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ISRAEL'S REBIRTH IN 1948 FORETOLD BY EZEKIEL
by Grant Jeffrey
(In this article Grant Jeffrey demonstrates that the Bible
prophesied Israel's rebirth on May 14, 1948. It was first
published in his book Armageddon - Appointment With Destiny in
1988.)
Israel's First Captivity and Return
On the 14th day of Nisan, Passover, the Lord made a covenant with
Abraham for the Promised Land. God also prophesied that Abraham's
descendants would be in affliction and bondage for precisely 430
years. "And he said unto Abraham, know of a surety that thy seed
shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs, and shall serve
them, and they shall afflict them four hundred years" (Genesis
15:13).
This "affliction" began 30 years later with the hatred expressed
to Isaac by Ishmael's mocking attitude (Genesis 21:8-10). This
affliction of Abraham's seed in Canaan eventually ended in the
bondage in Egypt. "Now the sojourning of the children of Israel,
who dwelt in Egypt, was four hundred and thirty years. And it
came to pass at the end of the four hundred and thirty years,
even the selfsame day it came to pass, that all the hosts of the
Lord went out from the land of Egypt" (Exodus 12:40-41). On
Passover, 430 years later, the captivity ended. The Apostle Paul
confirmed that the captivity lasted precisely 430 years
(Galatians 3:17).
Israel's Second Captivity and Return
When many of the kings of Judah began to rebel against God,
numerous people turned to idol worship and pagan gods despite
God's warnings through His prophets. The 10 northern tribes of
Israel were conquered by the Assyrians in 721 B.C.E. (2 Kings
17:6). Then, Jeremiah prophesied that the Kingdom of Judah would
also be removed for precisely 70 years from the Promised Land
beginning in 606 B.C.E. because of their sins. "And this whole
land shall be a desolation, and an astonishment; and these
nations shall serve the king of Babylon seventy years" (Jeremiah
25:11). Precisely 70 years later on the first day of Nisan, 536
B.C.E. King Cyrus of Persia released the Jews, just as Jeremiah
had prophesied. Despite the royal permission, only a small
remnant of the Jews left Babylon and returned to Israel. The vast
majority never returned, choosing rather to reside in the nation
of their captivity.
The Third and Worldwide Captivity
The Bible contains numerous prophecies of a final return of the
exiles to the Promised Land in the "last days." In light of the
precision of the prophecies about the duration of the earlier
captivities, it seemed probable to me that the prophets must
have revealed when the Jews would return from their final
captivity to establish their nation. The prophet Ezekiel was
given a vision concerning the final return of his people. "This
shall be a sign to the house of Israel. Lie thou also upon thy
left side, and lay the iniquity of the house of Israel upon it:
according to the number of the days that thou shalt lie upon it
thou shalt bear their iniquity. For I have laid upon thee the
years of their iniquity, according to the number of the days,
three hundred and ninety days: so shalt thou bear the iniquity of
the house of Israel. And when thou hast accomplished them, lie
again on thy right side, and thou shalt bear the iniquity of the
house of Judah forty days: I have appointed thee each day for a
year" (Ezekiel 4:3-6).
Ezekiel declared that each day represents one biblical year.
Israel would be punished for 430 years (390 years and 40 years).
At the end of the 70 years of prophesied captivity in Babylon, in
Nisan 536 B.C.E., only a small remnant of the house of Judah
returned to Jerusalem to fulfill the prophecy. The vast majority
of the Jews remained in the Persian Empire as colonists.
Therefore, when we deduct the 70 years in Babylon that ended in
Nisan 536 B.C.E. from Ezekiel's 430 years of punishment, Israel
still had 360 years of further captivity due following the end of
the Babylonian Captivity.
Despite the precision of Ezekiel's prophecy there was no return
to the land, either 430 years or 360 years after 536 B.C.E. The
solution to this mystery is found in Leviticus 26. The Lord
established promises and punishments for Israel based on her
obedience and her disobedience. God told Israel four times in
this passage that if, after being punished for her sins, they
still would not repent, the punishments previously specified
would be multiplied by seven (the number of completion). "And if
ye will not yet for all this hearken unto me, then I will punish
you seven times more for your sins" (Leviticus 26:18; also
Leviticus 26:21, 23-24, 27-28). In other words, if the Israelites
did not repent, the punishment previously promised (360 years)
would be multiplied seven times (360 years x 7 = 2,520 biblical
years) to reach a total of 2,520 years. Therefore, as of 536
B.C.E., the final restoration to the Holy Land would occur only
after 2,520 biblical years.
