Does the modern state of Israel matter?
There are a lot of opinions out there about Israel that are shaped by one's political or religious beliefs. However, I want to address Israel strictly from an eschatological perspective. In short, I think Israel is important, and I want to provide theological reasons for supporting it. To address this properly, we need to go back in time.
Ancient Israel was often compared in the Bible to the unfaithful wife who cheated on her husband, in their case, Yahweh. Time and time again, God (Yahweh) called on Israel to repent and promised that if they do, they will be forgiven:
Zec 1:3 Therefore, say to the people, ‘This is what the LORD of Heaven’s Armies says: Return to me, and I will return to you, says the LORD of Heaven’s Armies.’
Other scriptural support: Jer 3:12-14, Jer 31:34, Eze 18:21-22, Isa 43:25, Isaiah 44:22, Joel 2:12-13, 2 Ch 7:14, Hos 14:1-2
Well, ancient Israel did not repent, and several things happened as the result of their disobedience: they were besieged by their enemies, they lost their land, and they were scattered among the nations. All the things God warned them would happen (Deu 28:64-65). The Kingdom of Israel was defeated by the Assyrians in 722 BC, and the people scattered across their vast empire. The Kingdom of Judah was conquered by the Babylonians in 587 BC, and the people were taken back to Babylon (modern-day Iraq). 48–59 years later, they were allowed to return home under Cyrus the Great, but they would never again be under self-rule. In time, they were conquered by Rome. In 70 AD, the Romans, under Titus, destroyed Jerusalem and the Second Temple. After the third Jewish rebellion was put down in 135–136 AD, the Jewish diaspora began, and Jews would disperse around the world.
That, however, is not the end of the story. Not only did God say that he would forgive them, but that he would restore them:
Deu 30:1 “In the future, when you experience all these blessings and curses I have listed for you, and when you are living among the nations to which the LORD your God has exiled you, take to heart all these instructions.
Deu 30:2 If at that time you and your children return to the LORD your God, and if you obey with all your heart and all your soul all the commands I have given you today,
Deu 30:3 then the LORD your God will restore your fortunes. He will have mercy on you and gather you back from all the nations where he has scattered you.
Other scriptural support: Jer 3:22, Jer 50:4-5, Eze 11:17-20, Eze 36:24-28, Eze 16:60–62, Isa10:21, Isa 11:11–12, Isa 54:7, Hos 3:5, Hos 6:1-3, Hos 14:4–7
If there is any doubt, Romans 11 should make it clear. Paul states that God is not done with the nation of Israel, making a distinction between the Church and Israel. He says their hearts were hardened and blinded for a time until the full number of Gentiles came to Christ. Ultimately, he declares God, in his mercy, will take away their sins, and all Israel will be saved. The first step in that process has already begun.
The Physical Restoration of Israel
Fast forward to the early 20th century. Several things transpired that were prophesied about and are paving the way for all Israel to be saved:
-The prophet Isaiah prophesied, "Who has heard such a thing? Who has seen such things? Can a land be born in one day? Can a nation be brought forth all at once? As soon as Zion travailed, she also brought forth her sons." (Isa 66:8). That happened in 1948 when Israel, against all odds, became a nation again in one day. Moreover, once reestablished, Amos 9:15 says they would not be uprooted again. It cannot be denied that Israel has not only survived but thrived despite the wars, terrorist attacks, political pressure, boycotts, UN resolutions, etc. since its founding.
