HOW THE MIDDLE EAST GOT INTO ITS CURRENT SITUATION​

BACKGROUND
It is necessary to discuss the historical background of the nation of Israel in order to understand the prophecies that are being fulfilled in our generation. We will do that before tackling the prophecies and their literal fulfillment before our very eyes. The following discussions of the history of Israel and the surrounding middle eastern countries are a series of very short summaries from my limited knowledge and perspective. It is not a detailed scholarly discussion. Take it as that and nothing more. However, a general historical background and a knowledge of the key dates of events involving the history of Israel are necessary in order to be able to understand and analyze God's prophecies involving Israel. I have purposely left out many details in order to make this discussion more understandable from a higher level perspective.

WHAT IS THE ORIGIN AND EARLY HISTORY OF THE NATION ISRAEL?

In around 2050 B.C. Abraham was chosen by God to become the father of a new and great nation (Gen 12:1-3). God made unilateral and unconditional promises to Abraham that he would (1) be the father of a great nation and (2) give that nation a land of its own. In fact, Abraham became the father of two sons, Isaac and Ishmael, who would each become the father of great nations. Ishmael had twelve sons, each of whom became the leader of an Arab nation (Gen 17:20-22, 25:12-16). Isaac became the father of Jacob and Esau. Esau became the father of a nation, the Edomites (Gen 36:9). Jacob became the father of twelve sons, who became the source of the twelve tribes of Israel. God changed Jacob’s name to Israel because his life would be prophetic of the future history of the nation Israel (Gen 33:22-30). One of Jacob’s sons, Joseph, was sold into slavery in Egypt by his brothers. Joseph rose into prominence in Egypt and eventually became the equivalent of prime minister. It’s a long story, but Joseph later became reconciled with his brothers and they all moved to Egypt to escape a great famine. After a lofty beginning in Egypt, the descendents of the twelve brothers eventually became slaves and remained in Egypt for 430 years (Ex 12:40-41), with 400 of the years being in bondage (Gen 15:13).
Moses became the leader who would lead the descendents of Abraham out of Egypt and to the borders of the Promised Land. Before they could enter the Promised Land, the refugees from Egypt were forced to wonder in a wilderness for 40 years because they disobeyed God. By this time the number of Abraham’s descendents numbered over 1 million and they essentially became a nation during their years of wandering in the wilderness. They became a nation with a homeland when they entered and conquered the Promised Land sometime around 1400 B.C. The land that they occupy today is only a small part of the land promised to Abraham’s descendents by God. They will eventually occupy all of this land again, in the Millennium if not before.
After they conquered the Promised Land, they divided it up into twelve sections, one for each of the twelve tribes of Judah or Israel. Their nation was loosely administered by judges for about 300 years. They were plagued by intermittent periods of worshipping the idols of the surrounding countries, followed by a return to worship of the one true God. The people of Israel longed for an earthly king to rule them and pull them together, so they petitioned God to let them have an earthly king (1 Sam 8:1-21). Their first king was Saul, followed by David and then Solomon. Saul’s rule began in about 1050 B.C. Each ruled for 40 years (Acts 13:21, 1 Kings 2:10, 11:41-43).

WHEN WAS ISRAEL DISESTABLISHED AS A COUNTRY?

Israel split into two nations sometime around 930 B.C. over a dispute involving paying taxes to finance Solomon’s extensive building program (2 Chr 10:4-11). The ten northern Jewish tribes called themselves Israel, while the two southern tribes called themselves Judah. Judah became Judea with the Greek conquest of the area. Jerusalem was in the southern kingdom, Judah. The northern kingdom quickly fell into idol worship and they fell as a nation due to this (2 Chr 11:13-24). God pronounced judgment on them through his prophets and in about 719 B.C. the Assyrians captured Israel and killed or deported the people (2 Kings 17:6-24). There was no nation called Israel from 719 B.C. until Israel was re-established as a nation in 1948 A.D. Although Israel ceased to exist, God still referred to his people as “the House of Israel,” possibly since Judah contained a remnant of all twelve tribes (2 Chr 10:16-17, 11:13-17, 30:11-12, Ezek 3:4, 4:3), and each tribe was a descendent of Israel. Also, the Jews continued to refer to themselves as Israelites even though they lived in Judah (Ezra 1:3, 3:1, 4, Neh 1:5-6, 2 Chr 12:1).

WHY DID JUDAH NOT FALL TO THE ASSYRIANS AS ISRAEL DID?

