(Is. 11:11-12 NASB) Then it will happen on that day that the Lord will again recover the second time with His hand the remnant of His people, who will remain, from Assyria, Egypt, Pathros, Cush, Elam, Shinar, Hamath, and from the islands of the sea. 12And He will lift up a standard for the nations, and will assemble the banished ones of Israel, and will gather the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth.
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No? Is it context you need? It speaks of a 2nd regathering this time a global regathering from the four corners of the earth.
And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots: And the spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD; And shall make him of quick understanding in the fear of the LORD: and he shall not judge after the sight of his eyes, neither reprove after the hearing of his ears: But with righteousness shall he judge the poor, and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth: and he shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked. And righteousness shall be the girdle of his loins, and faithfulness the girdle of his reins. The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them. And the cow and the bear shall feed; their young ones shall lie down together: and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. And the sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the cockatrice' den. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain: for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea. And in that day there shall be a root of Jesse, which shall stand for an ensign of the people; to it shall the Gentiles seek: and his rest shall be glorious. And it shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord shall set his hand again the second time to recover the remnant of his people, which shall be left, from Assyria, and from Egypt, and from Pathros, and from Cush, and from Elam, and from Shinar, and from Hamath, and from the islands of the sea. And he shall set up an ensign for the nations, and shall assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather together the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth.
(Isa 11:1-12)
And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots: And the spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD; And shall make him of quick understanding in the fear of the LORD: and he shall not judge after the sight of his eyes, neither reprove after the hearing of his ears: But with righteousness shall he judge the poor, and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth: and he shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked. And righteousness shall be the girdle of his loins, and faithfulness the girdle of his reins. The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them. And the cow and the bear shall feed; their young ones shall lie down together: and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. And the sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the cockatrice' den. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain: for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea. And in that day there shall be a root of Jesse, which shall stand for an ensign of the people; to it shall the Gentiles seek: and his rest shall be glorious. And it shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord shall set his hand again the second time to recover the remnant of his people, which shall be left, from Assyria, and from Egypt, and from Pathros, and from Cush, and from Elam, and from Shinar, and from Hamath, and from the islands of the sea. And he shall set up an ensign for the nations, and shall assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather together the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth.
(Isa 11:1-12)
I don't see any reason why our attitude towards the Jews should be any different from Paul's...
I say the truth in Christ, I lie not, my conscience also bearing me witness in the Holy Ghost, That I have great heaviness and continual sorrow in my heart. For I could wish that myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh: Who are Israelites; to whom pertaineth the adoption, and the glory, and the covenants, and the giving of the law, and the service of God, and the promises; Whose are the fathers, and of whom as concerning the flesh Christ came, who is over all, God blessed for ever. Amen.
(Rom 9:1-5)
And from Jesus..
"O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing!
(Mat 23:37)
I say the truth in Christ, I lie not, my conscience also bearing me witness in the Holy Ghost, That I have great heaviness and continual sorrow in my heart. For I could wish that myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh: Who are Israelites; to whom pertaineth the adoption, and the glory, and the covenants, and the giving of the law, and the service of God, and the promises; Whose are the fathers, and of whom as concerning the flesh Christ came, who is over all, God blessed for ever. Amen.
(Rom 9:1-5)
And from Jesus..
"O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing!
(Mat 23:37)
J
The reason I asked that is because your verse backs up the statement that I made
2 things regarding your last post...
Paul was talking about the Israelites, as highlighted in red. If you really pay attention to the writings of Paul, you would see he makes the distinction between being an Israelite (his race) and being a Jew (the religion).
Also, the verse that Jesus spake, you didn't highlight a major part, which I just did in red.
2 things regarding your last post...
Paul was talking about the Israelites, as highlighted in red. If you really pay attention to the writings of Paul, you would see he makes the distinction between being an Israelite (his race) and being a Jew (the religion).
Also, the verse that Jesus spake, you didn't highlight a major part, which I just did in red.
L
Jahsoul,
There is only ONE race....the human race (Acts 17:26)....being Jewish is an ethnicity, a physical descendant of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Being Jewish is not a religion. Not all Jews practice the religion of Judaism. Most Jewish people (except for the ultra Orthodox and Chasidim) are secular. There are also "religious" Jews, just as there are "religious" Gentiles who call themselves Christians. Many Jews claim to be atheists. I was raised in liberal, Reform Judaism and my ethnicity is Jewish and I am a born again Christian.
