ABSTRACT
Israel, both as concept and entity, occupies a unique place in Judeo-Christian eschatological thought. Its significance has lain both in its actual existence as a political state and as an eschatological construct which embodies God’s ultimate plan for humankind on earth. It is, as well, interrelated with other millennial ideals: Jerusalem and Zion, the Messiah, Zionism, and philo-Semitism. As an element of sacred history (God’s dealings with humankind), Israel has been a powerful concept from the closing days of the Bronze Age into the closing days of the twentieth century. Its political significance, even after several thousand years, is probably greater today than ever.
