Significance of the Land and People of Israel

In the past when considering the covenant that God made with Abraham and, in turn, his descendants, I always considered that the land given to Abraham was something of the nature of a land grant as a reward to God's covenant partner. More recently, I began to realize that the land is significant in its own right. Indeed, it is obvious that God chose the land before He chose Abraham. In a sense, we might ask, did God give the land to Abraham or did God give Abraham to the land? More correctly, I will propose that Eretz Israel, itself, is crucial to the process of redemption and that God entrusted it to Abraham and his descendants as special caretakers. We will conclude, therefore, that for the process of redemption to progress, it is important for God's people to be in possession of the land.

When the patriarchs moved through the land, God must have revealed Himself in a very unique and powerful way: They built altars at various sites to mark their encounter with God. These encounters were concentrated between Shechem in the north to Beersheva in the south. Generally speaking, they were in the area of greatest dispute today: Judea, Samaria, and Jerusalem. Abraham encountered God in this dimension at Shechem (Genesis 12:6-7), Bethel and Ai (Genesis 12:8), Hebron (Genesis 13:18; 15:1-21; 17:1-21), and finally at Mt. Moriah in Jerusalem (Genesis 22:9-18). Isaac's encounter occurred at Beersheva (Genesis 26:23-25). Jacob encountered the Lord at Bethel (Genesis 28:10-19) and at Shechem (Genesis 33:18-20). As a result of these encounters, Abraham called Mt. Moriah "the Lord will see" and Jacob called Bethel "Sha'ar Hashamayim" meaning "the Gate of Heaven": . I believe that this insight revealed to Jacob is crucial to understanding the significance of the area.

Through the prophets, we gain some insight as to the actual function of this area. One of the most awesome events recorded in the Scriptures deals with the manner in which the prophet Elijah departed this world. Elijah was taken up into heaven by means of a chariot and horses of fire (2 Kings 2:11). However we understand the meaning of this account, Elijah left this present world and entered another which is hidden to our natural senses. This event occurred just across the Jordan River from Jericho, very near the area described above, where the patriarchs encountered God. The prophet Ezekiel also described visions concerning the departure of the Glory of God from the first Temple just prior to its destruction (Ezekiel 10:4; 10:18-19; 11:22-23). Ezekiel's description ends before the Glory of God ascends from the Mt. of Olives, but it is obvious that this is the logical next step. So we believe that the Glory of God ascended into heaven from where it originally came. This happened precisely in the heart of the geographical area under discussion.

With these thoughts about the land fresh in our minds, let us focus on another arena of knowledge that is rapidly developing. Great advances have recently been realized in the science of astronomy due to satellite research and to the Hubble space telescope. In his book The Creator and the Cosmos, Dr. Hugh Ross presents a compelling case for the "hot big-bang theory" of the origin of the universe. Obviously, the "big-bang theory" points directly to the One causing it. For this reason, Dr. Ross argues that science has confirmed the existence of God, the cause of the creation. In another book, Beyond the Cosmos, he reports that in order to reconcile the fundamental forces in nature into a mathematical model complying with the laws of general relativity, very early in the creation event there must have existed multiple space dimensions beyond the three space dimensions of our experience. (Our present existence is understood to be in a four-dimensional space-time continuum). Therefore, it is concluded that multiple dimensions exist although they are virtually impossible to envision.

The existence of extra space and, possibly extra time dimensions, points to unseen dimensions in our own physical world or dimensions corresponding to these in a completely separate universe. Due to the language used in the Scriptures cited above, relating the experiences of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, as well as the experience of the prophets, we conclude that the heartland of Israel — Judea and Samaria — represents an intersection between the physical universe that we are familiar with and an unseen set of dimensions: a multi-dimensional space that we cannot perceive through our physical senses. Due to both the physical observation and the Biblical account, we conclude that this general area is utterly unique and plays a crucial role in the process of redemption. Perhaps this helps to explain why there is such a spiritual struggle over this real estate.

We submit that, from a Scriptural standpoint, it is crucial for God's people to possess the area of Judea and Samaria in particular, and the land of Israel in general, in order for the process of redemption to continue. We propose that the struggle here is not just a religious battle between the adherents of Judaism and those of Islam in order to confirm who is correct and who is in error. We maintain that beyond the strong historical and humanitarian reasons, there are solid physical reasons for this land to be possessed or controlled by Israel. Due to the limits imposed on this physical universe as outlined by the Second Law of Thermodynamics, we know that from a human philosophical standpoint, there is no ultimate hope for mankind or for life in general. If there is hope, it must come from outside the system. We believe that this is the hope set forth in the Scriptures, as is being fulfilled through the process of redemption. Such hope of intervention from without will enter this physical realm in the geographical area that we know as the "gate of heaven", which includes Judea and Samaria and is centered in Jerusalem. Furthermore, we believe that such intervention will only take place as God's designated "gatekeepers" live in and control this area.