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A.E. Parker — Servant
of Yahweh
Israel: Ancient
Foundations to the Prophetic Present
Part I —
Ancient Foundations
Section 0A —
The Covenant Promise and the Seeds of Division
From the dawn of human history,
Yahweh called Abram from Ur of the Chaldeans to establish a people
set apart, through whom the nations of the earth would be blessed.
“Now the LORD said to
Abram: Go from your country, your people and your father’s
household to the land I will show you. I will make you into a great
nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you
will be a blessing.”
—
Genesis 12:1–3
When Abram and Sarai grew weary
of waiting for the promised son, Sarai gave her Egyptian servant
Hagar to Abram, and Ishmael was born.
“The angel of the LORD also
said to her: You are now pregnant and you will give birth to a son.
You shall name him Ishmael, for the LORD has heard of your misery.”
—
Genesis 16:11
Yahweh’s prophetic declaration
to Hagar revealed Ishmael’s character: he would be “a wild man;
his hand against every man, and every man’s hand against him.”
— Genesis 16:12
From this ancient rift sprang an
enduring enmity between the chosen seed and those who would claim
their own ways, a conflict that would echo across generations.
— Romans 9:6–8
Section B —
Israel Formed: From Bondage to Nationhood
Centuries later, the children of
Israel, descended from Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, were enslaved in
Egypt, crying out to Yahweh for deliverance.
— Exodus 2:23–25
Through the blood of the Passover
lamb, Yahweh brought Israel out of bondage, guiding them by a pillar
of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night through the wilderness.
— Exodus 12:12–14
Yet even as they beheld His
miracles, murmuring and rebellion were constant companions on the
journey.
— Numbers 14:22–24
Section C —
Division, Exile, and Prophecy of Return
Israel’s unity fractured under
kings and judges, and when Jerusalem fell to Babylon, the Temple was
destroyed, and the people exiled.
— Ezekiel 36:24; Ezekiel
37:11–14
Through centuries of
diaspora—pogroms, expulsions, and persecution—the promise of
return remained.
— Psalm 137:5–6
Part II
— The Early Return and Zionist Awakening
By the 19th century, the long
exile of the Jewish people had kindled both religious expectation and
political urgency. Europe’s shifting powers and the undercurrents
of persecution stirred ancient promises in modern hearts. From the
pulpit to the parliament, believers and statesmen alike began to
speak of Israel’s restoration as more than allegory—it was
destiny nearing fulfillment.
“I will bring your seed
from the east, and gather you from the west; I will say to the north,
Give up; and to the south, Keep not back: bring my sons from far, and
my daughters from the ends of the earth.”
—
Isaiah 43:5–6
In Britain, visionary advocates
took up this cause long before the State of Israel was born. Theodore
Herzl, an Austro-Hungarian journalist, ignited the modern Zionist
movement with his 1896 pamphlet Der
Judenstaat and the First
Zionist Congress at Basel the following year, declaring: “At Basel
I founded the Jewish State.”
Among his contemporaries was
Chaim Weizmann, a scientist and diplomat whose influence in British
circles helped secure the 1917 Balfour Declaration—a historic
statement supporting a Jewish national home in Palestine. Lord Arthur
Balfour, Britain’s foreign secretary, viewed the declaration as
both policy and fulfillment of divine promise. Herbert Samuel, a
British Jew and later High Commissioner for Palestine, translated
vision into governance.
“For the LORD will have
mercy on Jacob, and will yet choose Israel, and set them in their own
land: and the strangers shall be joined with them, and they shall
cleave to the house of Jacob.”
—
Isaiah 14:1
Across the Atlantic, Pastor
Charles Taze Russell of Pennsylvania became one of the earliest
Christian Zionists proclaiming from Scripture that the time had come
for Israel’s restoration. In public lectures such as Jerusalem
and Jewish Hopes (1891)
and later in The Hope of
Israel, Russell spoke of
return, not conversion. He saw regathering as the first stage of
God’s prophetic timetable.
“For thus saith the LORD;
Sing with gladness for Jacob, and shout among the chief of the
nations: publish ye, praise ye, and say, O LORD, save thy people, the
remnant of Israel.”
—
Jeremiah 31:7
Within the Land of Israel itself,
early settlers—the halutzim
or pioneers—transformed desolation into vitality. Figures like
David Ben-Gurion, A.D. Gordon, and Rachel Yanait Ben-Zvi labored to
reclaim the soil through agriculture and Hebrew education. Kibbutzim
rose from the swamps, vineyards from the sand, and new cities from
the stone hills.
“Then shall the land enjoy
her sabbaths, as long as it lies desolate… Yet for all that, when
they be in the land of their enemies, I will not cast them away…
But I will remember for them the covenant of their ancestors.”
—
Leviticus 26:34,44–45
Meanwhile, in London, Herbert
Bentwich, Jacob de Haas, and Christian Zionists such as William
Hechler labored to connect political vision with prophetic
fulfillment. Hechler, a British clergyman and close friend of Herzl,
interpreted the Zionist cause as a sign of the approaching Messianic
age, bridging the ancient covenant with the modern world.