Acts 17:26 And hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation;
Whether the Jewish people practice Judaism or not, their ethnicity is Jewish. God said they (the Jewish people) would be regathered from the four corners of the earth back to Israel, whether you, or anyone else believes and/or teaches this or not. The "religion" of Judaism has no bearing on whether God will keep His promises to His chosen people, the Jews. He is regathering them from all corners of the earth back to the land of Israel in unbelief (dry bones of Ezekiel 37). Judgment is coming, but so is restoration and a 1,000 year Messianic Kingdom with the Lord Jesus Christ reigning in Jerusalem on David's throne.
There is only ONE race....the human race (Acts 17:26)....being Jewish is an ethnicity, a physical descendant of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Being Jewish is not a religion. Not all Jews practice the religion of Judaism. Most Jewish people (except for the ultra Orthodox and Chasidim) are secular. There are also "religious" Jews, just as there are "religious" Gentiles who call themselves Christians. Many Jews claim to be atheists. I was raised in liberal, Reform Judaism and my ethnicity is Jewish and I am a born again Christian.
Acts 17:26 And hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation;
Whether the Jewish people practice Judaism or not, their ethnicity is Jewish. God said they (the Jewish people) would be regathered from the four corners of the earth back to Israel, whether you, or anyone else believes and/or teaches this or not. The "religion" of Judaism has no bearing on whether God will keep His promises to His chosen people, the Jews. He is regathering them from all corners of the earth back to the land of Israel in unbelief (dry bones of Ezekiel 37). Judgment is coming, but so is restoration and a 1,000 year Messianic Kingdom with the Lord Jesus Christ reigning in Jerusalem on David's throne.
J
Hi Ms. Linda,
How can the Jewish people be the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob when neither one of them were Jewish. For the record, Hebrew/Children of Israel does not mean Jewish and there is NO WHERE in scripture that alludes to that. As many times as I have asked, no one has shown me scripture that specifically calls the Jewish people the chosen people of God, and be scripturally honest. When Paul gave his ethnicity, he never once mentioned being a Jew
Why would Paul state that all that about himself until it came to the law? What was a Pharisee in the day of Paul?
How can the Jewish people be the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob when neither one of them were Jewish. For the record, Hebrew/Children of Israel does not mean Jewish and there is NO WHERE in scripture that alludes to that. As many times as I have asked, no one has shown me scripture that specifically calls the Jewish people the chosen people of God, and be scripturally honest. When Paul gave his ethnicity, he never once mentioned being a Jew
Why would Paul state that all that about himself until it came to the law? What was a Pharisee in the day of Paul?
Also noteworthy, for well over a decade, more Israeli's have been leaving the country than have been coming in.
Statistical Abstract of Israel 2014 - No. 65 Subject 4 - Table No. 1
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L
Right now, the Jews are re-gathering in unbelief, but at the end of the Tribulation period (7 years), there will be a final regathering in belief from all over the world. This will happen at the Second Coming.
Re-gathering of Israel in belief. This will be a world wide re-gathering:
Ezekiel 36:24 For I will take you from among the heathen, and gather you out of all countries, and will bring you into your own land.
Ezekiel 36:25 Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you.
Ezekiel 36:26 A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh.
Ezekiel 36:27 And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them.
Ezekiel 36:28 And ye shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers; and ye shall be my people, and I will be your God.
Israel's repentance and recognition of Jesus Christ as their Messiah:
Zechariah 12:10 And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn.
Romans 11:25 For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in.
Romans 11:26 And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob:
Romans 11:27 For this is my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins.
Re-gathering of Israel in belief. This will be a world wide re-gathering:
Ezekiel 36:24 For I will take you from among the heathen, and gather you out of all countries, and will bring you into your own land.
Ezekiel 36:25 Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you.
Ezekiel 36:26 A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh.
Ezekiel 36:27 And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them.
Ezekiel 36:28 And ye shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers; and ye shall be my people, and I will be your God.
Israel's repentance and recognition of Jesus Christ as their Messiah:
Zechariah 12:10 And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn.
Romans 11:25 For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in.
