A few days ago, we touched on Israel’s unique restoration. What seemed impossible following the dispersion of Jews around the world after Rome’s conquest of Jerusalem in 70AD, became reality on May 14, 1948. Israel was reborn!

As we approach the anniversary of that historic event, let’s resume our focus on Israel’s restoration.

In the Abrahamic Covenant, God promised the Jewish people land and descendants, but He didn’t say they would live continuously in that land. In fact, the prophet Ezekiel, in Ezekiel 36-37, pronounced God’s promises that He would prepare the land and bring them back home. How did Ezekiel know they would have to be brought back home? Only God could have revealed that to him!

So, Israel’s restoration was prophesied in the Old Testament, long before they were even exiled to the four corners of the earth. But the promise was not simply a physical restoration, but also a spiritual one. For example, check out what God said through the prophet Ezekiel:

²⁴ For I will take you from among the nations, gather you out of all countries, and bring you into your own land. ²⁵ Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean; I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols. ²⁶ I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. ²⁷ I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them. 
~Ezekiel 36:24-27

That’s the exciting part and we’ll come back to it another day. But today, let’s consider Israel’s restoration to the land. Remember our illustration about the disappearing Santa Fe River? Just as that river disappears into a sinkhole for a distance, only to return to sight, Israel seemed to disappear following their dispersion from Israel in 70AD and 135AD (the last Jewish revolt in Israel). But Ezekiel 37:21-22 says:

²¹ “Then say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “Surely I will take the children of Israel from among the nations, wherever they have gone, and will gather them from every side and bring them into their own land; ²² and I will make them one nation in the land, on the mountains of Israel.”

True to prophecy, beginning in the 1890’s Jews began returning to the land of Israel, primarily to escape rising antisemitism in Europe. A man by the name of Theodor Herzl formed the Zionist Organization, promoted a vision of return, and galvanized Jews everywhere to come settle in their ancient homeland. Little did Herzl know that two world wars and the Holocaust would drive many Jews back to the safety and sanctity of their promised homeland.

Following the decimation of the Holocaust, the Balfour Declaration was given to English royalty (guardians of the land promised to Israel, but known as Palestine), proclaiming the idea of a Jewish homeland in their ancestral land. Ratification took place at the San Remo Conference in 1920, then adopted as Resolution 181 by the United Nations in 1947. It divided the British Mandate into two states: one for the Jews and one for the Arabs. The Arabs (who wanted all the land) rejected the plan, the Jews accepted their portion of it. A majority of nations approved; thus Ben Gurion and a few other Israeli forefathers signed their Declaration of Independence on May 14, 1948.

In less than 2 days, Israel will celebrate 78 years of independence. The nation of Israel was reborn in a day, as Scripture declares (Isaiah 66:8), thus fulfilling that promise and moving toward the fulfillment of Ezekiel 36-37 (preparation of the land and the return of the Jewish people).

We will pick it up here tomorrow, but here is an interesting assignment as we head toward Israel’s Independence Day: read Ezekiel 36-37. You will be amazed how accurate that prophesy is!

We’ve talked about Israel’s physical restoration, but remember, there is spiritual restoration as well! Meet you right back here tomorrow to dive into that portion. Join us!