Topical Bible: Israel Becoming a State

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Historical Context:

The establishment of the modern State of Israel on May 14, 1948, is a significant event in both world history and biblical prophecy. This event marked the re-establishment of a Jewish homeland in the land historically known as Israel, a land with deep biblical roots and significance. The Jewish people's connection to this land is well-documented throughout the Scriptures, where it is often referred to as the Promised Land, a covenantal gift from God to the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

Biblical Foundations:

The Bible records God's promise to Abraham in Genesis 12:1-3 : "Then the LORD said to Abram, 'Leave your country, your kindred, and your father's household, and go to the land I will show you. I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, so that you will be a blessing.'" This promise is reiterated and expanded upon in Genesis 15:18 : "On that day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying, 'To your descendants I have given this land, from the river of Egypt to the great River Euphrates.'"

The land of Israel is further promised to Isaac and Jacob, establishing a perpetual covenant with their descendants. In Genesis 26:3 , God tells Isaac, "Stay in this land as a foreigner, and I will be with you and bless you. For to you and your descendants I will give all these lands, and I will confirm the oath I swore to your father Abraham." Similarly, in Genesis 28:13 , God appears to Jacob, saying, "I am the LORD, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac. I will give you and your descendants the land on which you now lie."

Prophetic Significance:

The prophetic writings of the Old Testament also speak to the restoration of Israel. The prophet Isaiah foretells a time when the Jewish people would return to their homeland. Isaiah 11:11-12 states, "On that day the Lord will extend His hand a second time to recover the remnant of His people from Assyria, from Egypt, from Pathros, from Cush, from Elam, from Shinar, from Hamath, and from the islands of the sea. He will raise a banner for the nations and gather the exiles of Israel; He will collect the scattered of Judah from the four corners of the earth."

Ezekiel 37:21-22 also speaks of this restoration: "Then say to them, 'This is what the Lord GOD says: I will take the Israelites out of the nations to which they have gone. I will gather them from all around and bring them into their own land. I will make them one nation in the land, on the mountains of Israel, and one king will rule over all of them.'"

Modern Fulfillment:

The events leading to the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948 can be seen as a fulfillment of these ancient prophecies. After centuries of dispersion, the Jewish people began to return to their ancestral homeland in significant numbers in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, a movement known as Zionism. This return was accelerated by the horrors of the Holocaust and the subsequent international support for a Jewish state.

On May 14, 1948, David Ben-Gurion, the head of the Jewish Agency, proclaimed the establishment of the State of Israel, and the United States, under President Harry S. Truman, recognized the new nation on the same day. This momentous event is often viewed as a pivotal fulfillment of biblical prophecy, as the Jewish people once again had a sovereign nation in the land promised to their forefathers.

Theological Implications:

For many conservative Christians, the re-establishment of Israel is seen as a significant step in God's redemptive plan for humanity. It is viewed as a precursor to the fulfillment of further biblical prophecies concerning the end times and the return of Jesus Christ. The existence of Israel as a nation is often interpreted as a sign of God's faithfulness to His promises and a testament to the enduring covenant between God and the descendants of Abraham.

Topical Bible Verses

Amos 9:14-15
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.
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Ezekiel 36:1-37:28
Also, you son of man, prophesy to the mountains of Israel, and say, You mountains of Israel, hear the word of the LORD:
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Jeremiah 30:1-31:40
The word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD, saying,
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Deuteronomy 30:3
That then the LORD your God will turn your captivity, and have compassion on you, and will return and gather you from all the nations, where the LORD your God has scattered you.
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Ephesians 1:21
Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come:
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Library

The Story of Israel Crossing Jordan under Joshua is Typical of ...
... themselves so that they may be in a state to receive ... this time grown clearer and
assuming a becoming order ... to exalt thee before the children of Israel." And we ...
/.../origen/origens commentary on the gospel of john/26 the story of israel.htm

The First Per??an Discourses - to the Pharisees Concerning the Two ...
... THE KINGDOM OF GOD, AND HOW ISRAEL WAS BECOMING SUBJECT TO ... Messiah, come not for
the glory of Israel, nor for ... there can be no pardon, since the state of mind ...
/.../the life and times of jesus the messiah/chapter xi the first peraean.htm

Isaiah V. 1.
... place, then, whenever we think of the state and prospects ... Lord of hosts is the house
of Israel;" or, in ... were glad to encourage, but without becoming members of ...
/.../christianbookshelf.org/arnold/the christian life/lecture xxxviii isaiah v 1.htm

A Godly Reformation
... an unthinking acquiescence in the present state of things ... the power of the kings
of Israel and Judah ... It is becoming unfashionable to preach 'the terror of the ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture g/a godly reformation.htm

Israel's Hope Encouraged;
... he can add to these the dismalness of a suffering state. ... in his time, answer our
hope, by becoming our hope ... and the strength of the children of Israel' (Joel 3 ...
/.../bunyan/the works of john bunyan volumes 1-3/israels hope encouraged.htm

Period iii. The Dissolution of the Imperial State Church and the ...
... The Church became practically a department of the State and of the political ... won
the favor of Justinian and the latter received promotion, becoming bishop of ...
/.../ayer/a source book for ancient church history/period iii the dissolution of.htm

Storming the Battlements
... God, whose members worshipped and bowed down before the God of Israel. ... was the
consequence of the church of Rome becoming allied with the state; Why she ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 1 1855/storming the battlements.htm

Upon the Character of Balaam. Preached the Second Sunday after ...
... to Balak against the children of Israel was, considered in ... concerning God and a future
state; and these ... recommends, under the notion of becoming little children ...
//christianbookshelf.org/butler/human nature/sermon vii upon the character.htm

Whether a Religious Order Can be Directed to Soldiering?
... 3: Further, the religious state is a state of penance ... they'] fought with cheerfulness
the battle of Israel, and he ... to resist the wrongdoer in a becoming manner. ...
/.../aquinas/summa theologica/whether a religious order can.htm

The Character and Supports of Widows Indeed.
... True."Yet a state of widowhood, after such a connexion, is ... If Israel turn their backs
before their enemies? ... enable us to glorify God by a becoming temper and ...
/.../lee/sermons on various important subjects/sermon xxiv the character and.htm