Although Judah was very sinful and often fell into idol worship, they had been more faithful to God than Israel had been and God was not ready to punish them. God had a plan and his plan did not call for Judah to be conquered by the Assyrians. But how could tiny Judah stand up to the most powerful nation in the world at the time? They couldn’t, but God could. God supernaturally delivered them when they were surrounded by an Assyrian army of over 185, 000 men. The Angel of the Lord killed 185, 000 Assyrian soldiers in one night as they camped around Jerusalem. The Assyrian king left and returned to his homeland. As you might imagine, he did not bother Judah again (See 2 Kings 18:1-19:36). Judah essentially remained a nation until 135 A.D., although they spent 70 years in exile in Babylon, from 606-605 to 537-536 B.C., as punishment for their sins (2 Kings 23:36-24:14). Judah never again had a king and they were generally under the control of one of the coming world empires, (Babylonian, Persian, Greek and Roman), until 135 A.D. when they were dispersed. They did have some independence for several years after the Hanukkah event in 163 BC.

DOES THE BIBLE GIVE DETAILS OF JEWISH HISTORY BETWEEN THE TESTAMENTS, FROM 400 BC UNTIL JESUS BIRTH?

The written Old Testament ends with a prediction of the coming of John the Baptist in Malachi 5:5 (also see Isa 40:3-5, Matt 11:10), which was written near the end of the 5th century B.C., i.e., shortly before 400 B.C. Matt 11:7-15 tells us that the end of the Law and the Prophets came with the advent of John the Baptist. Given that, why is there no written account in the Bible of the 400 years between Malachi and birth of Jesus? Well there is, but it is given by Daniel in the form of a very detailed prophecy, wherein future names, places and events are specifically presented.
Prophecies given to Daniel by God in the 6th century B.C. had foretold of the four coming world empires in great detail (Dan 2:9, 31-45, 7:1-28, 8:1-26, 11:1-35). These four empires all came about between the time of Daniel and the time of Christ. In fact these prophecies have so much detail in them that some historians, both secular and religious, have tried to late date Daniel. However, that doesn’t appear to be possible since Daniel seemed to be translated into Greek in about 270 B.C. in Alexander, Egypt as part of the Septuagint, and many of the details in Daniel’s prophecies had not yet happened and some were still being fulfilled in 70 A.D. In fact, Jesus himself gives Daniel credit for these prophecies in Matt 24:15-16 (spoken of through Daniel the prophet).
One of the most interesting events prophesied in these verses in Daniel is the Maccabean revolt in 165 B.C. This is foretold in Daniel 7:9-14 and 11:21-35. Antiochus IV Epiphanes, King of the Seleucid Empire, one of the four which arose from the separation of the Greek empire and referred to as the King of the North, desecrated the Temple by setting up a pagan idol in the Holy of Holies. This is referred to as the “abomination of desolation,” and is destined to be repeated in 70 A.D. by the Romans (Luke 21:20-24) and at the mid-point of the Tribulation Period by the anti-christ (Dan 9:27, 12:11, Matt 24:15). This abomination in 165 B.C. resulted in the Jews becoming so insulted that the Maccabeans lead a revolt that temporarily through off the rule of the Seleucid Empire. Three years (Dan 8:14) later they rededicated the Temple on the day that the Jews still celebrate today as Hanukkah.

WHY WAS JUDEA DISESTABLISHED AS A COUNTRY IN 135 A.D.?

As we see on the background events and dates section, the Jews were ruled by the four world empires during the periods given below:

• Babylonians from 612-539 B.C.
• Medes-Persians from 539-331 B.C.
• Greeks from 331-63 B.C.
• Romans from 63 B.C.-476 A.D.

The 1st and 2nd century Jews were not happy being ruled and dominated by Rome. They finally rebelled, resulting in the Roman army destroying Jerusalem in 70 A.D. (and killing over 1 million Jews), in fulfillment of Jesus prophecy in Luke 21:5-6. The Jewish rebellions quieted for a short time but then continued and around 135 A.D., the Romans had had enough so they decided that the only way they could control the Jews was to totally destroy them and/or deport them to other places. They sold many thousands of Jews into slavery and killed over 500,000 others. They plowed the city under and rebuilt another city on top of the old Jerusalem. This scattering and the eventual re-gathering of the Jews was prophesized many times in the Old Testament (Hosea 3:4-5, 7:12-8:14, Joel 3:1-17, Jer 30-31, Isa 11:10-16, 66:7-25, Ez 36-39, Matt 24:32-35). The Romans changed the name of the area to Palestine. This name derives from the word Philistines, who were the people from Crete and Asia Minor who had long before invaded the land. They were not Arabs. Before the land was given to the Jews by God it had been inhabited by the Canaanites. The Canaanites were conquered as the Jews occupied the Holy Land.

WHAT IS THE HISTORY OF PALESTINE?

