Ankerberg: Everywhere I have gone in the last few months—whether it’s the airline stewardesses or the barber, people are asking, “How do the events that are taking place in the Middle East and around the world square with what the Bible is saying?” And that is the very subject we are talking about.
One of the most important signs that Jesus Christ said would signal His return is the nation of Israel. Israel is a prophetic sign that would indicate the prophetic time clock is moving and ticking. According to Jesus, when we see certain things happen, boy, our antennae had better go up!
Hunt: There are four amazing prophetic facts that we need to recognize concerning Israel. First, the Bible states the Jews would be scattered throughout the world under the punishment of God—yet not be wholly assimilated into the nations. They would remain an identifiable ethnic group. This has happened and is an amazing fact in itself.
Second, God predicts that the Jews would not only survive as an ethnic people, but that they will also return to the land of Palestine centuries later.
Third, after returning to Palestine, this insignificant piece of real estate will be the focus of world attention week after week. This is exactly what the Bible prophesied: “Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of trembling unto all the people round about....And in that day will I make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all people, though all the people of the earth be gathered together against it” (Zechariah 12:2-3; KJV).
Israeli forces would rival in power those nations surrounding them. It is incredible to realize that, even though Israel holds only one-sixth of one percent of the land in the Arab world, it has been more than a match for the surrounding Arab nations, though they outnumber Israel about forty to one.
For a moment, let’s think of what these prophecies are telling us about the Bible itself. The Bible is absolutely unique. It not only contains prophecy about Israel; it also contains prophecy about other things as well. This is significant because you are not going to find any predictive prophecies like we are talking about in other holy books such as the Muslim Koran or in the Hindu Vedas or in the Book of Mormon. I don’t care where you look, you just won’t find it. The Bible is absolutely unique.
Based on a telecast of “The John Ankerberg Show” taped before a live audience in Orlando Florida, called “Current World Events and Biblical Prophecy.”
