Snapshots from Israel’s history as foretold by God and the prophets

Israel’s establishment as a nation from the call of Abraham to settlement in Canaan

Genesis chapter 15 tells of God’s covenant with Abraham during which Abraham was told that His people would be enslaved, to be eventually delivered from that slavery with wealth, then led to possess the Promised Land.

Gen 15:13 - Enslavement in Egypt

And He said to Abram, You must surely know that your seed shall be a stranger in a land not theirs, and shall serve them. And they shall afflict them four hundred years. It was some 200 years later when Abraham’s descendants, the patriarch now being Jacob, moved to Egypt to escape a famine.

Gen 15:14 - Deliverance with wealth

And also I will judge that nation whom they shall serve. And afterward they shall come out with great substance. The fulfilment of this is described in Exodus 12:33-36 33 And the Egyptians were urging the people, that they might send them out of the land in a hurry. For they said, We are all dead. 34 And the people took their dough before it was leavened, their kneading-troughs being bound up in their clothes upon their shoulders. 35 And the sons of Israel did according to the word of Moses. And they asked articles of silver, and articles of gold, and clothing from the Egyptians. 36 And Jehovah gave the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians, and they granted their request, and they plundered the Egyptians. Much of this ‘substance’ was used in the construction of the tabernacle whilst at Mount Sinai.

Gen 15:18-21 - Possession of land of Canaan

18 In the same day Jehovah made a covenant with Abram, saying, I have given this land to your seed, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the river Euphrates, 19 the Kenites, and the Kenizzites, and the Kadmonites, 20 and the Hittites, and the Perizzites, and the giants, 21 and the Amorites, and the Canaanites, and the Girgashites, and the Jebusites. The book of Joshua (Moses’ successor) describes the invasion of the Promised Land.

From the conquest of the northern and southern kingdoms (Israel and Judah)

to the return of a remnant

Following Solomon’s reign, his son and heir Rehoboam refused to reduce the taxes on the people. A rebellion followed which divided the kingdom into two parts: the northern kingdom, called Israel, led by Jeroboam their first king, and the southern kingdom, called Judah, continued to be reigned by Rehoboam. Because of their unfaithfulness to God, particularly in Israel where Jeroboam had set up a system of idolatrous worship, He allowed both kingdoms to be conquered.

Amos 5:27 - Northern kingdom, called Israel, will be conquered by Assyria

So I will cause you to go into exile beyond Damascus, says Jehovah, the God of Hosts is His name. That is, beyond Damascus to Assyria. Israel fell to the Assyrians in 722 BC , recorded in 2 Kings 17:22-23 22 For the sons of Israel walked in all the sins of Jeroboam which he did. They did not depart from them 23 until Jehovah turned away Israel from His face, as He had said by all His servants the prophets. So Israel was carried away out of their own land to Assyria until this day.

Jer 21:10 - Southern kingdom, called Judah, will be conquered by Babylon

For I have set My face against this city for evil, and not for good, says Jehovah. It shall be given into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall burn it with fire. The fall of Jerusalem 586/587 BC was recorded, amongst other places, in 2 Kings 25:1, 8-9 1 And it happened in the ninth year of his reign, in the tenth month, in the tenth day of the month, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came. He and all his army came against Jerusalem and pitched against it, and built a siege-mound all around it. 8 And in the fifth month, on the seventh of the month; it was the nineteenth year of King Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon; Nebuzaradan the chief of the executioners, a servant of the king of Babylon, came to Jerusalem. 9 And he burned the house of Jehovah, and the king's house, and all the houses of Jerusalem. And every great one's house he burned with fire.

2Chr 7:19-22 - Destruction of 1st Temple (Solomon's)

19 But if you turn away and forsake My statutes and My commandments which I have set before you, and if you shall go and serve other gods and worship them, 20 then I will pluck them up by the roots out of My land which I have given them. And this house which I have sanctified for My name, I will cast out of My sight, and I will make it to be a proverb and a byword among all nations. 21 And this house, which is high, shall be a wonder to everyone who passes by it, so that they shall shudder and say, Why has Jehovah done this to this land and to this house? 22 And it shall be answered, Because they forsook Jehovah, the God of their fathers who brought them forth out of the land of Egypt, and laid hold on other gods and worshiped them and served them. Therefore He has brought all this evil on them. This was the temple Solomon had built, destroyed when Babylon invaded Jerusalem.