The area called Palestine remained under domination of the remnants of the Roman Empire until about 634 when the Arabs conquered it right after the death of Mohammad. They held it until the crusaders conquered it to regain Jerusalem for the Christians in 1099. Egyptian Arabs regained Palestine and held it from 1263 until 1517 when the Turks captured it. They held it until 1917 when the British were given control of the land at the end of WW 1. The Turks joined the Germans in WW 1, so when the Allies won the war, areas which had been controlled by the Turks fell under control of the Allies. Jews began to trickle back into Palestine in the late 1800’s and the movement grew. In 1948, the British and the United Nations re-established the nation of Israel. UN Resolution 181 of 1947 declared that Jerusalem must remain an international city. Control of Jerusalem was divided between the Jews and Arabs. In the Six Day War of 1967 Israel regained control of all of Jerusalem.

WHO ARE THE PALESTINIANS AND WHAT ARE THEIR CLAIMS?

There never was a Palestinian nation, language or religion. There was, however, an area referred to as Palestine which was under Arab control for most of the period from 634 to 1917. Many of the Arabs left the Palestine area before and during the war of 1948. It is these people, their descendents and many others banished to this area by other Arab countries that today are in the refugee camps and settlements surrounding Jerusalem. These people call themselves Palestinians and demand that they be given land and become recognized as a nation with Jerusalem as their capital city. Many say that all of Israel really belongs to them and they seem to want Israel and Jews to go away.
The war of 1948 was the Israeli War of Independence. As soon as Israel became a nation in 1948, surrounding Arab countries attacked them and vowed to push them into the sea. In spite of being enormously outnumbered, the Israelis miraculously prevailed. Shortly before and right after the war began many Arabs who had lived in the country abandoned their homes because they did not want to be caught in the middle of the fighting. Again, they became the refugees who we hear so much about today.

PROPHECIES RELATING TO THE REBIRTH OF ISRAEL AS A NATION

IS THERE A BIBLE PROPHECY THAT ISRAEL WOULD BE REBORN IN A DAY?

Isaiah gives us a clue that Israel’s wandering among the nations and living without leaders would cease in the end times and that Israel would be reborn as a nation in one day. Let’s read what he tells us.
Isa 66:7-9 7 "Before she goes into labor, she gives birth; before the pains come upon her, she delivers a son. 8 Who has ever heard of such a thing? Who has ever seen such things? Can a country be born in a day or a nation be brought forth in a moment? Yet no sooner is Zion in labor than she gives birth to her children. 9 Do I bring to the moment of birth and not give delivery?" says the LORD. "Do I close up the womb when I bring to delivery?" says your God.
So, we see that Israel was to be reborn in a day. But does the Bible tell us when this was to take place? It certainly does! It is a rather complicated multi-part prophecy but it’s fascinating to unravel. It seems that Grant Jeffrey in his book, “Armageddon, Earth’s Last Days,” was the first to do this. Let’s examine the prophecy and the fulfillment in our generation.

DOES THE BIBLE PROPHESY THE EXACT YEAR THAT ISRAEL WOULD BE REBORN IN A DAY?

This is a multi-part prophecy so let’s look at each part in some detail.
Part 1. Jeremiah was a prophet in Judah before and during the time of the Babylonian captivity. He predicted the captivity before it happened and said in Jer 25:1-11 and 29:10 that it would last for seventy years (also see Dan 9:2, 2 Chr 36:20-21, Lev 26:32-36). This had multiple fulfillments in that the nation was in servitude for seventy years, from about 606 to 537 B.C. (Dan 1:1, Ezra 1:1-4, 3:8, 2 Chr 36:22-23), the city was desolate for seventy years, from about 587-586 to 518-517 B.C. (2 Kings 25:8-12, Ezra 4:24), and after the temple was completed (4 years later) Israel had to wait another 70 years, from about 514-512 to 445-443 B.C. (Ezra 4:24, 6:15, Neh 2:1-8), before the walls of the city were completed and many would feel safe in leaving their extended exile in Babylon and then Persia and returning to live in the city and worship in the temple.
Part 2. Ezekiel was a prophet in Judah during the Babylonian captivity and like Daniel was carried away to Babylon as a captive (Daniel in 606 B.C. and Ezekiel in 597 B.C.). In Ezek 4:1-8 God pronounced 430 years of judgment on Judah for her sin. Seventy of the 430 years of judgment were fulfilled by the Babylonian captivity. However, that still leaves 360 (430-70) years of judgment due to Judah. There does not seem to be a 360 or 430 year period in Judah’s history after the Babylonian captivity which fits this, so we must look on to find when this prophecy was fulfilled.
Part 3. In Lev 26:18 God tells the people of Israel that if they do not listen to him after he has punished them, then he will multiply any remaining punishment by seven. In other words, if God punishes them for something and then after the punishment is over they continue to do what they were punished for, he will multiply any future punishment by seven. Well, after the 70 years of captivity were over the Jewish people continued in their sinful ways, so God apparently multiplied their remaining 360 years of punishment by 7, which gave them a total of 2520 years of punishment still due. Since Bible prophecy is always based on a 360 day year, we must adjust this to 365 day years and also account for leap years to put this in terms of our current calendar. The 2520 years adjusts to about 2 months less than 2484 years. If we add the 2484 years to the date when the servitude of the nation ended, 537 B.C., we come up to 1948. Of course this was the year when the nation of Israel was reborn in a day, fulfilling Isa 66:7-9. This finally ended the God-imposed servitude of the nation Israel. Remember there is no year 0, so that has to be factored into the math in calculating this date. What an amazing prophecy and we have seen it fulfilled in our lifetimes! What a blessing!
Note: The unraveling of the above prophecy as well as the following prophecy regarding Jerusalem seems to have first been unraveled by Grant R. Jeffrey in his book "Armageddon, Earth's Last Days," Tyndale House Publishers, 1998.

