PROPHECY HEADLINES IN THE NEWS

 

ISRAEL THE REBIRTH OF A NATION

 

"Who has heard such a thing? Who has seen such things? Can a country be born in a day or a nation be brought forth in a moment?

Yet no sooner is Zion in labour than she gives birth to her children."

                                                                                           Isaiah 66:8

 

The history of Israel as detailed in the Bible encompasses around 1800 years. It proclaims a dynamic account of God's miracles, judgments, promises, and blessings.

Israel begins as a unilateral promise to one man, Abraham. and for more than 400 years Abraham and his descendants rely on that promise.

 

Then through a series of miraculous events, and judgements upon Egypt, God delivers the Israelites of out Egypt in the Exodus. 

The Exodus is the occasion that most Jews look to as the foundation of the nation of Israel. The Exodus is the act of deliverance which Israelites dwell on as the demonstration of God's love and protection of Israel.

After the crossing of the Red sea, God established a conditional covenant with the Israelites at the Mountain of Sinai. It was there that God proclaimed His Law.

It is there that God through Moses promises blessings if they adhere to His Law and punishment if they don't.

 

The rest of Israel's history as recorded in the Bible is a continuing cycle of blessing and punishment for Israel's obedience and disobedience to God's Law. Throughout times of victory and defeat, king and judges, priests and prophets, restoration and exile - the Israelites are blessed when they obey God and disciplined when they do not.

As a nation, Israel was destroyed by the Romans in 70 A.D. Just as Jesus foretold "Then Jesus went out and departed from the temple, and His disciples came

up to show Him the buildings of the temple.

And Jesus said to them,

"Do you not see all these things? Assuredly, I say to you, not one stone shall be left here upon another, that shall not be thrown down.”

 

The Jews were then scattered throughout the whole world, and believing always with an expectance, assurance and hope based on prophetic promises of an eventual regathering to the chosen land that God gave them.

 

In 1948, after almost 1900 years had passed, Israel was again declared a sovereign nation and officially re-established in the promised land

 

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The Parable Of The Fig Tree

 

In the book of Matthew chapter 24, the Apostles come to Jesus and ask Him about the end of the world, and how would people living then, know that it was indeed the end. This is what Jesus said.

"And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world? And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you. For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many. And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet." Matthew 24: 2-6

Jesus then continues to talk about one of the biggest signs and that is the rebirth of Israel.

 

"Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves,

ye know that summer is nigh: So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it

is near, even at the doors. Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these

things be fulfilled."

Matthew 24:32

 

 

Throughout the Bible, Israel is referred to as the fig tree.

Hosea 9:10 says, "When I found Israel, it was like finding grapes in the desert; when I saw your fathers, it was like seeing the early fruit on the fig tree."

 

So here's the question! Is the 1948 establishment of the nation of Israel the blossoming fig tree?

 

One of the essential ingredients for the fulfilment of bible prophecies in the last days, is the little nation of Israel. Which was not present until May 14th, 1948.

 

Without the existence of Israel, the presence of the other signs would mean very little. The end time events revolve around this little country, which seems to be constantly in the news. It is important to understand that the rebirth of Israel was a prophetic event, predicted in the Bible, and brought forth by the direct will of God. 

So to answer the question of the fig tree, there is very little doubt anymore among Bible scholars that the establishment of the State of Israel, on May 14, 1948, is the fulfilment of the bible prophecy.

 

Listen to what the Lord says in the book of Amos

"The days are coming, declares the LORD, when the reaper will be overtaken by the ploughman and the planter by the one treading grapes. New wine will drip from the mountains and flow from all the hills. I will bring back my exiled people Israel; they will rebuild the ruined cities and live in them. They will plant vineyards and drink their wine; they will make gardens and eat their fruit. I will plant Israel in their own land, never again to be uprooted from the land I have given them, says the LORD your God." Amos 9:13-15

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Hear the word of the LORD, O nations; proclaim it in distant coastlands: 'He who scattered Israel will gather them and will watch over his flock like a shepherd."

Jer 31:10

 

You would think that knowing that the Lord watches over Israel, that it would be left alone. But no, Israel has had to continually fight for its right to exist.

