The purpose of Israel’s Tribulation in history and prophecy.
Before we get to the divided kingdom, It is important to consider the seed promise given to Abram again. The promise was that His descendants were to be as both the sand of the earth and the stars of heaven.
This foretells that Abrams seed would be miraculous in both its germination and in its expansiveness. It would include both an earthly seed and a heavenly seed. Abram’s earthly seed takes in both the descendants of Ishmael and the descendants of Isaac; This also includes the descendants of Jacob and the descendants of Esau. This is a massive amount of the world’s population over the centuries.
Yet there is also the promise of one particular seed that would one day rule the nations in righteousness and blessing. That seed is to come through Isaac: ‘in Isaac shall thy seed be called’. That same seed, whom God declared in Genesis 3:15 will crush the head of the serpent. That one seed is Christ Jesus.
The Apostle Paul confirms this singular seed when he wrote:
"Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ."
[Galatians 3:16 KJV]
Through Him, an innumerable company of souls would come that were not of natural seed but of spiritual seed...those whose birth is of a heavenly origin. That is, they are souls who have found in Christ the one door or portal to heaven that God has ordained. These are sealed by God with the Holy Spirit of promise.
"In whom ye also [trusted], after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,"
[Ephesians 1:13 KJV]
Remember that Nimrod attempted to build a portal to heaven at Bab El? His attempt to build human society apart from the rule of God is what the Bible calls lawlessness or iniquity. This is not the absence of law but the unlawful exclusion of God from His own creation.
The controversy over the land promised to Abram centers around which seed should inherit the land. The Arabs and Islam claim it belongs to them, the children of Israel claim that it belongs to them. Yet God is very clear in both His declaration and His preservation of Israel through the centuries, that in spite of the manifold attempts by Satan to destroy that seed, the land is given to Israel.
The confirmation of Isaac and Jacob as descendants of the land promise come during the time of Joshua when the comparatively tiny nation of Israel defeats the established peoples of Canaan who were superior in their numbers, their technology and their warrior giants.
The period following Joshua’s conquering of the land and peoples was followed by a period of judges where there was no king and every man did what was right in their own eyes. It created a hunger among the people for a king but instead of looking toward the Lord, they desired to have a king like all of the other nations that God had just displaced.
So they looked for a man of stature and God directed Samuel to appoint Saul who would give them their desire but send leanness unto their soul. Saul proved to be ineffective and self centered wanting to establish his own dynasty using the name of the Lord as cover for his own selfish desires. Israel was brought low and made weak before their enemies until there arose a young man as a king that God had chosen.
God had stated through Jacob’s blessing toward Judah that it was through Judah that a lawgiver and a ruler would come to gather the nations and establish peace.
What we see in David's life is that even though God chose him and anointed him as King, David was forced to live in exile and await his enthronement.
Israel's failure to recognize him resulted in civil war. Saul directed the energy of the armies of Israel to pursue David rather than pursuing their national enemies. So we have a scenario where a remnant in Israel recognized God’s choice of David where the majority in Israel followed after Saul. David and his warriors remained fugitives until God intervened and allowed the Philistines to be victorious.
Israel's defeat removed Saul's dynasty. Both king Saul and prince Jonathan were slain during the battle. By this means, God’s promise of a seed to bless the world was carried on through David of the tribe of Judah.
It was said by God Himself that David was a man after God’s own heart. David had a shepherds heart and he recognized the promise to Abraham and His descendants was literal. He declared that the hosts of heavens were allied with Israel when as a shepherd boy he confronted Goliath in the name of the Lord of hosts.
God affirms His covenant of promised seed to David that it would be through David
"And thine house and thy kingdom shall be established for ever before thee: thy throne shall be established for ever…
David responded in prayer: “And this was yet a small thing in thy sight, O Lord GOD; but thou hast spoken also of thy servant's house for a great while to come. And [is] this the manner of man, O Lord GOD?" - 2Sa 7:16, 19 KJV