These 10 Bible prophecies were fulfilled in the early 1900s as
millions of Jews worldwide returned to their ancient homeland.
1. The people of Israel again would be a united people
Bible passage: Ezekiel 37:15-19
Written: between 593-571 BC
Fulfilled: since late 1800s
In Ezekiel 37:15-19, the prophet said that God would make the people of
Israel a united people again. During Ezekiel’s time, the people of
Israel had already divided themselves into two separate kingdoms. And
both kingdoms had been conquered by foreign invasions, which resulted in
many people being exiled. The southern kingdom was called Judah and the
northern kingdom kept the name of Israel, although it was often referred
to as Ephraim. This prophecy began to be fulfilled in an important way
during the late 1800s, when leaders of the Zionist Movement began
uniting exiled Jews around the world for the common goal of creating a
new and independent Israel. This must have been quite a challenge
because the Jews had been scattered to countries on six continents,
where they spoke different languages and lived in different cultures.
The Zionist Movement marked the first time in many centuries that the
Jews had been united in such a significant way.
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Ezekiel 37:15-19
The word of the Lord came to me: "Son of man, take a stick of wood and
write on it, `Belonging to Judah and the Israelites associated with
him.' Then take another stick of wood, and write on it, `Ephraim's
stick, belonging to Joseph and all the house of Israel associated with
him.'
Join them together into one stick so that they will become one in your
hand. When your countrymen ask you, `Won't you tell us what you mean by
this?' say to them, `This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I am going to
take the stick of Joseph--which is in Ephraim's hand--and of the
Israelite tribes associated with him, and join it to Judah's stick,
making them a single stick of wood, and they will become one in my
hand.'
2. Ezekiel said the Jews would return to Israel
Bible passage: Ezekiel 20:34
Written: between 593-571 BC
Fulfilled: late 1800s to today
In Ezekiel 20:34, the prophet said God would gather the people of Israel
from around the world and bring them home to Israel. The people of
Israel (today they are often called Jews) were forced out of their
homeland in ancient times by the Assyrians, Babylonians and Romans. But,
during the late 1800s, Jews returned by the thousands to the Holy Land,
which at that time was controlled by the Ottoman Empire. During the
early 1900s, Jews returned by the tens of thousands when the land was
controlled by the British. And they returned by the hundreds of
thousands after Israel had declared statehood in 1948.
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Ezekiel 20:34
I will bring you from the nations and gather you from the countries
where you have been scattered--with a mighty hand and an outstretched
arm and with outpoured wrath.
3. Jeremiah said the Jews would buy back land
Bible passage: Jeremiah 32:44
Written: sometime from 626 to about 586 BC
Fulfilled: late 1800s, 1900s
In Jeremiah 32:44, the prophet delivered a promise of restoration, about
2600 years ago. At that time, Jews were being forced out of their
homeland by the invading Babylonians. Many were taken as captives to
Babylon. But, Jeremiah assured them that they would be able to return in
the future and buy land in their homeland. After the collapse of
Babylon, many Jews returned to Jerusalem and the surrounding area. They
were forced into exile again by the Romans in 135 AD (about 1970 years
ago). During the last years of the Ottoman Empire, which ruled over the
land of Israel four 400 years, ending in 1918, thousands of Jews
returned to their ancient homeland and bought parcels of land from
absentee landlords who lived in cities such as Beirut and Damascus. The
Jews were forced out of their homeland twice, and each time they
returned in large numbers in fulfillment of Jeremiah’s prophecy.
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Jeremiah 32:44
Fields will be bought for silver, and deeds will be signed, sealed and
witnessed in the territory of Benjamin, in the villages around
Jerusalem, in the towns of Judah and in the towns of the hill country,
of the western foothills and of the Negev, because I will restore their
fortunes, declares the Lord."
4. The people of Israel would be persecuted in many nations
Bible passage: Deuteronomy 28:65-67
Written: perhaps 1400 BC
Fulfilled: 1940s, 1930s, 135 AD, 721 BC, etc.
In Deuteronomy 28:65-67, the Bible said that the people of Israel would
be scattered among nations and persecuted. They were exiled and
scattered from their homeland in ancient times by the Assyrians,
Babylonians and Romans. The exiles were intensely persecuted in Europe
and Russia during the Crusades and Pogroms.
During the Holocaust of World War II, the Nazis killed about one-third
of the world’s population of Jews. The Nazis called it "The Final
Solution" and their goal was to kill all Jews. Winston Churchill, a
former prime minister of England, said: "The Final Solution is probably
the greatest, most horrible crime ever committed in the whole history of
the world."