Since Israel was founded on May the 14th 1948, there have been numerous wars. And each time not only did the little country of Israel win each war against their  enemies, they did so due to the God of Israel.

And with every war they won, they received more land each time, than was originally allocated to them by the United Nations. 

 

The Arab and Israeli wars since 1948

 

The war of independence 1947-1948 

This war was fought along the complete border of the country,

against Lebanon and Syria in the north, Iraq and Transjordan

(now called Jordan ) in the east.

And in the south by Egypt and Sudan.

This war was know in  Hebrew as the Milkhemet Ha'atzma'ut

(Hebrew: מלחמת העצמאות‎, "War of Independence") or

Milkhemet Hashikhrur (Hebrew: מלחמת השחרור‎ "War of Liberation").

 

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The Sinai Campaign

 

In 1956 operation Kadesh began, also known as the Sinai campaign.

The entire Sinai peninsula completely fell into the Israel's hands.

One of the places they captured was Sharm el Sheikh, a very

prominent Egyptian tourist resort today.

Israel withdrew from the Sinai peninsula without any security

guarantee. This gave them roughly 10 years of breathing space in that region.

 

Their eyes now turned to Syria who since 1953 had been trying to disrupt Israel's water supply by trying to divert the headwaters of the Jordan river.

But after Israel negotiated with the Syrians with artillery and tanks they decided to give this exercise a miss.  

 

 

The Six Day War

 

The Six-Day War took place in June 1967. The Six-Day War was fought between June 5th and June 10th. The Israelis defended the war as a preventative military effort to counter what the Israelis saw as an impending attack by Arab nations that surrounded Israel. The Six-Day War was initiated by General Moshe Dayan,

the Israeli’s Defence Minister.

This war was against Syria, Jordan and Egypt.

 

A clash in the air cost Syria 13 planes and because of this, Nasser of Egypt

sent 100,000 soldiers into the Sinai. He then decided to taunt

Israel's General Moshe Dayan saying "Let him come, i'm waiting"

 

On the 5th June 1967 a cluster of planes flying out of Egypt towards Israel

was seen by King Hussein. He believed they were Egyptians, and the

command to attack Israel was given.

Little did he know that the planes were Israeli, who just responded

to Nasser's taunts.

 

 

 

In the space of six days the Israelis launched a hugely successful military campaign against its perceived enemies.

The air forces of Egypt, Jordan, Syria and Iraq were all but destroyed on June 5th.

By June 7th, many Egyptian tanks had been destroyed in the Sinai Desert and Israeli forces reached the Suez Canal.

On the same day, the whole of the west bank of the Jordan River had been cleared of Jordanian forces. The Golan Heights were captured from Syria and Israeli forces moved 30 miles into Syria itself.

 

The war was a disaster for the Arab world and temporarily weakened the man who was seen as the leader of the Arabs – Gamal Abdul Nasser of Egypt. The war was a military disaster for the Arabs but it was also a massive blow to the Arabs morale.

However, the Arab league, in it's session in the Sudan in 1967 adopted a resolution of the three No's of Khartoum

"no peace, no negotiations, no recognition of Israel.

 

 

The War Of Attrition

 

The War of Attrition, Hebrew: מלחמת ההתשה‎ Milhemet haHatashah) involved

fighting between Israel and Egypt from 1967 to 1970.

 

Following the 1967 Six-Day War, no serious diplomatic efforts tried to resolve

the issues at the heart of the Arab-Israeli conflict. In September 1967, Arab

states formulated the "Three No's" policy, barring peace, recognition or

negotiations with Israel. Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser believed

that only military initiative would compel Israel or the international community

to facilitate a full Israeli withdrawal from Sinai,[17][18] and hostilities soon

resumed along the Suez Canal.

 

These initially took the form of limited artillery duels and small-scale incursions

into Sinai, but by 1969 the Egyptian Army judged itself prepared for larger-scale operations.

 

On March 8, 1969, Nasser proclaimed the official launch of the Warof Attrition, characterized by large-scale shelling along the Suez Canal, extensive aerial

warfare and commando raids. Hostilities continued until August 1970 and ended with a ceasefire, the frontiers remaining the same as when the war began,

with no real commitment to serious peace negotiations.