Isa 44:28-45:1; Jer 29:10 - Return of a remnant from Babylon

Isa 44:28 who says of Cyrus, He is My shepherd, and shall do all My pleasure; even saying to Jerusalem, You shall be built; and to the temple, Your foundation shall be laid. Isa 45:1 So says Jehovah to His anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have made strong in order to humble nations before him. And I will loosen the loins of kings, to open before him the two-leaved gates; and the gates shall not be shut. Jer 29:10 For so says Jehovah, When according to My Word seventy years have been fulfilled for Babylon, I will visit you and confirm My good Word to you, to bring you back to this place. Cyrus was named by Isaiah some 250 years before he was born. The royal decrees of Cyrus are recorded in Ezra 1:1-2 1 And in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, so that the Word of Jehovah by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled, Jehovah stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, so that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and also in writing, saying, 2 So says Cyrus king of Persia, Jehovah, the God of Heaven has given me all the kingdoms of the earth. And He has commanded me to build Him a house at Jerusalem, which is in Judah.

From the Diaspora to the rebirth of a nation

Matt 24:1,2 - Destruction of 2nd Temple

Also Mark 13:1 & Luke 21:5-6 Just previously, at the temple (Matt 23), Jesus had called out the hypocrisy of the religious leaders, then told them Belold, your house is left to you desolate (Matt 23:38). Desolate has two meanings here: First, Jesus (as God) would be leaving the temple for the last time, leaving it spiritually desolate; Second was a prophecy of the destruction of the temple. Matt 24:1 And Jesus went out and departed from the temple. And His disciples came to Him to show Him the buildings of the temple. Matt 24:2 And Jesus said to them, Do you not see all these things? Truly I say to you, There shall not be left here one stone on another that shall not be thrown down. Archaeological and historical evidence of the destruction of the temple in 70 AD is well documented.

Deut 28:64; Eze 12:15 - Israel’s Destruction and Exile, Scattering amongst all nations

Deu 28:64 And Jehovah shall scatter you among all people, from the one end of the earth even to the other, and you shall serve other gods there, which neither you nor your fathers have known, wood and stone. Eze 12:15 And they shall know that I am Jehovah, when I shall scatter them among the nations and scatter them in the countries. This prophecy foretold the scattering of Israel due to their disobedience to God’s commandments. This event was historically fulfilled in 70 AD , when the Romans destroyed Jerusalem and the Jewish people were dispersed across the globe.

Isa 66:8; Eze 34:13; 36:24; Amos 9:14 - Restored to their own land (May 1948)

Isa 66:8 Who has heard a thing like this? Who has seen things like these? Will the earth be brought forth in one day? Or will a nation be born at once? For Zion travailed and also brought forth her sons. On May 14, 1948, Israel was declared a state. After nearly 2,000 years of exile, the United Nations recognized Israel’s right to exist and Jews from all over the world have returned to Israel. Nations are not born overnight—but Israel was. Eze 34:13 And I will bring them out from the peoples, and gather them from the lands, and will bring them to their own land and feed them on the mountain of Israel by the rivers, and in all the places of the land where people live. Eze 36:24 For I will take you from among the nations and gather you out of all lands, and will gather you into your own land. Amo 9:14 And I will turn back the captivity of My people Israel, and they shall build the cities which are desolate, and they shall live in them. And they shall plant vineyards and drink their wine. They shall also make gardens and eat their fruit. Israel has been surrounded by its enemies, facing war and terrorism with a declared intention of its destruction (”Palestine will be free from the river to the sea”). Yet it stands strong, and has thrived. God’s promise that Israel would never be uprooted again is being fulfilled, but with mounting intent from Iran and its proxies.

Eze 36:10-11 - The Rebuilding of Cities and Villages

10 And I will multiply men on you, all the house of Israel, all of it. And the cities shall have people, and the wastes shall be built. 11 And I will multiply men and beast on you, and they shall increase and be fruitful. And I will make you dwell as before, and I will do better to you than at your beginnings. And you shall know that I am Jehovah. After centuries of neglect, the cities and villages of Israel have been rebuilt. Places that were once desolate are now thriving with modern highways, skyscrapers, and communities covering the landscape.

Zeph 3:9 - The Revival of the Hebrew Language

For then I will give a clear lip to the people, to call all of them by the name of Jehovah, to serve Him with one shoulder. A pure language is variously translated in some other versions as clear lip, pure lip and purified lips Many see a pure language as a reference to Hebrew, since it is considered the original language of the Scriptures and was used to communicate directly with God in biblical times. Hebrew was a dead language for centuries, only being used in a religious context. Its revival began in the late 19 th century by Eliezer Ben-Yehuda, and today it is the official language of Israel. This is the only ancient language that has been brought back to life; only Hebrew. and only in Israel.

Isa 27:6; 35:1 - The Land Becoming Fertile Again

Isa 27:6 He shall cause those who come from Jacob to take root; Israel shall blossom and bud, and fill the face of the world with fruit. Isa 35:1 The wilderness and the desert shall be glad for them; and the desert shall rejoice and blossom as the crocus. When the Jews returned to their land it was mostly a barren wasteland. Today, Israel is one of the world’s leading agricultural innovators exporting fruits, vegetables, and flowers to every corner of the globe. Developing advanced agriculture, desalination, and water recycling systems, Israel literally transformed desolation into abundance with the Negev Desert being a good example.