Romans 11:26 And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob:
Romans 11:27 For this is my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins.
Since Ezekiel is writing from exile in Babylon, his expectation is that Israel would be regathered from the Babylonian exile. And this expectation actually occurred:
2 Chr36:22 In the first year of the reign ofKing Cyrus of Persia, in fulfillment of the promise he delivered through Jeremiah,the Lord movedKing Cyrus of Persia to issue a written decree throughout his kingdom. 36:23 It read: “This is what King Cyrus of Persia says: ‘The Lord God of the heavens has given to me all the kingdoms of the earth. He has appointed me to build for him a temple in Jerusalemin Judah. May the Lord your God energize you who belong to his people, so you may be able to go back there!”
Ezra1:1 In the firstyear of King Cyrus of Persia, in order to fulfill the Lord’s messagespoken throughJeremiah,the Lord stirred the mindof King Cyrus of Persia. He disseminateda proclamation throughout his entire kingdom, announcing in a written edict the following:1:2 “Thus says King Cyrus of Persia: “‘The Lord God of heaven has given me all the kingdoms of the earth. He has instructed me to build a templefor him in Jerusalem,which is in Judah. 1:3 Anyone fromhis people among you (may his God be with him!) may go up to Jerusalem, which is in Judah, and may build the temple of the Lord God of Israel – he is the God who is in Jerusalem. 1:4 Anyone who survives in any of those places where he is a resident foreigner must be helped by his neighborswith silver, gold, equipment, and animals, along with voluntary offerings for the temple of God which is in Jerusalem.’”
Ezra2:1 These are the peopleof the province who were going up,from the captives of the exile whom King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon had forced into exile in Babylon. They returned to Jerusalemand Judah, each to his own city.
2 Chr36:22 In the first year of the reign ofKing Cyrus of Persia, in fulfillment of the promise he delivered through Jeremiah,the Lord movedKing Cyrus of Persia to issue a written decree throughout his kingdom. 36:23 It read: “This is what King Cyrus of Persia says: ‘The Lord God of the heavens has given to me all the kingdoms of the earth. He has appointed me to build for him a temple in Jerusalemin Judah. May the Lord your God energize you who belong to his people, so you may be able to go back there!”
Ezra1:1 In the firstyear of King Cyrus of Persia, in order to fulfill the Lord’s messagespoken throughJeremiah,the Lord stirred the mindof King Cyrus of Persia. He disseminateda proclamation throughout his entire kingdom, announcing in a written edict the following:1:2 “Thus says King Cyrus of Persia: “‘The Lord God of heaven has given me all the kingdoms of the earth. He has instructed me to build a templefor him in Jerusalem,which is in Judah. 1:3 Anyone fromhis people among you (may his God be with him!) may go up to Jerusalem, which is in Judah, and may build the temple of the Lord God of Israel – he is the God who is in Jerusalem. 1:4 Anyone who survives in any of those places where he is a resident foreigner must be helped by his neighborswith silver, gold, equipment, and animals, along with voluntary offerings for the temple of God which is in Jerusalem.’”
Ezra2:1 These are the peopleof the province who were going up,from the captives of the exile whom King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon had forced into exile in Babylon. They returned to Jerusalemand Judah, each to his own city.
L
Ezekiel's prophecy is not speaking of only the Babylonian exile.....notice what Ezekiel 36:24 says "all countries". Ezekiel is not the only place where Scripture states that the Jews will be gathered from all over the world....here are some other Scriptures:
Deuteronomy 30:1 And it shall come to pass, when all these things are come upon thee, the blessing and the curse, which I have set before thee, and thou shalt call them to mind among all the nations, whither the LORD thy God hath driven thee,
Deuteronomy 30:3 That then the LORD thy God will turn thy captivity, and have compassion upon thee, and will return and gather thee from all the nations, whither the LORD thy God hath scattered thee.
Jeremiah 30:11 For I am with thee, saith the LORD, to save thee: though I make a full end of all nations whither I have scattered thee, yet will I not make a full end of thee: but I will correct thee in measure, and will not leave thee altogether unpunished.
Joel 3:2 I will also gather all nations, and will bring them down into the valley of Jehoshaphat, and will plead with them there for my people and for my heritage Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations, and parted my land. (Armageddon)
Amos 9:8 Behold, the eyes of the Lord GOD are upon the sinful kingdom, and I will destroy it from off the face of the earth; saving that I will not utterly destroy the house of Jacob, saith the LORD.