-The Jews began to regather just as Jeremiah had prophesied: "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). Ezekiel prophesied the same thing: "Therefore say, 'Thus says the Lord GOD, "I will gather you from the peoples and assemble you out of the countries among which you have been scattered, and I will give you the land of Israel."' (Eze 11:17)
-The land began to flourish again. Deuteronomy foretold that the land would become desolate because of Israel's idolatry (Deu 29:23). This happened during the Ottoman Empire when the Turks placed a tax on fruit trees. Farmers cut down trees to evade the tax, which caused widespread deforestation and a barren landscape by 1918. When Mark Twain, aka Samuel Clemens, visited Palestine in 1867, he opined, "Palestine sits in sackcloth and ashes. Over it broods the spell of a curse that has withered its fields and fettered its energies. There is hardly a tree or shrub anywhere. Even the olive and cactus, those fast friends of a worthless soil, have almost deserted the soil." This began to change as early as 1901 when the Jewish National Fund (JNF) was formed to help restore the land of Israel. Swamps were drained, deserts were irrigated, and trees were planted. In fact, a Jewish engineer invented drip irrigation. Today, the JNF has planted over 250 million trees, and the desert has bloomed again, just as it was also prophesied:
"The wilderness and the wasteland shall be glad for them, And the desert shall rejoice and blossom as the rose." (Isa 35:1)
"So they will say, 'This land that was desolate has become like the garden of Eden; and the wasted, desolate, and ruined cities [are now] fortified [and] inhabited." (Eze 36:35)
-Hebrew, a dead language, was revived, fulfilling the words of Zephaniah: "For then I will restore to the peoples a pure language, that they all may call on the name of the LORD, to serve Him with one accord." (Zep 3:9). The Hebrew language began to decline in use as early as the Babylonian captivity of the Jews in the 6th century B.C. Even during the time of Jesus, the common spoken Semitic language was Aramaic. For thousands of years Hebrew was relegated to religious services and sacred texts. It wasn't until the late 1800s that Eliezer Ben-Yehudah became the driving force behind the revival of Hebrew as a common language. Today, Hebrew is the only successful instance of a complete language revival.
The Spiritual Restoration of Israel
Let’s examine the end-time sequence of events. Zechariah 14 is very prophetic. It says of those days that the nations of the world will fight against Jerusalem, and it will be captured (Zec 14:1-2). Half the population is captured; the rest flee the city. Zechariah gets more into the details and says two-thirds will die, but one-third will be left. This remnant will go through the fire (i.e., the Great Tribulation, aka Jacob's Trouble) and be refined. They will call on the Lord, and He will answer them. That’s when Jesus will intervene to fight against those nations attacking Israel (Zec 14:3). He will set his foot on the Mount of Olives, east of Jerusalem, but that's not where He goes first.
This Jewish remnant will flee to Jordan, likely the rock city of Petra. How do we know this? Because of Micah 2:12: "I will surely assemble, O Jacob, all of thee; I will surely gather the remnant of Israel; I will put them together as the sheep of Bozrah, as the flock in the midst of their fold: they shall make great noise by reason of the multitude of men."
The Israelites knew it as Bozrah, which means "sheepfold" or "fortress," but most people today know it by its Greek name, Petra. There is another clue in Daniel that tells us this is the right location. Daniel 11:14 says there are three ancient nations that will escape the Antichrist’s grasp: Edom, Moab, and Ammon. Those ancient nations no longer exist, but the geographical locations they once occupied do. Those three nations encompass the territory of what is today modern-day Jordan, where Petra is located.
Why Petra? Well, aside from the fact that it appears to be supernaturally protected during this period, it’s the perfect place of refuge. Petra is literally a rock city surrounded by mountains and cliffs. The primary entrance is a very narrow gorge only accessible by foot or horseback, making it easy to defend. Water is also not a problem because the city has hundreds of underground cisterns and aqueducts. This is where the woman (symbolic of Israel) flees to the wilderness (desert) for one thousand two hundred and sixty days, or three and a half years, in Revelation 12:6.
Jeremiah 49:13-14 suggests the Antichrist forces will prepare to invade Bozrah (Petra), likely near the end of the three and a half years: "For I have sworn by Myself,” says the Lord, “that Bozrah shall become a desolation, a reproach, a waste, and a curse. And all its cities shall be perpetual wastes. I have heard a message from the Lord, and an ambassador has been sent to the nations: 'Gather together, come against her, and rise up to battle!'"
This will be a Red Sea moment for the Jewish remnant. They will be surrounded by their enemies with nowhere to run. And just like the Hebrews in Egypt, God will allow them to be put in a position where they have no other recourse but to turn to Him and call upon His name. In fact, this appears to be a precondition for Jesus’ return:
Mat 23:39 “for I say to you, you shall see Me no more till you say, ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!’ ”
Hos 5:15 I will return again to My place Till they acknowledge their offense. Then they will seek My face; In their affliction they will earnestly seek Me.”