DOES THE BIBLE PROPHESY THE EXACT YEAR JERUSALEM WOULD BE REDEEMED?

There also seems to be a prophecy of the exact year when Jerusalem would be redeemed and again become a part of the Jewish nation, Israel. It appears that a pattern is emerging. We saw in part 1 above that historically speaking there appeared to be three separate 70 year periods of punishment for the Jews. The first involved the nation and the second involved the city of Jerusalem. If we continue the pattern that we saw above regarding the nation and add 2484 years to the date when the desolation of the city ended, 518-517 B.C., we come up to 1967, the year when Jerusalem again became part of Israel after the Six Day War. This ended the God-imposed isolation of Jerusalem from Israel.
518-517 B.C. appears to be about the year that the reconstruction of the Temple in Jerusalem finally began. Ezra 4:24 tells us that the construction began in the second year of Darius, king of Persia and Ezra 6:15 tells us that it was completed in the sixth year of Darius. This would place the beginning of the construction sometime in or about 518-517 B.C. and the completion in or about 514-513 B.C. Since the siege and destruction of Jerusalem by the Babylonians was in 587-586 B.C., if we add 69 years (correcting for 360 day years) we come up to 518-517 B.C. Since God’s prophecies are always 100% correct that would place the beginning of the temple in 518-517 B.C.; this would mean that Jerusalem would no longer be desolate as it had been for the past 70 years.

IS THE YEAR FOR THE BEGINNING OF THE TRIBULATION PERIOD PROPHESIED?

As we said above, from a historical perspective there appear to be three separate 70 year periods of punishment for the Jewish people involving the nation, the city and the temple, as follows;

• 606-605 – 537-536 B.C.; the nation was in servitude as its people were exiled to Babylon
• 586 – 517 B.C.; the city of Jerusalem was in ruins after it was destroyed in 586 B.C.
• 513-512 – 444-443 B.C.; the temple was completed and available, but the scattered people did not feel safe in returning and worshipping there since the city walls had not been rebuilt.

The first of these three periods of punishment was clearly prophesied by Jeremiah and fulfilled as we studied above. The second is much more speculative. It certainly fits historically. Daniel 9:2 talks about the 70 year desolation of Jerusalem, but Daniel may be referring to the earlier 70 year punishment of the nation. Let’s look to see if we can find a prophetic scripture which fits the historical situation. The third period of punishment is the most speculative and again we will have to search for a scripture that confirms it.
Let’s continue with the pattern that seems to be emerging and then later on look for a scripture that may confirm our speculation. If we add 2484 years to the date when the people of Israel felt safe in returning to Jerusalem from their exile, 444-443 B.C., we come up to the year 2040-2041; 444 is also the date when Daniel’s seventy sevens started. The pattern would seem to indicate that this would be the date when Israel will once again feel safe worshipping in the temple in Jerusalem. The foundation for Zerubbabel’s temple was laid in about 535-536 B.C. (Ezra 3:8) but the building process was delayed for about 17-19 years because the people didn’t feel safe building the temple since the surrounding peoples did not want them to build it (Ezra 4:4). If this pattern holds again, the temple would be started in about 2017-2018 but the building would be delayed since the surrounding Muslims will not want it built. It may be that the peace treaty enacted by the anti-christ, as prophesized by Daniel in Dan 9:27, will break this log jam and the temple will be able to be completed. There would be a 17-19 year delay followed by a 4 year building process. This pattern would place the completion of the temple in 2040-2041. Since the temple has to be rebuilt and available before the middle of the tribulation period (Dan 9:27, Matt 24:15, Rev 11:1-2, Ez 40:2-5, Micah 4:1-4, Isa 2:2), that would mean that the tribulation could start as soon as 3 ½ years before the temple is completed, or in about 2038. In this scenario these dates are the earliest possible dates for these things to happen based upon the pattern that we are following. They obviously could happen many, many years later since the completion of the temple is necessary but may not be the trigger event for the end time scenario to begin unfolding.
This is very speculative on my part since this certainly hasn’t happened yet. However, in Luke 19:41-44 Jesus held the Jews responsible for not recognizing him as the Messiah based upon Bible prophecies. I suspect that he will likewise hold us responsible if we do not recognize the signs of his Second Coming. In Luke 21:25-33 and Matt 24:32-35 Jesus says that we should be able to recognize the signs that he is about to return. He also says in Matt 24:36-25:13 that nobody will know the day or the hour of his return. All of this when taken together seems to say that although we will not know the exact day or hour, we should be able to see the signs and know that his return is eminent. The 1st century Jews had the Biblical means to recognize the signs of his 1st coming and we likewise have the Biblical means to recognize the signs of his 2nd coming. I do not usually teach things unless I have at least two or three reliable and scholarly witnesses who have come to the same conclusions as I have from my study of the Bible. However, in this case I am not aware of anyone else who has made this interpretation. So you must take it at that, an un-collaborated, speculative interpretation that I have made. Also, there are many Bible scholars who recognize the fulfillment of the 70 years of servitude for the nation and a few that I am aware of who recognize the fulfillment of the 70 year desolation of Jerusalem. However, I am not aware of any scholars who see the fulfillment of an additional 70 year period before the scattered peoples feel safe in returning to their holy city to worship in their temple. There may be many who do, but I am not aware of them from my study. I came to see this as a possible interpretation through a study of historical dates involving the Babylonian/Persian exile period and my rather extensive studies of the patterns and models which God repeatedly used in the Old Testament.