Amos 9:9 For, lo, I will command, and I will sift the house of Israel among all nations, like as corn is sifted in a sieve, yet shall not the least grain fall upon the earth.
Amos 9:10 All the sinners of my people shall die by the sword, which say, The evil shall not overtake nor prevent us.
Amos 9:11 In that day will I raise up the tabernacle of David that is fallen, and close up the breaches thereof; and I will raise up his ruins, and I will build it as in the days of old:
Amos 9:12 That they may possess the remnant of Edom, and of all the heathen, which are called by my name, saith the LORD that doeth this.
Amos 9:13 Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that the plowman shall overtake the reaper, and the treader of grapes him that soweth seed; and the mountains shall drop sweet wine, and all the hills shall melt.
Amos 9:14 And I will bring again the captivity of my people of Israel, and they shall build the waste cities, and inhabit them; and they shall plant vineyards, and drink the wine thereof; they shall also make gardens, and eat the fruit of them.
Amos 9:15 And I will plant them upon their land, and they shall no more be pulled up out of their land which I have given them, saith the LORD thy God.
All these prophecies will be fulfilled at the Second Coming of Christ to this earth at the end of the Tribulation period. The Babylonian exile is not the only exile spoken of in Scripture. Jesus spoke of the destruction of the Temple and Jerusalem in 70 AD (Matthew 24:1-4 and Luke 21:24). The Jews were scattered all over the world at that time and the final diaspora occured in 132-135 AD (the Bar-Kokhba revolt). The Jews have been scattered all over the world and since 1948 they have been regathering back to the land of Israel in unbelief, according to the "dry bones" prophecy of Ezekiel 37. There will be a FINAL regathering and restoration (which is future) of the Jewish people back to the land of Israel in belief, at the beginning of the 1,000 year reign of Christ in Jerusalem. They will be regathered from ALL NATIONS where they were scattered. Ezekiel 36-39 is not speaking of the return to Israel from the Babylonian exile.
Deuteronomy 30:1 And it shall come to pass, when all these things are come upon thee, the blessing and the curse, which I have set before thee, and thou shalt call them to mind among all the nations, whither the LORD thy God hath driven thee,
Deuteronomy 30:3 That then the LORD thy God will turn thy captivity, and have compassion upon thee, and will return and gather thee from all the nations, whither the LORD thy God hath scattered thee.
Jeremiah 30:11 For I am with thee, saith the LORD, to save thee: though I make a full end of all nations whither I have scattered thee, yet will I not make a full end of thee: but I will correct thee in measure, and will not leave thee altogether unpunished.
Joel 3:2 I will also gather all nations, and will bring them down into the valley of Jehoshaphat, and will plead with them there for my people and for my heritage Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations, and parted my land. (Armageddon)
Amos 9:8 Behold, the eyes of the Lord GOD are upon the sinful kingdom, and I will destroy it from off the face of the earth; saving that I will not utterly destroy the house of Jacob, saith the LORD.
Amos 9:9 For, lo, I will command, and I will sift the house of Israel among all nations, like as corn is sifted in a sieve, yet shall not the least grain fall upon the earth.
Amos 9:10 All the sinners of my people shall die by the sword, which say, The evil shall not overtake nor prevent us.
Amos 9:11 In that day will I raise up the tabernacle of David that is fallen, and close up the breaches thereof; and I will raise up his ruins, and I will build it as in the days of old:
Amos 9:12 That they may possess the remnant of Edom, and of all the heathen, which are called by my name, saith the LORD that doeth this.
Amos 9:13 Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that the plowman shall overtake the reaper, and the treader of grapes him that soweth seed; and the mountains shall drop sweet wine, and all the hills shall melt.
Amos 9:14 And I will bring again the captivity of my people of Israel, and they shall build the waste cities, and inhabit them; and they shall plant vineyards, and drink the wine thereof; they shall also make gardens, and eat the fruit of them.
Amos 9:15 And I will plant them upon their land, and they shall no more be pulled up out of their land which I have given them, saith the LORD thy God.