During the mid-1900s, many Jews sought to relocate from Europe to the
most distant countries in the hopes of outrunning the expansion of Nazi
Germany. This led to new influxes of Jews to North and South America,
Australia and even China.
Many of the exiles chose to return to their ancient homeland to escape
persecution. But persecution followed. At that time, the land of Israel
was called Palestine. It was controlled by the British and a majority of
people living there were Arab, including the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem
who urged Hitler to deal with the Palestine's Jews with "the same method
that the question is now being settled in the Axis countries.
(Genocide)".
In 1948, the Jews declared independence for Israel. But the persecutions
didn’t cease. Shortly after the re-establishment of sovereignty for
Israel, hundreds of thousands of Jews were forced out of the Arab
nations in which they had lived in exile for many centuries.
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Deuteronomy 28:65-67
Among those nations you will find no repose, no resting place for the
sole of your foot. There the Lord will give you an anxious mind, eyes
weary with longing, and a despairing heart. You will live in constant
suspense, filled with dread both night and day, never sure of your life.
In the morning you will say, "If only it were evening!" and in the
evening, "If only it were morning!"--because of the terror that will
fill your hearts and the sights that your eyes will see.
5. Isaiah said God would preserve the Jews
Bible passage: Isaiah 66:22
Written: perhaps between 701-681 BC
Fulfilled: 1940s, 1930s, 135 AD, 721 BC, etc.
In Isaiah 66:22, the prophet said that the people of Israel would endure
and survive as a people, despite the persecutions they would face, as
foretold by other prophecies. Isaiah delivered this prophecy 2,700 years
ago. Since then, the people of Israel, who today are commonly called
Jews, have been massacred at various times by the thousands, by the
hundreds of thousands, and by the millions. In ancient times, the
Assyrians virtually erased from history 10 of 12 tribes of Israel. The
Babylonians and Romans exacted heavy damage on what was left of the
people of Israel. The Nazis, during World War II, sought to annihilate
the entire Jewish race. Even so, the Nazi empire was reduced to ashes
shortly before the Jews reclaimed Israel as a sovereign country in 1948.
The Jews are still here. And the empires that sought to destroy them are
nothing more than pages in history books.
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Isaiah 66:22
"As the new heavens and the new earth that I make will endure before
me," declares the Lord, "so will your name and descendants endure.
6. Israel would be rebuilt and resettled
Bible passage: Ezekiel 36:33-35
Written: between 593-571 BC
Fulfilled: 1900s
In Ezekiel 36:33-35, the prophet gave another prophecy about the
re-population and rebuilding of Israel's ruined cities. American author
Mark Twain described the land of Israel as being thoroughly desolate in
the late 1800s. Since then, millions of Jews have returned to Israel and
have been rebuilding their ancient homeland. Some of the parched desert
has been converted into productive farmland. And Israel has undertaken
one of the world's largest reforestation programs. Israel's population
was 10 times larger in 1998 than it was in 1948.
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Ezekiel 36:33-35
" 'This is what the Sovereign Lord says: On the day I cleanse you from
all your sins, I will resettle your towns, and the ruins will be
rebuilt. The desolate land will be cultivated instead of lying desolate
in the sight of all who pass through it. They will say, "This land that
was laid waste has become like the garden of Eden; the cities that were
lying in ruins, desolate and destroyed, are now fortified and
inhabited."
7. Isaiah foretold the restoration of Israel
Bible passage: Isaiah 35:1-2
Written: perhaps between 701-681 BC
Fulfilled: 1900s
In Isaiah 35:1-2, the prophet said that although Israel would become a
desolate land, its deserts would one day bloom again. This Bible verse
foreshadows the restoration of Israel that has been taking place since
the early 1900s. Millions of Jews have returned to their ancient
homeland and have innovated sophisticated farming techniques and
extensive reforestation programs to convert parched desert into
productive farmland. More than 200 million trees have been planted in
Israel since 1900, according to the Jewish National Fund.
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Isaiah 35:1-2
The desert and the parched land will be glad; the wilderness will
rejoice and blossom. Like the crocus, it will burst into bloom; it will
rejoice greatly and shout for joy. The glory of Lebanon will be given to
it, the splendor of Carmel and Sharon; they will see the glory of the
Lord, the splendor of our God.
