How God Reveals His Prophetic Timeline Through Israel Restored
Visions of the restoration of Israel are woven throughout the Old Testament. Through many prophets, God paints a future in which Israel restored becomes the centerpiece of His redemptive plan. Yet Ezekiel gives us one of the clearest, most detailed revelations—not only of the restoration itself, but of where humanity sits on God’s prophetic timeline.
Ezekiel brings us to the epicenter of all end-time prophecy: the nation and people of Israel. Jesus was a Jew. He was born in Israel. God’s redemptive story began in Israel, and Christ will return to Israel at the end of the age. Everything in the last days converges upon the world and is centered in the land of Israel and upon God’s chosen people.
Any claim that the church has replaced Israel is rooted in pride and a rejection of God’s Word to Ezekiel and the other prophets—especially Jeremiah. God Himself refutes replacement theology:
“Thus says the Lord,
Who gives the sun for a light by day,
The ordinances of the moon and the stars for a light by night,
Who disturbs the sea,
And its waves roar
(The Lord of hosts is His name):
36 If those ordinances depart
From before Me, says the Lord,
Then the seed of Israel shall also cease
From being a nation before Me forever.” (Jeremiah 31:35–36)
If the sun, moon, and stars still exist, Israel still exists—and God’s promises still stand. The restoration of Israel is irreversible.
Now, let’s walk verse-by-verse through Ezekiel 36:16–38, uncovering where Ezekiel places us on God’s timeline of prophecy and how close we are to the events of Ezekiel 38–39 and the Great Tribulation.
The Restoration Of Israel and God’s Judgment (Ezekiel 36:16–19)
Why Israel Was Scattered—and Why Israel Restored Must Happen
(Verses 16-19) God again addresses Ezekiel as “Son of Man,” a title unique among the Old Testament prophets. God uses no other prophet’s name this way.
The Lord reminds Ezekiel how deeply Israel fell into sin. He uses the metaphor of a woman’s menstrual impurity—a powerful image in a culture that understood the seriousness of ceremonial uncleanness as spoken in the book of Leviticus (Leviticus 15:19-31).
Israel’s sins were severe—shedding innocent blood, including His prophets, and worshiping false gods. Because of this rebellion, God dispersed them among the nations.
But was there something more at stake than Israel’s sin?
Yes. Something far greater.
Restoring Glory To His Name Through The Restoration Of Israel (Ezekiel 36:20–23)
Why God MUST Bring About Israel Restored
(Verses 20-23) Israel was chosen to reveal God’s glory to the world through the covenant given to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Through Israel, God intended to display His holiness, truth, and power.
But instead, through their judgment and scattering, the nations profaned His name.
Therefore, God declares He will bring about the restoration of Israel, not because Israel deserved it, but because His name must be vindicated.
When the nations see Israel restored, then they will know that the God of Israel is the Lord of all creation.
Did You Know?
No other nation in history has been removed from its land in ancient times, scattered for nearly 2,000 years, and then returned with:
- the same name,
- the same ethnic people,
- the same ancient language.
Not one.
Only Israel.
The restoration of Israel proves the God of Scripture is the God of all creation.
The Restoration Of Israel Begins (Ezekiel 36:24–25)
The First Aliyah and the Miracle of Return
(Verses 24-25) In Ezekiel 36:1–15 God promised to restore the land of Israel. Now He promises to restore the people.
Without metaphors, God tells Ezekiel plainly: He will gather His people from all nations—a prophecy we now know began in the late 1800s.
Mark Twain visited the Holy Land during this exact period, writing in his bestseller The Innocents Abroad of a land desolate, barren, and empty—fulfilling Deuteronomy’s prophecy:
“The whole land is brimstone, salt and burning; it is not sown, nor does it bear, nor does any grass grow there.” (Deuteronomy 29:23)
Then came the Russian pogroms, forcing thousands of Jews to return to their ancient homeland. This was the beginning of the restoration of Israel, the first wave of Israel restored in modern times.
We are watching a prophecy that began over 130 years ago continue to unfold in front of us.
With the rise of Israel, will we witness the fall of America?
Israel Restored: Physical First, Spiritual Later (Ezekiel 36:24–25)
One Verse – Two Time Periods—One Prophetic Story
Verse 24 describes a dual timeline:
- Physical restoration — beginning in the 1800s, continuing through 1948, and still ongoing.
- Spiritual restoration — still future, occurring at the end of the Tribulation.
This dual timeline is often referred to as the “prophetic tense.” When a verse or paragraph begins in one time period and ends a a different future period.
Today, Israel—though reborn—is spiritually divided. Judaism, secularism, atheism, mysticism, and paganism dominate the landscape. Most lack the central truth needed for true spiritual restoration: a relationship with Christ.
And Israel still does not possess all the land promised to Abraham.
The restoration of Israel has begun, but it is not yet complete.
