by David Cunningham
Israel became a nation in 1312 B.C., but lost their independent and sovereign status over 500 years before Christ walked the streets of Jerusalem, when the northern and southern kingdoms were taken into captivity by the Syrians and Babylonians. They regained their sovereignty on May 14, 1948, after the tribulations of Hitler’s campaign to exterminate the Jews in Europe during WWII. Then renewed attempts to exterminate the Jews started immediately, led by the nations of Egypt, Syria, Jordan, Lebanon, and Iraq. In the attacks in 1948, we can see the Hand of God protecting His chosen people. In the initial attack of 1948, the Arabs had 250 million people; Israel, 3 million. The Arabs had 1.5 million square miles of territory; Israel, 7,500 square miles. The attacking Arabs had more men under arms than the entire population of Israel, including every man, woman and child, yet Israel prevailed. What a miracle! Then the Israelis were again victorious in the 1956 conflict at Suez. When Arab nations massed to attack them in the Six Day War of 1967, the Israelis again defeated their enemies. But the Arabs didn’t give up – they initiated war again in the 1973, known as the “Yom Kippur War,” which began with an Egyptian and Syrian attack on Oct. 6, the Hebrew Day of Atonement. Again, Israel was victorious against those who would push them into the sea.
One thing should be evident in the series of conflicts – either the Jews are incredibly lucky, with a string of victories against vastly overwhelming odds, or there is something in the spiritual realm going on. If you flip a coin once, and it lands on edge, you can claim a result happened which was against all reasonable statistical probability. But if you do that four times in a row, maybe it’s time to concede that divine intervention is taking place.
If we admit that it appears that God is protecting Israel, maybe it’s worthwhile looking at the prediction of the re-birth of this nation. In the Bible, in the book of Ezekiel, this Old Testament prophet predicts that Israel will be born again as a nation. In Ezekiel chapter 37, verses 4-6, he says
“Again He said to me, Prophesy to these bones, and say to them, O dry bones, hear the Word of Jehovah. So says the Lord Jehovah to these bones: Behold, I will cause breath to enter into you, and you shall live. And I will lay sinews on you, and will bring up flesh on you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and you shall live. And you shall know that I am Jehovah.”
For those who say this doesn’t predict the revival of Israel as a nation, consider the explanation that Exekiel gives in verses 11 and 12 of the same chapter:
“And He said to me, Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. Behold, they say, Our bones are dried and our hope is lost; we are cut off by ourselves. Therefore prophesy and say to them, So says the Lord Jehovah: Behold, O My people, I will open your graves and cause you to come up out of your graves, and will bring you into the land of Israel.”
This is an astounding prophecy! When Israel was reestablished as a nation in 1948, they had not been a nation for over 2,500 years. Despite being dispersed around the world for two and a half millennia, they kept their identity, and have now been restored as a nation as God promised. To understand the incredible odds against this happening, consider that in all of recorded history there has never been another nation defeated and dispersed around the world, which became a nation again, claiming the land of their original national status.
If we can see the hand of God in Israel, maybe we should take seriously the promise in the Bible where God says to Abraham, “I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you.”After all, where there is a conflict, and God has stated he will bless those on one side of the conflict, is it hard to choose whether you want to be on God’s side or the other side?
The most difficult thing for us in the United States today is to answer the question, “How do I bless Israel?” After all, we aren’t located in the Middle East, and don’t have the close access to the people there to help them. That’s the reason for our website, WeBlessIsrael.org – so that anyone who is interested in blessing Israel can find some practical ways to do so.
