DISPERSION AND GATHERING OF THE ISRAELITES

God's covenant with Abraham is to establish His plan for the nations of the world through His chosen people Israel (Ge 12:3). The promise was realized through Jesus Christ, the Seed of Abraham. Israel was later captured by the Assyrian, the Babylonian, Persian, Greek and Roman empires. God dispersed the Israelites because of disobedience and sins, but God did not completely forsake them. In the end time, God will gather them from the places where He had dispersed them.

God appeared unto Abraham and asked him to leave his country and kindred: "Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will shew thee" (Ge 12:1). In verse 7, "And the Lord appeared unto Abram, and said, Unto thy seed will I given this land (Israel)."

Abraham was justified by faith and Canaan was again promised, and confirmed by a sign and vision (Ge 15) "In the same day the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying , Unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates:"(v. 18).

Before Isaac was born, God promised Abraham that He "will establish my (God's) covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, and with his seed after him." The covenant is everlasting but Abraham and his seed after him must keep God's covenant (Ge 17:9,10). The three covenant promises, namely, land, descendants, and blessings are foundational upon keeping of God's covenant.

This drawing by Dr. Semion Natliashvili depicts the modern ingathering of the Jewish People after 2,000 years of Diaspora.

The center image of the picture shows young and old man attired in prayer shawl and reading from a Torah scroll that has united the Jewish People. The written portion shows Shema Yisrael Adonay Eloheynu Adonay Echad (Hear, Israel, the Lord is our G-d, the Lord is One).

The Star of David symbolizes the gathering of the Jewish People from all corners of the world including Georgia (country of birth of the artist), Morocco, Russia, America, China, Ethiopia, Europe and other countries joining together in dance and celebration. Other images inside the star symbolize modern Israeli industry, agriculture and military. The images on the margins of the picture symbolize the major threats that the Jewish People faced in Exile starting from the Exodus from Egypt, followed by Romans, Arabs and culminating in the gas-chambers of the Holocaust in Europe.

God said to the Israelites that He would scatter them in the countries, but eventually would gather them back again to Israel.

"I shall scatter them among the nations, and disperse them in the countries" (Ezekiel 12:15).

"And I will scatter thee among the heathen, and disperse thee in the countries ..." (Ezekiel 22:15; 36:19).

Solomon sinned against God by worshipping the strange gods of his many wives, resulting in God's wrath. God's covenant with Solomon is quoted In 1 Kings 9, "Then I will establish the throne of thy kingdom upon Israel for ever, ... 6. But if ye shall at all turn from following me, ... 7. Then will I cut off Israel out of the land which I have given them; and this house, which I have hallowed for my name, will I cast out of my sight;"

The land of Israel was in the hands of the Hebrews from the time of Abraham (2000 BC) until after the death of Solomon. During the reign of Rehoboam, son of Solomon, the kingdom was divided into two, Israel with 10 nations in the north and Judah and Benjamin in the south.

Second Kings records the destruction and captivity of Israel by the Assyrians (2 K 17) in 722 BC as well as the destruction and captivity of Judah by the Babylonians (2 K 25) in 587 BC.

About 50,000 people returned to Jerusalem during the reign of Cyrus, king of Persia to restore the temple. After eight-one years later, a smaller group of less than two thousand men returned.

Daniel's vision in chapter 7 portrays the Babylonian, Persian, Greek and Roman empires whereby the Israelites were probably taken captives to their countries.

Jesus Christ was born when Israel was under Roman rule. One day His disciples showed Him the buildings of the temple and Jesus prophesied in Matthew 24:2, "See ye not all these things? verily, I say unto you, There shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down." Seventy years later, the prophecy of Jesus came to pass. The destruction of the temple was the destruction of Israel.

Israel did not exist as a nation until 1948 when the people were recognised again as a nation which was about 2000 years since the birth of Jesus Christ.

"And it shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord shall set his hand again the second time to recover the remnant of his people ... ... and shall assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather together the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth"(Isaiah 12:11,12).

It is confirmed by Jeremiah 29:14; 23:3 and Ezekiel 11:17.

"I will gather you from all the nation, and from all the places whither I have driven you, saith the Lord; and I will bring you again into the place whence I caused you to be carried away captive" (Jeremiah 29:14).

"And I will gather the remnant of my flock out of all countries whither I have driven them, and will bring them again to their folds; and they shall be fruitful and increase" (Jeremiah 23:3).

"I will even gather you from the people, and assemble you out of the countries where ye have been scattered, and I will give you the land of Israel" (Ezekiel 11:17).

