The Million Missing Israelis

“In that day will I raise up the tabernacle of David that is fallen, and close up the breaches thereof; and I will raise up his ruins, and I will build it as in the days of old” (Amos 9:11).

When reading the 12 Minor Prophets, we notice the repeated threat of judgment upon Israel due to their idolatry.  Amos exposes Israel as a sinful kingdom, in danger of being destroyed from the face of the earth. But that’s not the end. The last 12 words of verse 8 declare, “I will not utterly destroy the house of Jacob, saith the Lord.”

Restoration is the key, based on God’s mercy, longsuffering, patience, and kindness. It arises from His deep love for His people, so that in the last verse we read: “And I will plant them upon their land, and they shall no more be pulled up out of their land which I have given them, saith the Lord thy God” (Amos 9:15).

An interesting headline in a past issue of Foreign Policy caught our attention: “The Million Missing Israelis.” Here is how the article begins: “Over more than six decades of statehood, successive Israeli governments have repeatedly stressed the centrality of Jewish immigration and the Law of Return of all Jews to Israel for the well-being, security, and survival of the nation. Yet while much is published on Jewish immigration to Israel, considerably less information is available about Jewish emigration from Israel” (foreignpolicy.com, 5 July 2011).

Of all the reasons for Israelis to emigrate, there is one that stands out: opportunity. Having a European passport, for example, literally opens the world to you. With a US passport, Israelis can mingle with almost as many Jews in the US as in Israel.

The article continues: “One survey found close to 60 percent of Israelis had approached or were intending to approach a foreign embassy to ask for citizenship and a passport. An estimated 100,000 Israelis have German passports, while more are applying for passports based on their German ancestry. And a large number of Israelis have dual nationality, including an estimated 500,000 Israelis holding U.S. passports (with close to a quarter-million pending applications).” 

The other, more important reason is Israel’s calling. Deuteronomy 7:6 reads: “For thou art an holy people unto the Lord thy God: the Lord thy God hath chosen thee to be a special people unto himself, above all people that are upon the face of the earth.” Note the words, “above all people that are upon the face of the earth.” That puts the Israelis in the leading position on planet earth. 

Deuteronomy 15:6 adds, “For the Lord thy God blesseth thee, as he promised thee: and thou shalt lend unto many nations, but thou shalt not borrow; and thou shalt reign over many nations, but they shall not reign over thee.” The desire of many Israelis to go overseas, quite naturally prepares them to deal with those nations in the future. They will actually “lend unto many nations.” That’s when the world economy will not be dominated by China or the USA, but Israel. 

This gives us a wonderful picture of the Church of Jesus Christ, which was commanded by the Lord to go out to foreign lands: “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost” (Matthew 28:19). The purpose? To preach the Jewish gospel, thereby preparing a people as  willing ambassadors for Jesus—all in order to build a new nation on planet earth: the Church of the living Christ. Note, however, we are not above the nations. We are in this world, but we are not of this world.

The Israelis, however, are testing the ground, so to speak. They will one day have to deal with the nations; thus, this is part of the preparation to have Israeli Jews literally going into all the world.

Israelis are truly an international people. They have been gathered from all five continents—from virtually all the nations of the world—to the land of Israel. But there is an unspoken problem: once an immigrant arrives in the new country, they are often deeply disappointed, because they miss the “flesh pots of Egypt.” They are quick to focus on the negative aspects of the new country, thinking that things were better in their country of origin. This natural tendency can only be fully comprehended by those who have experienced leaving behind one’s country, family, relatives, and friends—often businesses and property as well. In olden days, however, there was no alternative; once you left your country for overseas, you rarely if ever had a chance to return. This was quite evident in Europe, when after the Second World War, millions upon millions of foreign workers landed in Germany, making money helping to rebuild the country. But, according to research, the overwhelming majority returned to their home country. In most cases, it was  a matter of simply driving or buying a train ticket.

Back to Israel: the most obvious reason for the return to the country of origin or to a third country can be summarized with the words, “opportunity beckons.” However, in the end, it is the Spirit of God who draws His people to Israel. It is also the Spirit of God that sends Israelis all over the world in preparation for what is to come.

In conclusion, Revelation 7 speaks of the sealing of twelve tribes of Israel, numbering a total of 144,000. That’s the time when they will recognize the Messiah. Being sealed, they are untouchable for the enemy. It is of interest that after Benjamin was sealed, apparently a great global revival takes place: “After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands; And cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb” (verses 9-10).

Midnight Call - 10/2022