Intro
INTRODUCTION
Israel is never out of the news. It seems strange
that such a small nation and piece of land should remain in the middle
of world politics, and at the centre of the global conflict! Perhaps
this warfare is not just physical but spiritual, because of the role
God has chosen for Israel to play among the nations. It is impossible
to know what is going on in the world today without understanding
Israel and the plans and purposes that God has for her.
Israel’s Rebirth in 1948 and recapture of
historic Jerusalem (1967) were major events. Were they accidents of
history or part of the outworking of God’s Plan? Were they prophesied
in the Bible? Are they signs from God that we are in the last of the
last days? In this book we will explore these issues and see how the Bible helps
us to understand the times we are in, and live accordingly.
Many Christians have been taught ‘replacement
theology’ that says that these issues are irrelevant, because the
Church now is ‘spiritual Israel’ or ‘the Israel of God’ and therefore
has forever replaced ‘natural Israel’ in God’s purposes. What does the
Bible actually say about this? Our position on this issue makes a great
difference in our understanding of where the world is in God’s
Timetable, and how we are to align ourselves with God’s present purposes.
The Bible talks about the Times of the Gentiles,
a time-period of Gentile dominion over Israel as a discipline due to
her sin. We will discover that God revealed exactly when these Times
would end, and when Israel would rise again, proving we live in the
end-times!