Jews migrating to Israel in huge numbers, as Ezekiel prophesied for the last days

Israel National News: 17,880 Made Israel Their Home in 5770
"17,880 people made aliyah (immigrated) to Israel in the Jewish year 5770 (in English, year 2009), according to Jewish Agency records - up from the previous year, when 15,180 people came to Israel via the Jewish Agency. Jewish Agency chairman Natan Sharansky said, “Aliyah is one of Israel's strategic assets. It is the most substantial way for Diaspora Jews to identify with Israeli society.” The increase in Aliyah over the past year “is particularly moving in light of the campaign to delegitimize Israel that has been running worldwide recently,” he added. “Each new immigrant is a bridge connecting his Diaspora community to his ancient-new homeland, Israel." (IsraelNationalNews.com)"

According to the Jewish Agency/Aliyah, "The year 2009 was a turning point: for the first time in a decade there was a rise in the number of new immigrants to Israel as compared with the previous year. Globally, aliyah increased also by 17% compared with ’08, excluding Ethiopian immigration. This year so far, in 2010 (from January to June), the rise in aliyah is 13% over 2009 during the same period. Including all populations the total rise in olim (immigrants) from last year was 32%.

CBS data released ahead of Rosh Hashana 2010 shows Israel's Population 7.6 Million (75.5% Jews). This exceeds Jewish population anywhere else outside of Israel, including the US.

So after a downward trend from the highs of the early 2000s, the last two years has seen a sudden upturn in Jews from outside Israel requesting to make Israel their home. This is predicted to occur in the last days.

Ezekiel 39:28 - Then they will know that I am the LORD their God, for though I sent them into exile among the nations, I will gather them to their own land, not leaving any behind.

Is this a prophecy from Ezekiel that has been fulfilled? Or is it one to come? It is one to come, and is related to the last days. Matthew Henry comments: "This is the conclusion of the whole matter going before, and has reference not only to the predictions concerning Gog and Magog, but to all the prophecies of this book concerning the captivity of the house of Israel, and then concerning their restoration and return out of their captivity. Ez 39:23-29: When the Lord shall have mercy on the whole house of Israel, by converting them to Christianity, and when they shall have borne the shame of being cast off for their sins, then the nations shall learn to know, worship, and serve him. Then Israel also shall know the Lord, as revealed in and by Christ. Past events do not answer to these predictions. The pouring out of the Spirit is a pledge that God's favour will continue. He will hide his face no more from those on whom he has poured out his Spirit."

This article was published last week:

Young Jews Emigrate in Greater Numbers to Israel
"...Compared with most people who make this life change, their decision can be called impulsive. Though both Holz and Lux were born Jews, neither is observant. And they've only gone to Israel once. How long? “Ten days,” replies Lux. And that was enough to decide to move there? “I think the first day was enough,” Holz jumps in. “I mean, we fell in love with it immediately. The scenery, the people, the food. Just everything.” Kate, a server, is 28; Rob, a cook, is 23. According to the Jewish Agency of North America, that’s about average for people who choose to emigrate to Israel from North America. “Once they've visited and seen the opportunities and seen there are other options for them in Israel for higher education, I see an increase in young people going more than anything else,” says Shirah Ozery, director of the Jewish Agency’s Midwest office in Skokie. Ozery's seeing the trend in the Midwest, but it's on par with the rest of the country. Eight years ago, about 2,000 Jews left North America to go to Israel, according to the Jewish Agency of North America. Last year the figure was nearly double that. The Jewish Agency expects the trend to continue."

Yes, according to the prophecy of Ezekiel, that trend will continue...

What is aliyah, exactly? This article by Sharona Benjamin answers quite well.

 Making Aliyah: A Continuing Trend: Why Do Many Jewish People Decide to Move to Israel?
The term 'aliyah' (literally 'moving up') is used to describe the repatriation of the Jewish people to the Land of Israel.

History of Aliyah
"Israel is not just a country; it is a national and religious homeland. The citizens of modern Israel share the same religion, language and culture as the original Twelve Tribes. Following their forced exile, the Jewish people kept Israel deep in their hearts and minds. For two thousand years they faced Jerusalem and prayed, three times a day, that one day they would return to their homeland. "...The people kept faith with it (Israel) throughout their dispersion and never ceased to pray and hope for their return to it and for the restoration in it of their political freedom." (Israel's Declaration of Independence). The establishment of the Zionist Movement in the late nineteenth century saw the commencement of political activity to create a Jewish state. Although some Jews had been returning to Israel independently, the birth of Zionism marked the beginning of organized groups of aliyah to settle the land and rebuild a nation."

Reasons for Aliyah
"There are two reasons people make aliyah; one is the ‘push’ away from their current country; possibly for lack of political, social, economical, religious or cultural freedom. The other is the ‘pull’ towards Israel, likely to be manifested in a positive aspiration in any of these areas. Since the foundation of the State of Israel in 1948 there have been waves of ‘mass aliyah’. Largely these were motivated by the ‘push’ of oppression."

Number of People Moving from Diaspora Jewish Communities to Israel 1948-2006
765,591 from Arabic Countries
1,174,617 from the Former Soviet Union
75,547 from Ethiopia
(stats provided by Jewish Agency for Israel)

"Israel welcomed and absorbed these and other communities to the point that, today, there are few Jews who need ‘rescuing’. According to the Jewish Agency those arriving in recent years and in the future (assuming no major catastrophe occurs) will largely be making aliyah out of choice. So what is the relevance of aliyah for today’s more assimilated communities?"

Modern Aliyah
"Successful integration within their adopted societies has come at a price for many Jewish communities in the west. The younger generations often feel disconnected from their religious and cultural roots. To address this, a variety of community programs have been set up, many of which include trips to Israel. Programmes through Birthright, Bnai Akiva, Aish and others have been successful in instilling in participants an appreciation of their roots and an increased sense of Jewish identity. Another large group of recent ‘olim’ (immigrants) are religiously observant young people and families, who feel increasingly uncomfortable and dissatisfied by their lives in the Diaspora. They are searching for stronger community ties and the comfort and security of being amongst ‘their own’. In 2007 over 3,500 people made aliyah from the United States, UK and Canada. This figure is influenced by the foundation of Nefesh B’Nefesh, an organisation working to encourage and support western aliyah. Their successful promotion of aliyah and package of support has proved to be effective, with an increase of around 300 'olim' from the US arriving in each successive year since their inception. (Figures provided by NbN)"

"The State of Israel was built by ongoing waves of aliyah and the country developed techniques to successfully absorb a diverse range of people and to transform them into a Hebrew-speaking nation with a strong Israeli identify. Aliyah built and now bolsters Israel. It provides valuable people and skills to support her continued social and economic development. They depart from all four corners of the globe as different nationalities but emerge in Israel as one people." ---end article---

God made Himself known through the Jews, and through them the Gentiles became grafted into the family of believers, because Jesus made Himself knowable. Salvation is available to all, through Jesus, who is the only way to heaven. Pray for the peace of Jerusalem. The Jews are undergoing heightened tensions, attacks, world hate, and soon, persecution. Pray for the people whom God CHOSE! Pray for the Land GOD CHOSE!