And Israel has had not just one, but two births in history! On November 27, 1947, the newly formed United Nations voted to partition Palestine into separate Jewish and Arab entities. And then, on May 14, 1948 in Tel Aviv, David Ben Gurion proclaimed the establishment of the state of Israel. We could almost say that the UN's 1947 vote represents modern Israel's conception, and Ben Gurion's 1948 proclamation represents her birth. Nothing quite so dramatic has happened with nations before or since.

Or has it? Isn't the Church a nation? "But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation ..." (1 Peter 2:9). Like His Father, Jesus, too, prophetically spoke His nation-Church into existence.

"... I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. " Matt 16:18

Evolving Slowly. Most nations have evolved slowly over time. A comparison of old maps and new maps reveals many changes, both subtle and not so subtle, over the course of history. Great Britain evolved very slowly, wedding England, Scotland, and Wales over many centuries. And it seems as if the boundaries reflected on the maps of Europe constantly change. Wars, disputes, alliances, all continually re-shape the nations they touch.

One Nation Birthing Another. The last 500 years have witnessed dramatic changes in world maps. The era of exploration gave rise to the era of colonialism. European superpowers funded voyages of discovery. New lands - entirely new continents - burst suddenly onto the European scene. Old, European nations invested money, time, and people, to colonize and civilize these new lands. In time, new nations were born. Nations in South and Central America are the offspring of Spain and Portugal. Nations in North America are the offspring of England and France.

What are nations anyway, and what do nations have to do with prophetic words?

John Spanier and Robert L. Wendzel in their book, Games Nations Play, suggest five qualifiers for political nations.

SOVEREIGNTY. A nation's right to self-government within its borders without external interference.

GEOGRAPHIC TERRITORY. Natural and man-made borders which separate one state from another.

POPULATIONS. People who inhabit the same geographic territory and sit under the same governmental rule.

WORLD RECOGNITION. Occurs when a government establishes control over its population and includes the exchange of diplomats with other nations.

NATIONALISM. Difficult to define but consists of the following qualities:

• A collective identity
• A shared history
• A common language
• The expectation of staying together.

NATIONALISM is a phenomenon intricately woven with words. Our collective identity is defined with words. Our shared history is communicated with words. And our common language consists of words. All unite and provide the expectation of staying together.

The Church, too, is a nation. The Scriptures say so (I Peter 2:9). And we do meet the criteria in point five above - NATIONALISM. We experience a collective identity, a shared history, a common language (the Holy Scriptures), and the expectation of staying together forever. Yes, we too are a nation, birthed by the prophetic word of our Lord! Be they Godly or ungodly, prophetic words are indeed powerful - birthing nations into the earth.

We conclude then that nations are formed by ideas which are communicated through words. Greek and Roman civilizations were built upon ideas and philosophies, written, spoken, and put into motion. The USA came into existence from ideas and words, penned and spoken, and put into motion. Even Nazi Germany evolved through ideas inscribed and spoken and put into motion. In the next two weeks, as we move toward closing out the series, we will be contrasting the idea-word seedbeds of the USA and Nazi Germany, and exploring how Prophetic Voices, both good and evil, birthed these two nations.

Are there other means by which nations come into existence - by which they are conceived and birthed? Have you ever considered how nations emerge, evolve, and are born, through prophetic words? Could some nations be considered to have had an illegitmate birth? Are all nations, both good and evil, a part of God's sovereign plan? What are your thoughts?

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Next week, we will examine how the USA came into existence from ideas communicated through words when we look at America's Prophetic Seedbed.

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GroundWorks is an imprint of Reconciliation Press. The name has been chosen to reflect the biblical idea of roots and foundations in Christian life and culture. As you read these weekly articles, look for words and imagery in the text that illustrate these themes.

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