This was the headline in The Palestine Post on May 14, 1948!  Israel became a nation, fulfilling Bible prophecy!  (Keep in mind that the Hebrew calendar is a lunar one and doesn’t always match up day-to-day with our Gregorian calendar.  Thus, Israel actually celebrated her independence a couple days ago!)  Beyond virtually the entire chapters of Ezekiel 36-37, here are a few examples of those prophecies:

For behold, days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will restore the fortunes of my people, Israel and Judah, says the Lord, and I will bring them back to the land that I gave to their fathers, and they shall take possession of it.
~Jeremiah 30:3

I will restore the fortunes of my people Israel,
    and they shall rebuild the ruined cities and inhabit them;
they shall plant vineyards and drink their wine,
    and they shall make gardens and eat their fruit.
I will plant them on their land,
    and they shall never again be uprooted
    out of the land that I have given them,”
says the Lord your God.
~Amos 9:14-15

Who has heard such a thing?
    Who has seen such things?
Shall a land be born in one day?
    Shall a nation be brought forth in one moment?
For as soon as Zion was in labor
    she brought forth her children.
~Isaiah 66:8

Indeed, Israel was brought to life as a nation in a single day!  In short, here is what happened:

• A United Nations mandate expired, ending British sovereignty over the land called “Palestine” at the time.  (Yes, until the 1960’s, “Palestine” referred to a Jewish entity…not an Arab one!)  That’s why the news was reported by The Palestine Post!
• A power vacuum was created and if Jews were to survive, they must do something quickly.
• Within 24 hours, David Ben Gurion assembled Jewish leaders together to write a Declaration of Independence, and Israel declared statehood!  Born in 24 hours…just as Isaiah prophesied!
• The US was the first to acknowledge the new state of Israel and others soon followed.

Unfortunately, the celebration lasted only a short time, as this headline describes:

Indeed, less than 24 hours later, Israel was attacked by 5 Arab nations, and the seemingly never-ending quest to drive Israel from her land began…and continues to this day.  (For an in-depth look at that history, check out the audio and PowerPoint notes available at Israel’s Miraculous War History.)

Israel is truly a “miracle nation!”  Today Israelis are celebrating Yom HaAtzmaut (Israel’s Independence Day), and each year Nefesh B’Nefesh produces a video celebrating the festive occasion.  This year’s video is called “With These Hands.”  Happy Birthday Israel!  Enjoy!

PS: If you are interested in more, you might like to know that Israel’s Independence Day immediately follows Yom HaZikaron, Israel’s Memorial Day, when they remember their fallen soldiers and victims of terror.  Israel takes seriously the loss of their young men and women in service to their country, and the IDF produced the following video this year to honor their fallen.