My friend Douglas Carmel shared this amazing article in one of his recent ministry newsletters. I have reprinted it here with his permission—
Has this ever happened before in the history of the world? That a people should go into exile, be dispersed, and yet survive for 2000 years without a national homeland. And then to come back again—speaking their same language and returning to their same capital city. This alone should make an atheist question their atheism. Why? This is a miraculous, singular event. No country had ever done such a thing before in the history of mankind, except Israel. And yet, this is exactly what was foretold in the Hebrew Scriptures.
The prophet Ezekiel also stated God’s promise: “For I will take you from the nations, gather you from all the lands and bring you into your own land” (Ezekiel 36:24).
Also, in Ezekiel 37, there is an unforgettable vision of a valley of dry bones. The bones come to life in stages: first sinews on the bones, then flesh, then skin, and finally, the breath of life (Ezekiel 37:6–10).
God then explains this vision to Ezekiel: “Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel” (Ezekiel 37:11). In other words, this is a prophecy about the Jewish people’s restoration to their Promised Land from all around the world. It is well in keeping with what we see actually occurring during our lifetime. Namely, the regathering of Israel will occur in stages, which it has done and is still doing.
So how did we get to the State of Israel today?
Let’s go back to the first and second centuries, just past the time of Jesus/Yeshua. Deuteronomy 28 contains prophecies regarding this second dispersion. It should be noted that this second dispersion was “…from the one end of the earth even unto the other” (v. 64). This was to be a global dispersion, unlike the first one, which was just to Assyria and Babylon.
Just after the time of Yeshua/Jesus, Israel rebelled against Roman rule. In 70 AD and again in 135 AD, Jewish rebels sought to fight against Rome. In response, the Roman army destroyed Jerusalem and its Temple under Titus in 70 AD, and the Jewish people were either killed or expelled from their land by Roman force. Under the rule of the Roman Emperor Hadrian, the Jews were dispersed all over the world by 135 AD. These facts are well-known in secular history sources as well.
At this time, it was the Romans who changed the name of the land of Israel to Palestine. That was done to rub salt in the wounds of the Jews by changing the name of their beloved homeland to that of their ancient foes, namely, the Philistines (think Goliath’s people).
It is important to note that while the Jewish people as a whole were dispersed by the second century, there always remained a small remnant of Jewish people scattered throughout the land, living in small communities. (Note: There is much more history involved than we can list here in this short article.)
After the Romans, came the Muslims. Except for a short time during the Crusades, the land was continuously ruled by Muslim Empires. That brings us to modern times. The British won the land of “Palestine” from the Ottoman Empire during World War I. About this time, Jewish people began to return in large numbers in the late 1800s. Eventually, the British army pulled out of “Palestine” in 1948 after the UN had given Israel the right to exist (as if they needed that approval). On May 14th, 1948, the State of Israel was reborn, and the name “Palestine” was dropped.
Israel was attacked the very next day by all their neighbors, and guess what? Against all odds, Israel won!
After several more wars that Israel had to fight for their survival, they still exist, and thus you see the headlines today. As you can deduce, this is an extremely short breakdown of Jewish history in the land. There were many more details involved, which we skipped over.
Now, mind you, we are not saying that Israel today is just fine without their Messiah (they are not), nor are we saying that the secular government of Israel is perfect (they are not). But we are saying that, in the big picture of things, Israel being back in her land after 2000 years is something to take note of.
It is indeed a miracle, and those who call for her eviction again “from the land to the sea” are unknowingly fighting against God’s miracle.
Check out more from Rock of Israel Ministries here. And also check out an amazing message Douglas shared with our church here.
Craig T. Owens 