The Biblical Year of 360 Days
When we refer to biblical/prophetic years we refer to the ancient
Jewish year of 360 days. While our modern calendar year contains
365.25 days and the modern Hebrew calendar has 354 days, the
biblical year of ancient Israel was lunar-solar and contained
only 360 days. The solar calendar year of 365.25 days was not
used by Israel. According to articles in the Encyclopedia
Britannica and Smith's Bible Dictionary on chronology, Abraham
used a year of 360 days consisting of 12 months of 30 days each.
The Bible's account of the flood confirms the ancient biblical
year of 360 days describing a five-month period as consisting of
precisely 150 days between the 17th day of the second month to
the 17th day of the seventh month (5 x 30 days = 150 days). Sir
Isaac Newton declared that "all nations, before the just length
of the solar year was known, reckoned months by the course of the
moon, and years by the return of winter and summer, spring and
autumn; and in making calendars for their festivals, they
reckoned thirty days to a lunar month, and twelve lunar months to
a year taking the nearest round numbers, whence came the division
of the ecliptic into 360 degrees." The book of Esther (1:4)
reveals this 360-day year in its description of a six-month-long
feast that lasts precisely 180 days. The prophet Daniel also
confirms this fact by describing one-half of the 70th week
(Daniel 9:24-27) as containing exactly 1,260 days (3.5 x 360
days). Sir Robert Anderson, the brilliant head of Scotland Yard
in 1895, described the 360-day year in his book The Coming
Prince.
The Calculation
The Babylonian captivity ended in the spring of 536 B.C.E., 1st
Nisan. This date is the starting point for our calculations. The
period of worldwide captivity would last 2,520 biblical years x
360 days = 907,200 days. Converting this figure into our calendar
year we divide the 907,200 days by 365.25 to reach a total of
2,483.8 calendar years. (Remember that there is only one year
between 1 B.C.E. and 1 C.E.; there was no Year Zero). The end of
Israel's worldwide captivity would occur after a total of 2,483.8
years had elapsed from the end of the Babylonian Captivity in the
spring of 536 B.C.E.
End of Babylonian Captivity: Spring 536 B.C.E. + the duration of
Worldwide Captivity: 2,483.8 Calendar Years = When the Worldwide
Captivity would end: Spring 1948.
The Rebirth of Israel: May 14th 1948
On May 14, 1948, the Jewish people proclaimed the independence of
Israel and the end of their worldwide captivity at the precise
time prophesied by the prophet Ezekiel. On this very day a united
Israel took its place as a sovereign, independent state among the
nations.
by Grant Jeffrey
(In this article Grant Jeffrey demonstrates that the Bible
prophesied Israel's rebirth on May 14, 1948. It was first
published in his book Armageddon - Appointment With Destiny in
1988.)
Israel's First Captivity and Return
On the 14th day of Nisan, Passover, the Lord made a covenant with
Abraham for the Promised Land. God also prophesied that Abraham's
descendants would be in affliction and bondage for precisely 430
years. "And he said unto Abraham, know of a surety that thy seed
shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs, and shall serve
them, and they shall afflict them four hundred years" (Genesis
15:13).
This "affliction" began 30 years later with the hatred expressed
to Isaac by Ishmael's mocking attitude (Genesis 21:8-10). This
affliction of Abraham's seed in Canaan eventually ended in the
bondage in Egypt. "Now the sojourning of the children of Israel,
who dwelt in Egypt, was four hundred and thirty years. And it
came to pass at the end of the four hundred and thirty years,
even the selfsame day it came to pass, that all the hosts of the
Lord went out from the land of Egypt" (Exodus 12:40-41). On
Passover, 430 years later, the captivity ended. The Apostle Paul
confirmed that the captivity lasted precisely 430 years
(Galatians 3:17).
Israel's Second Captivity and Return
When many of the kings of Judah began to rebel against God,
numerous people turned to idol worship and pagan gods despite
God's warnings through His prophets. The 10 northern tribes of
Israel were conquered by the Assyrians in 721 B.C.E. (2 Kings
17:6). Then, Jeremiah prophesied that the Kingdom of Judah would
also be removed for precisely 70 years from the Promised Land
beginning in 606 B.C.E. because of their sins. "And this whole
land shall be a desolation, and an astonishment; and these
nations shall serve the king of Babylon seventy years" (Jeremiah
25:11). Precisely 70 years later on the first day of Nisan, 536
B.C.E. King Cyrus of Persia released the Jews, just as Jeremiah
had prophesied. Despite the royal permission, only a small
remnant of the Jews left Babylon and returned to Israel. The vast
majority never returned, choosing rather to reside in the nation
of their captivity.