 

 

The Yom Kippur War

 

The Yom Kippur War of 1973, the most recent ‘full’ war in Middle East history, is so-called because it began on the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur), the holiest day of prayer and fasting in the Jewish calendar. The Yom Kippur War is also known as the October War. At the time of Yom Kippur, Israel was led by Golda Meir and Egypt by Anwar Sadat.

 

The Yom Kippur War started with a surprise Arab attack on Israel on

Saturday 6th October 1973. On this day, Egyptian and Syrian military

forces launched an attack knowing that the military of Israel would be

participating in the religious celebrations associated with Yom Kippur.

 

Other Arab nations aided the Egyptians and Syrians. Iraq transferred a

squadron of Hunter jet fighter planes to Egypt a few months before the

war began. Iraqi Russian-built MIG fighters were used against the Israelis

in the Golan Heights along with 18,000 Iraqi soldiers. Saudi Arabia and

Kuwait effectively financed the war from the Arabs side. Saudi troops,

approximately 3,000 men - also fought in the war. Libya provided Egypt

with French-built Mirage fighters.

 

Other Arabic nations that helped the Egyptians and Syrians included Tunisia,

Sudan, Jordan and Morocco.

 

 

Camp David Accords, 1978-1979

 

Egypt's Anwar Sadat, left, President Carter and Israel's Menachem Begin at Camp David.

 

Egyptian and Israeli leaders meet at Camp David with President Carter in 1978 to discuss

a treaty in which Egypt would regain full control of the Sinai Peninsula.

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The treaty is signed on March 26, 1979, lending hope to a future of peace in the region.

 

 

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Israeli invasion of Lebanon, 1982

 

The treaty with Egypt leads to a "cold" peace, but Israel must now focus on the

Palestinian refugees living in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Attacks by the

Palestine Liberation Organization from the Lebanon border add to the tensions.

 

In June 1982 a Palestinian terrorist group led by Abu Nidal carried out an

assassination attempt on Israel's Ambassador to Great Britain, Shlomo Argov

 

In retaliation, the IDF attacked Lebanon once again and succeeded in its

original purpose to wipe out terrorist bases in the south of Lebanon.

Israeli troops reach Beirut, cornering the PLO and Syrian fighters.

The United States intervenes, and a force of U.S. and Western European troops help with

the PLO and Syrian evacuation.

Months later Israel retakes Beirut, and hundreds of Palestinian guerrillas are killed.

The war ends in May 1983, and Israel gradually withdraws troops.

 

 

 

 

Intifada, Hamas and Hezbollah, mid- to late 1980s

 

Expanding Jewish settlements in the West Bank and Israel's attack on Lebanon gives rise to

three security threats

 

The intifada (or uprising) of Palestinians in the occupied territories;

Hezbollah (Party of God), a militia aimed at ending Israel's control of southern Lebanon;

and Hamas, an ultra-religious group that seeks to liberate Palestine according to the laws

of Islam.

 

Hamas often resorts to the use of violence to achieve political gains during the intifada.

The intifada starts with small-scale riots and demonstrations.

Israel responds by closing Palestinian schools and businesses as well as access to Israel.

Within the first year of the uprising, about 300 Palestinians and 50 Israelis are killed.

 

The Gulf War (1991)  The War of the Civilian Rear

 

After the end of his war with Iran, Saddam Hussein had a huge, battle wise army sitting idle and his threats to "burn half of Israel" had to be taken seriously. The IDF was concerned at the availability to Saddam Hussein of considerable quantities of Russian-made Scud missiles with a range of 600 kms., against which no effective countermeasure was as yet in Israel's arsenal; particularly if those missiles were to be equipped with chemical warheads, which Saddam was reputed to have perfected with the help of German companies. At the urging of the US, which was concerned that it might be deserted by its Arab coalition partners, Israel refrained from active participation in the war.

 

In view of the unprecedented danger to the civilian rear, special attention was paid to its organization: the IDF was responsible for the procurement and distribution of gas masks to the entire population; it readied the medical aid network; and instructed the population in preparing "safe rooms" for use in case the alarm was sounded. For Israel, this war was characterized as the War of the Civilian Rear, and the Gadna, the Youth Battalions, once more had a useful role to play, which they faithfully carried out.

