Prophecy Fulfilled: Israel Returns
- Michael E.B. Maher
- Apr 14
- 3 min read
Ezekiel 36:16-25 Moreover the word of the Lord came to me, saying: (17) "Son of man, when the house of Israel dwelt in their own land, they defiled it by their own ways and deeds; to Me their way was like the uncleanness of a woman in her customary impurity. (18) Therefore I poured out My fury on them for the blood they had shed on the land, and for their idols with which they had defiled it. (19) So I scattered them among the nations, and they were dispersed throughout the countries; I judged them according to their ways and their deeds. (20) When they came to the nations, wherever they went, they profaned My holy name--when they said of them, 'These are the people of the Lord, and yet they have gone out of His land.' (21) But I had concern for My holy name, which the house of Israel had profaned among the nations wherever they went. (22) "Therefore say to the house of Israel, 'Thus says the Lord God: "I do not do this for your sake, O house of Israel, but for My holy name's sake, which you have profaned among the nations wherever you went. (23) And I will sanctify My great name, which has been profaned among the nations, which you have profaned in their midst; and the nations shall know that I am the Lord," says the Lord God, "when I am hallowed in you before their eyes. (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.
The above-quoted passage of scripture is a record of another of Ezekiel’s prophecies delivered around 585 BC[1]. This passage is yet another example of God’s many prophecies concerning His return of the exiled nation of Israel to the land of their inheritance. In this passage, the Lord confirms what we have already discussed: the Lord exiled the Jews among the nations of the earth because they had defiled their Promised Land. The Lord also tells us that, because of their wickedness, the Jews profaned His name among the nations to which they were exiled, as it was said of them that they were His people. God then explains why He would eventually return the Jews from exile and bring them back to their land. The Lord tells us that once the Jews have returned, He will cleanse them from their filthiness and sanctify His great name by being hallowed among them once again, thus demonstrating to the nations of the earth that He is the Lord. However, in this passage, we will focus on Ezekiel's prophecy that the Lord would gather the Jews from all countries and bring them into their land.
Having reviewed all the prophecies in this section about the return of the Jewish Diaspora, the question arises: have these prophecies been fulfilled yet? In answering the question, we will see that historical records reveal that these prophecies are currently being fulfilled but are not yet complete. In other words, historical records confirm that Israel’s repatriation has indeed begun. As an aside, this section provides only a brief overview of relevant historical events and should not be viewed as an exhaustive account.
Historical records reveal that God began the repatriation of Israel’s Diaspora between the years 1882 and 1920, during which over 2,000,000 Russian Jews were motivated to emigrate. The first migration of Jews occurred between 1882 and 1903. The catalyst for this migration was pogroms that broke out against Jews living in the Russian Empire, resulting in several deaths, many injuries, and thousands of destroyed Jewish homes. During this period, most Jews migrated to the U.S. and various other locations. However, approximately 30,000 Jews returned to settle in Israel, then known as Palestine[2].
Two observations can be made regarding the first migration. Firstly, without the persecution of Russian Jews at the time, they would not have migrated. Secondly, only a small fraction chose to go to Israel. Both observations align with scripture, which indicates that the Lord would compel the Jews to migrate, although the majority remained reluctant to return to Israel. As an aside, by the year 1900, the global Jewish population was approximately 10,600,000[3], highlighting the relatively small size of the first migration. The Jews in Israel accounted for approximately 0.4% of the global Jewish population.
Michael E.B. Maher
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