Probably the single most significant Sign of the Times is the reestablishment of the nation of Israel and the return of the Jews to the homeland they were banished from and left during the years 70 – 200AD.
[1]In 1948, the Jewish Community in Israel under the leadership of David Ben-Gurion re-established sovereignty over their ancient homeland. Declaration of independence of the modern State of Israel was announced on the day that the last British forces left Israel (May 14, 1948).
A day after the declaration of independence of the State of Israel, armies of five Arab countries, Egypt, Syria, Transjordan, Lebanon, and Iraq, invaded Israel. This marked the beginning of the War of Independence. Arab states have jointly waged four full-scale wars against Israel:
- 1948 War of Independence
- 1956 Sinai War
- 1967 Six Day War
- 1973 Yom Kippur War
Despite the numerical superiority of the Arab armies, Israel defended itself each time and won.
[2]After being spread throughout the world for 2,000 years – and just 70 years after the rebirth of Israel as a nation – tens of thousands of Jews are returning to their homeland.
From around the globe, Jews are making “aliyah” – or returning to their ancient Holy Land. “They come from all over the world to a place many have never been,” CBN News reports. “Yet the Jewish people have longed to return to this land for thousands of years.”
Jewish Agency Chairman Natan Sharansky – who oversees the campaign to bring Jews back home – calls the return to Israel the “Gathering of the Exiles” – a movement that saw 27,000 new Jewish immigrants move to Israel in 2017 – with more than 3,600 of them coming from the United States alone.
Sharansky told CBN News. “I’m very proud to be head of the organization now, which brought 3.5 million Jews from the creation of the State of Israel and 700,000 from Arab countries; a few hundred thousand Jews from concentration camps from Europe; 1 million from [the] Soviet Union. We reached Ethiopia and brought more than 100,000 Jews, [and also] the Lost Tribes.”
[3]At the start of the Jewish new-year in September 2018, Israel’s population stood at a record 8,907,000. This is a more than 10-fold increase compared to when Israel was founded in 1948.
The Jewish population makes up 6,625,000 (74.4%); 1,864,000 (20.9%) are Arabs; and, those identified as “others” (non-Arab Christians, Baha’i, etc) make up 4.7% of the population (418,000 people). When the state was established, there were only 806,000 residents and the total population reached its first and second millions in 1949 and 1958 respectively. Judging by current population trend data, experts predict that the population of Israel will reach 10 million by 2024 or sooner.
What does this mean?
From 3,000 years ago the Bible writers repeatedly foretold there would be restoration of a desolate and defunct nation of Israel, so how did they know?
Ezekiel 36: 24– For I (God)will take you (Jews)out of the nations; I will gather you from all the countries and bring you back into your own land.
Ezekiel 38: 8– After many days you will be called to arms. In future years you will invade a land that has recovered from war, whose people were gathered from many nations to the mountains of Israel, which had long been desolate. They had been brought out from the nations, and now all of them live in safety.
Isaiah 43: 5- 6– Do not be afraid, for I am with you; I will bring your children from the east and gather you from the west. I will say to the north, “Give them up!” and to the south, “Do not hold them back.” Bring my sons from afar and my daughters from the ends of the earth-.
Jeremiah 23: 3– I myself will gather the remnant of my flock out of all the countries where I have driven them and will bring them back to their pasture, where they will be fruitful and increase in number.
Jeremiah 30: 3– The days are coming,’ declares the Lord, ‘when I will bring my people Israel and Judah back from captivityand restore them to the land I gave their ancestors to possess,’ says the Lord.”
Jeremiah 31: 8 – See, I will bring them (Jews)from the land of the north and gather them from the ends of the earth.
What else does the Bible tell us?– The Future
What does that mean for you?– Good News
[1]Israel Science and Technology Directory
[2]NE News – April 14th2018
[3]Jewish Virtual Library