An Israeli Citizen’s View of Prophetic Fulfillment

“I will take the children of Israel from among the heathen, whither they be gone, and will gather them on every side, and bring them into their own land: And I will make them one nation in the land upon the mountains of Israel; and one king shall be king to them all: and they shall be no more two nations, neither shall they be divided into two kingdoms any more at all” (Ezekiel 37:21-22).

by Hava Bausch, Israeli Citizen

The fulfillment of Bible prophecy has three distinct phases: (1) What has been fulfilled. (2) What will still be fulfilled. (3) What is happening now! Sometimes we miss the now because we focus on the past and future.

The Now

When my husband Lev and I came with a Bible Student youth tour to Israel in 1968 with Casmir and Elva Lanowick, we were thrilled to “walk around inside the Bible” for three weeks. Little did we know at that time that we would return to live in Israel and we would be able to see prophecy being fulfilled before our eyes, now every day, for the past 46 years!

Today we see our banner scripture being fulfilled daily, right before our eyes!

Ezekiel 37:21-22 informs us that God scattered the Nation of Israel at one time, but now He is bringing them back to the Land of Israel! There are over sixty-four scripture prophecies about the return of the People of Israel to the Land of Israel. Each provides further detail about this regathering. It is a privilege for me to see this regathering in real-time, every day, while I live in Israel!

Israel is God’s Melting Pot for World Jewry

Immigration has increased the population of the Nation of Israel over 10
times since its founding in 1948 and it is still going strong. This huge influx
of people from all over the world puts an unimaginable strain on our municipal systems and social programs. It puts a heavy burden on the State
of Israel as it struggles to find places for these precious immigrants to live, schools for their children, and jobs for them which complement Israel’s
strategic plan for growth.

European Jews

With the tragedy of WWII and the Holocaust in Europe, Jewish people came from Germany, Austria, Holland, France, Hungary, Scandinavia, and other
European nations. The rich and diverse culture brought with these European Jews is evidenced all around Israel.

Many of the Founding Fathers of the Nation of Israel were Jewish immigrants who experienced or escaped the Holocaust. They came and created the “New Jew,” the antithesis of the “Ghetto Jew.” They are no longer Jews in a foreign land at risk of persecution or death for their heritage. Zionism and Israel have created self-determined Jews, now in their own land, who are self-sufficient, building a thriving Israel. Today, many Israelis who wake up each day in our vibrant nation are the children, grandchildren, or great grandchildren of Jewish immigrants who either
experienced or escaped the Holocaust.

When Lev and I moved to Israel in November 1973, we lived on a
Kibbutz Beit Oren on the Carmiel above Haifa. We learned the Hebrew
language there with many of the Jews who escaped to Israel on either boats,
like the “Exodus,” or who arrived over land. We lived near the town of
Nahariya in the northern coastal area of Israel, which was mostly populated by German Jews before the State of Israel was established. (Nahariya was Kibbutz Beit Oren the only town in Israel where the end of WWII was announced in the German language.)

As a Christian who is an Israeli citizen, I am constantly amazed with my daily interactions in this amazing nation, even during the otherwise
mundane daily activities of life. It is exhilarating for me to see the Jewish people return to the Land of Israel. I see this fulfillment of prophecy several times each day when I see new Jewish citizens who have come from all corners of the earth. We see them on buses, in grocery stores, on sidewalks! We read articles about them in our newspapers and we see their emotional
testimonies on television news!

Jews from Arab Nations

Then, there are the Jews who came from the Arab nations where many had lived for hundreds of years. Over 700,000 of these Jews came from all of the surrounding Arab countries. They were literally “thrown out” of their home countries when the Nation of Israel was established in 1948. As they were evicted from these Arab countries, they forfeited their homes, businesses, and jobs. They came to Israel with very few possessions and through much hardship — and Israel’s doors were open to them and loved them as a
relative returning home.

These Arab speaking Jews also brought their cultures and foods with them. The community where I live now is assimilating Jews from Morocco, Tunisia, and Libya. These people have brought a rich and invigorating oriental lifestyle (and food) with them.

Jews from Russia

The melting pot continued when the Russian Jews arrived beginning in the 1990s. They were “let out” of the former Soviet Union, and Israel was in
turn blessed with many educated immigrants: doctors, scientists, musicians, etc. My family doctor at my clinic is Russian, as well as many doctors in our
local hospital.

One of the evidences of the melting pot of Israel is that the packaged food for sale in grocery stores must now be multi-lingual in order to serve the immigrants: Hebrew, Arabic, Russian, and sometimes even a bit of English. The Russian Jews have had a huge impact and influence on daily life in Israel, and their impact extends to political influence as they now have their own political party in the Israeli Knesset.

Jews from Ethiopia

The Ethiopian Jews began arriving in Israel at about the same time as the Russian Jews. They were far different than the Russians in that they had to “catch-up” to this century. They arrived in a modern Israeli society whose
way of living was so strange to them. For example, why did entrance doors to hotels and grocery stores open when you stood in front of them? Why did the town fountain keep giving-forth water? Why couldn’t they reach out and touch the person they saw in the television?

Over twenty years later, we now see the children of these Ethiopian immigrants in skilled professions as well as in leading positions in our government. In my neighborhood, one young Ethiopian woman faithfully
works in our clinic. Another young Ethiopian woman recently won the Miss Israel competition.

Jews from Other Nations

Today, we are seeing many English-speaking Jews come home to Israel from the USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, and England. Jews
from all of the countries in South America are making the move to Israel daily. Each individual will bring with them their own life-style and each will add a new dimension to our life here in Israel. These precious immigrants are welcomed with Israel’s open arms.

Jews who were considered part of the “lost tribes” are being found in parts of India and China. But for God, these peoples were not lost, for God said they would be gathered again.

When I ride the bus in Tiberias, I might be sitting next to Jews from the Arab nations one day and on the following day next to Jews from Russia, America, France — virtually anywhere. This is the daily and ever-changing mosaic I see while living in Israel!

As the Jews return to Israel from “among the heathen,” they each bring with them their unique flavors of lifestyle: a mixture of culture, music, food, and zest for life. Who would think that seeing a “McDonald’s” sign in Israel would point to the fulfillment of the people brought back to their land! But this is the wonder of daily life in Israel as we are able to “walk by sight” using our prophetic eye. We continue to trust in God and we trust in the fulfillment of His unfolding prophetic plan as it changes this wonderfully blessed Promised Land of Israel!