Israel

 

An eleven part teaching series looking at the birth of Israel as a nation and its rise and struggle.  We track the birth of this nation through the lens of Bible prophecy and look ahead to its future.  We also seek to tackle head on the teaching of replacement theology and to lay to rest the false claim put forward by some that the Jews in the land of Israel today are not the true Jews.  Please click on the PDF links to read each article in full.

 

 

Part 1 - A Historical Sketch of Israel up to 1948

 

In this first teaching we do a quick whistle stop tour of Israel’s history from Biblical days up to the middle of the last century.  We track the history of the Jewish nation from the end of the 19th century when Jews began returning to Israel, through to the dark days of the holocaust and its glorious independence as a nation in 1948.

 

 

Part 2 - The Prophetic Significance of 1948

 

Defying all possible odds, surviving a nationwide campaign of genocide with European Jewry tinkering on the edge of annihilation, fighting and winning seven wars in just 65 years, the first of which took place no sooner than Israel declared its independence in 1948 which saw no less than six Arab nations - Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Syria, Saudi Arabia and Lebanon simultaneous descend into Israel’s borders; Israel is still standing, a miracle of God’s doing!!  God said clearly in his word that in the last days, He would gather His people Israel from every corner of the world and bring them back into the Promise Land.

 

In this teaching we seek to explain the amazing birth and existence of Israel as a nation through the lens of Bible prophecy.

 

​

Part 3 - Refuting the Khazar Theory

 

The Khazars were a semi-nomadic Turkic people who around the 7th century A.D, occupied Khazaria, a land that lay between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea, what today would spread across Georgia and into parts of Russia, Poland and Eastern Europe.  At this time there were Jewish communities from the diaspora who had settled in Khazaria and made it their home.  It is also a fact that during the middle-ages, some of the Khazar ruling elite and royalty converted to the religion of Judaism.  However, it is at this point where the ‘Khazar theory’ dramatically departs from historical fact.  The theory sets forth the claim that not only a minority of the Khazars converted to Judaism but in fact the whole Kingdom converted to Judaism!!  The theory says that the Khazars were a white race of people who upon conversion to Judaism then migrated to Germany in the middle ages and then to surrounding European countries to become what we know as Ashkenazi Jews which today constitutes the majority of Jews worldwide.  Those that hold to this theory therefore say that the majority of Jews worldwide are not real Jews but are in fact of Khazari descent.  

In thisteaching we ask the question, what constitutes a Jew?  We put this theory to the test refuting it Biblically, scientifically, culturally and linguistically, demonstrating that the Jews populating Israel today are in fact of true Jewish descent.  
 

 

Part 4 - A Historical Sketch of Israel from 1948 to Present (Pt. 1)

 

In this teaching we track the amazing history of the nation of Israel from the War of Independence in 1948 through to the end of the Six Day War of 1967.  You will be amazed as you read of the amazing victories of this tiny nation against the surrounding Arab nations who outnumber them many times over!  One has to conclude that God is on the side of HIS people Israel!!

 

 

Part 5 – A Historical Sketch of Israel from 1948 to Present (Pt. 2)

 

In this teaching we track the history of the nation of Israel following the Six Day War of 1967 to the 1973 Yom Kippur War and the Camp David Accords of 1977.  You shall also  read of the birth of the Palestinian Liberation Movement (PLO) and its vicious assault against Israel in the 70’s and 80’s.

 

 

Part 6 - A Historical Sketch of Israel from 1948 to Present (Pt. 3)

 

Finally, in this teaching we trace the history of the nation of Israel through the first Intifada and the historic peace treaty that came out of these troubles, the Oslo 1 Accords (1993).  We also survey the history of the second Intifada in 2000 which came on the back of the failed 200 Camp David Summit.  We conclude by looking at some of Israel’s enemies, including Hamas and Hezbollah.

 

 

Part 7 - Replacement Theology (Pt. 1)

 

Replacement Theology in its simplest form teaches that the Church has replaced national Israel as the new people of God.  God’s plans and purposes no longer lie with national Israel, but the Church.  Replacement Theology teaches that it is the Church that now inherits the promises formerly given to Israel.  The term Replacement Theology is fairly new in theological studies.  The more historic and traditional term is “Supersessionism”; a descriptive term denoting the superseding nature by which the Church has replaced Israel.  Proponents of Replacement Theology teaches that apart from repentance and faith in Christ thus leading to an incorporation into the Church, the Jewish people have no future, hope or calling in the plan of God.  

In thisteaching we take a look at the history of replacement theology and seek to define our terms looking at other variations of this teaching.  We end this teaching by looking at some of the arguments that are put forward by proponents of replacement theology and seek to refute them Biblically.  

 

 

Part 8 - Replacement Theory (Pt. 2)

 

In this second part of the teaching on replacement theology, we continue to refute the position put forward by those holding to this teaching.  We end by looking at the possible implications both theologically and ethically of holding to replacement theology.  

 

 

Part 9 - A Historical and Biblical Sketch of Jerusalem

 

Mention New York, Paris, London and Moscow and eyebrows will raise, since these are some of the most notable and prestigious capitals in the world.  However, there is one capital that exceeds all of these by virtue of the fact, it is called “the City of God”; no…it’s not Rome, this title is reserved in the Bible for one city alone and that city is Jerusalem!!  Other titles that she is befittingly labelled by Is, “the city of the great King”, “the holy city”, “the city of truth” and “thy holy mountain”.  No less than 814 times is she mentioned in the Bible by the name Jerusalem and 153 times by the name Zion.

 

In this teaching, we survey the history of Jerusalem through the pages of the Bible up to the present.

 

 

Part 10 - Prophetic Events yet to face Israel (Pt. 1)

 

In Matthew 24 we have a last day’s scenario being depicted just prior to Jesus’ return to earth that is directly and inseparably related to Israel existing geographically in the land of Israel.  Those that are in Judaea are told to flee to the mountains in order to escape the wrath of the Antichrist who will usher in the great tribulation, a period of 3½ years which will see the extermination of two-thirds of the Jewish race as prophesied by the prophet Zechariah.  Jesus warned “…except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved…” (Mat. 24:22). 

 

In this teaching we examine the future “Great Tribulation” through the powerful lens of Bible prophecy.

 

 

Part 11 - Prophetic Events yet to face Israel (Pt. 2)

 

Armageddon is a word that has made its way into the vocabulary of most people and when used serves to bring to mind some cataclysmic apocalyptic battle that brings to an end the world.  The word Armageddon is found in only one place in the Bible and that is in Revelations 16:16.

 

In this teaching we conclude this series by looking ahead to some of the future events that the Bible predicts must take place in Jerusalem and Israel before the coming of Messiah and the dawn of the Millennium.