Answers about Israel

What does “Jew” mean in the Bible?

The meaning of the word “Jew” has changed over time, and we need to be careful in applying the meaning from one period to a passage written at a different period. Up until the exile, “Jew” meant somebody from the tribe of Judah. There are hardly any occurrences of this in Scripture; one exception is [...]

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Why did the Jews become angry at what Jesus said in Luke 4:16-30?

In this passage, Jesus was visiting Nazareth, the place where he had grown up.   Everyone knew who he was and who his family was, and so they were amazed at how well he spoke.  However, it seems they also expected him to do some powerful miracles to show that he really was important, and [...]

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Do Israelites who do not and will not believe in Christ go to paradise just because they are from Israel?

No. Part of the basis of salvation is faith in the Lord Jesus (John 3:16; Acts 4:12) so, to be saved, people — including Israelites — need to believe in him and what God did through him. Rom. 9:30-10:21 talks about this in some detail. (Also see, ‘Will God save Israelites simply because they are [...]

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How long were the people of Israel enslaved in Egypt?

The following chart (from my book The Times: a Chronology of the Bible) shows some of the major events during this period and shows the period that Israel was in Egypt from 1656 BC to 1446 BC, or 210 years. Some of the evidence for these dates is given below. The date of the Exodus [...]

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Why didn’t God destroy the Canaanites himself, rather than ask Israel to do it?

There’s no question that God could’ve destroyed the Canaanites directly. Some of the methods by which God destroyed people directly in the Bible: The ground swallowed them (Num 16:31-32) Plague (Exodus 32 : 35) Snakes (Num 21: 6) Kill directly (Num 8:17, Acts 5:5-10) But he chose not to do this to the Canaanites, in [...]

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Are we punished for the sins of our fathers?

The person who asked this question also wrote: It is so hard to believe that if someone’s Grandfather was a wicked man, God would punish his grandchildren who love God. I do believe in the consequences of sin, but does God punish our children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren for our sins? Well, God does say that [...]

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What are the signs of the return of Jesus Christ?

Jesus referred to many signs of his return in the Olivet prophecy, recorded in Matthew 24, Mark 13 and Luke 21. The unmistakable signs are given in Matthew 24:29-30, “The sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens [...]

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Was Galilee not part of Israel (the Northern Kingdom) destroyed by the Assyrians? If so, why were Galileans not stigmatized to the same degree as Samaritans?

The region of Galilee is in Northern Palestine, and thus would have formed part of the Kingdom of Israel. The Israelite population of Galilee was deported by the Assyrians (cf. 2 Kings 15:29). This region would have been repopulated by Gentiles from other parts of the Assyrian empire (like the Samaritans). Under the Maccabees this [...]

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Who are Gog and Magog?

Gog and Magog are mentioned together in two Bible passages. The first is from Ezekiel: Son of man, set your face toward Gog, of the land of Magog, the chief prince of Meshech  and Tubal, and prophesy against him (Ezekiel 38:2) Ezekiel 38 and 39 contain a prophecy about some nations that would attack Israel [...]

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Why is Israel important to God?

Israel is important to God because he made a promise about it to a man called Abraham: God promises that he would give that area of the world to Abraham and his descendants, the Jews (the Children of Israel). {18} “To your offspring I give this land, from the river of Egypt to the great [...]

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