There are many things that we can be thankful to God. You may have your own list of things to thank God for or if you still do not yet have a list, then you may imagine it in your mind or better still, write it down.
We have many reasons to be thankful for. When we were in Israel, one of the things that struck us is that prophecies in the Bible are being fulfilled in our modern times. Not all prophecies in the Old Testament were fulfilled in the New Testament. Prophecies in the New Testament are still being fulfilled and will be fulfilled. We need to be thankful that prophecies are being fulfilled. That means that the Bible is true.
Let me mention two prophecies that were fulfilled in the last 75 years.
First, the desert will bloom. The prophecy in Isaiah 41:18-20 is being fulfilled in our lifetime.
Our guide recited from memory the words of God written by Isaiah: “I will make rivers flow on barren heights, and springs within the valleys. I will turn the desert into pools of water, and the parched ground into springs. I will put in the desert the cedar and the acacia, the myrtle and the olive. I will set junipers in the wasteland, the fir and the cypress together, so that people may see and know, may consider and understand, that the hand of the Lord has done this, that the Holy One of Israel has created it.”
You would have to see it to believe it. There are greenhouses all over the wilderness that were just put up 10 to 20 years ago. How did the rivers flow into barren heights? They have black hoses all over the greenhouse and this drip irrigation brings water to the plants. Imagine all kinds of trees and fruit trees – dates, olive trees, bananas, mangoes, vegetables and other fruits and trees in the desert.
How did they do it? They brought fertile soil from other parts of Israel to the desert. Agriculture is now a top contributor to the economy of Israel. The prophecy has been fulfilled.
Moreover, the wild acacias are growing in the Dead Sea area. This is another tree that was prophesied to grow in the wild. It is to be noted that the Ark of the Covenant and its poles and some parts of the Tabernacle was made of acacia.
Second, the restoration of Israel.
Can you imagine that modern Israel is just 75 years old this 2023? In the year 70 AD, the Second Temple was destroyed by the Roman Empire. Jews were scattered all over the world – a great diaspora. Due to that destruction, the only remaining remnant of the Temple is the Western Wall or Wailing Wall.
For thousands of years the Jewish people wandered the world in exile. But the Word of God is true. God would bring back them back to their land. On May 15, 1948 the State of Israel declared its independence. Just months before that on November 29, 1947, the United Nations General Assembly adopted Resolution 181.
Philippine President Manuel Roxas instructed Carlos P. Romulo to cast the crucial vote at the UN to separate Israel from Palestine. The Philippines is the only Asian country to support the creation of the state of Israel.
May 15, 1948, happened to be a Sabbath. Do you know what they read in the synagogue throughout the world on the day?
It was an ancient prophecy from Amos 9:11-15: “I will restore David’s fallen tabernacle. I will repair its broken walls and restore its ruins. I will rebuild it as it used to be . . . And I will bring my people Israel back from exile. They will rebuild the ruined cities and live in them. They will plant vineyards and drink their wine. They will make gardens and eat their fruit. I will plant Israel in their own land, never again to be uprooted from the land I have given them.’”
Israel was planted in their own land again. The prophecy has been fulfilled.
Isaiah 66:8, states, “Who has ever heard of such things? Who has ever seen things like this? Can a country be born in a day or a nation be brought forth in a moment? Yet no sooner is Zion in labor than she gives birth to her children.”
This prophecy foretold the sudden and unexpected re-establishment of Israel as a nation. After almost 2,000 years of exile and persecution, the modern state of Israel was declared, fulfilling this prophecy.
Another prophecy found in Zechariah 8:23, states, “This is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘In those days ten people from all languages and nations will take firm hold of one Jew by the hem of his robe and say, “Let us go with you, because we have heard that God is with you.”’”
This prophecy foretold the ingathering of the exiles, as Jews from all over the world would return to their ancestral homeland. Today, Israel is home to Jews from over 100 countries, and people from all over the world visit Israel as a holy and spiritual destination.
The Independence Day of Israel is celebrated on the fifth day of the Hebrew month of Iyar which usually falls between late April and early May. This year the date starts on the eve of April 25 to 26, 2023.
As Israel celebrates its 75th Independence Day, Christians should remember that the restoration of Israel is a significant event in God’s plan for humanity, and we should pray for the peace and prosperity of Israel and for the peace of Jerusalem as Psalm 122:6 says.
What does it mean for Christians? It means that what is in the Bible is true, and the God of the Bible will be faithful to fulfill what is written there.
We also look forward to the fulfillment of another prophecy in Acts 1:11 which says that Jesus is coming again. We have to believe that Jesus is coming back!
Let us ponder on the fulfillment of prophecies in the Bible and thank God because of it! – NWI