The Third and Worldwide Captivity
The Bible contains numerous prophecies of a final return of the
exiles to the Promised Land in the "last days." In light of the
precision of the prophecies about the duration of the earlier
captivities, it seemed probable to me that the prophets must
have revealed when the Jews would return from their final
captivity to establish their nation. The prophet Ezekiel was
given a vision concerning the final return of his people. "This
shall be a sign to the house of Israel. Lie thou also upon thy
left side, and lay the iniquity of the house of Israel upon it:
according to the number of the days that thou shalt lie upon it
thou shalt bear their iniquity. For I have laid upon thee the
years of their iniquity, according to the number of the days,
three hundred and ninety days: so shalt thou bear the iniquity of
the house of Israel. And when thou hast accomplished them, lie
again on thy right side, and thou shalt bear the iniquity of the
house of Judah forty days: I have appointed thee each day for a
year" (Ezekiel 4:3-6).
Ezekiel declared that each day represents one biblical year.
Israel would be punished for 430 years (390 years and 40 years).
At the end of the 70 years of prophesied captivity in Babylon, in
Nisan 536 B.C.E., only a small remnant of the house of Judah
returned to Jerusalem to fulfill the prophecy. The vast majority
of the Jews remained in the Persian Empire as colonists.
Therefore, when we deduct the 70 years in Babylon that ended in
Nisan 536 B.C.E. from Ezekiel's 430 years of punishment, Israel
still had 360 years of further captivity due following the end of
the Babylonian Captivity.
Despite the precision of Ezekiel's prophecy there was no return
to the land, either 430 years or 360 years after 536 B.C.E. The
solution to this mystery is found in Leviticus 26. The Lord
established promises and punishments for Israel based on her
obedience and her disobedience. God told Israel four times in
this passage that if, after being punished for her sins, they
still would not repent, the punishments previously specified
would be multiplied by seven (the number of completion). "And if
ye will not yet for all this hearken unto me, then I will punish
you seven times more for your sins" (Leviticus 26:18; also
Leviticus 26:21, 23-24, 27-28). In other words, if the Israelites
did not repent, the punishment previously promised (360 years)
would be multiplied seven times (360 years x 7 = 2,520 biblical
years) to reach a total of 2,520 years. Therefore, as of 536
B.C.E., the final restoration to the Holy Land would occur only
after 2,520 biblical years.
The Biblical Year of 360 Days
When we refer to biblical/prophetic years we refer to the ancient
Jewish year of 360 days. While our modern calendar year contains
365.25 days and the modern Hebrew calendar has 354 days, the
biblical year of ancient Israel was lunar-solar and contained
only 360 days. The solar calendar year of 365.25 days was not
used by Israel. According to articles in the Encyclopedia
Britannica and Smith's Bible Dictionary on chronology, Abraham
used a year of 360 days consisting of 12 months of 30 days each.
The Bible's account of the flood confirms the ancient biblical
year of 360 days describing a five-month period as consisting of
precisely 150 days between the 17th day of the second month to
the 17th day of the seventh month (5 x 30 days = 150 days). Sir
Isaac Newton declared that "all nations, before the just length
of the solar year was known, reckoned months by the course of the
moon, and years by the return of winter and summer, spring and
autumn; and in making calendars for their festivals, they
reckoned thirty days to a lunar month, and twelve lunar months to
a year taking the nearest round numbers, whence came the division
of the ecliptic into 360 degrees." The book of Esther (1:4)
reveals this 360-day year in its description of a six-month-long
feast that lasts precisely 180 days. The prophet Daniel also
confirms this fact by describing one-half of the 70th week
(Daniel 9:24-27) as containing exactly 1,260 days (3.5 x 360
days). Sir Robert Anderson, the brilliant head of Scotland Yard
in 1895, described the 360-day year in his book The Coming
Prince.
The Calculation
The Babylonian captivity ended in the spring of 536 B.C.E., 1st
Nisan. This date is the starting point for our calculations. The
period of worldwide captivity would last 2,520 biblical years x
360 days = 907,200 days. Converting this figure into our calendar
year we divide the 907,200 days by 365.25 to reach a total of
2,483.8 calendar years. (Remember that there is only one year
between 1 B.C.E. and 1 C.E.; there was no Year Zero). The end of
Israel's worldwide captivity would occur after a total of 2,483.8
years had elapsed from the end of the Babylonian Captivity in the
spring of 536 B.C.E.
End of Babylonian Captivity: Spring 536 B.C.E. + the duration of
Worldwide Captivity: 2,483.8 Calendar Years = When the Worldwide
Captivity would end: Spring 1948.
The Rebirth of Israel: May 14th 1948
On May 14, 1948, the Jewish people proclaimed the independence of
Israel and the end of their worldwide captivity at the precise
time prophesied by the prophet Ezekiel. On this very day a united
Israel took its place as a sovereign, independent state among the
nations.
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