All these prophecies will be fulfilled at the Second Coming of Christ to this earth at the end of the Tribulation period. The Babylonian exile is not the only exile spoken of in Scripture. Jesus spoke of the destruction of the Temple and Jerusalem in 70 AD (Matthew 24:1-4 and Luke 21:24). The Jews were scattered all over the world at that time and the final diaspora occured in 132-135 AD (the Bar-Kokhba revolt). The Jews have been scattered all over the world and since 1948 they have been regathering back to the land of Israel in unbelief, according to the "dry bones" prophecy of Ezekiel 37. There will be a FINAL regathering and restoration (which is future) of the Jewish people back to the land of Israel in belief, at the beginning of the 1,000 year reign of Christ in Jerusalem. They will be regathered from ALL NATIONS where they were scattered. Ezekiel 36-39 is not speaking of the return to Israel from the Babylonian exile.
I suppose it would be helpful to know that the Babylonian exile involved the exile of Jews to places other than Babylon. Ezekiel lived with a group of exiles by the river Chebar, but Jeremiah left with a group of exiles and headed for Egypt. So you have at least two groups of exiles in different nations.
Jer43:1 Jeremiah finished telling all the people all these things the Lord their God had sent him to tell them.43:2 Then Azariah son of Hoshaiah, Johanan son of Kareah, and other arrogant men said to Jeremiah, “You are telling a lie! The Lord our God did not send you to tell us, ‘You must not go to Egypt and settle there.’ 43:3 But Baruch son of Neriah is stirring you up against us.He wants to hand us overto the Babyloniansso that they will kill us or carry us off into exile in Babylon.” 43:4 So Johanan son of Kareah, all the army officers, and all the rest of the people did not obey the Lord’s command to stay in the land. 43:5 Instead Johanan son of Kareah and all the army officers led off all the Judean remnant who had come back to live in the land of Judah from all the nations where they had been scattered.43:6 They also led off all the men, women, children, and royal princesses that Nebuzaradan, the captain of the royal guard, had left with Gedaliah, the son of Ahikam and grandson of Shaphan. This included the prophet Jeremiah and Baruch son of Neriah. 43:7 They went on to Egypt because they refused to obey the Lord, and came to Tahpanhes.
What was happening is pretty easy to understand. As people realized that the Babylonians were headed for Judah and Jerusalem, people fled rather than be slaughtered, taken prisoner or taken as slaves. Years earlier, the Northern Kingdom experienced the same when the Assyrians marched on Samaria. Rather than be slaughtered or taken as slaves, people fled. Israel and Judah were indeed dispersed among many nations. They fled among the nations in order to survive. Those who didn't flee stood a good chance at being either killed or taken captive.
Ezekiel is indeed talking about the Babylonian captivity. The context and explicit statements in his book make this rather clear.
Statistics show more Israeli's leaving than are coming in. It doesn't look like a regathering - it looks more like a slow exodus from Israel.
And who can blame them? Would you rather live somewhere like the US, where you enjoy freedom without the thought that someone (or everyone) down the road has sword to kill you, or would you rather live in Israel, where the opposite is the case?
.....Which reads to me about a restoration from the Assyrian and Babylonian exiles. It's a theme through the whole book. Ezekiel was in exile in Babylon and looked forward to the day when they would return. That actually happened during the reign of Cyrus, with Ezra leading the first returnees back.
Yep, just as they were scattered among the nations at the Assyrian and Babylonian conquests.
Sure it is. That is the historical context. Ignore it if you wish.
Jer43:1 Jeremiah finished telling all the people all these things the Lord their God had sent him to tell them.43:2 Then Azariah son of Hoshaiah, Johanan son of Kareah, and other arrogant men said to Jeremiah, “You are telling a lie! The Lord our God did not send you to tell us, ‘You must not go to Egypt and settle there.’ 43:3 But Baruch son of Neriah is stirring you up against us.He wants to hand us overto the Babyloniansso that they will kill us or carry us off into exile in Babylon.” 43:4 So Johanan son of Kareah, all the army officers, and all the rest of the people did not obey the Lord’s command to stay in the land. 43:5 Instead Johanan son of Kareah and all the army officers led off all the Judean remnant who had come back to live in the land of Judah from all the nations where they had been scattered.43:6 They also led off all the men, women, children, and royal princesses that Nebuzaradan, the captain of the royal guard, had left with Gedaliah, the son of Ahikam and grandson of Shaphan. This included the prophet Jeremiah and Baruch son of Neriah. 43:7 They went on to Egypt because they refused to obey the Lord, and came to Tahpanhes.