THIS IS NOT A PREDICTION ON MY PART! I would suggest that this speculative interpretation not be taken seriously unless the temple construction begins in about 2020 and is then delayed because the Muslims object to it. If that does happen then there is a possibility that the model of the rebuilding of Zerubabbel's temple is being repeated. I’m curiously awaiting the 2020 time frame. Another interesting factor that could play into this scenario is that there is an asteroid that is scheduled to make a close pass to earth, in fact between the earth and the moon, in 2036. Could this be the asteroid that hits an ocean on earth in the second Revelation judgment? If so that means that the seven year tribulation period would have started in ~2036. As we know, Bible prophecy requires that the temple in Jerusalem be in place and in use at the mid-point of the seven year tribulation period. Again, just speculation.

ARE THERE OTHER SCRIPTURES WHICH VALIDATE THESE PROPHECIES?

Are there scripture references which might validate this interpretation concerning the three separate 70 year periods of punishment for Israel and the patterns which we have been using? First, 430 years seems to be a pattern that God used for times when Israel was in servitude to other nations. We see in Ex 12:40-41 that the Israelites spent 430 years in Egypt. We saw above in Ezek 4:1-8 that another 430 years of servitude was in store for Israel due to her unfaithfulness to God. It seems that Israel is still going through this punishment today as most of the Jews in the world remain scattered among the nations of the earth. Ezek 5:1-4 prophesies that this 430 years of punishment would be applied to the whole house of Israel and that it would be applied in three separate ways; (1) applied to those inside the city, Jerusalem, (2) applied to those outside the city but still in Israel, basically encompassing the whole nation, and (3) applied to the Jews wherever they were scattered by the wind, basically all over the world. This scripture, Ezek 5:1-4, is the key scripture and only scripture that I am aware of that may confirm my interpretation. Historically, I saw what looked to me like three separate 70 year punishments of the people of Judah involving the Babylonian/Persian captivity. I set out to find a scripture which might confirm this. I believe that Ezek 5:1-4 may do just that. It follows that if God added an additional 2484 years to the first two punishments, that he would do the same for the third punishment. Obviously, this has not yet been fulfilled, but if it is fulfilled, it could be in the 2021-2042 time-frame. If so, those of us who are young enough may be able to see the situation unfolding and warn our friends of what is coming. Again, Jesus expected the Jewish leaders to recognize the Old Testament prophecies about him and to realize that they were being fulfilled in their very day. They were severely punished for not doing so.
Another prophecy which might validate this interpretation is Matt 24:31-35, Mk 13:28-31, Lk 21:29-33. These Scriptures say “this generation” will not pass away until these things have happened. This teaching is about the “fig tree” in spring, after its life has returned after a period of dormancy. In the Bible, God often uses the fig tree to represent the nation of Israel. A good argument can be made that spring for Israel began in 1948. This teaching seems to be saying that the generation which is alive when Israel re-blossoms will live to see the wars, the tribulation, and the 2nd coming of Jesus. That leaves us to determine the length of a generation in the Bible.[i] Good arguments can be made for 40, 70, or 100 years. However, from Acts 13:36 and other Scriptures, the Bible appears to be using “generation” to represent the length of a lifetime. Thus, the length of a generation could vary. Today the average lifespan is near 80. That would place the beginning of the major end time signs sometime in the 2020-2030 timeframe. However, other scholars[ii] interpret “generation” to apply to “Israel as a whole in unbelief and rebellion against God and his word.” See Matt 3:7, 23:33, 12:39, 45; 16:4, 17:17, Lk 11:29. Others see it as applying to those living in the first century. So, we obviously can’t be sure what it really means.
Thus, these two prophecies may converge in the time period beginning in about 2020.

