What is God’s relationship with Israel today?
The period of time when Israel was first called a nation at the death of Jacob in 1813 B.C. until Jesus pronounced the house of Israel “desolate” (Matthew 23:38) was 1845 years. It was during that time period that Israel was “favored” by God.
However, God’s relationship with Israel was not always favorable. God chastised her many times during the periods of the judges and the kings due to her disobedience and idol worship. Nonetheless, God dealt with the nation and instructed her, as a father would a rebellious child. By the time Jesus appeared on the scene the Jewish nation had been occupied and ruled by many empires, the last being Rome. All these events happened during Israel’s period of favor.
An equal period of time, (1845 years) a “double,” was Israel’s period of disfavor. During the period of disfavor the temple in Jerusalem was destroyed and the two tribes of Judah that had remained in the land were scattered throughout the world.
Israel as a nation ceased to exist. For 1845 years God neither protected nor disciplined Israel as He had in the past. Although many Jews prospered in the countries in which they lived, their ancient nation was barren with few inhabitants. This period of God’s disfavor ended in 1878 when the Berlin Congress of Nations reestablished the right of Jews to own land in Palestine. Thus the village of Petach Tikvah was established, which began the colonization of the modern state of Israel. We believe that since 1878 God began to once again “favor” Israel, although the process would be long and arduous.
Isaiah 43:5-6 is one of many prophecies that foretells the re-gathering of the Jewish people to the Promised Land.
“Fear not, for I am with thee; I will bring thy seed from the east and gather thee from the west; I will say to the north: Give up, and to the south: Keep not back, bring My sons from far, and My daughters from the end of the earth.” For God said: “As the Lord liveth, that brought up the children of Israel from the land of the north, and from all the countries whither He had driven them; and I will bring them back into their land that I gave unto their fathers. Behold, I will send for many fishers, saith the Lord, and they shall fish them; and afterward I will send for many hunters, and they shall hunt them from every mountain, and from every hill, and out of the clefts of the rocks.” Jeremiah 16:15-16
The Zionist movement compares to the fishing method of gathering. The Zionist activities provided the land with a vital nucleus of people that enabled it to become the new state of Israel. The “many hunters” would be those persecuting forces that led the Jews to face the necessity of return to Palestine.
The Holocaust was a diabolical attempt to destroy the “seed of Abraham” and to make void the promise of God. The Adversary’s plan was thwarted when thousands of Jews that managed to escape the Holocaust found a refuge in Palestine. This occurrence opened the door for the next step in the ultimate fulfillment of God’s promise to Abraham, “to thee will I give it and to thy seed forever.” (Genesis 22:16-18)
That step was the reestablishment of Israel as an independent nation in 1948. Israel was further blessed with God’s favor in the “six day war” of 1967. Her victory was nothing short of miraculous and ensured that Jerusalem belonged to Israel.
As we know Jacob’s trouble still awaits Israel and the world. At that time God will “fight’ for Israel as in the days of old. The Ancient faithful ones (Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, etc.) will then come forth from their graves to lead and instruct the nation. Then the hearts of the Jewish people will be turned to their God.
“A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you a heart of flesh. And I will put My spirit within you, and cause you to walk in My statutes, and ye shall keep Mine ordinances, and do them. And ye shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers; and ye shall be My people, and I will be your God.” Ezekiel 36:26-28
In retrospect we can see that World War 2 (WW2) was the second phase of the Great War (WW1). In WW1, the monarchies were toppled, thus ending the times of the Gentiles in 1914. After WW2 many new nations were established, which we believe refers to the scripture,
“Behold the fig tree [Israel] and all the trees [other new independent nations]” Luke 21:29
The Bible plainly states that God gave the Land to the Jewish people as an everlasting possession.
History shows that the vast majority of Arabs in Palestine today entered the Land in the last century and have no roots there. The Lord has declared that all efforts to remove Israel from her Land will fail.
“And I will plant them upon their land, and they shall no more be pulled up out of their land which I have given them, saith the LORD thy God.” Amos 9:15
Is God no longer dealing with the Jewish people? Should we view the land dispute between the Arabs and the Jews as not relevant in today’s world? The Scriptures emphatically tell us otherwise.
“Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of trembling unto all the people around about . . . in that day will I make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all people: All that burden themselves with it shall be cut in pieces, though all the people of the earth be gathered together against it.” Zechariah 12:2-3
To learn more about Israel and its future in God’s plan listen to, “Is Israel a Thorn in the Side of the World?”