ever... “Tens of thousands of destructive long-range missiles” from Islamic territories aiming at all of “occupied” Israel.

An implied additional threat was made by Iranian President Hassan Rouhani. He claimed that last year’s nuclear deal with world powers “was the cheapest way to achieve Iran’s goals and interests.”

According to another Iranian official, recent wars with Israel have revealed vulnerabilities in Israel's Iron Dome anti-rocket system.

Source: Jerusalem Post
US Lifting of Sanctions Helps Hezbollah Recieve Iranian Money - Breaking Israel News
Nasrallah: Hezbollah has more intel on Israel than any Arab entity - Times of Israel
Thanks in no small part to Russia, Hezbollah is now a full-fledged army - Times of Israel
Analysis: Assessing the covert war between the IDF and Hezbollah - Jerusalem Post

'Iran the greatest threat to Israeli security'

Jun. 17, 2016 - According to Amos Gilad, Director of Israel's Political-Military Affairs Department, Iran has the potential to become an existential threat to Israel. He said that even though Iran has said they will delay their nuclear development for ten years,

"The infrastructure is there and there is a debate whether the regime has become more moderate or not. I tend to think that it hasn’t, so long as Khamenei is the [spiritual] leader.”

Source: IsraelInternationalNews

Israel sends more troops to West Bank, freezes Palestinian entry permits after attack

Jun. 9, 2016 - Following the Palestinian shooting ambush of four Israelis, the nation's military authorities deployed more troops to the West Bank and froze 83,000 permits allowing Palestinians to enter the country.

The permits had been issued as a goodwill gesture to allow greater freedom of movement for Palestinians over the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, which started Monday.

Source: Washington Post

Putin: 'Relations with Israel are deep'

June 7, 2016 -

Israeli Prime Minister meets with President Vladimir Putin in Moscow to celebrate 25 years of diplomatic relations; They were expected to discuss Syria, regional issues, joint cooperation.

Source: YNet News

Netanyahu promises not to redivide Jerusalem

June 6, 2016 -

Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu reiterated his call for a peace deal on Sunday during a Jerusalem Day ceremony ... even as he said he would not agree to redivide Jerusalem as it was until the 1967 Six Day War.

He said that he wants to renew the diplomatic process to achieve peace, but that it must come as a "direct negotiation between us and our neighbors," and that such a peace must include recognition that Israel is the nation state of the Jewish people.
Source: IsraelNationalNews

History Flashback


Time to truly liberate Jerusalem

June 2, 2016 - Columnist Michael Freund reminds his Israeli countrymen that, "Winning the Six Day War was a miraculous first step in liberating eastern Jerusalem and restoring it to Jewish control." But the spirit of the '67 war is dying out. God gave Israel that victory, but, he adds, "If Israel does not rise to the occasion, we are in danger of allowing the dream of generations to slowly and deliberately slip away.
Source: Jerusalem Post

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Background:Israel's History


History of the Land (partial)

Canaan - Canaanites, Hittites, Perizites, Amorites
Philistia - "Gaza Strip"
Israelite Conquest
Divided Kingdom
Assyrian occupation
Babylonian occupation
Medo-Persian occupation
Greek occupation
Syrian occupation
Roman occupation
Moslem occupation
Crusader occupation
Ottoman occupation
Zionism (1896)
Balfour Declaration (1917)
British Mandate (1922)
Nazi Persecution (1930's-1940's)
Independence "Israel" - May 15, 1948


Israel: The Center of Divine History

Study this 15 part series from Zola Levitt's site on the History of Israel by Dr.Thomas S. McCall.

Israel: History of conflict

BBC timeline from 1948 to the present time

History of Middle East Conflict - BBC


History of Israel: Key events - BBC



ISRAEL LINKS


From The Jerusalem Center...


Window on the Wall

The Temple Mount In Jerusalem

Virtual Jerusalem

Bridges For Peace

Stratford Mid-East Intelligence

Jerusalem Post


Other Links

Israel Today Magazine
Western Wall Webcam - Mindfactory
Feasts Of Israel
Demonstrates the historical reliability of the Bible through archaeological research and related apologetic investigation.
Judaism and Jewish Resources
Extensive list of links
Israeli Culture - From About.com
Christian Friends of Israel
War of Gog and Magog
More information about Israel's future - Ezekiel 38 & 39
Middle East Maps

ONLINE BOOKS
The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah - by Alfred Edersheim, 1883
The Temple - Its Ministry and Service - by Alfred Edersheim

Helpful Articles

Why Palestinians Should Learn About the Holocaust - Robert Satloff and Mohammed Dajani Doudi
Will there ever be peace for Israel & her neighbors? - Joel Rosenberg
The Evil of Replacement Theology: The Historical Abuse of the Jews by the Church - David Reagan - Lamb and Lion Ministries
Understanding the Evangelical Christian's Support for Israel - Christian Post 2013
Myths of the Middle East - Joseph Farah, 2000
More myths of the Middle East - Joseph Farah, 2000
When 'Palestine' meant 'Israel'- Joseph Farah, 2001
Author: Bible predicted date of Israel's return - 'Covenant' book finds May 1948 date hidden in prophecies - WND
Declassified: Israel nearly used nukes in Yom Kippur War - Israel Today




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