Was the formation of Israel driven by Biblical end-times prophecy?

I have heard that the Balfour Declaration issued by the British government in 1917 came about in large part because of evangelical Christians, who wished for Jews to return to the land, therefore fulfilling steps of Biblical prophecy to bring about the anti-Christ, return of Jesus and The Last Judgment/Doomsday.
I've heard that among some fundamentalist Chrstian groups, there is a belief that Jesus cannot return until Israel controls the entirety of Jerusalem and the Temple Mount. I've heard that this specific belief is drawn from interpretations of Second Thessalonians.
How much of any of this is true, and how much of an impact did it have then, and also today?