Don McLaughlin, Director of Outreach, Bible Voice wrote on August 27, 2002 re Messianic News:

"the Jews to return, (Isa. 11:12) and to the nations of the world to give up His people so they may return to Israel. (Isa. 43:5,6) In fact, the Lord Himself has even declared that the nations of the world will bring the Jews home.

(Isa. 60:9 & 49:22)

In recent days, Jews have emigrated to Israel from the former Soviet Union, Eastern Europe, Argentina, Ethiopia, France, Peru, Uruguay, Brazil, Colombia, Chile, Canada, USA, England, Germany, Austria, Australia, Switzerland, South Africa, Germany and India. In all, Jews from 20 nations have come back home in only recent months, and at a time when Israel suffers its most difficulty."

Subject: NEWS FROM JERUSALEM - February 22, 2003

Do you know that 17,000 "Falash Mura" - Ethiopian Jews were given the green light to emigrate to Israel?.

" Israel has decided to allow 17,000 "Falash Mura" - Ethiopian Jews who converted to Christianity - to immigrate to the Jewish state. The Falash Mura are black Jews who accepted Christianity generations ago, but secretly kept their Jewish identity. ... Meridor told Israel Radio. Prime Minister Ariel Sharon says a goal of his new government will be to increase immigration."

In the past, thousands of Ethiopian Jews were taken to Israel by airplane. Many Indian Jews from India recently also returned while in the latest news, thousands of Argentinan Jews also flocked home to Israel in spite of the threats of suicide bombers to disrupt the country.

"And it shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord shall set his hand again the second time to recover the remnant of his people, which shall be left, ... v. 12 And 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 12:11,12).

Thus God spoke and the prophecy is being fulfilled now. Praise the Lord.

In March 2014, the International Christian Embassy Jerusalem were raising funds to sponsor more than 100 Ukrainian Jews to Israel due to crises in Ukraine,. They were expected to arrive in Tel Aviv soon.

The ongoing revolution caused great concern for the Jewish community of about 200,000 people. The number of Jews going to Israel has increased double in 2014.

Since the early 1990s, the ICEJ has sponsored over 42,000 Ukrainian Jews to return to Israel.

Indian Jews Today

75,000 Indian Jews now live in Israel making over 1% of Israel's total population

The majority of Indian Jews have "made Aliyah" (migrated) to Israel; since the creation of the modern state in 1948. A total of 75,000 Indian Jews now live in Israel (over 1% of Israel's total population). There are reminders of Jewish localities in Kerala still left such as Synagogues.

Recently in 2014 another group of 250 Bnei Menashe Jews made aliyah on flights sponsored by the International Christian Embassy Jerusalem. Another 500 are expected at the end of this year.

http://einron.hubpages.com/hub/indianjewsreturntoisrael

www.israeltoday.co.il

Despite wars and terror, the exiles continue to return to Zion! More than 30,000 immigrants arrived in Israel in 2015, a 10 percent increase over the previous year and the highest immigration (aliyah) figure since 2003.

According to a report by the Jewish Agency, a record 7,900 immigrants arrived from France, a 10 percent rise from 2014. ...

The second largest group came from Ukraine, prompted by the fighting with Russia. Some 7,000 Ukrainian immigrants reached Israel in 2015, up 15 percent from 2014; and 6,600 immigrants came from Russia, a spike of 40 percent over the previous year.

Immigrants from North America stood at 3,768 in 2015, a slight decrease from 3,871 in 2014. ...

ICEJ March/April 2016

Immigration of Jewish physicians to Israel is a real win-win situation. while Israeli universities produce some 120 doctors annually, some 300 of doctors of doctors from abroad make aliyah each year

WORD FROM JERUSALEM

May/June 2017

UKRAINE

When the civil war broke out in Ukraine in the Spring of 2014, ...

ICEJ has rescued 1,318 Ukraine Jews from the warzone ...

FRANCE

Since the Islamic terror reached France in 2001, more than

50,000 French Jews have made Aliyah to Israel.... Since 2010,

ICEJ has assisted more than 4,000 French Jews in their journey...

BELARUS

... Since 2006, the ICEJ has helped some 4,000 Belarus Jews ...

So far in 2017, the Belarusian Aliyah is already up by 88% from

the same period in 2016.

RUSSIA

Last year the ICEJ assisted about a thousand Russian Jews to

return to Israel. Aliyah has risen 34% in the first months of 2017.

LATVIA, LITHUANIA, ESTONIA & UZBEKISTAN

The ICEJ also assists Jewish people to make Aliyah in other

former Soviet Republics.

INDIA

The unique tribe of Bnei Menashe is one of the youngest to

start making Aliyah to Israel.

CHINA

In 2000, the ICEJ brought the first family of Kaifeng Jews to

Israel through Finland, and we have actively helped nearly

two dozen who have come since then.