Abram, who later became Abraham, fathered Ishmael, (from whom Islam came) and Isaac, was called by God and taken to a land that one day would be his and his decedents thru Isaac.
Isaac fathered Esau and Jacob. Esau’s decedents became the Edomites. Jacob later called Israel (by God) fathered the Tribes of Israel.
Scholars believe the first human settlements in Jerusalem took place during the Early Bronze Age—somewhere around 3500 B.C. In 1000 B.C., King David conquered Jerusalem and made it the capital of the Jewish kingdom. His son, Solomon, built the first holy Temple about 40 years later.
In 722 BCE, the Assyrians, under Sargon II, successor to Shalmaneser V, conquered the Kingdom of Israel, and many Israelites were deported to Mesopotamia. The Jewish proper diaspora began with the Babylonian exile in the 6th century BCE.
The United Nations approved a plan to partition Palestine into a Jewish and Arab state in 1947, but the Arabs rejected it. In May 1948, Israel was officially declared an independent state with David Ben-Gurion, the head of the Jewish Agency, as the prime minister.
- Israel has two official languages: Hebrew and Arabic
- Israel is only 1/6 of 1% of the landmass of the Middle East (Israel is roughly half the size of Lake Michigan).
- Golda Meir was the 3rd woman in history to serve as a country’s prime minister.
- Israel’s population has reached 8 million as of Independence Day 2013!
- Israel has won five bronze Olympic medals, one silver and one gold.
- Developed by Major Uzi Gaf, more than 10 million Uzi machine guns have been build since 1948.
- 34 political parties participated in Israel’s 2013 elections.
- Israel has more museums per capita than any other country in the world.
- The Dead Sea in Israel is the lowest point on earth, at 1,315 feet below sea level at its lowest point.
- Israel is the only liberal democracy in the middle east.
Israel continues to have worldly problems; But, they are still God’s chosen people, just set aside, as a Nation, until the Body of Christ (Jew and Gentile) is complete. One day soon, Israel will enter the 7 years of Jacob’s Troubles (Jeremiah 30:7). Their Temple will be rebuilt. They will believe their Messiah has returned, (Daniel 9:27) But, 3 ½ years later they will realize HE is not who they are looking for. But, when Jacob’s week is complete and their Messiah has settled the Battle of Armageddon, He will set up their promised kingdom and they will rule with Him, in the new world for 1000 years.
⇛ return to Jew - Israel ⇛