Israel restored physically must come first. We are living it out today.
Israel restored spiritually comes at the end of the age (After the Tribulation).
The Full Restoration Of Israel (Ezekiel 36:26–32)
The New Heart and New Spirit of the Millennial Kingdom
(Verses 26-32) God reveals a day when He will give Israel a new heart and a new spirit, fully cleansing them from sin and idolatry. This occurs at the end of the Tribulation as Christ returns and establishes His 1,000-year Kingdom.
In the Millennial Kingdom, Israel restored will finally fulfill her original purpose:
- dwelling safely in the land,
- serving as a blessing to all nations,
- and displaying God’s glory in the world.
What God purposes, He performs—always in His appointed season.
Where does that leave us today?
Right in the center of prophecy unfolding. What a blessing to be alive today as we watch prophecy alive, breathing and coming to fruition in perfect order as He said.
Israel Restored From Desolation (Ezekiel 36:33–36)
Witnessing the Miracle With Our Own Eyes
(Verses 33-36) Modern Israel is unrecognizable compared to the barren wasteland Mark Twain described. What the prophets saw, we are living in.
Israel is not merely restored—it is flourishing in ways seen nowhere else on earth. This is not the only place the garden on Eden is mentioned besides Genesis. It’s restoration is also mentioned in Revelation 22:1-5.
Did You Know?
Israel grows and exports the widest range of fruits and vegetables of any nation—cold-weather to tropical—despite sitting on mostly desert terrain.
Only God.
As He promised:
“I the Lord have spoken, and I will do it.” (Ezekiel 36:36 NIV)
Today, we are living inside the very prophecy Ezekiel recorded. We are in the middle of the restoration of Israel, experiencing Israel restored with our own eyes.
The only question is:
Are we in the middle—or near the end—of this prophetic miracle?
The answer unfolds in the coming chapters of Ezekiel and the following Bible study guides.
The Mercy Of God In the Restoration Of Israel (Ezekiel 36:37–38)
Even in Judgment, God Listens to Prayer
(Verses 37-38) Despite Israel’s rebellion, God declares He will once again hear their prayers. In restoring His people, He restores the holiness of His own name.
The incomprehensible and boundless mercy of God resonates loudly in these last verses.
“Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed,
Because His compassions fail not.
23 They are new every morning;
Great is Your faithfulness.” (Lamentations 3:22-23)“Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
All the days of my life;
And I will dwell in the house of the Lord
Forever.” (Psalm 23:6)
The passage ends with God’s powerful declaration:
“Then they will know that I am the Lord.” (Ezekiel 36:38)
And that is the purpose of the restoration of Israel—from beginning to end.
Antisemitism and the Return to Israel: Two Converging Forces in the Last Days
Closing Reflection
As you and I walk through Ezekiel’s prophecy together, I want you to feel the weight of what we are witnessing—not as distant observers, but as people living inside the very days the prophets longed to see.
Ezekiel wasn’t merely recording ancient history. He was writing today’s headlines centuries before they occurred. And the reason we can confidently use Ezekiel’s words to pinpoint where we stand on God’s prophetic timeline is simple:
We are witnessing every stage of the restoration of Israel exactly as Ezekiel described.
We watched the land restored and the deserts bloom.
The people are being regathered.
We watched Israel restored from desolation into a world-leading nation.
And now?
We are watching the nations gather against her—exactly as Ezekiel 38–39 foretold.
These converging signs are not random. They are prophetic coordinates.
They tell us where we are and what comes next.
And they tell us how close we are to the moment Jesus calls His church home.
Friend, this is why the restoration of Israel matters so deeply. Every fulfilled step establishes the nearness of the Rapture, the rise of the final global system, and the coming Tribulation. When you look at Israel restored, you are not just looking at a nation—you are looking at the very clock God uses to mark the final hour of human history.
And if Israel is almost fully restored…
Then time is almost up.
This is why Ezekiel’s prophecy hits so personally. It tells us that we are not merely reading prophecy—we are living in it. And the God who fulfills every word has placed you here in this moment to recognize the signs, awaken your heart, and prepare your life.
Because Jesus is coming—sooner than most are willing to believe.
🙏 Closing Prayer
Father,
We stand in awe of Your faithfulness as we witness the restoration of Israel with our own eyes. Thank You for allowing us to live in this generation—a generation that sees Your promises fulfilled just as You spoke them through Ezekiel.
Lord, soften our hearts. Wake us up. Help us discern the converging signs surrounding us and understand the nearness of the Rapture and the coming Tribulation. Let the restoration of Israel stir reverence in us, urgency in us, and a deeper longing to walk closely with You.
Strengthen our faith. Cleanse our hearts. Guard us from deception.
And prepare us, Lord, for the return of Your Son, our Savior.
May we live watchfully, wisely, and worshipfully until that glorious day.
In Jesus’ name, Amen.
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