The Re-Gathering of Israel
Since the formation of the Jewish state of Israel in 1948, many Christian preachers have claimed that this is a fulfillment of prophecy, that God has re-gathered his chosen people as prophesied in the Bible. We in the Israel Truth movement do not think the Jewish state fits the prophecies, simply because it does not include Jesus Christ. In the prophecies of the Bible, the person of Jesus Christ is constantly mentioned as accompanying the re-gathering of Israel.
In the first book of the Bible it records how Jacob blessed the tribes of Israel. He said, “The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be.” Genesis 49:10. Shiloh is another name for Jesus Christ. [Ed: Strong’s Concordance 7886 – an epithet of the Messiah] The name means one who brings security and peace. When Israel is re-gathered it will be unto Jesus Christ.
The beginning of the eleventh chapter of the book of Isaiah mentions Jesus Christ: “And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots:” Isaiah 11:1. Then the chapter refers to the Kingdom Age and in verses 10 to 12: “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.” Therefore Jesus Christ will be the ensign that will draw the children of Israel to Himself. I believe this also refers to the great resurrection when Israelites that are buried in Egypt and Assyria will come forth from the graves to eternal life in Christ.
The prophet Ezekiel wrote of the re-gathering of Israel: “And say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I will take the children of Israel from among the heathen, whither they be gone, and will gather them on every side, and bring them into their own land: And I will make them one nation in the land upon the mountains of Israel; and one king shall be king to them all: and they shall be no more two nations, neither shall they be divided into two kingdoms any more at all: Neither shall they defile themselves any more with their idols, nor with their detestable things, nor with any of their transgressions: but I will save them out of all their dwelling places, wherein they have sinned, and will cleanse them: so shall they be my people, and I will be their God. And David my servant shall be king over them; and they all shall have one shepherd: they shall also walk in my judgments, and observe my statutes, and do them.” Ezekiel 37: 21-24. Therefore, Jesus Christ, of the house of David, shall reign over the people of Israel in the re-gathering of Israel.
Modern preachers like to quote verses from the book of the prophet Jeremiah that tell about the re-gathering of Israel. Jeremiah wrote more about it than any other prophet. Chapters 29 to 33 in the book of Jeremiah are saturated with prophecies about the re-gathering of Israel. The summation of these prophecies is in chapter 33: “Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will perform that good thing which I have promised unto the house of Israel and to the house of Judah. In those days, and at that time, will I cause the Branch of righteousness to grow up unto David; and he shall execute judgment and righteousness in the land.” Jeremiah 33: 14-15. Jeremiah links the re-gathering of the people of Israel with the reign of Jesus Christ. Earlier in the book there is this prophecy: “Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth. In his days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely: and this is his name whereby he shall be called, The Lord Our Righteousness. Therefore, behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that they shall no more say, The Lord liveth, which brought up the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt; But, The Lord liveth, which brought up and which led the seed of the house of Israel out of the north country, and from all countries whither I had driven them; and they shall dwell in their own land.” Jeremiah 23: 5-8. Again, the re-gathering of Israel is connected to the reign of Jesus Christ.
So, where have the modern Christian preachers gone wrong in their understanding of the re-gathering of Israel? Simply put, they have left out Jesus Christ. The re-gathering of Israel will happen only when Jesus Christ returns to set up his Kingdom. He will draw all Christians to Himself and immediately declare himself King over all of the descendants of Jacob. Then He will gradually extend his reign over the entire world until He is Emperor over everything. This is my belief and the belief of most people in the Israel Truth movement.