The “offense” mentioned by Hosea is outlined in the Book of Daniel 9:24: “Seventy weeks are determined for your people and for your holy city, to finish the transgression, to make an end of sins, to make reconciliation for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy, and to anoint the Most Holy." Daniel says the purpose of the Great Tribulation, among other things, is to “finish the transgression." What has been the Jews main transgression as a people? It's their corporate rejection of Jesus as the Messiah. Once they acknowledge their offense and accept Jesus as the Messiah, their transgression will be finished, and that’s when Jesus will intervene and save them:
Zec 12:10 “And I will pour on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and supplication; then they will look on Me whom they pierced. Yes, they will mourn for Him as one mourns for his only son, and grieve for Him as one grieves for a firstborn.
Rev 19:13 He wore a robe dipped in blood, and his title was the Word of God.
Rev 19:14 The armies of heaven, dressed in the finest of pure white linen, followed him on white horses.
Why is Jesus’ robe dipped in blood? Because he had just come from destroying the Antichrist forces at Bozrah. Isaiah expounds on this:
Isa 63:1 Who is this who comes from Edom, from the city of Bozrah, with his clothing stained red? Who is this in royal robes, marching in his great strength? “It is I, the LORD, announcing your salvation! It is I, the LORD, who has the power to save!”
Isa 63:2 Why are your clothes so red, as if you have been treading out grapes?
Isa 63:3 “I have been treading the winepress alone; no one was there to help me. In my anger I have trampled my enemies as if they were grapes. In my fury I have trampled my foes. Their blood has stained my clothes.
Isa 63:4 For the time has come for me to avenge my people, to ransom them from their oppressors.
Thus, the Great Tribulation is in part dealing with Israel's transgression and bringing about their spiritual restoration.
Theological Reasons to support Israel
So, what does it mean to support Israel? Does it mean to support everything they do? Of course not. No nation or government is beyond reproach. Supporting Israel simply means supporting their right to exist and defend themselves and not joining in with those who seek to malign and attack them. This is not an exhaustive list, but I would offer a few theological justifications for supporting Israel.
1. Nations are judged by how they treat Israel. It has been argued that the Bible doesn't mandate support for modern Israel. This is true. However, I would argue that Genesis 12:3 of blessing and cursing is still in effect. Some believe this applied only to Abraham. If that were true, then Balaam would have been able to curse Israel, but he couldn't. Some then might argue that it applied only to ancient Israel, not to the modern state of Israel. Yet, Zechariah 12:2-3, 8 and Joel 3:2 indicate that the nations will be judged by how they treat Israel. Matthew 25:25:31–46 may also allude to this as well.
For example, the Assyrians were used as a form of judgment against the Kingdom of Israel, but in turn, they were paradoxically judged for what they did to Israel. Likewise, the Babylonians were used as judgment against the Kingdom of Judea, but they were also judged for their misdeeds. God will fight for Israel and will do so in the future against Gog, Magog, and the antichrist forces that attack the Jewish remnant at Petra.
2. Jesus' return is dependent on Israel being saved. Israel is criticized by some Christians for being a secular nation even though Israel is far from the only secular nation in the world. However, it should be remembered that it wasn't prophesied they would be gathered in belief; that comes later. There is a physical restoration BEFORE there is a spiritual restoration. The nation of Israel is a means to an end to bring about a physical and spiritual restoration, culminating in Jesus' return. That means it would be prudent to be in agreement with God's plans to accomplish His will.
3. Israel is prophetically important. It's not a coincidence that so much of the Book of Revelation is centered around the geographical region of Israel. End-time events could not play out until Israel became a nation again. For instance, Zechariah 12:2-3 prophesies that Jerusalem would be a stumbling block to the nations. Nobody cared about Jerusalem until Israel gained control of it in 1967. Since then, Israel has become a focal point of the world, and rightfully so.
It should be established by now that Israel is important to God. And if Israel is important to Him, then it should be important to us too. I rest my case.
