Israel’s 70th Anniversary –

fulfilling Bible Prophecy

The 14th of May 2018 marked the 70th anniversary of the establishment of the state of Israel.  (The date is a little different on the Jewish calendar).

When David Ben Gurion, standing beneath the picture of Theodore Herzl,  proclaimed the state of Israel on 14 May 1948 a miracle had happened.  In truth it was a re-establishment of the nation of Israel, because Israel was a nation from about 1400 BC to around 70 CE.  The rebirth of the State of Israel on 14 May 1948, and its continued existence, is an amazing fulfilment of predictions in the Bible written 2,500 years ago.

“For behold, days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will restore the fortunes of my people, Israel and Judah, says the LORD, and I will bring them back to the land that I gave to their fathers, and they shall take possession of it.” (Jeremiah 30:3)

“I  (God) will take you from the nations and gather you from all the countries and bring you into your own land.” (Ezekiel 36:24)

The fulfilment of these prophecies proves that God exists and that he is in control of world events.  God said 2700 year ago of Israel “You are my witnesses,” declares the LORD, “that I am God. (Isaiah 43:12).  (Israel is the subject of many fulfilled prophecies – see here)

The return of Jewish people to their biblical homeland of Israel is also a sign that Jesus Christ will return to the earth to establish God’s kingdom. In Luke 21:24-27 Jesus says that when Jerusalem is in Jewish control again he will be about to return. In this Bible reference, Jesus begins by predicting the destruction of Jerusalem which happened in 70 CE and the dispersion of the Jewish people.

“They will fall by the edge of the sword and be led captive among all nations, and Jerusalem will be trampled underfoot by the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled. … And then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. ” (Luke 24:24, 27)

The prediction is that Jerusalem would be under the dominion of Gentiles (non-Jewish people) until the time God had set for the end of non-Jewish dominion of Jerusalem (the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled or completed).  It is remarkable how the Jewish people have increasingly gained control of Jerusalem.  When Israel became a nation in 1948 the old city of Jerusalem was under the control of the country of Jordan.  In the six day war of 1967 Israel gained control of the Old City.

However since 1967 many nations have been reluctant to acknowledge Jewish sovereignty over Jerusalem. All nations have had their embassies in  Tel Aviv not Jerusalem.

In December 2017 the US President, Donald Trump signed a proclamation acknowledging Jewish sovereignty over Jerusalem and announced the shifting of the US Embassy to Jerusalem which happened on 14 May 2018. 

This then is a pointer to the soon return of Jesus Christ (termed Son of Man in the Luke quotation above) to the earth.  Jesus Christ will then become King of Israel and later King of the world.  When an angel announced to Mary that she would be the mother of Jesus, his future kingdom on earth was prophesied.

“And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David,and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.” (Luke 1:31-33)

Why is this important?  This coming kingdom of Jesus Christ is an integral part of the Gospel that Jesus preached and something that needs to be believed for anyone to have eternal life in this coming Kingdom of Christ.  See here for more.