Can anyone refute this article?

[SlavicBaptist]

Israel Regathered

This article claims that modern Israel does not fulfill Bible prophecy.

[mikhen7]

Israel Regathered

This article claims that modern Israel does not fulfill Bible prophecy.

Clearly he does not understand Ez. 37, nor Zech. 12:3, that Israel must be gathered into its land for Jerusalem to be a city to hated by the world. If the Jews were not living in it and Israel was not regathered to it, taking it as its Capitol, then why would the world hate it??? Also The Jews must be regathered into their land in order to be the target of the 70th week of Daniel. Jer. 30:7 clearly says the Trib. is Jacob's time of trouble. Yes He will gather those who believe to Himself upon the Return to Earth, but the second regathering is to bring her into her current land to setup the prophetic scenario we see. see Isa. 11:11
God Bless

[Chris]

The Jews in Prophecy: Cast Aside or Destined for Glory?

The Jews in Prophecy: Cast Aside or Destined for Glory?
by Dr. David R. Reagan

Few Biblical studies are as exciting as an examination of the Jews in prophecy, for the Jews are one of the key focal points of Bible prophecy.

The Scriptures reveal the Jews as "the apple of God's eye" (Zechariah 2:8). Their land is described as "holy" (Zechariah 2:12). Their city of Jerusalem is termed the "center of the nations" (Ezekiel 5:5). They are pictured as the wayward wife of God (see Ezekiel 16 and the book of Hosea). And the Bible makes it clear that they will be the object of both God's wrath (Jeremiah 30:7) and His grace (Zechariah 13:1) in the end times.

The panorama of prophecy that relates to the Jews is breathtaking. It applies to the past, the present, and the future. It demonstrates God's love and grace as nothing else does except the Cross itself.

Paul was so overwhelmed by God's patient determination to bring a remnant of the Jews to salvation that he cried out in ecstasy: "Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable His ways!" (Romans 11:33).

Let's take a look at the incredible prophecies that pertain to the Jewish people, and let's begin with the prophecies that have already been fulfilled.

Fulfilled Prophecies
1) Dispersion - The Jews were warned repeatedly that they would be dispersed worldwide if they were not faithful to their covenant with God. Consider the words of Moses: "The Lord will scatter you among all peoples, from one end of the earth to the other . . ." (Deuteronomy 28:64; see also Leviticus 26:33).

2) Persecution - The Lord also warned the Jews that they would be persecuted wherever they went. Again, the words of Moses are graphic in this regard: "And among those nations you shall find no rest, and there shall be no resting place for the sole of your foot; but there the Lord will give you a trembling heart, failing of eyes, and despair of soul" (Deuteronomy 28:65).

3) Desolation - God promised that after their dispersion, their land would become "desolate" and their cities would become "waste" (Leviticus 26:33). Moses put it more graphically when he said, "the foreigner who comes from a distant land . . .will say, 'All its land is brimstone and salt, a burning waste, unsown and unproductive, and no grass grows in it'" (Deuteronomy 29:22-23).

4) Preservation - But God in His marvelous grace promised He would preserve the Jews as a separate people during their worldwide wanderings. (See Isaiah 66:22; Jeremiah 30:11; 31:35-37.) Isaiah puts it in a colorful way. He says the Lord could no more forget Israel than a mother could forget her nursing child (Isaiah 49:15). He then adds that God cannot forget Israel because He has them tattooed on the palms of His hands! (Isaiah 49:16).

God has fulfilled all four of these prophecies during the past 2,000 years. In 70 A.D. the Romans destroyed the city of Jerusalem and took the Jewish nation into captivity, desolating the land and scattering the Jewish people across the face of the earth. As prophesied, everywhere they went they were persecuted, with their persecution culminating in the Nazi Holocaust of World War II.

But God also preserved the Jews, and the fulfillment of this prophecy has been one of the most remarkable miracles of history. No other people have ever been so dispersed and yet been able to retain their identity as a nation.

Current Prophecies
We are privileged to live in an age when God is fulfilling many promises to the Jews. What a testimony this is to the fact that God is alive and well, that God is on His throne and in control, and that God is faithful to His promises.

1) Regathering - The Old Testament prophets promise repeatedly that the day will come when God will regather the Jews to Palestine (see Isaiah 11:10-12 and Ezekiel 36:22-28). This remarkable regathering of the Jews from the four corners of the earth has occurred in our life time. World War I prepared the land for the people as the control of Palestine was transferred from a nation that hated the Jews (the Turks) to a nation that was sympathetic to their return (Britain). The Holocaust of World War II prepared the people for the land by motivating them to return.