What was happening is pretty easy to understand. As people realized that the Babylonians were headed for Judah and Jerusalem, people fled rather than be slaughtered, taken prisoner or taken as slaves. Years earlier, the Northern Kingdom experienced the same when the Assyrians marched on Samaria. Rather than be slaughtered or taken as slaves, people fled. Israel and Judah were indeed dispersed among many nations. They fled among the nations in order to survive. Those who didn't flee stood a good chance at being either killed or taken captive.
Ezekiel is indeed talking about the Babylonian captivity. The context and explicit statements in his book make this rather clear.
Statistics show more Israeli's leaving than are coming in. It doesn't look like a regathering - it looks more like a slow exodus from Israel.
And who can blame them? Would you rather live somewhere like the US, where you enjoy freedom without the thought that someone (or everyone) down the road has sword to kill you, or would you rather live in Israel, where the opposite is the case?
.....Which reads to me about a restoration from the Assyrian and Babylonian exiles. It's a theme through the whole book. Ezekiel was in exile in Babylon and looked forward to the day when they would return. That actually happened during the reign of Cyrus, with Ezra leading the first returnees back.
Yep, just as they were scattered among the nations at the Assyrian and Babylonian conquests.
Sure it is. That is the historical context. Ignore it if you wish.
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L
The "countdown" began with the prophecy in Daniel 9:24-27 (Daniel's 70 Weeks prophecy):
Daniel 9:24 Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy.
Daniel 9:25 Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times.
Daniel 9:26 And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined.
Daniel 9:27 And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.
This prophecy describes God's time schedule for the completion of His promises to the nation Israel. Israel is on God's time schedule, not ours.
Countdown begins in verse 25 "from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince..."
Nehemiah 2:1 And it came to pass in the month Nisan, in the twentieth year of Artaxerxes the king, that wine was before him: and I took up the wine, and gave it unto the king. Now I had not been beforetime sad in his presence.
Nehemiah 2:3 And said unto the king, Let the king live for ever: why should not my countenance be sad, when the city, the place of my fathers' sepulchres, lieth waste, and the gates thereof are consumed with fire?
Nehemiah 2:5 And I said unto the king, If it please the king, and if thy servant have found favour in thy sight, that thou wouldest send me unto Judah, unto the city of my fathers' sepulchres, that I may build it.
Nehemiah 2:6 And the king said unto me, (the queen also sitting by him,) For how long shall thy journey be? and when wilt thou return? So it pleased the king to send me; and I set him a time.
Nehemiah 2:8 And a letter unto Asaph the keeper of the king's forest, that he may give me timber to make beams for the gates of the palace which appertained to the house, and for the wall of the city, and for the house that I shall enter into. And the king granted me, according to the good hand of my God upon me.
Daniel 9:24 Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy.
Daniel 9:25 Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times.
Daniel 9:26 And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined.
Daniel 9:27 And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.
This prophecy describes God's time schedule for the completion of His promises to the nation Israel. Israel is on God's time schedule, not ours.
Countdown begins in verse 25 "from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince..."
Nehemiah 2:1 And it came to pass in the month Nisan, in the twentieth year of Artaxerxes the king, that wine was before him: and I took up the wine, and gave it unto the king. Now I had not been beforetime sad in his presence.
Nehemiah 2:3 And said unto the king, Let the king live for ever: why should not my countenance be sad, when the city, the place of my fathers' sepulchres, lieth waste, and the gates thereof are consumed with fire?
Nehemiah 2:5 And I said unto the king, If it please the king, and if thy servant have found favour in thy sight, that thou wouldest send me unto Judah, unto the city of my fathers' sepulchres, that I may build it.
Nehemiah 2:6 And the king said unto me, (the queen also sitting by him,) For how long shall thy journey be? and when wilt thou return? So it pleased the king to send me; and I set him a time.
Nehemiah 2:8 And a letter unto Asaph the keeper of the king's forest, that he may give me timber to make beams for the gates of the palace which appertained to the house, and for the wall of the city, and for the house that I shall enter into. And the king granted me, according to the good hand of my God upon me.