BIBLE PROPHECIES BEING FULFILLED IN OUR GENERATION

SUMMARY:

• About 800 years before Jesus, God told the Israelites that because of their unfaithfulness to him, basically their worship of false gods, he would scatter them all over world, take their nation away from them and make them wanderers among the nations (Hosea 3:4-5, 9:17). They were not an independent nation from 606 B.C. when they were taken over by the Babylonians until 1948 A.D. They were wanderers among the nations from 135 A.D. when they were sold into slavery and dispersed by the Romans until 1948.
• About 700 years before Jesus, God told the Israelites that in the end times he would supernaturally cause them to be reborn as a nation in a day (Isaiah 66:7-9). This would happen upon completion of full payment for their deeds (Isa 65:7-10).
• This rebirth took place in 1948. About 550 years before Jesus, God prophesied the exact year that this would take place. It would happen at completion of full payment for their deeds, as follows:
  • In Jeremiah 25:1-11 God pronounced 70 years of exile in Babylon for the Israelites because of their unfaithfulness to him (idol worship). This took place from about 606-537 B.C.
  • In Ezekiel 4:1-8, God pronounced additional punishment for the Israelites for their unfaithfulness totaling 430 years. Seventy years of this was already being served, so this left 360 years of additional punishment (430 -70 = 360).
  • In Lev 26:18 God told the Israelites that if they did not obey him after he had punished them, (if they continued to do what he had punished them for), that he would multiply any remaining punishment by seven. After the 70 years of punishment in Babylon had been fulfilled, apparently the Israelites continued to be unfaithful to God, so he multiplied their remaining punishment by seven, making their additional period of punishment last for 2484 years. This can be calculated as follows:
    • 360 x 7 = 2520 years
    • These were 360 day years as always used in the Bible, so we must convert them to 365.25 day years as follows;
    • 360/365.25 = .9856, .9856 x 2520 = 2484 years

So we see that God was telling the Israelites that after their 70 year period of punishment ended in 537 B.C. they would have an additional 2484 years of punishment before they would be an independent nation again. Their punishment would be complete at that time. We can calculate when this period of punishment would end as follows:

• 2484 – 537 = 1947. Since there is no year 0, that converts 1947 to 1948, the exact year that Israel became an independent country again. From mid-year 537 B.C. until mid-year 1948 A.D. would be 2484 years of punishment.

Of course, God’s prophecy came true and Israel was miraculously reborn in a day in 1948.
In addition to God punishing the nation for 70 years and then an additional 2484 years, he also did the same for the city of Jerusalem. In fact, in Ezek 5:1-4 God said that he would apply his punishments for Israel in three ways, to the nation, to the city and to the wandering people. The 70 year periods that correspond to these three areas seemed to be applied in the following ways:

• 606-605 – 537-536 B.C.; the nation was in servitude 70 years as its people were exiled to Babylon
• 586 – 517 B.C.; the city of Jerusalem was in ruins 70 years after it was destroyed in 586 B.C.
• 513-512 – 444-443 B.C.; the temple was completed, but the scattered people did not feel safe in returning and worshipping there for 70 years since the city walls had not been rebuilt.

1. If we apply the same 2484 years of additional punishment to the end of the 70 year punishment for the city, which ended in 518-517 B.C., we come up to 1967, the very year that Israel captured Jerusalem in the Six Day War and reunited it with the nation.
2. If we do the same for the temple and the scattered people and add 2484 years of punishment to the year 444-443 B.C. when the walls were rebuilt, we come up to the year 2040-2041, which could possibly be the year when the rebuilding of the temple in Jerusalem will be completed and the scattered Jews from around the world will feel safe in returning to Jerusalem to worship there. They would feel safe because of the seven year peace treaty imposed by the anti-christ (Dan 9:27). Since this hasn’t happened yet, any reader should view this with speculation, unless the rebuilding of the temple starts in about 2021-2022 and is then delayed for 17-19 years because of the uproar that it causes. In that case the rebuilding would start again in about 2037-2041 to fit the model presented by the construction of Zerubbabel’s temple.

VISION OF THE VALLEY OF DRY BONES;
A COMPARISON OF THE CREATION OF MAN TO THE RE-CREATION OF ISRAEL

INTRODUCTION
There are a number of Old Testament prophecies of the specific calendar years when Israel would be reborn as a nation as when other key events involving Israel would take place. We have taken a look at a number of these and seen that they were precisely fulfilled. We view this as conclusive proof of the validity of the Bible. There are many other prophecies that might also be considered as proof that do not involve specific years, but have already been fulfilled or are being fulfilled in our generation. The vision that Ezekiel had in the sixth century BC of the valley of dry bones is one example of this. This vision included several prophecies that are being fulfilled in our generation. This is a fascinating vision that also involves a very interesting example of the way that God uses models. This is also a good example of the holographic nature of the Bible.
I have noticed a rather interesting parallel between the original creation of man as a soul and a spirit and the re-creation of Israel as described in the vision of the dry bones in Ezek 37. I would like to explore that interesting thought in this study. The Bible is full of repeating patterns and models. This is part of the supernatural design of the Bible and one of the design aspects of the Bible that proves its divine origin. We will now explore that parallel.

