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Every significant event in the history of Israel has been foretold by the prophets of the Lord. They saw glimpses of the future, fragmented visions of God's redemptive plan. Why did He disclose these future events? He did it so that Israel would know that He alone is God, and that they should obediently trust in His promises to them. As He says, "I have foretold the former things from the beginning; and they went out of My mouth; and I made them hear; I acted suddenly; and they came to pass.... And I declared it to you from the beginning. Before it happened I revealed it to you." (Isaiah 48:3,5) But not only did He tell them of events of those days, He also announced events of the distant future.
The establishment of the modern nation of Israel, the restoration of the land to the Jewish people, and the regathering of the people from around the world were all foretold and described in detail in the Bible. But, if in fact God speaks concerning all major occurrences for Israel, what has He said about the current "peace process?" The Bible does speak of a time when Israel, after having been gathered back into the land, will "live in safety," free from concern about their "malicious neighbors." '"No longer will the people of Israel have malicious neighbors who are painful briers and sharp thorns. Then they will know that I am the Sovereign LORD. " This is what the Sovereign LORD says: "When I gather the people of Israel from the nations where they have been scattered, I will show myself holy among them in the sight of the nations. Then they will live in their own land, which I gave to my servant Jacob. They will live there in safety and will build houses and plant vineyards; they will live in safety when I inflict punishment on all their neighbors who maligned them. Then they will know that I am the LORD their God."' (Ezekiel 28:25-26 NIV) As I write this, it is the evening of Yom Kippur 2000. Since Rosh Hashanah 10 days ago, the time period known by the Jews as the "Days of Awe," I have been in Israel. These days have been also days of violence, days of threats, and days of hatred from those "malicious neighbors" of whom the Lord spoke . The people of Israel do not now live in safety, but after the Lord "inflicts punishment" on those neighbors, Israel will experience the fulfillment of this prophecy. The last sentence is the key point: after those events, Israel's thoughts will increasingly turn towards the Lord. They will say, "Come, let us return to the LORD.... Let us acknowledge the LORD; let us press on to acknowledge him." (Hosea 6:1-3 NIV) It appears that Israel may be very close to war, in fulfillment of this and other prophecies. See the article War on the Horizon for a discussion of some of the prophecies that may refer to the impending situation. In conjunction with those prophecies, there are a number of Scriptures that provide details of the extent of the territorial gains that Israel may achieve in the next war. Accordingly, I have drawn a map that is a speculative look at where those future borders may lie, according to Bible prophecy. These borders are approximations, and while it is certain that Israel will at some future point acquire the land outlined, it is not certain that those acquisitions will necessarily happen in the upcoming war. The areas highlighted in light green are the areas that may be included in the future borders of Israel. Also, the lands of Yesha (Judea, Samaria, and Gaza) and the Golan Heights will also be recovered and become a permanent part of Eretz Israel.
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