Why Israel Is on the News Almost Weekly
The modern existence and re-gathering of Israel hold a profound application for people in Britain and other nations today. The prophet Isaiah specifically details the significance of Israel’s restoration in the end time. According to Isaiah chapter 11, this period—referred to as “that day”—involves the Lord setting His hand “again the second time to recover the remnant of His people who are left”.
Isaiah 11: The Second Worldwide Ingathering
The sources highlight that this prophecy outlines a second re-gathering. The first re-gathering was a brief and partial return following the Babylonian captivity. However, the predicted second re-gathering was designed to be worldwide. It would encompass those dispersed far beyond the few areas affected by the Babylonian captivity.
God declared, “I will set My hand the second time to regather the remnant of My people”. When God commits to an action, He fulfills it. The prophecy states that God will “assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather together the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth,” emphasizing that this is intended to be a worldwide in-gathering.
Prophecy Fulfilled: Israel’s Global Return
The scripture’s prediction regarding the re-gathering has been exactly fulfilled. This modern return contrasts sharply with the partial, limited scope of the return from Babylon. Today, Jewish people have been gathered from more than a hundred nations, confirming that there is no area of the earth from which the Jewish people have not been re-gathered. It is a remarkable fact that this event was predicted even before the first scattering and the first gathering took place.
Israel as God’s Banner for the Nations
The re-gathering of the Jewish people is not just a fulfillment of prophecy; it serves as a sign for the world. God states that He will “set up a banner for the nations”. The nations referred to are the Gentiles. Therefore, the re-gathering of Israel to their own land is God’s banner to the nations.
A banner is typically an object, like a flag, that is lifted up to make it highly visible from a long distance and usually displays a few simple words. The re-gathering acts as God’s banner lifted up for all the nations to see.
This explains why the nation of Israel is so constantly visible globally. Despite being a tiny strip of territory, smaller than the principality of Wales, and having a population of less than six million people, news about Israel appears almost weekly. Its continuous presence in the news is because it is God’s banner, lifted up so that all the nations may see it.
The Unmistakable Message: God Keeps His Covenants
If the re-gathering is the banner, what is the crucial message displayed? The primary message, based on one personal interpretation, is: GOD KEEPS HIS COVENANTS.
Approximately 3,800 years ago, God established a covenant with Abraham, promising, “I’ll give this land to you and your descendants”. While most people, including many Israelites, may have forgotten this promise, God never did. The modern restoration demonstrates that God is keeping His covenant.
This demonstration of God’s faithfulness is critical for all people. For Christians, this confirmation is vital because their relationship with God is based on the covenant established through the blood of Jesus. If God could break His covenant with Israel, there would be doubt about His covenant with the Church. However, God is emphatically not a covenant breaker; He made a covenant, and He is keeping that covenant. This assurance is considered good and exciting news.
The profound excitement of the Jewish people celebrating the 1947 United Nations vote to partition the territory—when young Jewish people linked arms and danced almost all night in Zion Square—was rooted in the recognition that God was keeping His covenant.