Israel became a nation on May 15, 1948. This was a divine date set by God well over 2,500 years ago and is recorded in the Bible.

Before the Israelites entered the Promised Land, Moses declared to Israel the blessings of obedience and the curses for disobedience (Deuteronomy 28). The Israelites entered their land around 1400 B.C. under the leadership of Joshua (Joshua 1-24).

The prophet Ezekiel records the period determined by God as punishment for Israel’s disobedience.

Ezekiel 4:5-6
“For I have laid upon thee the years of their iniquity, according to the number of the days, three hundred and ninety days: so shalt thou bear the iniquity of the house of Israel. And when thou hast accomplished them, lie again on thy right side, and thou shalt bear the iniquity of the house of Judah forty days: I have appointed thee each day for a year.”

· Punishment = 390 years + 40 years = 430 years

Because of their disobedience to God's commands, the Israelites (Jews) were taken captive in 605 B.C. by the Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar (2 Chronicles 36:5-21).

Later, King Cyrus of Persia conquered Babylon. In 536 B.C. Cyrus allowed the Jews to leave Babylon and return to their homeland.

· Punishment completed = 70 years (605 B.C – 536 B.C.)

· Punishment remaining = 430 year – 70 years = 360 years

Even though King Cyrus gave all Jews permission to return home, only a small number actually accepted the offer. The Jews had become comfortable in pagan Babylon and chose to stay in exile. Because of their disobedience to God, the 360 years of punishment remaining were multiplied by 7. The reason for this is explain in the book of Leviticus (Leviticus 26:18, 26:21, 26:24 and 26:28). In Leviticus, it says that if the people did not repent while being punished, the punishment would be multiplied by 7. Clearly, by staying in pagan Babylon, most exiles were refusing to repent.

· New Punishment = 360 years x 7 = 2,520 years

The 2,520 years are actually Jewish lunar years. The lunar years must be converted as follows:

· 2,520 years x 360-day lunar calendar = 907,200 days

· 907,200 days divided by 365 days = 2,485.479 years

Exactly 2,485.479 years from 536 B.C. is the prophetic date of May 15, 1948. On this date, Israel became a nation just as promised in the Bible (Isaiah 66:8). The return of the Jews to Israel is the key to Bible prophecy. Israel is the timepiece by which we can watch and know that Jesus is coming soon.