2) Nationhood - The prophets stated that when the people were regathered, the nation of Israel would be re-established. This occurred on May 14, 1948 (see Isaiah 66:7-8; Zechariah 12:3-6). This is the cornerstone prophetic event of our age. It is an event that prophetic scholars have pointed to for 400 years amid much scoffing and ridicule by those who did not believe that Israel would ever exist again as a nation.

3) Reclamation - God promised that with the re-establishment of the nation, the land would bloom again (Isaiah 35:1-7; Joel 2:21-26). As Ezekiel put it, people would one day exclaim: "This desolate land has become like the garden of Eden!" (Ezekiel 36:35). And that is exactly what people exclaim today when they visit Israel, for it is once again a land of milk and honey. Over 300 million trees have been planted in this century. Rainfall has increased 450 percent. The former malaria infested swamps have been converted into cultivated land. Water from the Sea of Galilee has been channeled to the deserts, causing them to bloom.

4) Language - When the Jews were scattered worldwide in the first century, they ceased speaking the Hebrew language. The Jews who settled in Europe developed a language called Yiddish (a combination of Hebrew and German). The Jews in the Mediterranean basin mixed Hebrew with Spanish to produce a language called Ladino. The prophet Zephaniah implied a time would come when the Hebrew language would be revived (Zephaniah 3:9). It has been. Today the Israelis speak Biblical Hebrew. It is the only example in history of the resurrection of a dead language. The man God used to revive the language was Eliezer Ben Yehuda (1858 - 1922).

5) Jerusalem - Jesus said that one of the surest signs of His imminent return would be the re-occupation of Jerusalem by the Jews (Luke 21:24). This occurred during the Six Day War in June 1967.

6) Military Strength - Zechariah prophesied that when the Jews were re-established in the land, their military strength would be overwhelming - like "a flaming torch among sheaves" - and that they would "consume" all the peoples around them (Zechariah 12:6). Need anything be said about the fulfillment if this prophecy?

7) Focal Point - Israel is always pictured as the focal point of world politics in the end times (Zechariah 12:3; 14:1-9). This has been true since the Arab oil boycott in 1973. The West suddenly realized its dependence on Arab oil and began to line up behind the Arab obsession to annihilate Israel.

Future Prophecies
1) Tribulation - God will put the Jewish people through an unparalleled period of tribulation (Deuteronomy 4:30), during which two-thirds of the Jews will perish (Zechariah 13:8-9). The purpose will be to soften the hearts of a remnant so that they will accept Jesus as their Messiah.

2) Salvation - A remnant of the Jews will "look upon Him whom they have pierced" and will accept Him as Lord and Savior (Zechariah 12:10; Romans 11:1-6,25-29).

3) Primacy - God will then regather all the believing Jews to Israel where they will be established as the prime nation in the world during the millennial reign of Jesus. (See Deuteronomy 28:1,13; 2 Samuel 7:9; Isaiah 60-62; Micah 4:1-7.)

God's Infinite Love
God set the Jews aside and put them under discipline because of their disobedience, but He did not cut them off from His grace.

He intends to bring His wayward wife home: "For the sons of Israel will remain for many days without king or prince . . . Afterward, the sons of Israel will return and seek the Lord their God . . . and they will come trembling to the Lord and to His goodness in the last days." (Hosea 3:4-5)

The lovingkindness and faithfulness of God in keeping His promises to the Jewish people should be a source of encouragement to all Christians. As we watch God fulfill promises which He made to the Jewish people thousands of years ago, we can be absolutely certain that He will be faithful to fulfill all the promises He has made to the Church.

God's Amazing Grace
The first time my wife heard me preach about the Jews in prophecy, she came to me and said, "When you talk about how much God loves the Jews, you make me want to be one."

I responded by saying, "No, Honey, you don't want to be a Jew because if you were, you would most likely have a veil over your heart and would refuse to believe in Jesus as your Messiah" (2 Corinthians 3:12-18).

I then stressed something to her that I hope you will never forget. I pointed out that everything God is doing for the Jews He is willing to do for you and me. They are witnesses of His amazing grace. And that same grace is available to all of us, whether we be Gentiles or Jews.

[Chris]

And here is our section on the main site featuring dozens of articles about Israel and their place in Bible prophecy:

Israel and the Middle East

[GlennO]

Prophecy Fulfilled May 15, 1948 !!

Isa 66:8
(8) 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.

Believer's Bible Commentary (BBC)

Isa 66:1-24


9. The Consummation: Peace Like a River (Chap. 66)
66:1, 2 The opening words of the last chapter of Isaiah were written to the unrepentant people of Israel. They need not think that, in that condition, they can please God by building a temple for Him. After all, He is the universal Creator and Owner, enthroned in heaven, with the earth as His footstool. The dwelling place He desires is the heart of a person who is humble and contrite, and who trembles at His word.


