According to the Bible, the nation of Israel was founded when Moses led the Jewish people out of Egypt to Canaan. The Israelites led by Joshua then conquered Canaanite nations and divided the land, for each tribe descended from Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (the three patriarchs).
Historical Timeline –
- From 1050 -931 BC-the 12 tribes of Israel formed a United Kingdom.
- From 931-586 BC-the United Kingdom was divided into the northern kingdom of Israel and the southern kingdom of Judah.
- In 586 BC -the kingdom of Judah was conquered by the Neo-Babylon empire and the first Jewish temple was burned.
- 70 years later in 516 BC – the Jews returned to Canaan and built the second Jewish temple.
Greek Invasion & First Hanukkah
After the Jews settled down in their own land, trouble started. In 333 BC, the Macedonian empire of Alexander the Great invaded and conquered the Jews. He generally let the Jews rule themselves. During the rule of king Antiochus IV, the temple was defiled and the Jewish people revolted. The Maccabees who are the Jewish revolution movement drove the king’s army out. At that time, the Maccabees were low on oil to bum the holy lamp at the temple. They had oil left for just a day. But, miraculously, the holy lamp was burning with the same amount of oil for 8 days. That event is celebrated as Hanukkah by lighting the Menorah, even to this day.
Roman Empire
After the Greeks. the Roman empire gained control over the region. In 70 AD, the Romans crushed the first Jewish revolt by conquering Jerusalem and destroying the second temple of God. Roman rule ended in 316 AD. The end of the Roman era paved way for other empires to rule over the Jewish people for several centuries.
The State of Israel
After World War 1, the British took control over the Trans-Jordan region while the French had power in Syrian area. But after World War 11, the British empire was weak and began to crumble. In 1948, by UN mandate the Jewish-Arabian state of Israel was formed. Ezekiel 20:41 says: -i will accept you as fragrant incense when I bring you out from the nations and gather you from the countries where you have been scattered. and I will be proved holy through you in the sight of the nations.
Aliyah
In Ezekiel, God showed that Jews would be brought back to the land of Israel. As a fulfillment of that word. the state of Israel was founded. Currently, the government of Israel has created a program called Aliyah. Basically, the program was created to bring the Jews who are scattered and settled all around the globe, back to Israel God is faithfully making HIS chosen people to fulfill this prophecy, thereby leading us to the end times. According to the news from the Government of Israel, 90,000 immigrants from around the world are expected to migrate back to Israel in the next year and half.
Pray for Israel
The nation of Israel plays a significant role in the plans of God for the entire humankind. So let’s be aware of the responsibility that God placed upon au the believers to surround the Nation of Israel and its people in prayers for peace, protection and salvation as mentioned in Psalm122:6 •pray for the peace of Jerusalem: “May they prosper who love you.•
CALEB KARTHIK
