One of the most fundamental truths to believe and embrace concerns the origin of God’s Word, the Scriptures. God, through Paul as he wrote to Timothy and the assembly at Ephesus, declares the origin of the Scriptures: “All scripture is given by inspiration of God” (2 Tim. 3:16 KJV). The phrase “inspiration of God” is defined as “divinely breathed” in Strong’s Concordance (#G2315). The only divinity addressed is God. Therefore, the understanding to be gained and embraced is that all Scripture comes from God and, if it does not come from God it is not Scripture. In 2 Peter 1:16-21, we learn additional details concerning the “inspiration (breath) of God” with respect to the origin of the Scriptures. The word “moved” (21, KJV) is defined as “to be carried along, to be borne along. The word was used of a ship carried along by the wind (Acts 27:15, 17,)” (Linguistic Key To The Greek New Testament)”. To continue the definition and corresponding imagery: “and the metaphor here is that the prophets raised their sails and the Holy Spirit filled them and carried their craft along in the direction He (God) wished”. Therefore, we believe and embrace the truth concerning the origin of the Scriptures – what God said.
The post last week, March 6, 2023, emphasized a phrase from Ezekiel 38 “the latter (last) days” (8). Clearly, the focus of Ezekiel 38 is an attack against the nation of Israel, whom God calls “my people of Israel” (14, KJV). The language and imagery of Ezekiel 38 describes Israel as living securely in their own land, the land God gave them. At the time of the declaration by Ezekiel, the nation of Israel, as a whole, was not living in the land God gave them. Before the attack can occur, the nation of Israel, as a whole, will need to be restored to the land God gave them by being re-gathered from the areas into which they had been dispersed.
In Ezekiel 37:1-14, God showed the prophet a graphic image of a valley full of dry bones. He then asked Ezekiel, “Son of man, can these bones live?” (3, KJV). God instructs Ezekiel to “Prophesy over these bones” (4, ESV). The word “prophesy” is defined by Strong’s Concordance (#H5012) as “to prophesy, i.e. speak (or sing) by inspiration (in prediction or simple discourse) :- prophesy (-ing), make self a prophet.” So, a prophet is one who proclaims, or speaks forth, the inspired message from God. A prophesy may be a prediction of future events, and/or may be a simple discourse or declaration of what God said (2 Peter 1:21). The conclusion is the message comes from God (2 Tim. 3:16). The word of/from God, through Ezekiel, contains the promise of restoring and re-gathering all Israel together into the land God gave them.
This is an excerpt from the National Archives concerning the nation of Israel: “At midnight on May 14, 1948, the Provisional Government of Israel proclaimed a new State of Israel.” (National Archives, www.archives.gov).
Since that time, the people of Israel have been returning to the land God gave them. Click the following links to articles detailing the record setting numbers of people, some 70,000, who returned home to the land of Israel in 2022:
Jerusalem Post: https://www.jpost.com/aliyah/article-725547
The Times Of Israel: https://www.timesofisrael.com/immigration-to-israel-hits-23-year-high-driven-by-russian-invasion-of-ukraine/
In 1960, the total population of Israel was just over 2 million.
In 1980, the total population of Israel was just over 4 million.
As of March 12, 2023, the total population of Israel is over 9 million.
How will we know when the re-gathering is complete? When Israel is attacked – which may be the first event that initiates numerous others about which Daniel and John and wrote.