Bible prophecy is amazing! How can something written centuries ago be happening today? Well, it is. Because God said it would. And God keeps His promises! Ezekiel chapters 33-36 have a very important and pivotal end times prophecy, which is being fulfilled as I publish this — the miracle called Israel. Modern Israel’s very existence was prophesied back in 585 BC! Let’s dig in…
The Miracle Called Israel – An Old Testament Prophecy Being Fulfilled Today!
The Watchman on the Wall
God gave Ezekiel a new assignment as a watchman on the wall. From now on, he’s prophesying on Israel’s restoration, not after the exile, but in the far distant future for Ezekiel.
You can study this chapter here.
Pay Attention and Listen to the Watchmen and women on the Wall!
Today, there are many “Watchmen (and women) on the Wall”. I like to consider myself one of them. Here’s a list of my favorite watchmen.
They are warning us that we need to repent of our sins and turn to Jesus Christ. If people hear the message and repent and follow Jesus, then they’ll be OK. They won’t be left behind in the Rapture. If they hear the message and ignore it, it’s not the watchman’s fault if the people end up in hell.
The Good Shepherd
Going on to Chapter 34, after God admonishes the “bad shepherds of Israel” — which can be said about the “bad shepherds” of today who lead their flocks astray.
Verse 17 stands out…
17 “And as for you, my flock, this is what the Sovereign Lord says to his people: I will judge between one animal of the flock and another, separating the sheep from the goats.
Ezekiel 34:17 NLT
Whoa! That’s what Jesus prophesied in the Gospel of Matthew 25:31-46 — the final judgment!
20 “Therefore, this is what the Sovereign Lord says: I will surely judge between the fat sheep and the scrawny sheep. 21 For you fat sheep pushed and butted and crowded my sick and hungry flock until you scattered them to distant lands. 22 So I will rescue my flock, and they will no longer be abused. I will judge between one animal of the flock and another. 23 And I will set over them one shepherd, my servant David. He will feed them and be a shepherd to them. 24 And I, the Lord, will be their God, and my servant David will be a prince among my people. I, the Lord, have spoken!”
Ezekiel 34:20-24 NLT
This is also a prophecy of the end times judgment and the Millennial Kingdom. You can also read about the Good Shepherd, Jesus, in John chapter 10.
God continues to say in verse 25, “I will make a covenant of peace with my people.” I covered all of God’s Covenants here.
I love this promise from God in verses 26-27, “I will bless my people and their homes around my holy hill. And in the proper season I will send the showers they need. There will be showers of blessing. 27 The orchards and fields of my people will yield bumper crops, and everyone will live in safety.”
Though Israel has been very prosperous, they still do not “live in safety.” As of this recording, they are still fighting wars in 7 fronts. Check out the latest news here.
Restoring Israel
We jump to Ezekiel 36 starting in verse 8…
“But the mountains of Israel will produce heavy crops of fruit for my people—for they will be coming home again soon! 9 See, I care about you, and I will pay attention to you. Your ground will be plowed and your crops planted.”
Ezekiel 36:8-9 NLT
This picture is from HaYovel, an organization in the heartland of Samaria, the Mount of Blessing, where you can do a volunteer trip to help with the harvest.
Continuing with Ezekiel verse 10:
God said, “I will greatly increase the population of Israel, and the ruined cities will be rebuilt and filled with people.”
Ezekiel 36:10 NLT
This is Tel Aviv, Israel, on the Mediterranean Coast.
God continues in verse 28:
“And you will live in Israel, the land I gave your ancestors long ago. You will be my people, and I will be your God. 29 I will cleanse you of your filthy behavior. I will give you good crops of grain, and I will send no more famines on the land.”
Ezekiel 36:10 NLT
But today’s Israel is very secular. Verse 37:
“This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I am ready to hear Israel’s prayers and to increase their numbers like a flock. 38 They will be as numerous as the sacred flocks that fill Jerusalem’s streets at the time of her festivals. The ruined cities will be crowded with people once more, and everyone will know that I am the Lord.”
Ezekiel 36:37-38 nLT
They are not quite there yet.
The Holocaust
Before the Holocaust, there were 18 million Jews in the world. The Nazis killed 6 million. Today, 80 years later, we’re still nowhere near that pre-holocaust amount with only 16 million Jews in the world.
Yeah, that’s a hard picture to look at, but we cannot become complacent. Antisemitism is very much alive and growing. Related: Why the Jews?