8. Israel's land would again become fruitful
Bible passage: Zechariah 8:12
Written: between 520 and 518 BC
Fulfilled: 1900s
In Zechariah 8:12, the prophet said that God would allow Israel to
become a prosperous land again. Israel had been described as being a
wasteland between the time that the Jews had been forced out of their
homeland by the Romans (about 1900 years ago) and the time when the Jews
began returning to and restoring Israel during the 1900s. Although the
restoration continues, Israel is able to export food to many countries.
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Zechariah 8:12
"The seed will grow well, the vine will yield its fruit, the ground will
produce its crops, and the heavens will drop their dew. I will give all
these things as an inheritance to the remnant of this people."
9. The people of Israel would live many days without a king
Bible passage: Hosea 3:4-5
Written: about 750 BC
Fulfilled: Being fulfilled since 70 AD
Hosea's prophecy, found in Hosea 3:4-5, foretells three important
events:
1. The people of Israel would lose their sovereignty ("live many
days without a king or prince"). A Bible scholar, named John Gill,
interprets Hosea 3:4 as meaning that the people of Israel would endure a
period of time "Without any form of civil government ... being subject
to the kings and princes of other nations."
2. The people of Israel would lose their ability to worship in
the manner in which they were accustomed. (example: "without sacrifice
... without ephod").
3. The people of Israel would return to the land of Israel and
seek "David their king." (The phrase, "David their king," is often
understood to refer the promised Messiah, who the prophets had said
would be a descendant of King David).
Each of these three things has happened twice. The first time was about
2600 years ago when the Babylonians invaded the Holy Land, deposed the
king, destroyed the city of Jerusalem, and the holy Temple, which was
the center of worship for the people of Israel.
The Babylonians also forced many Jews into exile. But, after the
collapse of the Babylonian empire, many eventually returned to their
homeland and rebuilt Jerusalem and the Temple. A few centuries later,
the second Temple had undergone a massive reconstruction, which was
completed at about the time of Jesus, which was about 2000 years ago.
From a Christian point of view, Jesus, who is described as being a
descendant of King David in the New Testament book of Matthew, is the
Messiah who was promised when Hosea spoke of "David their king."
This prophecy is now going through its second fulfillment. During the
Roman Empire era, the people of Israel had lost sovereignty over their
homeland for the second time, and they had lost their Temple for the
second time, when the Romans destroyed the city of Jerusalem in 70 AD.
Since the Roman era, the majority of Jews have lived in exile, in
countries around the world, where they are subject to the kings and
governments of other nations. And, because the Temple has not yet been
rebuilt, they continue to be unable to perform various sacred practices
that are important to Judaism. (Judaism is the Jewish religion).
But some of this hardship began to change in an important way during the
first half of the 1900s, when many Jews from around the world returned
to the land of Israel and reclaimed independence over a portion of their
ancient homeland. In the year 2004, about one-third of the world's
Jewish population lives in Israel, a nation that has been governed by
Jews since 1948.
From a Christian perspective, this too is significant because we
Christians believe that Jesus is to return a second time, after a
significant number of Jews have returned to Israel, to establish a
kingdom of righteousness on earth. From a Christian point of view, this
prophecy will be completed - again - during the "last days" when Jesus
returns.
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Hosea 3:4-5
For the Israelites will live many days without king or prince, without
sacrifice or sacred stones, without ephod or idol. Afterward the
Israelites will return and seek the LORD their God and David their king.
They will come trembling to the LORD and to his blessings in the last
days.
10. Israel would rise again
Bible passage: Micah 7:8-11
Written: sometime between 750-686 BC
Fulfilled: beginning late 1800s
In Micah 7:8-11, the prophet said that Israel would one day rise again.
During Micah's lifetime about 2700 years ago, the Assyrians were
destroying the northern kingdom of Israel. Later, the Babylonians
conquered the southern kingdom of Judah. And then, the Romans brought
more devastation to Judah. That led to many centuries of exile for the
Jews. However, during the past two centuries, many Jews from around the
world have returned to their ancient homeland and have reclaimed
sovereignty for a portion of the original land of Israel. The
declaration of independence in 1948 led to three major wars with the
surrounding countries. Each time, tiny Israel prevailed and was able to
seize additional land.
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Micah 7:8-11
Do not gloat over me, my enemy! Though I have fallen, I will rise.
Though I sit in darkness, the Lord will be my light. Because I have
sinned against him, I will bear the Lord's wrath, until he pleads my
case and establishes my right. He will bring me out into the light; I
will see his righteousness. Then my enemy will see it and will be
covered with shame, she who said to me, "Where is the Lord your God?" My
eyes will see her downfall; even now she will be trampled underfoot like
mire in the streets. The day for building your walls will come, the day
for extending your boundaries.