The Christ in Prophecy Journal

Will Modern Day Israel Survive?

Celebrating 70 Years

A recent edition of Israel Today magazine featured an article by its editor, Ariel Schneider, titled, “How Long Will Israel’s Third Kingdom Survive?”

While thinking about modern day Israel’s 70th anniversary, it occurred to Schneider that “in its 3,500 year history, the nation of Israel has only three times been able to live free, united, sovereign and independent. And only for very short periods of time.”

The First United Kingdom

He argues that the very first time Israel truly existed as a sovereign, united nation state was during the kingships of David and Solomon — a period of 82 years, from 1010 to 928 BC. King David ruled a united Israel for 40 years (1010 to 970 BC). He was followed by his son, Solomon, who also reigned for 40 years (970 to 930 BC).

But two years into the reign of Solomon’s son, Rehoboam, a civil war broke out over excessive taxation, and the kingdom split between 10 tribes in the north and two in the south. The northern area became known as the state of Israel, with its capital at Samaria. The two tribes in the south called their state Judah, and its capital was in Jerusalem.

The Divided Kingdoms

The northern kingdom of Israel was apostate from the beginning. Never once in its 208 year history (930 to 722 BC) did it have a king who, in God’s eyes, was considered to be righteous. Its hard-boiled rebellion against God and His Word resulted in the kingdom’s destruction by the Assyrians in 722 BC.

The southern kingdom of Judah was blessed with great kings like Jehoshaphat, Uzziah, Hezekiah and Josiah. The kingdom was also blessed with prosperity. But its greatest blessing was spiritual, for the Shekinah Glory of God resided in the nation’s temple in Jerusalem.

But the Judeans gradually fell into apostasy as they intermarried with the Caananites and ended up worshiping their gods. The Lord sent remedial judgments to call them to repentance. But they persisted in their rebellion. God also sent many prophetic voices to call them to repentance and to warn them of impending judgment, but they had deaf ears.

Finally, God allowed the Babylonians to conquer them and take them into captivity. After Babylon fell to the Persians, the Jews were allowed to return to their homeland, but they remained under Persian domination until the nation was conquered by Alexander the Great in 332 BC. After his death, the Jews came under the rule of the Greek Seleucid Kingdom.

The Second United Kingdom

It would be 800 years after the United Kingdom of David and Solomon before the Jews would once again experience a united, independent kingdom. It was the product of the Hasmonean revolt against the Seleucid Greek occupiers that began in 164 BC. Eleven years later, in 153 BC, Jerusalem was conquered and the Temple was cleansed. In 135 BC John Hycranus was crowned King of Israel, and six years later, in 129 BC, he proclaimed Israel’s full independence. This sovereign state lasted 66 years, until 63 BC when the Romans conquered Jerusalem.

Brief Sovereignty

This means that all three of Israel’s united sovereignties added together equal only 218 years (David-Solomon, 82 years; Hasmonean, 66 years; and Modern Israel, 70 years).

If you count the existence of Israel as a state in one form or another from the time of King Saul (1030 BC) to its destruction under the Romans in 70 AD, you have a total of 960 years. During that time, the Jewish people lived under a unified, sovereign government for only 148 years (David-Solomon, 82 years and Hasmonean, 66 years), totaling only 15 percent of the time.

Some historians would add the period when Judah existed alone, from 722 to 586 BC, a period of 136 years. But during those years, the nation was often under the domination of foreign powers like the Assyrians and the Egyptians, requiring it to pay tribute as a vassal state.

The point is that Israel has never been able to exist for very long as an independent, unified sovereign nation.

Prospects for Today

And, for that reason and others, most modern experts on the Middle East suggest that the current state of Israel (the Third United Kingdom) will also have a short life. On the surface that estimation seems valid. After all, Israel’s seven million Jews are surrounded by 22 hostile Arab nations with more than 400 million people. Israel’s survival appears to be hopeless.

But, “He who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep” (Psalm 121:4). Israel has been engaged in constant, never-ending warfare ever since the modern state was established, and Israel has miraculously survived. This is in fulfillment of Bible prophecy which says that in the end times, Israel will be like David against Goliath (Zechariah 12:8) and that Israel will consume its adversaries like a raging fire in the midst of a woodpile (Zechariah 12:6).