THE CREATION OF MAN AS A SPIRIT AND THEN A SOUL

The creation of man is described in Genesis in two separate accounts. I see a very curious hidden meaning planted in those two accounts. It seems to me that God first created man’s spirit and then after man’s fall he created man’s soul. Following is a quick summary of my interpretation of the architecture of man and some interesting insights as described in the Bible as background for this study:

• Man’s soul is the temporary living man composed of the three dimensional body and the spirit; the spirit is the higher dimensional eternal man created in God’s image.
• At death the body dies and returns to dust (Isa 26:19) while the spirit immediately goes to be with God (Eccl 12:7). Essentially the soul no longer exists (it sleeps, so to speak).
• It seems that a spirit does not have flesh and bones (Luke 24:39) and that flesh and bones cannot exist in heaven (1 Cor 15:50).
• 1 Cor 2:11 says that the spirit lives within us. Paul and Peter both called the thing within which the spirit lives our tent (2 Cor 5:1-10, 2 Pet 1:13). Apparently Jesus himself had explained to Peter and Paul that their spirits were only being temporarily housed in their earthly bodies, and that they would soon put them aside and move into their heavenly dwellings. Paul said that he desired to leave his tent and go to live with God. Peter said that he would soon put his tent aside as Jesus had made clear to him. Job also seemed to understand this architecture and use these terms almost 1900 years before Jesus was on earth.

With this as background we will set out to show that God first created man as a spirit without flesh and bones, or without a soul. He later created the body as the temporary dwelling for the spirit, the real man. The body is only necessary for living in a three dimensional world; it is not necessary for living in the higher dimensional place called heaven. When God created the body it was only an inanimate object until he placed the spirit within it. As soon as God placed the spirit into the body it came to life as a living soul.
Gen 1:26-27 26 Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground." 27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.
John 4:24 God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth."
This seems to imply that man was first created in the image of God, which is as a spirit being. The Garden of Eden seemed to be both in heaven (Ezek 28:11-20) and on earth (Gen 2:10-14). Since God and Jesus seemed to be walking with and interacting with man in the Garden of Eden, it seems to me that this would have been a spiritual existence in heaven, since God is spirit. Satan is also a spiritual being and lives in heaven, so I presume his temptation of Adam and Eve would have taken place in the Garden of Eden in heaven. After man gave in to Satan’s temptations and sinned he was banned from the Garden of Eden. Which garden was he banned from? It must have been the garden in heaven since man still had access to the garden on earth described in Gen 2:10-14. I expect that when man was kicked out of the Garden of Eden it meant that he was kicked out of heaven; he was kicked out of the higher dimensional part of the garden but still had access to the three dimensional part of the garden in Mesopotamia. After God kicked man out of Eden he put up a barrier to keep man from getting back in on his own initiative (Gen 3:22-24). I expect that this was a dimensional barrier and man was now restricted to a three dimensional existence.
It is obvious from a quick reading of Gen chapters 1 through 3 that much of it is not sequential. My suspicion is that when God kicked man out of heaven he then had to create a “tent” for the spirit of man to live in while he was on earth. This three dimensional tent is the body, as I understand scripture. The creation of this body for man is described in a second creation of man event described in Gen 2:7. This describes the creation of man’s physical body, which is part of the soul. The body was only a “tent” and could not have life until God placed man’s spirit within the tent, as described in Gen 2:7. The word “breath” in Gen 2:7 means “spirit.”
Gen 2:7 The LORD God formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.

