I have some friends who to my mind buy almost anything put out by conservative Christian pastors, and they “know” that the bible supports the idea of Israel existing as a political state at this point in time. However, they can’t point to any quotes offhand that support this.
I’m not asking if you believe it, just “What are the quotes from the bible that are used for supporting the idea of the modern state of Israel?” The ones I’ve heard in the past didn’t hold up for me.
I dunno so much about the right to exist, but part of revelations deals with the rebuilding of the Temple of Jerusalem, which presumably you need the state of Israel around to happen. If you believe the second coming/rapture is a good thing (which, since most fundies believe they’re going to heaven, they would welcome the rapture/holy war that ensues), then you need an Israel around to build the temple.
Interestingly, some groups believe the conditions set forth (like the temple, a perfectly albino cow, and some others) are things they can do to trigger the apocalypse, and since they want the second coming, they support Israel coming that will come to pass. Why they think they can force God to initiate the apocalypse I don’t know.
A quick reading of the Book of Revelations should give you the quotes you seek.
Incidentally, since the Dome of the Rock (the third most holy site in Islam) is built on the site of the old Temple of Jerusalem, building the temple would necessitate destroying the Dome of the Rock, which would definitely trigger an apocalyptic holy war, but probably not the divine one some fundies are hoping for.
Genesis Chapter 15
v7 He also said to him, “I am the Lord, who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldeans to give you this land to take possession of it.”
…
v13 Then the Lord said to him, “Know for certain that for four hundred years your descendants will be strangers in a country not their own and that they will be enslaved and mistreated there.
…
v18-21 On that day the Lord made a covenant with Abram and said, “To your descendants I give this land, from the Wadi[e] of Egypt to the great river, the Euphrates— the land of the Kenites, Kenizzites, Kadmonites, Hittites, Perizzites, Rephaites, Amorites, Canaanites, Girgashites and Jebusites.”
New International Version
Shorter version:
God says he gave Abraham the holy lands but Abraham’s descendants would be enslaved in a foreign land and mistreated for centuries. But God made a covenant to give those lands to Abraham’s descendants.
And before that, Genesis Chapter 13
v12-17 Abram lived in the land of Canaan, while Lot lived among the cities of the plain and pitched his tents near Sodom. Now the people of Sodom were wicked and were sinning greatly against the Lord.
The Lord said to Abram after Lot had parted from him, “Look around from where you are, to the north and south, to the east and west. All the land that you see I will give to you and your offspring[a] forever. I will make your offspring like the dust of the earth, so that if anyone could count the dust, then your offspring could be counted. Go, walk through the length and breadth of the land, for I am giving it to you.”
New International Version
Shorter:
Abraham was living in Canaan. God said he gives the land as far as Abraham can see in all directions to Abraham and his descendents forever.
Given that this involves both religion and politics, I think Great Debates is more appropriate than GQ.
Colibri
General Questions Moderator
See Christian Zionism, and may God have mercy on your soul.
Ezekiel 37 is the general go-to passage for Israel’s ultimate restoration. The dry bones passage. Followed by the Gog & Magog war of Ezekiel 38-39 and the Ideal Temple & Nation of Ch. 40-48.
It isn’t so much that the nation of Israel has to exist at any particular point in time; rather, the Jews were predicted to return to their homeland before other prophecies could be fulfilled. Most students of end-times prophecy consider the re-establishment of the nation of Israel to be the first “official” event of the end times.
Actually, several people believe that the Dome of the Rock was not in fact built on the exact spot of the temple, but simply close by. If they’re correct, it would be physically possible for the mosque and the temple to exist simultaneously.
Mind you, any serious attempt to rebuild the temple under current conditions would kick off the mother of all religious wars, even if that’s correct.
I think this beautifully, if incompletely, summarizes the answer to OP’s question.
I have heard that some people do think the location is off enough that the two structures could share a wall but otherwise be ok. Of course, I think there are plenty of other people that wouldn’t think twice about demolishing the Dome of the Rock to make way and in fact think it needs to be done. I’ve heard a third group that says, since we don’t know the exact location to build, that having been lost to history, we can never rebuild the temple in the correct spot.
Of course, your second paragraph is about the most accurate statement I’ve heard on this topic from anyone.
How’s this GD material?
Also Ezekiel 36 “24 “‘For I will take you out of the nations; I will gather you from all the countries and bring you back into your own land.”