66:3, 4 Those who are impenitent offend God by their religious observances. When divorced from practical holiness, their sacrifices and offerings are crimes and abominations. They can choose their hypocritical ways, but they cannot choose the consequences. God will do that. Those who refuse His call to repentance and who go on in ways that He hates will taste His wrath.


66:5, 6 Those faithful, God-fearing Jews who tremble at His word will be persecuted by their own brethren. The wicked persecutors will think that they are doing God service, as is evidenced by their pseudo-pious taunt, "Let the Lord be glorified, that we may see your joy," that is, your joy at being miraculously delivered. But the Lord will intervene to shame their foes. The work of judgment will begin at the temple; there the voice of Jehovah will reveal that the time of recompense has come.


66:7-9 In verse 7 Israel brings forth a male child (the Messiah) before the time of her birth-pangs (the Great Tribulation). In verse 8 she brings forth sons after her time of travail. The first birth took place nearly two thousand years ago at Bethlehem. The second is the spiritual rebirth of Israel, which will occur after the Tribulation. Nothing will hinder God from accomplishing this purpose.


66:10-17 The day of Israel's restoration will be a time of great rejoicing in Jerusalem. All . . . who love her and who have wept with her will share in the ecstasy and jubilation of that moment. Enriched by the glory of the Gentiles, she in turn will give prosperity, nourishment, comfort, and rejuvenation to all who come to her. Then it will be obvious to all that Jehovah is committed to the welfare of His own and to the punishment of His enemies. The Lord's Second Coming will mean the unleashing of His fiery indignation against all idolaters and rebels. He sees them going through ceremonies to make themselves ritually clean, only to engage in the most abominable idolatrous practices.


66:18-21 He knows their works and their thoughts and when He rains down judgment on them, they will see His glory. He will give them some supernatural sign, which we cannot identify at present. Those who escape will go to the ends of the earth with the news of the Lord's power and fame. Then the Gentiles will mobilize their transportation facilities to carry dispersed Israelites back to the land, as if they were bringing an offering to Jehovah. God will reinstitute the priesthood and the Levitical order for service in the millennial temple.


66:22, 23 Israel's status with God will be as permanent and secure as the new heavens and the new earth. Pilgrims from all nations will come to Jerusalem at the appointed times to worship.


66:24 While there they will walk out to the Valley of Hinnom and see the corpses of rebels being cremated in the perpetual fire of the city dump.
It is worth noting that our Lord quotes from the last verse in Isaiah as a warning to those who would live in sin and offend Christ's little ones. Three times in Mark 9 Jesus uses Isaiah's solemn words: "Their worm does not die and their fire is not quenched" (vv. 44, 46, 48).


The good news is that a person can escape these eternal fires of hell by putting his or her faith in the Savior, the Servant of the Lord that Isaiah has described so winsomely in so many of his prophecies.


For most of our readers, who have already received Christ as their Savior, the Book of Isaiah is great prophecy and great poetry—certainly among the finest in the OT. But it would be a shame if that were all. We are meant to apply this book to our daily lives and practice God's good pleasure.


We close with a practical exhortation from the devout English Bible scholar, W. E. Vine:
All this brings home the folly, futility and sinfulness of pursuing our own way, carrying out our own designs and turning after that in which God cannot take pleasure, instead of waiting upon Him, listening to His voice and delighting in the fulfilment of His will. Through our walking with God He fulfils, and will fulfil, all the promises of His Word. He responds to delighted confidence in Him, by adding an Amen to His assurance. The peace of an obedient heart and a trusting spirit is that which enjoys the sunshine of His countenance and the calmness of holy communion with Him.

[mattfivefour]

We close with a practical exhortation from the devout English Bible scholar, W. E. Vine:
All this brings home the folly, futility and sinfulness of pursuing our own way, carrying out our own designs and turning after that in which God cannot take pleasure, instead of waiting upon Him, listening to His voice and delighting in the fulfilment of His will. Through our walking with God He fulfils, and will fulfil, all the promises of His Word. He responds to delighted confidence in Him, by adding an Amen to His assurance. The peace of an obedient heart and a trusting spirit is that which enjoys the sunshine of His countenance and the calmness of holy communion with Him.

Amen!

[Lujack Skylark]

Israel Regathered

This article claims that modern Israel does not fulfill Bible prophecy.

Ezekiel 36:24 God will take the Jews out of heathen lands and bring them back into their own land. May 14, 1948 the modern Jews back in their own land became the nation of Israel.