PARALLELS BETWEEN THE CREATION OF MAN AND THE RE-CREATION OF ISRAEL

Next we will investigate the seeming parallels between the creation of man discussed above and the re-creation of Israel as a living nation as prophesized in the Bible. The Bible foretells in many places that Israel will be reborn after many years of non-existence as a nation (Ps 69:35-36, Deut 30:1-10, Isa 66:7-21, 11:11-12:6, Jer 3:18, 23:3-9, Chs 30, 31, 33, Ezek 11:14-21, 20:42-44, 24:25-31, 34:11-16, 36:24-38, 37:1-28, 39:25-29, Hosea 1:10-11, 2:14-23, 3:1-4, 8:10-14, 13:14, 14:4-8, Amos 9:11-15, Obad 1:17-21, Micah 4:6-8, Zeph 2:9, 3:9-20, Zech 8:1-11, 9:10-17, 10:6-12). In this study we will concentrate on the description given in the dry bones vision of Ezek 37.
The dry bones in this passage refer to the nation of Israel. When Ezekiel was given this vision by God it had already been about 140 years since Israel had ceased being a nation and about 25 years since Judah had ceased being a self governing nation. Remember Israel had split into two nations shortly after the death of Solomon, about 350 years before the dry bones vision. Israel was conquered and it’s people dispersed by the Assyrians in about 721 BC and Judah was conquered by the Babylonians in about 606 BC. Many of the Judeans were dispersed by the Babylonians over a period of 20 years or so. Ezekiel was deported to Babylon in about 597 BC and that is where he was given many of his revelations.
The dry bones figuratively represent the fact that Israel was dead and her bones were essentially laying scattered around under a hot desert sun. God reveals to Ezekiel that he can bring the dry bones back to life. God first describes physically restoring Israel by saying in verse 6 that he would restore tendons, flesh and skin to the bones. This is akin to re-creating Israel as a body. Israel could have physical substance but still not be alive. Verse 6 says that God would put a spirit in Israel and she would then come back to life. Verse 8 goes on to say that the body was re-created but Israel was still not back to life. Finally, God did put a spirit back into Israel as described in verse 10.
Ezek 37:4-10   4 Then he said to me, "Prophesy to these bones and say to them, 'Dry bones, hear the word of the LORD! 5 This is what the Sovereign LORD says to these bones: I will make breath enter you, and you will come to life. 6 I will attach tendons to you and make flesh come upon you and cover you with skin; I will put breath in you, and you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the LORD. 7 So I prophesied as I was commanded. And as I was prophesying, there was a noise, a rattling sound, and the bones came together, bone to bone. 8 I looked, and tendons and flesh appeared on them and skin covered them, but there was no breath in them. 9 Then he said to me, "Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, son of man, and say to it, 'This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe into these slain, that they may live.'" 10 So I prophesied as he commanded me, and breath entered them; they came to life and stood up on their feet-- a vast army.
As I look at this historically I see that the bones were being reassembled and tendons added, etc. from about 1880 until 1948 as the Jewish emigration to the original homeland began and progressed. God had made it possible for the Jews to begin reassembling in the late 1800’s, but they could not call the land their own until 1948. By 1948 there were hundreds of thousands of Jews back in the land but Israel was not yet alive. She did not become a living, functioning nation until she became recognized as an independent nation in 1948. Since 1948 Israel has had both a body, a physical presence on earth, and a spirit, an eternally living nation with a personality that will one day be with God in heaven. God has said that once Israel is restored to her land she will always exist (Amos 9:14-15, Ezek 37:25).
Let’s look a little closer at Ezek 37:4-10 above. What were the four winds in verse 9? This term is often used to mean the “whole world.” What was the “breath” that came from the whole world to enter the physically restored land? Historically speaking, it must represent the millions of Jews who returned to the land from around the world. The land had become available for the Jews to return to, but it did not belong to them until 1948. It was in 1948 that the spirit of the Jews, the Jewish people, were reassembled with their long lost body, the physical land, to once more become a living, breathing entity, the Jewish nation of Israel.
            God goes on in verses 11-22 of Ezek 37 to say that he would settle Israel back in her land and that Israel and Judah would no longer be separated. He says that they would never again be two nations. We know that this happened in 1948 so this prophecy has been fulfilled in our lifetimes. The Jews can no longer reliably identify which of the twelve tribes from which they came. They are indeed one nation again.
In verse 14 God says that he would put his Holy Spirit back in Israel and she would live. Has this happened yet? I interpret this “live” to be eternal life and it has not happened collectively for the Jews as yet. The Bible teaches us that we have the Holy Spirit put in us when we become believers in Jesus. Hundreds of thousands of Jews have become believers and they indeed do have the Spirit in them. Yet the great majority of Jews are still not believers in Jesus. Are there other parts of Ezek 37 that have not yet been fulfilled? Yes, verses 22-28 are indicative of the millennium, when Jesus will be the “King” over Israel and live among them on earth. From a reading of these verses it is obvious that these things have not yet been fulfilled and that indeed they will take place starting at the Second Coming of Jesus and go through the millennium. The events that surround the end of the Tribulation and the Second Coming of Jesus result in the Jews collectively accepting Jesus as their Savior, Messiah and King (Isa 29:22-24, 43:9-13, 49:22-26, 52:5-6, 54:1-8, 60:16, Jer 50:4-5, 20. 33-34, Hosea 2:19, 23, 3:4, 5:15-6:3, Joel 2:15-18, 30-32, Zeph 3:9-13, Zech 13:8-9, Matt 23:39, Ps 118:25-26, Rev 5:1-10).

CONCLUSION

We have seen another interesting pattern repeated in the Bible. This one may be a little obscure and difficult to see, but it is very interesting none-the-less. To me it is further proof of the divine nature of the Bible. To Him to the Glory.