From Semitic Foundations to Eschatological Fulfillment: A Historical-Theological Reflection
The ancient Levant was home to several North Semitic peoples—Hebrews, Arameans, Phoenicians—whose cultural and linguistic influence shaped the ancient Near East. Aramaic, in particular, rose to prominence as the administrative language of the Neo-Assyrian Empire (c. 911–609 BCE), later adopted by the Achaemenid Persians (c. 550–330 BCE) as a lingua franca across their vast domains.
The Hebrew people, with their distinct covenantal identity, maintained the longest recorded historical claim to specific territories in the Levant. The northern kingdom of Israel fell to Assyria in 722 BCE, and its tribes were dispersed and assimilated. The southern kingdom of Judah was exiled to Babylon in 586 BCE, but under Cyrus the Great’s edict in 538 BCE, many Jews returned to Jerusalem, rebuilt the Temple (completed c. 516 BCE), and re-established their religious and scriptural traditions.
During the Hellenistic period (following Alexander the Great’s conquests, c. 330 BCE), and later under Roman rule (from 63 BCE onward), Jews lived under foreign dominion, often with limited autonomy. By the time of Jesus of Nazareth—whose life, death, and resurrection Christians affirm as the pivotal moment of divine incarnation and redemptive history—the region was under Roman control, and tensions between Jewish identity and imperial power were mounting.
In AD 70, Roman legions under Titus sacked Jerusalem and destroyed the Second Temple, fulfilling Jesus’ prophecy that “not one stone will be left on another” (Matthew 24:2). While the command structure was Roman, the legions included many auxiliary troops from Syria, Arabia, and North Africa. This destruction marked the beginning of the Jewish diaspora, though Jewish communities already existed across the Mediterranean, including in North Africa, Asia Minor, and Europe.
The Romans renamed the province “Syria Palaestina” after the Bar Kokhba revolt (132–136 CE), deliberately erasing Jewish ties to the land. The term “Palestine” thus entered Western usage, though the region remained ethnically and religiously diverse.
Meanwhile, South Semitic peoples—Arabians and others—grew in influence. Aramaic declined, and Phoenician became extinct. By the 7th century CE, a new force emerged: Islam. According to Islamic tradition, Muhammad received revelations in a cave near Mecca beginning in 610 CE, allegedly from the angel Gabriel. Christians, however, have long questioned the spiritual origin of these revelations, viewing Islam as a theological inversion of Christianity.
Joel Richardson’s Mideast Beast argues that Islam represents not merely a rival religion but a prophetic challenge to Christianity. He posits that the Antichrist will arise from a Muslim context, and that Islam’s eschatology mirrors and inverts biblical prophecy—where the Islamic Mahdi resembles the biblical Antichrist, and the Islamic Jesus (Isa) returns to abolish Christianity.
As Islam expanded, Jews faced new pressures—forced conversions, massacres, and expulsions. Many fled to Europe, where they encountered both refuge and persecution. Poland and Protestant Britain offered relative tolerance, while the Ottoman Empire provided sanctuary after the Spanish Inquisition (1492). Yet antisemitism persisted across Christendom.
During the Reformation (16th century), theologians like Matthew Henry (1662–1714) interpreted biblical prophecy as foretelling a Jewish return to Israel. Though he could not foresee the geopolitical mechanisms, his commentaries reflect a theological expectation of restoration.
Following the Holocaust (1939–1945), in which six million Jews were murdered, global sympathy for a Jewish homeland intensified. Under British Mandate (1920–1948), the land of Palestine was partitioned. Three-quarters became Transjordan (now Jordan), while the remainder was designated for a Jewish state. The term “Jordanian” is modern; many inhabitants were Arabs from Palestine.
Israel declared independence in 1948. Britain, ambivalent and often obstructive, withdrew. The nascent Israeli state fought for survival against surrounding Arab nations. Shortly thereafter, the British Empire unraveled—a poetic justice, some argue, for its failure to support Israel.
Today, many nations recognize “Palestine” as a state, though its historical and legal foundations remain contested. Jordan, with its Palestinian majority, could be seen as fulfilling that role. Meanwhile, Arabs live in Israel with full citizenship, provided they respect its secular and pluralist laws—unlike Jordan, which prohibits Jewish settlement.
As prophesied in Zechariah 12 and Ezekiel 38–39, the nations of the earth appear to be aligning against Israel. Christians who read these texts with faith and discernment know where they stand in the unfolding drama.