Israel Insights

A new Hebrew-English Bible with a distinctly Israeli flavor will be published in honor of Israel’s 70th anniversary.

On November 2, 1917, British Foreign Secretary Arthur J. Balfour wrote a letter expressing the British government’s support for a Jewish homeland in Palestine. International support for the idea grew after World War II and the Holocaust. On May 14, 1948, Jewish Agency Chairman David Ben-Gurion proclaimed the State of Israel, establishing the first Jewish state in 2,000 years.

Although small, Israel is one of the most talked-about countries in the world. The country is held in special regard by both Jews and Christians due to God's promises to Israel and the many things the Bible has to say about this nation. As Pastor Adrian Rogers wrote, "I want help in understanding the present and the future, because there is Bible prophecy yet to be fulfilled. Keep your eyes on Zion, God's holy land. As the Jew goes, so goes the world. The Jews are God's yardstick, God's outline, God's blueprint, for what He’s up to in the rest of the world. The land of Israel, I believe, is the most important spot on earth. The most important city is not Washington or Moscow, but Jerusalem. The most important land, believe it or not, is not America but tiny Israel, about the size of New Jersey."

Here are 70 Bible verses about Israel as we commemorate 70 years of the country's existence in the modern era.

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Israeli police brought accusations against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu today. According to NBCNews.com, Netanyahu is facing charges of bribery and corruption.

Mainline media outlets have been conspicuously silent about overt threats to the State of Israel. Together, let’s understand why these recent threats are relevant and should be troubling for Americans and especially those who follow Christ.

As you may know, when Israel became a nation again in 1948, a land dispute erupted. To this day, Israelis and Palestinians claim a right to the same land.

For years, conflict resolution strategies have boiled down to how or whether to divide the land between these two peoples. The last peace talks broke down in 2014.

Now, the conflict is heating up again.

The key points of the current situation are as follows:

This past fall Hamas told President Trump it would “wipe out Israel.”

Also several months ago, leaders of Hamas met in Iran prompting concern from U.S. Special Envoy Jason Greenblatt.

Even more recently, Hamas’ leader in Gaza, threated to bomb Tel Aviv.

November 2 marked the 100th anniversary of the Balfour Declaration, a letter which helped Israel become a nation. Hamas and Palestinian Arabs are called on Great Britain to apologize for the “crime of the Balfour Declaration.”

There is talk that President Trump is close to unveiling an Israeli-Palestinian peace plan. While some dismiss the notion, a senior U.S. official told the Times of Israel the U.S. is engaged in “productive dialogue with all relevant parties about an enduring peace deal.”

So why should you pay attention to these threats against Israel? Here are five reasons:

Photo courtesy: ©Thinkstock/silverjohn

Israel shot down an Iranian drone sent from Syria and then launched a counterattack where one Israeli fighter jet was lost.