A Nation is Born
On May, 15, 1948, a dead nation came back to life after 1900 years. So did a dead language— Hebrew. Its birth was prophesied not just by Ezekiel’s dry bones vision, but also in Isaiah 66. We read starting in verse 7:
“Before the birth pains even begin,
Isaiah 66:7 NLT
Jerusalem gives birth to a son.
Who has ever seen anything as strange as this?
Who ever heard of such a thing?
Has a nation ever been born in a single day?
Has a country ever come forth in a mere moment?
But by the time Jerusalem’s [Zion] birth pains begin,
her children will be born.
Would I ever bring this nation to the point of birth
and then not deliver it?” asks the Lord.
“No! I would never keep this nation from being born,”
says your God.”
Wow! Happy 77th Birthday, Israel!
We also find the prophecy in Zechariah chapter 12:1…
“This message is from the Lord, who stretched out the heavens, laid the foundations of the earth, and formed the human spirit. 2 I will make Jerusalem like an intoxicating drink that makes the nearby nations stagger when they send their armies to besiege Jerusalem and Judah. 3 On that day I will make Jerusalem an immovable rock. All the nations will gather against it to try to move it, but they will only hurt themselves.
On that day the Lord will defend the people of Jerusalem; the weakest among them will be as mighty as King David! And the royal descendants will be like God, like the angel of the Lord who goes before them! 9 For on that day I will begin to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem.”
Zechariah 21:1-3, 8-9 NLT
Whenever in the Old Testament you read, “on that day”, it refers to the Last Days or End Times. We don’t know exactly when, but that gives us a general idea.
Then, Zechariah gives a Messianic prophecy — a prophecy about Jesus. Verse 10:
“Then I will pour out a spirit of grace and prayer on the family of David and on the people of Jerusalem. They will look on me whom they have pierced and mourn for him as for an only son. They will grieve bitterly for him as for a firstborn son who has died.”
Zechariah 21:10 NLT
Jumping to the New Testament, Matthew 23:37-39, Jesus weeps over Jerusalem on His Palm Sunday ride into the city:
“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones God’s messengers! How often I have wanted to gather your children together as a hen protects her chicks beneath her wings, but you wouldn’t let me. 38 And now, look, your house is abandoned and desolate. 39 For I tell you this, you will never see me again until you say, ‘Blessings on the one who comes in the name of the Lord!’”
Matthew 23:37-39 NLT
Making Aliyah
The prophecy is still happening! Check out this headline from The Times of Israel, August 27, 2024: Over 29,000 immigrants have moved to Israel since October 7, 2023, the World Zionist Organization says.
- Aliyah — Ascend, come back to Israel. Jews are emigrating from all over the world.
- The Hebrew word for “ascend” is “alah”. (Not to be confused with “Allah,” the god of the Muslims – that’s for a later blog post.)
- The word Aliyah has God’s Hebrew name — Yah. So it literally means ascending to God.
Anyone who can prove they are Jewish can apply for Israeli citizenship. I have 1% Sephardic Jewish DNA. Does that count?
King Jesus is coming back! And he’s coming back not to America, not to France, not to South Africa, but to Israel, specifically to Jerusalem.
“On that day his feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, east of Jerusalem. And the Mount of Olives will split apart, making a wide valley running from east to west. Half the mountain will move toward the north and half toward the south.”
Zechriah 14:4 NLT
The Rapture is imminent. That means it could happen at any time. Are you ready? You’re ready if you are a born-again — Saved Christian.
If you’re not sure if you’re saved or not, if you truly want to be born again and have the assurance of salvation, receive the Holy Spirit, feel His Shalom — a peace that surpasses all understanding, and get a 1-way, non-stop ticket to Heaven after you die, or that you won’t be left behind at the Rapture, which can happen at any moment, this is what you have to do…
Believe. Repent. Be Baptized. Receive the Holy Spirit.
- Believe — have Faith — that Jesus is the Christ and He died taking your sins away forever and that He rose from the dead 3 days later.
- Repent of your sins — stop sinning! Do a complete 180-degree turn in your life and surrender your life to Him. When you ask Jesus to forgive you He will. ALL your sins will be wiped clean — past, present, and future! And All means ALL!
- Be Baptized by water baptism — show the world and yourself that you have died to your old life and are born again in Christ.
- Receive the gift of Holy Spirit in your heart.