“Thus says the LORD GOD:
Behold, I will take the children of Israel from among the heathen,
whither they be gone, and will gather them on every side, and bring
them into their own land.”
—
Ezekiel 37:21
Part III
— Modern Conflicts and the State of Israel
Section E —
Rebirth Amid Struggle (1948–1967)
On May 14, 1948, the modern State
of Israel was declared, following decades of Jewish pioneering and
advocacy. Almost immediately, the fledgling nation was attacked by
neighboring Arab states—Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, and Iraq—who
refused to accept the legitimacy of a Jewish homeland. Despite being
vastly outnumbered, Israel survived through remarkable resilience,
strategic defense, and what many saw as miraculous intervention.
“For the LORD is your
confidence, and will keep your foot from being caught.”
—
Proverbs 3:26
During these early years, waves
of Jewish immigrants from Europe, the Middle East, and North Africa
arrived, building towns, draining swamps, and reclaiming desolate
land. The nation labored to transform death and desolation into life
and hope.
“And the LORD shall guide
thee continually, and satisfy thy soul in drought, and make fat thy
bones: and thou shalt be like a watered garden, and like a spring of
water, whose waters fail not.”
—
Isaiah 58:11
Section F —
The Arab-Israeli Conflict: Betrayal and Terror
Even as Israel pursued peace
agreements, Arab leadership frequently reneged. Numerous
initiatives—armistice talks, accords, and treaties—were met with
Intifadas, violent uprisings, and orchestrated attacks against
civilians and soldiers alike.
Suicide bombing attacks on buses,
plane hijackings, and massacres such as the Munich Massacre in which
11 members of the Israeli Olympic team were killed by the Palestinian
Terrorist group Black September and the 1983 Beirut Marine barracks
bombing carried out by Hezbollah, backed by Iran, killing 241 U.S.
service members, demonstrated a persistent campaign of terror. On
October 7, 2023, a brutal attack targeted Israeli youths, babies, and
adults, accompanied by abductions and atrocities against civilians.
“More than 1,200 men, women, and children, including 46 Americans
and the citizens of more than 30 countries, were slaughtered by
Hamas-the largest massare of Jews since the Holocaust. Girls and
women were sexually assaulted. The depravity of Hamas’s crimes is
almost unspeakable.” (Source: U.S. Mission Chile)
“When a wicked man dies,
his expectation shall perish; and the hope of unjust men
perisheth.”
—
Proverbs 11:7
Hamas and other terrorist
organizations trained within indoctrination camps, using children as
human shields and promising martyrs rewards in heaven to recruit
suicide attackers. Yasser Arafat, one of the prominent “Palestinian”
Arab leaders, who headed the Palestinian Liberation Organization
(PLO) from 1969 to 2004 and was the first president of the
Palestinian Authority from 1996 to 2004. His work began in a
terrorist manner, advocating aggressive provocation and intifada
against Israel. Later on, per the common tactic of the Arabs, play
acted out the 1993 Oslo Accords for which he was given the Nobel
Peace Prize. Meanwhile, he robbed his people of the foreign aid that
was sent via the UN, and funded only the PLO for building a terrorist
infrastructure. His successor, Mahmoud Abbas, as the next political
leader of the Palestinian Authority, again misappropriated
international aid while the population suffered, becoming an
instrument in fomenting hatred and violence against Israel.
“Thou shalt not steal,
neither deal falsely, neither lie one to another.”
—
Leviticus 19:11
Historically, the conflict traces
back even further, rooted in Ishmael and Isaac, Hagar and Sarah, with
the ongoing spiritual and territorial struggle manifesting through
generations. Nations and leaders have both cooperated with and
opposed God’s covenant promise, and the relentless campaigns
against Israel have often been motivated by lies, propaganda, and
false claims to the land.
“Beware lest any man spoil
you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men,
after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.”
—
Colossians 2:8
Section G —
Witness of Truth: Son of Hamas
Amid darkness, witnesses of truth
have emerged. One such individual, publicly known as the Son of
Hamas, escaped indoctrination and now exposes the inner workings of
Hamas to the world, demonstrating the human capacity for change and
the power of truth. His testimony reveals the coercion, deceit, and
brutality imposed upon Gaza’s population by militant leadership,
contrasting starkly with the persistent hope for peace and
reconciliation.
“Ye shall know the truth,
and the truth shall make you free.”
—
John 8:32
His work underscores the reality
on the ground: the suffering of innocents, the misuse of children in
warfare, and the manipulation of entire populations to achieve
ideological ends. This testimony provides a moral and spiritual lens
through which nations may understand the conflict beyond political
rhetoric.
“Learn to do well; seek
judgment, relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless, plead for the
widow.”
—
Isaiah 1:17
Section H —
Perpetual Vigilance and Faith
The modern State of Israel
continues to navigate threats from neighboring nations and militant
organizations, demonstrating remarkable resilience, technological
prowess, and commitment to democratic principles. Israel’s survival
is both a fulfillment of ancient prophecy and a testament to enduring
faith. Nations, meanwhile, are called to discern truth from
falsehood, acknowledging that the enmity against Israel is often
rooted in lies propagated for centuries.
“Fear thou not; for I am
with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee;
yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of
my righteousness.”
—
Isaiah 41:10
