What prophecies regarding Israel’s regathering have already been or are being fulfilled?

[covenantee]

A covenant He made with them.

31 “Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah— 32 not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, though I was a husband to them, says the Lord. 33 But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put My law in their minds, and write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. 34 No more shall every man teach his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them, says the Lord. For I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more.” - Jeremiah 31:31-34​

A promise He must keep.

"So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, But it shall accomplish what I please, And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it." - Isaiah 55:11​

A covenant He cannot alter.

"My covenant I will not break, Nor alter the word that has gone out of My lips." - Psalm 89:34​

See post #27.

 

[ScottA]

If you cannot clearly discern the purpose of Israel’s choosing, then what is the point of discussing anything?

Israel only became a nation to produce the Messiah…as a promise made to Abraham and to his descendants. If they had obeyed their God in all his commands he would have blessed the socks off them! Their sad and sorry history was all their own doing and God at times wanted to wipe them off the face of the earth because they were “stiff ne led” and disobedient. (Ex 32:9-10)

He kept forgiving them only because he needed them to carry out his purpose to produce the Messiah but after his purpose was fulfilled he had no further use for such a wayward nation.

What makes anyone think that God wants to keep those who disobey him in existence, to mess up any more of his plans for the future? Obedience was the basis for their accepting his terms at Mt Sinai. They broke their agreement in 5 minutes by worshipping a golden calf! But the die was cast and Israel would go through many punishments before God’s purpose for them was complete. He is done with them.

The holy land is now saturated with innocent blood and is no longer a fit place on earth where the true God is worshipped. Three “Abrahamic” faiths fight over this desecrated piece of dirt that no longer means anything to Yahweh. How could it!? (Isa 1:15)

Jesus told the Samaritan woman a valuable truth about where God would be worshipped….John 4:19-24….

”The woman said to him: “Sir, I see that you are a prophet. 20 Our forefathers worshipped on this mountain, but you people say that in Jerusalem is the place where people must worship.” 21 Jesus said to her: “Believe me, woman, the hour is coming when neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father. 22 You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, because salvation begins with the Jews. 23 Nevertheless, the hour is coming, and it is now, when the true worshippers will worship the Father with spirit and truth, for indeed, the Father is looking for ones like these to worship him. 24 God is a Spirit, and those worshipping him must worship with spirit and truth.”

The place where God is worshipped is no longer geographical…..as Christianity is now a global faith. (Acts 10:34-35) And truth is more important than sectarian religion.

It is your apparent bitterness that clouds your words, not the purpose of God choosing Israel. In fact, you have not stated it accurately.

The purpose God chose Israel, was as a light unto the gentiles, as a foreshadowing demonstration of God choosing His own people from among all nations from the midst of their/our sins before the Judgement.

But back to the topic of the thread: My point was, that the fact that the Gospel historically shifted from Israel to the gentiles, was evidence that God was "finished" with Israel--Just as He said.

 

[ScottA]

The children of Israel were primarily rascals from the outset....and they maintained their lie of what happened to Joseph till circumstances forced their hand. Their progeny has primarily walked the same route as their forbears.

'Israel' for all intents and purposes means and is 'those who wrestle with God and prevail'. So when it comes to the literal children of Israel there is a limited application because the majority never 'wrestled with God and prevailed' even while God bent over backwards to lead them into the paths of life, they chose the opposite.

'Israel' is a primarily a metaphor for all 'who wrestle with God and prevail'.....irrespective of their ethnicity.
Interpreting 'Israel' as a small group of people who go by that name in Palestine today is missing the mark by a mile!

Indeed, God set Israel as a light unto the gentiles--because that shining light pertains to all nations and peoples.

 

[Aunty Jane]

It is your apparent bitterness that clouds your words, not the purpose of God choosing Israel. In fact, you have not stated it accurately.

The purpose God chose Israel, was as a light unto the gentiles, as a foreshadowing demonstration of God choosing His own people from among all nations from the midst of their/our sins before the Judgement.

But back to the topic of the thread: My point was, that the fact that the Gospel historically shifted from Israel to the gentiles, was evidence that God was "finished" with Israel--Just as He said.

I think you have missed something important along the way here…..at what point in all their history did Israel remain in the teachings of their God and obey him in all things as they promised, for any length of time? His covenants were made for a reason. it was their obligation to uphold their part of the agreement.
What kind of light did they prove to be to the gentiles? They hated each other!

There were occasions where the whole nation was punished into repenting, but it never lasted long. What “bitterness” could I possibly have that Jehovah himself has not expressed many times, concerning his people? We learn more about God from their failures than what we learned from their successes.

A covenant is a two way agreement…a legally binding agreement on both parties to remain true to their promices…..please tell me how Israel first broke their covenant with God made at Mt Sinai in the very beginning of their journey to the Promised Land….it was not a good foregleam about their future. They were off to a really bad start….and even after a 40 year sojourn in the wilderness, nothing much changed and many fell away right on the brink of the Promised Land, and missed out on a blessing that they had waited 40 years to enjoy.

Israel continued to break their covenants with God because they were a stiff necked and disobedient people….at what point were they a “light to the gentiles” except in the battles where God’s name was at the forefront…? He was the one who received the credit for Israel’s victories, not the nation itself.

God never broke his covenant, even when Israel failed to uphold their part of the agreement. This is the important part….the reliability of God, compared to the reliability of the flawed human race, who constantly let him down, even though he never let them down at the times when they did obey him.

Jehovah would do just as he promised…he would bring the Messiah to birth as a man…of the tribe of Judah…born in Bethlehem…. and who presented himself to John B to be baptized…..not for forgiveness of sins, (because he did not have any sins for which to be forgiven)….just this one time, Jesus was to be baptized into the role he would play as Israel’s redeemer first….and as promised to Abraham, “all the nations” would then follow and benefit from Christ’s sacrifice as well.

So what do we understand about what was “finished” when Christ died at the hands of the ones he was sent to first? It was his mission to offer his life and to open the way to heaven for those who were chosen to rule with him in his Kingdom. (Rev 20:6)

A new “Israel” was chosen when the fleshly nation did the unthinkable….and God cast them off forever….individuals from among the Jewish people could become disciples of Jesus Christ, but as a nation Jesus sealed their fate. (Matt 23:37-39)

Repentance has to come out of love….Israel was forced to repent out of fear. What makes you think that after 2000 years of rejection, they will suddenly come to their senses? Individuals may, and we hope that many more do, but the political nation of Israel today has no connection with the God of Jesus Christ any more than they did back in the first century.

 

[ScottA]

I think you have missed something important along the way here…..at what point in all their history did Israel remain in the teachings of their God and obey him in all things as they promised, for any length of time? His covenants were made for a reason. it was their obligation to uphold their part of the agreement.
What kind of light did they prove to be to the gentiles?

One question, one answer:

I answered your question in my last post, explaining that it was to show the gentiles (all nations, including Israel) that all were under the same condemnation unless God saved/saves them/us.

So, no, the Law and the part of Israel, and their failure, was not unaccounted for--but part of the plan, part of showing all nations and people that all would perish if not for the salvation of God--they were the proof, on parade for all to see. Meaning...their failures were not a problem, but predictable and even intentional. And for their part, God would same some, according to His promise.

 

[ScottA]

They hated each other!

That's irrelevant.