The Bible also promises supernatural protection of Israel when the nation is invaded in the end times by a mighty coalition of enemies led by Russia (Ezekiel 38 & 39). This overwhelming army will be destroyed by God with battlefield confusion, earthquakes, pestilence, torrential rain, hailstones, fire and brimstone (Ezekiel 38:20-22 and Ezekiel 39:6).

But the Bible also prophesies that the current state of Israel will be overthrown by the Antichrist in the middle of the Tribulation when the Jews reject him as their Messiah (Revelation 12:13-17). During the last half of the Tribulation (3Β½ years), the Antichrist will become obsessed with annihilating the Jewish people, and they will scatter to other nations, including modern day Jordan where they will be supernaturally protected (Daniel 11:41).

At the end of the Tribulation, we are told that the remnant of surviving Jews worldwide will put their faith in Yeshua (Jesus) as their Messiah (Zechariah 12:10 and 13:1).

When Jesus returns to this earth at the end of the Tribulation, He will regather all believing Jews back to their homeland and establish them as the prime nation of the world, and they “will never be uprooted again” (Amos 9:15).

Maranatha!

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Dr. David Reagan

Dr. David Reagan is the Founder and Evangelist Emeritus of Lamb & Lion Ministries. He is a life-long Bible student, teacher, and preacher and he led over 45 pilgrimages to Israel. Dr. Reagan was the host of the radio then television program Christ in Prophecy for nearly 40 years.

7 CommentsLeave a Comment

  • This was a helpful article. I’ve seen different explanations of how many wars Israel will survive or win, but your article simplified the order of events for me. Now it’s just a question of when the Ezekiel nations are going to attack. How soon after that the antichrist emerges is still not clear. He could come years after that war or soon afterward. In any case, I expect to be raptured by the Lord before the Man of Sin assumes power.

  • Dr. Reagan and Nathan, I am sure we are going to see many supernatural powers of God that will take care of his People Israel, that will cause people to be in awe. I yearn for everyone to know Jesus is the Holy One of Israel, just like Ezekiel 36:22 and Ezekiel 39:7, 39:21 tells us.

  • Israel will be expelled one more time, when one third will flee and God will protect them for 42 months. I could be wrong, but they will ask for Jesus, and will then be delivered and live in the kingdom prophesied in many OT passage. God bless Israel

  • Dear Gentlemen
    Israel will not be rooted out. I believe the 70th year anniversary of Israel’s regathering has started a clock. We are not living in the last days, we are living in the last generation, These days are the last warnings God is going to give, prior to Jesus coming FOR them who He has already come To. It is time the professing church wake up from the TRADITIONS they have been teaching
    “THERE IS NOTHING OBVIOUS TO THE UNIFORMED”. GOD is looking for πŸŽπŸŠπŸ‡fruit you should read between the 🦁 Isa 28:9

  • I believe that Israel will survive in its present form until Jesus returns, of course a lot will happen till then, I believe a Temple will be built,I believe a limited thermo nuclear war will take place Ezekiel and Revelation hints at that, I also believe we are so close to the coming of my savior Jesus Christ I can just feel it in my heart. I really dont know if the rapture will be before we here (in the US) will be persecuted like our brothers/sisters elsewhere, but I do believe we will face persecution for our faith- the stage has been set,the actors are in place, and the curtain is starting to go up, places everyone…MARANATHA

  • I am most certain that Israel and alot of the Jewish people will go through the Tribulation. Not sure when the Gog Magog war will happen, but one thing is for sure, God’s Top ten list in Ezekiel 38:1-7 talks about the destruction of Israel’s enemies. They are somewhat distant to Israel too. They are quoted as Israel’s last day enemies. Those Jews who haven’t believed in Jesus as the their true Messiah, will be convinced and worship him as the Holy One of Israel, after Supernatural events occur in this war, and it will be so astounding, that only the All Powerful, Knowing, and Sovereign God could have saved them and destroy their enemies, they will come to him and know he is the Lord.

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