Book of Ezekiel and the Restoration of Israel (Part 1)
Establishment of the state of Israel in 1948
Christians who
support the creation of the state of Israel in 1948 often quote Ezekiel's
prophecies. The point is, should Christians rejoice that a significant biblical
prophecy is fulfilled by this historic political event? It would be helpful for all of us who
identify as Christ's witnesses to research the context in which Ezekiel wrote
his predictions and their significance.
I'm pleading with everyone to understand the fundamentally
God-centered message of Ezekiel rather than using a single or a couple of
verses as proof texts. During the turbulent time that followed Israel's exile
to Babylon in 597 B.C., Ezekiel prophesied. Jehoiachin, who was eighteen years
old, was one of the exiles, and the Babylonians had placed his uncle, Zedekiah,
in control of Jerusalem as a puppet ruler. Ezekiel's prophecies were not
limited to his fellow exiles in Babylon; they also reached Judah's survivors.
God is portrayed in Ezekiel as being entirely holy. His chosen people are not to degrade him in
any manner. Ezekiel simultaneously exalts the Lord for his extraordinary love
and mercy. Even though his people have been unfaithful,
Does Israel reduce God's holiness to their level?
The terror attack by Hamas on civilians in Negev took place
on October 7, 2023. It was the last day of the feast of the Tabernacles
celebrated by the Jews to remember God's provision in the wilderness and also
to look ahead to that promised Messianic age when all nations will flow to
Jerusalem to worship the Lord.
Having inaugurated the messianic age through his incarnation,
Jesus gradually revealed his identity during his public ministry. St John in
his Gospel Chapter 7:37ff writes about what Jesus revealed at the celebration
of the feast of Tabernacles: On the last day, that great day of the feast of
Tabernacles, we receive a new revelation from Jesus about the meaning of the
feast of Tabernacles: Jesus stood and cried out, saying, “If anyone thirsts,
let him come to Me and drink. Whoever believes in Me, as the Scripture
has said, ‘Streams of living water will flow from within him." While
keeping these words in mind, let’s move over to the Supernova festival held on
October 7, 2023, in Negev. How do the weekend-long outdoor psychedelic trance
music festival and its activities match with the original meaning of the feast
of the Tabernacle and the invitation of Christ to believe in him? Certain
reports say that some attendees were under the influence of alcohol and drugs,
which heightened their confusion and fear. Isn’t this evidence for us that the
modern state of Israel has deviated from the Old Testament Teaching on the
Feast of Tabernacles and is attempting to reduce the holiness of God to their
level?
There is another grave mistake that some Christians are
making today. They attempt to justify the establishment of the modern state of
Israel and the senseless war using the prophecies of Ezekiel. This is misleading
people to trust in the current political leadership of Israel and their weaponry
power. It replaces the trust in God’s rightful rule. When examining the
scriptures we see how God’s chosen people rejected the role of judges, whom God
had given for Israel. Instead, they demanded a king like the other nations. Look
at the following warning given by God as recorded in 1 Samuel 8:10-17: These
will be the ways of the king who will reign over you: he will take your sons
and appoint them to his chariots and to be his horsemen to run before his
chariots, and he will appoint for himself commanders of thousands and
commanders of fifties, and some to plough his ground and to reap his harvest, and
make his implements of war and the equipment of his chariots… - God forewarned
that a king will always want militaristic power! Isn’t this what the modern
state of Israel is famous for? The false security built on Israel’s modern
military power i.e. iron dome, replaces the only solid refuge in God. 1 Samuel
8:7 reveals that sometimes God permits institutions that are not part of his
eternal purpose, and the king of Israel is one of the most glaring examples. Today
the state of Israel calls itself a secular state and not a God honuring
religious state. The history of the Israelite monarchs reveals that except
for a select few like David, who brought people closer to God, nearly
every other monarch has brought them farther away. This is also the reality of
the modern state of Israel today.
Did the establishment of Israel in 1948 fulfil Biblical prophecy by 'restoring' the Jewish people to their land?
This is usually based on Ezekiel chapter 37 which is about the valley of dry
bones. At the instruction of the Lord, Ezekiel prophesied to the dry bones and
the spirit of the Lord came upon the dry bones and they became alive. The
vital question is, is this prophecy yet to be fulfilled, or has it already been
fulfilled by events in history? According to Daniel 9:2, Daniel understood from
reading Jeremiah (25:1-12) that there would be 70 years of judgment, and then
the repentance and restoration of Israel would take place. This is the
restoration promised to God’s people in Ezekiel’s vision of dry bones. This historical restoration of Israel
took place during the times of Prophets Ezra and Nehemiah who were responsible
for the rebuilding of the nation.
Prophet Ezra records that Cyrus the King of Persia issued a
proclamation that any of the exiles who wished to return to Jerusalem were set free
to go! Ezra 1: 1-3. Whatever had appeared unattainable for years was now
achievable since the 70 years of judgment was over. In Ezra 8:31, he
bears witness that "the hand of our God was upon us," which is why
they returned to Jerusalem. The military might get no credit when the
Israelites return from their exile. The restoration prophesies were conditional
on obedience, as demonstrated in Ezra 9:9–10. Ezra and
the others did not think that their inheritance gave them ownership of the
property by default! Instead, spiritual fidelity to God was the main emphasis.
Prophet Nehemiah claims he gained the king's favour, who not
only let him travel back to Jerusalem but also provided him
with letters that would have protected him. Upon his return to Jerusalem,
the restoration of ancient Jerusalem's walls was not brought about by rebellion
and warfare. He also instituted
extensive moral and liturgical reforms in restoring and rededicating the Jews
to their God.
Nehemiah resorted to prayer when he was threatened by the
surrounding people while rebuilding Jerusalem's walls (Nehemiah 4:4). As a
careful precaution, he placed armed men, but he promised them that "Our
God will fight for us." (Psalms 4:20). When Nehemiah discovered that
certain Jews were taking advantage of their less fortunate brethren, he rebuked
them, urging them to fear God and do the right thing. He made it very plain
that "may God shake out each man from his house and from his property who
does not perform this promise" if they did not turn from their
sins. (1–13 Nehemiah 5:1)Nehemiah did not adhere to an unqualified
land pledge, just like Ezra did. When Ezra read aloud from the Book of Law,
"everyone's ears were pricked” The people are assembled, fasting,
and dressed in sackcloth, and they are confessing their sins as well
as the collective wrongdoing of their people over an extended period in
Nehemiah 9. They renewed their commitment to serving God (Nehemiah 9:36) and
admitted that God had appropriately punished them for their immorality
(Nehemiah 9:33). Once more, as the Bible demands, the people confess their sins
and turn to God - Nehemiah Chapter 13.
It is now clearly evident that Ezra and Nehemiah brought
about the historical restoration of the Israelites as predicted by Ezekiel.
While the Bible tells us that historical fulfilment has taken place, we
still need to study the Bible to find out how the spiritual fulfilment of
Ezekiel's prophesy occurs while we wait for Christ to return to gather his
faithful disciples. I'll write regarding this in my next post (Part 2).
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