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Do the prophecies about the restoration of Israel apply only to ancient times? Are the prophecies involving the Jews still in effect?

Question: Many of the prophecies in the Bible speak of the return of the Jews to Israel. But there was a return of Jews in ancient times, after the fall of Babylon. So how do we know that it is correct to apply these prophecies to the second return of Jews, in modern times? By what reasoning can you say that these prophecies were actually talking about the second return in modern times and not fulfilled in the first return in ancient times? Or that the prophecies involving the Jews are still in effect?

Response: What evidence do we have that the prophecies go beyond that ancient era of, say, 2000 or more years ago?

1. The prophecies of destruction, exile, scattering, persecution, preservation, re-gathering, restoration, found at least partial fulfillment more than 2000 years. True. But each of these categories of prophecies found more complete fulfillment during the past 2000 years. On the basis of that alone, one could at least argue that the prophecies relate more to modern times than they did ancient times.

2. Many prophecies about the destruction and restoration of Israel were not written by prophets who lived during the Babylonian Captivity era, and were in no way associated with that era. For example, Moses, Abraham and Jacob are in no way associated with the Babylonian era. But, collectively, they had prophecies about the destruction, exile, scattering, persecution, preservation, re-gathering and restoration of Israel.

3. Many of the prophecies about the destruction and restoration of Israel, including some that were written by the Babylonian Captivity era prophets, were not actually fulfilled immediately after the fall of Babylon, but have only been fulfilled in modern times. (Example, Ezekiel 37:21-22 about a restored, united Israel, or Deuteronomy 28:64 about the Jews being scattered to all nations).

4. Prophecies are promises, not predictions. Predictions are supposed to come true once. But promises can come true more than once.

For example, Moses, in Deuteronomy (chapter 28, for example), speaks of what will happen when Israel turns away from God. He says that Israel will be punished, with destruction, exile, dispersion and persecution. And Moses speaks of what will happen after these punishments have been carried out, that Israel will be preserved, re-gathered, rebuilt, restored, etc.

Think of it this way: How many times was Israel exiled? More than once. So how many times must Israel be re-gathered? More than once.

How many times have at least some of the prophecies involving of Israel's destruction, exile, scattering, persecution, preservation, re-gathering and restoration found fulfillment? More than once.

So when do the Jews stop being the beneficiaries of God's promises to the Jews? Never. Not even once.

Consider the following:

Isaiah 66:22 (NIV):
"As the new heavens and the new earth that I make will endure before me," declares the LORD, "so will your name and descendants endure."

In Isaiah 66:22, we see in plain language, an example of a promise from God to the Jewish people that has no expiration date. This isn't the only example. There are several others that are like it, in one sense or another. Genesis 15:18 has no expiration date. Neither does many of the prophecies associated with Abraham, Jacob and Moses. Same goes for Ezekiel, Jeremiah and Isaiah, etc.

Leviticus 26:44 (NIV):
Yet in spite of this, when they are in the land of their enemies, I will not reject them or abhor them so as to destroy them completely, breaking my covenant with them. I am the LORD their God.

In the prophecy above, delivered by Moses, again we see the permanence of God's promise.

And, finally, let's find an example from Jeremiah who lived during the Babylonian Captivity era, and indeed had at least a few prophecies that were specifically, and only, about the Babylonian Captivity:

Jeremiah 31:35-36 (NIV):
This is what the LORD says, he who appoints the sun to shine by day, who decrees the moon and stars to shine by night, who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar-- the LORD Almighty is his name:

"Only if these decrees vanish from my sight," declares the LORD, "will the descendants of Israel ever cease to be a nation before me."

There's no sign here that God's promises to the Jews stopped at the fall of Babylon some 2500 years ago, or at any time since then. God's promises to the Jews are permanent. (And, no doubt, so are His promises to all people, including Gentiles like myself).


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