Israel – Past, Present, Future “The Bush Burned with Fire, And…Was Not Consumed” Exodus 3:2
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Israel – Past, Present, Future “The bush burned with fire, and…was not consumed” Exodus 3:2 Alan O’Reilly ii CONTENTS 1. Introduction.............................................................................................. 1 2. Israel - the Beginning………………………………………………………... 3 3. Israel – the Signs……………………………………………………………... 4 4. Israel – the Apostasy and Dispersion...………………………………….. 6 5. Israel – the ‘Re-interpretations’…………………..……………………….. 9 6. Israel – the Restoration………………………………………………….…... 14 7. Israel – “Troublous Times”………………………………………...………. 18 8. Israel – the Future in Prophecy………………...………………………….. 22 9. Postscript……………………………………………………………………… 41 10. References………………………………..…………………………………... 42 11. Appendix 1 - Myths and Facts about Israel……………………………… 44 12. Appendix 2 – ‘Khazars,’ ‘Conspiracy,’ Holocaust - 2010 Notes.......... 47 1 Introduction Author’s Note: This work was first compiled in 2002. Some new material has been added in Appendix 2. Israel is a small nation. She occupies a mere 33,000 square miles, approximately one third the size of Great Britain. The nation of Israel contains less than six million inhabitants. Yet she is almost never out of the mainstream news. A word search on ‘Israel’ on the BBC site alone (in September 2002) yields over 9,000 ‘hits’, whereas a search for ‘Iraq’, arguably one of the most important nations in the Middle East for Britain, yields less than 7,000. Searches for Israel’s other nearest neighbours yield approximately 3,000 for ‘Egypt’, 6,000 for ‘Iran’, 2,000 for ‘Jordan’, 2,000 for ‘Kuwait’, 2,000 for Libya, 3,000 for ‘Saudi Arabia’, 2,000 for ‘Syria’ and 5,000 for Turkey. It is noteworthy that with the exception of Jordan and Libya, all these nations are more heavily populated than Israel, some of them several-fold. Yet given that the additional word ‘Palestinians’ yields almost 8,000 ‘hits’, Israel and her Palestinian problem individually far outstrip any of her neighbours with respect to western (or at least British) interest. Moreover, of all the ancient pre-Christian nations, Israel is the only one that has not only survived but also retained much of her original identity, with respect to her present location, language, law, culture and religion – in spite of repeated attempts to annihilate her. The Old Testament records how Pharaoh, Sennacherib, Nebuchadnezzar and Haman the Agagite tried and failed to destroy Israel. Emperor Titus of Rome sacked and burned Jerusalem in 70 AD and the Jews were dispersed across Europe. However, they were not destroyed nor did they lose their national identity, even though Catholic kings, popes and crusaders persecuted them throughout the Middle Ages, in England, Spain, France and Germany 1, p59ff, 2, p 12ff, 3, p 106ff, 4, p 43ff, 5, p 333ff. Persecution continued under the Czars of Russia up to the time of the Revolution and was of course brought to a head – a ‘Totenkopf’ or ‘Death’s Head’ – in the extermination camps of the Second World War under the Roman Catholic Adolph Hitler. (Catholic enmity towards Israel stems from the Lateran Council of 1215 AD, which condemned all ‘heretics’ - Jews and other non-Catholics – to death 6, p 23ff. However, Satan has a particular loathing for Israel because “of whom as concerning the flesh Christ came, who is over all, God blessed forever. Amen” Romans 9:5b. Roman Catholics almost certainly composed the notorious Protocols of Zion in the late 19th or early 20th century, documents that purportedly reveal a Jewish plot for world domination 2, p3, 3, 208, 263ff, 459ff, 5 p 335 and which Hitler used to justify the holocaust, in reality a modern Inquisition.) After centuries of exile, in spite of all their ordeals, Jews began to return to the land of Israel in the 19th century 3, p 213. They returned in increasing numbers after World War 1 and after the UN recognition of the State of Israel on November 29th 1947 2, p 2, 3, p 348ff. Nevertheless, in keeping with past history, opposition to the nation of Israel is unrelenting: “The division of the former British mandate of Palestine and the creation of the state of Israel in the years after the end of World War II have been at the heart of Middle Eastern conflicts for the past half century. The struggle between Jewish and Arab interests over the area has origins stretching back hundreds of years, with religious tensions centring on the city of Jerusalem - sacred to Jews, Christians and Muslims alike. Israel claims Jerusalem as its capital, but this is not recognised by the Palestinians or the United Nations” 7 (emphasis added). Guided by the Vatican, the UN still favours internationalisation of Jerusalem 3, p 361. “We will declare OUR STATE…with Jerusalem as its capitol; yes Jerusalem, the eternal capitol of OUR State whether [the Jews] like it or not! Now we are on OUR holy land, and we are regaining this HOLY land inch by inch” 3, p 419 Yasser Arafat, May 1999 (emphasis in original). Even though the UN had voted for the recognition of Israel, thanks largely to President Truman of the USA, it did nothing to prevent Arab aggression against Israel up to and after the formal establishment of the Jewish national state on May 15th 1948. The UN acted only when the Jews came close to capturing Jerusalem. Then, still guided by the Vatican, the UN set up the ‘West Bank’, which is intended to be the establishment of a ‘Palestinian State’ – see Arafat’s comments above - and has since become a training ground for Arab terrorists 3, p 353ff, 360ff. Yet Israel survives. She is “the bush burned with fire, and…was not consumed” Exodus 3:2 and her survival is an incredible account of God’s merciful preservation, as is very evident from the accounts of her deliverance as far back as the Exodus. Her survival down through history since then has rested entirely on God’s mercy because He has chosen Israel to be a national witness to His own excellence of character. “For thou art a holy people unto the LORD thy God: the LORD thy God hath chosen thee to be a special people unto himself, above all people that are upon the face of the earth. The LORD did not set his love upon you, nor choose you, because ye were more in number than any people; for ye were the fewest of all people: But because the LORD loved you, and because he would keep the oath 2 which he had sworn unto your fathers, hath the LORD brought you out with a mighty hand, and redeemed you out of the house of bondmen, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt.” Deuteronomy 7:6-8. Israel’s continuing survival and her future survival likewise depend on God’s mercy. The aim of this work is to show how God’s mercy toward His chosen people unfolds and is fulfilled. 3 2 Israel - the Beginning The nation of Israel began with the promise of God to Abraham (Abram), “Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will show thee. And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.” Genesis 12:1-3. This land was at the time called “the land of Canaan” Genesis 12:5. It would later become known as The Promised Land, based on Exodus 12:25, “And it shall come to pass, when ye be come to the land which the LORD will give you, according as he hath promised, that ye shall keep this service”. These few sentences reveal not only Israel’s destiny but explain why she survives and why nations rise or fall depending on their stance toward Israel. As recorded at the time of the conquest of Canaan, “the LORD God of Israel fought for Israel” Joshua 10:42. He still does. After bestowing the initial promise, God later confirmed the full extent of the land grant to Abraham, for the nation of Israel. “In the same day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying, Unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates” Genesis 15:18. This passage explains the purpose of one of David’s military campaigns 1,000 years later. “David smote also Hadadezer, the son of Rehob, king of Zobah, as he went to recover his border at the river Euphrates” 2 Samuel 8:3. The land grant to Abraham is still in force. Larkin’s map 1, p 66 shows that it is far larger than the present boundaries of Israel. The opinion of the UN, the Vatican and the Palestinian Authority may differ but the difference is inconsequential according to “the scripture of truth” Daniel 10:21b, for which “the nations are but a drop of a bucket” Isaiah 40:15. In case there be any uncertainty on this matter, concerning descendants of Ishmael and Esau, consider the following: “Behold, I have set the land before you: go in and possess the land which the LORD swore unto your fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give unto them and to their seed after them” Deuteronomy 1:18. “And it shall be, when the LORD thy God shall have brought thee into the land which he swore unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give thee great and goodly cities, which thou buildedst not” Deuteronomy 6:10. “Not for thy righteousness, or for the uprightness of thine heart, dost thou go to possess their land: but for the wickedness of these nations the LORD thy God doth drive them out from before thee, and that he may perform the word which the LORD swore unto thy fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob” Deuteronomy 9:5.