Israel in Prophecy

Israel is a sort of timepiece in Biblical prophecy. Many of the end-time prophecies assume that Israel is a nation. That is why it is so important that Israel became a nation as prophesied in Ezekiel 37:21-22 in 1948. There are many other verses in the Bible that predict Israel’s nationhood and the subsequent return of Jews from around the world to Israel. ¹

In addition, God stated that He would watch over the people of Israel like a shepherd (Jeremiah 31:10). There is evidence that God indeed has watched over the re-established nation of Israel. Less than 24 hours after Israel declared independence in 1948, its surrounding countries (Egypt, Jordan, Iraq, Syria, and Lebanon) attacked Israel, hoping to replace the Jewish state with an Arab state. ^{2 ; 3} These countries are much larger than Israel, as you can see in the map ⁴ below of Israel (in the reddish-brownish color near Egypt) and its neighbors. But tiny Israel prevailed in that war and was able to capture additional land. Israel also prevailed in the two other major wars that followed (the Six-Day War in 1967 and the Yom Kippur War in 1973). ^{5 ; 6}

Moreover, it is believed that Jesus Christ prophesied in the book of Luke that when Israel became a nation again, the Kingdom of God would be near.

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. Verily I say unto you, this generation shall not pass away, till all be fulfilled.” Luke 21:29-32

In other parts of the Bible, Israel is referred to as a fig tree. ^{7 ; 8} It is believed that this parable in Luke says that the generation of people who witness the fig tree bearing leaves (Israel becoming a nation) will not pass away until Jesus Christ returns. Israel became a nation in 1948, which leads to the conclusion that the generation born in 1948 will live to see Jesus Christ
return.

Source: http://www.aboutbibleprophecy.com/luke_21_29.htm

Footnotes:

1. Bible Prophecies Sorted by Theme: http://aboutbibleprophecy.com/
2. Department of World Zionist Organization: http://www.wzo.org.il/en/resources/view.asp?id=1040
3. Wikipedia - 1948 Arab-Israeli War: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1948_Arab-Israeli_War
4. University of Texas Libraries: http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/middle_east_and_asia/middle_east_pol_2003.jpg
5. Wikipedia – Six Day War: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Six-Day_War
6. Wikipedia – Yom Kippur War: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yom_Kippur_War
7. A Miracle of the First Kind: http://fulfilledprophecy.com/miracle_of_the_first_kind.htm
8. Program # 278 – “Unlocking the Mystery of the Fig Tree Parable”: http://www.voiceofevangelism.org/video.cfm