 

Oslo Accords, 1993

 

Israel's Yitzhak Rabin, President Clinton and the PLO's Yasser Arafat at the White House.

 

Failed peace talks in Madrid in 1991 provide the framework for talks in Oslo, Norway, in 1993.

Both sides agree to a Declaration of Principles, which is signed in Washington on Sept. 13, 1993

The accords provide for the withdrawal of Israeli troops from the Gaza Strip and the West Bank.

 

Both sides formally recognized one another; Arafat agrees to Israel's right to exist, and Israel

accepts the Palestinians' right to self-determination. Two years later, leaders meet again at the

White House and sign the Interim Agreement, which allows for the next stage in Palestinian

autonomy and control of some cities in the occupied zone.

 

Wye Accords, 1998

 

In 1998, President Clinton hosts Arafat and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in talks at Way Mills, Md. The summit ends with a land-for-security deal on Oct. 23, 1998. Arafat agrees to crack down on terrorism, and Israel agrees to withdraw from a percentage of occupied land. Palestinians agree to withdraw elements of its charter that are hostile to Israel, and both sides agree to a third phase of negotiations.

Within two months, Netanyahu accuses the Palestinians of failing to honour security commitments and steps away from the deal.

 

Labor Party Leader Ehud Barak campaigns for Israeli prime minister, guaranteeing a move forward toward peace. He is elected and soon signs a deal with Arafat to implement part of the Wye Accords and sets a deadline of Sept. 13, 2000, for a final treaty.

 

Camp David, 2000

 

Tensions mount as the September deadline approaches with no treaty in sight. Clinton begins a last-ditch peace effort by hosting Arafat and Barak at Camp David. The summit lasts two weeks, but persistent issues, such as the status of Jerusalem and the relocation of Jewish settlers and Palestinian refugees, block an agreement.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lebanon War II (2006)

 

On July 12, 2006 eight IDF soldiers were killed and two kidnapped on the border

with Lebanon, in an attack by the Hezbollah terror organization. Hezbollah

simultaneously launched Katyusha rockets against Israeli communities near the

border. The IDF responded with Operation Change of Direction.

Israel Police: Since the beginning of the fighting on July 12, 3,970 rockets landed

on Israel, 901 of them in urban areas. More than a thousand rockets landed in the

Kiryat Shmona area, 808 rockets landed near Nahariya, 471 near Safed,

176 near Carmiel, 106 near Akko, 93 in the Haifa vicinity and 81 near Tiberias.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

So, after 1900 odd years of exile, Israel again came into existence. And after many wars and skirmishes it not only still exists but is flourishing.

Only God could do this. Israel is one of the oldest countries in the world, and, paradoxically, also one of the youngest!

It is the only country to have been reborn out of antiquity, revived after a struggle as dramatic as any story recorded in the Old Testament.

The little David against all the mighty goliath's of the Muslim world, who would like nothing more than to see the destruction of every Jewish person.

Which by the way will never happen, why, because the King of Kings, the Lord Jesus Christ  is coming back soon. And he is going to reign from Jersualem.    

 

Israel is one of the very few places on the face of the earth, where the old blends in with the new.

Where the old is remembered, and the new is celebrated.

 

How could i explain Israel in so many words

It is a place of miracles, many old, some new. Its a place of sorrows and a place of joy

Despite the bombs and the sirens wailing, life goes on. Israelis carry on with their day to day lives

This is a country and nation, who's motto should really be "prepared for peace, but ready for war"

 

One thing never changes, the people remain the same: They are the bravest, warmest, craziest,

loudest, most argumentative, smartest, and big-hearted people on this planet.

 

it’s the people who make it so hard to describe Israel properly. The land is wonderful, beautiful,

mysterious, exciting, and the history is literally out of this worId. But it is the people who make the land what it is.

And it's God who makes the people who they are.

 

God has brought Israel back to life, and they have planted vineyards in the desert, opened fashionable restaurants on fashionable boulevards, built cities out of sand, grew forests where none existed, and fought to bring Jews from every corner of the world out of danger and to the promised land.

And they just want to let their children play on jungle gyms, not bomb shelters. Not hear the constant barrage over the airwaves that people want you dead because you’re a Jew.

They just want peace.

 

All of this land belongs to nation of Israel. It is only a part of

what God has promised to them.