Eph 3 :21 Unto him be glory in the Church
by Christ Jesus throughout all ages
World Without End Amen

HISTORICAL ACCOUNTS

 

PHILIP SCHAFF

...the date of the Apocalypse (which I now assign, with the majority of modern critics, to the year 68 or 69 instead of 95, as before).

Youngs Literal Translation

King James Version

The 1599 Geneva
Study Bible

American Standard ASV-1901

Historical Book
Flavius Josephus

Philip Schaff
History of the Christian Church - 8 Vol.

 

 

    

THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE NATION OF ISRAEL IN 1948 HAS NO CORRELATION WITH BIBLE PROPHECY

Many Christians believe the establishment of Israel as a nation with borders in 1948 fulfills Bible prophecy. They claim this is the first time the nation of Israel has been established with borders since the prophecy was made. I will show the setting, place and time for those to whom the promise was intended. History shows the Lord made good with His promise to those exiled in other lands. He reestablished Israel as an undivided nation with borders for the exiles returning from captivity two thousand five hundred years ago. 

 

Two thousand six hundred years ago, living in province of Babylonia, in the twelfth year of exile after Nebuchadnezzar took him with other hostages, the Lord spoke to these hostages through Ezekiel. He said:

 

I will take the Sons of Israel from among the nations where they have gone and I will gather them from every side and bring them into their own land; and I will make them one nation in the land, on the mountains of Israel, and one king will be king for all of them; and they will no longer be two nations, and they will no longer be divided into two kingdoms. … (586 B.C - Eze.37:21, 22)

 

One hundred and fifty-five years earlier c.740 B.C., Tiglath-Pileser, king of Assyria invaded Israel and deported hostages to Assyria (2Kings15:29). Ten years later he attacked Damascus and deported it’s inhabitants to Kir (2Kings 16:9).  C.722 B.C. the king of Assyria captured Samaria in Israel and took the people into exile in Assyria (2Kings 17:5,6,23; 18:9-11)

 

In 612 B.C. Nineveh of Assyria fell to the Medes and Babylonians. In 609 Assyria ceased to exist and was taken over by the Babylonians. In 605 Nebuchadnezzar took the government of the Babylonians and seven years later he invaded Jerusalem, took over 3000 captives along with Ezekiel and Daniel. In three months, he invaded Jerusalem again and took over 10,000 captives. In 586 he invaded again and carried into exile all who remained in the city. In 581 he conquered Ammon, Moab and Egypt and took more hostages to Babylon. (AJ:X.VI.1; 2Ki:24; 2Ch.36:5-10; Jer.52:28; Dan.1:1; AJ:X.VI, VII)

 

In 559, Cyrus became king of Persia. Ten years later he conquered Media. And in another ten years he conquered Babylonia, and now possessed ALL THE KINKGDOMS ON EARTH. In 538 Cyrus, king of the Persian Empire decreed throughout his realm that God’s people anywhere where survivors were living could go to Jerusalem and build God’s temple. Over the next sixty years, many Jews returned to their land with Zerubbabel and then with Ezra. In accordance with the Lord’s decrees, many did not return. The Lord would purge those who continued to revolt and rebel against Him. He would bring them out of the land they were living yet they would NOT enter the land of Israel. (2Ch.36:22,23; Ezra 1; Ezekiel 20:38)

 

While Ezekiel was in Babylonian captivity (573) the Lord laid out the new boundaries of the land of Israel for their inheritance (Ezekiel 47).

 

Within one hundred years after Cyrus’ decree, Israel had established borders. (Mal: 1:5) We know in 167 B.C. Israel was a land with borders (1 Maccabees 2:46) After King Harod died in 4 B.C. an angel of the Lord told Joseph in a dream to take the Child and His mother and go to the LAND of Israel (Mt.2: 20,21). Joseph then took the Child and his mother to the LAND of Israel.  Eventually, the boundary that had been marked their inheritance was removed (The Dead Sea Scrolls, The Damascus Rule, I)

 

Two thousand six hundred years ago (586 B.C.), the Lord through Ezekiel promised the hostages in Babylonia He would:

 

Take the Sons of Israel from among the nations where they have gone and I will gather them from every side and bring them into their own land; and I will make them one nation in the land, on the mountains of Israel, and one king will be king for all of them; and they will no longer be two nations, and they will no longer be divided into two kingdoms. …

 

After Cyrus’ decree to free the hostages in 538 B.C., Israel was established as an undivided nation with borders, which lasted hundreds of years, perhaps through the first century.

 

All this happened in accordance with the Lord’s promise over two thousand years ago.

 

The establishment of the nation of Israel in1948 has no correlation with Bible prophecy.

 

AJ: Antiquities of the Jews, Josephus

Mac: Maccabees

 

CONSIDER:

 

Many Christians sincerely believe the establishment of the nation of Israel in 1948 fulfills Bible prophecy. But that doesn’t make it so. It behooves anyone analyzing the Lord’s predictions to sincerely study the people, place, setting and timeframe to whom the predictions were intended. The intended timeframe for a land with borders was upon return from captivity two thousand five hundred years ago.  Now that we see the evidence this land with borders existed as predicted for hundreds of years, the next step is to research this time span for evidence of concurrent fulfilled predictions:

 

  1. The Lord would raise up King Cyrus who would set the exiles free.
  2. Jerusalem, the temple and the towns of Judah would be rebuilt.
  3. The Lord would gather the remnant and be shepherd of His flock.
  4. Not all would return. The Lord would purge those who continued to revolt against Him. He would bring them out of the land they were living but they would NOT enter the land of Israel.
  5. The Lord would reign on Mt. Zion and the people would acknowledge His holiness, accept instruction, learn His ways and exalt His name.
  6. Rulers would rule in justice.
  7. Israel would be righteous, prosperous, peaceful and a splendor to the nations.
  8. The Lord would make a covenant with them and His spirit would be with them.
  9. In the land of Israel they would be cleansed from their sins, have a new spirit, a new heart, and keep God’s laws. They would be His people and He would be the Lord their God.
  10. The Lord would destroy their enemies.
  11. They would live long healthy lives to the age of 100.
  12. The Lord would eventually revoke the covenant. His pastured flock would detest Him and He would become weary of them. Then He would no longer be their shepherd and thus revoke the covenant. God would break the brotherhood between Judah and Israel when they would put a price of thirty pieces of silver on His very life. (Zec.11)

 

If we find this evidence in the five hundred years after release from captivity, we need not look at the current nation of Israel and see anything other than a mere creation of the United Nations.

 

Evidence for all these predictions are there, but to find them requires you seek them. Seek and ye shall find.

 

Lynn Schuldt 5-19-07

Website: http://members.tripod.com/lynnish/index.html

Book: PROPHECY PARADOX: the Case for a First Century End Time

 

 

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