The Children of Israel have been forced to move from the Promised Land three times. The first time was to escape the famine of Joseph’s time. They went to Egypt because there was food there. It was not until many years later that they were made slaves of Egypt. The result of the time spent in Egypt was the Israelites were no longer nomads, but were a nation of people and had learned to dwell in towns. The Lord had caused them to settle down.

The second time the Children of Israel were forcibly moved was by the king of Babylon when he captured their land. The Lord allowed this to happen because the Israelites were committing every atrocity you can image, including sacrificing their children. The primary sin seems to have been idolatry. The result of the seventy years captivity in Babylon was that the Israelites, or Jews as they were then known, became serious about obeying the Lord. You will note that idolatry was not a problem at the time of Jesus.

The third, and extended, removal of the Children of Israel from the Promised Land occurred at the hand of the Romans in 135 A.D. The Bar Kochba Rebellion in that year was the last straw for the Romans, and they deported the Jews all over the Roman Empire. That is why there are German Jews, English Jews, Polish Jews, etc. The cause for this third forced removal was the rejection of Jesus, the promised Messiah, by the Jews.

Jesus clearly foretold this in the Parable of the Tenants (Luke 20:9-19). The vineyard is Israel, the tenants are the Jews and the owner is the Lord. The servants, who were beaten, that were sent by the owner were the Lord’s prophets. Finally, the owner sent his own son and the tenants killed him. The owner determined to kill the tenants and give the vineyard to others. The priests knew that Jesus was speaking of them in this parable, but they killed Him anyway.

The Jews are back in Israel again, after almost 2000 years. I believe this return will be the last one. They were forced out of Israel to:
1) make them a cohesive nation,
2) to cause them to obey the Lord,
3) and to show them that Jesus is the Messiah, the Anointed One.

This last step is still in process, but the day is coming when the Jews, the Children of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, will look on Jesus and mourn for what they did (Zechariah 12:10). What further lesson could the Lord have for His chosen people? Several times in the Bible the Lord promises to bring his people back to Israel, never again to leave it.

If this is the last time, then look for even more prophecy to be fulfilled. I look forward to the day when every knee shall bow and every tongue confesses that Jesus is Lord. Praise His Name!