A new documentary now in theaters argues that both archaeological evidence and biblical prophecy support the Jewish people's claim to the land of Israel. The Israel Dilemma is the latest documentary by filmmaker Timothy Mahoney in his Patterns of Evidence series. It includes interviews with theologians, archaeologists, and leaders in the region, including Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. It's in theaters Nov. 13, 14 and 17.
"This film gives Jews, Christians, and anyone interested in the Middle East a framework of objective evidence for understanding God's plan," Mahoney said. "Beginning in Genesis 12, God promises to make Abraham a great nation and to give them the land of Canaan. From this and other ancient prophecies and the evidence assembled in the film, we begin to see God's firm foundation: He promised the Land of Promise to the Jews. This is part of His bigger plan for the world, and His plan will not be thwarted."
The movie opens by following the rise of modern Israel before it begins its examination of the past, looking at the historical evidence. It also searches for evidence outside of the Bible.
The Jewish people, the film notes, have claimed the land since the time of Abraham.
"What is behind these ongoing conflicts between Israel and the Arab nations that surround them? Is it merely a political issue, or is there something deeper, more ancient?" Mahoney asks in the film.
Netanyahu says the land has belonged to the Jewish people for millennia.
"If you're kicked out by somebody, you don't lose your right to your home because somebody kicked you out," he said.
The "deed" for the land of Israel, Netanyahu said, is found in Scripture.
"If you were a religious person and you read the Bible, you understand that the Bible is our own deed on the land. Which is what [David] Ben-Gurion said when he was asked in the 1930s," he said of Israel's first prime minister. "[They] said, 'Where is your title to the land?' He said -- he held up the Bible. He said, 'Here's the title."
The modern nation of Israel was established in 1948.
"This has never happened in human history that a nation disappeared and 100 or even 2,000 years later is repatriated," author Joel Richardson tells Mahoney in the film. "... Yet it has happened precisely according to the words of the Lord through Moses. So really, the history of the Jewish people provides us with one of the most irrefutable proofs of the God of the Bible."
WATCH: Patterns of Evidence: The Israel Dilemma (NEW Updated Trailer)
Photo Credit: ©Thinking Man Films
Michael Foust has covered the intersection of faith and news for 20 years. His stories have appeared in Baptist Press, Christianity Today, The Christian Post, the Leaf-Chronicle, the Toronto Star and the Knoxville News-Sentinel.