[Darris McNeely] We're marking the 50th anniversary of the Six-Day War in Israel between Israel and the Arab states back in 1967 with a series of BT Dailys talking about why the state of Israel matters. We talked briefly about that in part number one. Here in part two, I wanna talk a little bit more about the critical importance of the beginning of the state of Israel when it was formed and actually came into existence in May of 1948. Again, 2017 June, 50th anniversary of the 1967 war, but the state of Israel had already fought two other battles in their existence, one at the beginning of the declaration of the state in 1948, another is 1956, and then in 1967 they actually expanded their borders and reunified the city of Jerusalem. But what I wanna look at here in this particular presentation is the particular...is the important key, that the Bible and prophecy requires that a presence of the ancient nation of Israel be present in that ancient land of Israel, present...also called Palestine now, occupied by the state of Israel, but the land that God promised to Abraham and his descendants. 

1948, the establishment of the state of Israel, nearly 2,000 years after the collapse of that state in 70 A.D. with the Roman occupation and destruction of Jerusalem was a critical, critical moment in world history but also in Bible prophecy because now a Jewish state, a member of the ancient nation of Israel, was now occupying once again in an official capacity that land, and that is important for us to understand for Bible prophecy.

There's a Bible prophecy in Daniel 9, it talks about an event to take place in the time of the end that is known to Bible students as the abomination of desolation. Historically, about roughly 200 years before the time of Christ, the ruler named Antiochus Epiphanes, a Greek ruler, had gone into the temple and offered a swine's flesh upon the sacred alter in the temple in Jerusalem. That desolated, or was an abomination, to the Jewish religion, and certainly to the law of God, in the temple at that time.

Jesus Christ In Matthew 24:15, referred to this event that Daniel 9:27 talks about taking place in the time of the end yet ahead of us today, and Christ said, "When you see that event take place, and you see the armies surround Jerusalem, take heed, take warning, understand the times in which you are living at that time." So Christ understood this...not only the historic event of this abomination in the time of...that Daniel prophesied about, but also He pointed to the fact that it would happen once again. Now for that prophecy, Daniel 9:27, to take place, there has to be a Jewish state, a presence of the people of Israel in the land, in that area of Israel, and so, again, 1948, the establishment of the state of Israel, 1967, the actual reunification of the city of Jerusalem and Israeli control over the Temple Mount, very critical to Bible prophecy and these key markers that we look at and understand. That's why the state of Israel matters, and that's why as we look back 50 years ago to what took place in June 1967. We understand the components there fitting in very nicely to Bible prophecy. Not only a historical event and a critical current matter, still with us to this day, but helping us understand God's purpose and plan. We'll talk more about this in the next installment.

That's BT Daily. Join us next time.