Knowing something of the keen interest Christians have concerning Israel today, we think it good and very timely to consider what certain scriptures tell us about Israel's return to their land. The land, of course, belongs to Jehovah and the people also belong to Him but are not now publicly owned by Him because they have disowned Jehovah in turning to idols. And even more, they rejected Him when He came in grace to the remnant of Judah and was presented to them as their Messiah. They cast Him out and crucified Him.
Still, the promises of God remain and all will be fulfilled. "For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance." Rom. 11:2929For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance. (Romans 11:29).
Many scriptures tell about the return of both Judah and Israel to the land promised to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. The particular scripture we refer to now has been explained over one hundred years ago by J.N. Darby who could expound the truth much better, so we quote from his ministry.
“Isa. 18 Whatever critical difficulties exist in this chapter, its great object is too evident to be obscured by any rendering whatever. The rivers of Cush are the Nile and Euphrates. The enemies of Israel, in the biblical part of their history, were situated on these two rivers. There is, in this prophecy, a call made to a country which is beyond them to a distant land which had never, at the time of the prophecy, come into association with Israel. The prophet has then in his view some country which would later come upon the scene. God bids all the inhabitants of the world and dwellers on the earth to take cognizance. (v. 3.) The nations are to have their eyes upon Israel; they are summoned by God to pay attention to what was taking place as to Jerusalem; they are all interested in her fate. The world is invited to watch the judgments about to take place. In the meanwhile (v. 4), God takes His rest, and lets the nations act of themselves; Israel has returned into her land (vv. 5, 6).
“It is a description of Israel's returning into Judea by the help of some nation at a distance from the scene itself, which is neither Babylon nor Egypt, nor other nations who meddled in their affairs of old. We do not say that it is France, Russia, or England. The Israelites return to their land, but God takes no notice of them. Israel is abandoned to the nations, and when everything would appear as if it were going to bear fruit anew (v. 5), behold the sprigs and branches are cut down, and left to the fowls of the air to summer on, and to the beasts of the field to winter on (which terms are designations of the Gentiles). Nevertheless, at that time a present of this people shall be brought to the Lord of hosts, and from this people 'to the place of the name of the Lord of hosts, the mount Zion.' v. 7.
“Psa. 126:44Turn again our captivity, O Lord, as the streams in the south. (Psalm 126:4): 'Turn again our captivity, O Lord.' Zion and Judah will be first brought back. The captives of Zion were already brought back when this prayer was presented to God (v. 1); they are only the earnest of what God will do in the restoration of all Israel.
“But it is fitting here to touch on the manner of God's dealing with the houses of Judah and Israel in their judgment and dispersion. The first to be gathered are those who rejected Jesus, those who were guilty of His death. The ten tribes, as such, were not guilty of this crime. The ten tribes were dispersed before the introduction of the four monarchies into the rule of the world. It was the Assyrians who led captive the ten tribes before Babylon had existence as an empire.
“It is evident that those who rejected the Christ will be subjected to the antichrist; they will make a covenant with death, and an agreement with hell (Isa. 28:1515Because ye have said, We have made a covenant with death, and with hell are we at agreement; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, it shall not come unto us: for we have made lies our refuge, and under falsehood have we hid ourselves: (Isaiah 28:15)), but their covenant will destroy all their hopes. Having united themselves to antichrist, they will undergo the consequence of this alliance and at last will be destroyed. Two thirds of the inhabitants will be cut off in the country of Israel itself after their return (Zech. 13:8, 98And it shall come to pass, that in all the land, saith the Lord, two parts therein shall be cut off and die; but the third shall be left therein. 9And I will bring the third part through the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined, and will try them as gold is tried: they shall call on my name, and I will hear them: I will say, It is my people: and they shall say, The Lord is my God. (Zechariah 13:8‑9)).
“With the ten tribes the occurrences are different, as we know from Ezek. 20:32-3932And that which cometh into your mind shall not be at all, that ye say, We will be as the heathen, as the families of the countries, to serve wood and stone. 33As I live, saith the Lord God, surely with a mighty hand, and with a stretched out arm, and with fury poured out, will I rule over you: 34And I will bring you out from the people, and will gather you out of the countries wherein ye are scattered, with a mighty hand, and with a stretched out arm, and with fury poured out. 35And I will bring you into the wilderness of the people, and there will I plead with you face to face. 36Like as I pleaded with your fathers in the wilderness of the land of Egypt, so will I plead with you, saith the Lord God. 37And I will cause you to pass under the rod, and I will bring you into the bond of the covenant: 38And I will purge out from among you the rebels, and them that transgress against me: I will bring them forth out of the country where they sojourn, and they shall not enter into the land of Israel: and ye shall know that I am the Lord. 39As for you, O house of Israel, thus saith the Lord God; Go ye, serve ye every one his idols, and hereafter also, if ye will not hearken unto me: but pollute ye my holy name no more with your gifts, and with your idols. (Ezekiel 20:32‑39). Instead of two parts cut off in the land, the rebels—that is, the disobedient and rebellious ones among them will not enter at all into Canaan. God does with them, as He did with Israel upon their rebellion after their coming out from Egypt; He destroys them without their even seeing it.
1. “Thus there are two classes, so to speak, of Jews in this return. First, there is the Jewish nation, namely Judah, and those allied with her in the rejection of the true Christ. They will be in connection with the antichrist, and of them two thirds will be cut off in the land.
2. “Secondly, there are those of the ten tribes coming up, of whom some will be cut off in the wilderness on their way into the land.
3. “Besides these two classes of Israelites who will return by providential agency (but still of their own free accord), the Lord after His appearance will gather together from among the Gentiles the elect of the Jewish nation. They will be yet among the nations, and this return will be accompanied with great blessing. (See Matt. 24:3131And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other. (Matthew 24:31); Isa. 27:12, 13; 11:10, 1212And it shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord shall beat off from the channel of the river unto the stream of Egypt, and ye shall be gathered one by one, O ye children of Israel. 13And it shall come to pass in that day, that the great trumpet shall be blown, and they shall come which were ready to perish in the land of Assyria, and the outcasts in the land of Egypt, and shall worship the Lord in the holy mount at Jerusalem. (Isaiah 27:12‑13)
10And 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. (Isaiah 11:10)
12And 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. (Isaiah 11:12).)”
It is very instructive and helpful to see that there are three distinct parts to the return. These are first, a remnant of the two tribes called Judah or the Jews, second, Israel (the ten tribes), and third, the rest of Judah who return and own Christ as Messiah. Ed.