In that day the LORD will thresh from the flowing Euphrates to the Wadi of Egypt, and you, Israel, will be gathered up one by one. — Isaiah 27:12

At sundown today begins Aliyah Day in Israel – a celebration of the thousands of Jews who have returned to Israel, their biblical homeland. Aliyah is Hebrew for “ascent” or “to go up.” In biblical times, it was used to describe the pilgrimage all Jews made three times a year to Jerusalem for holy festivals. Today, it refers to immigration to Israel. These devotions explore aliyah and the fulfillment today of biblical prophecy that God would bring back His children to their ancient homeland, Israel. Discover how you can participate in fulfilling biblical prophecy through The Fellowship’s On Wings of Eagles ministry.

In 1939, at the dawn of World War II, there were almost 17 million Jews in the world. In 1945, that number had shrunk to 11 million. Today, the Jewish people have rebuilt and grown, yet the number of Jews worldwide stands between 13 million and 14 million, not even close to the Jewish population before its decimation at the hands of the Nazis.

The fact that there are so many Jews living in Israel today is the fulfilment of ancient biblical prophesies. God promised that the day would come when His people would return home. However, this is only the beginning. Most Jews, more than seven million of them, still live outside of Israel. Many live in places like the former Soviet Union, where they live in poverty, or in Middle Eastern countries, where they live under oppression.

God gives us the opportunity to play a role in fulfilling His purposes, and today we are able to help bring His people home.

This reminds me of the story about a young starfish-thrower. One day, a man was walking along a beach at dawn when he noticed a boy picking up starfish and flinging them into the sea. “Why are you doing this?” he asked. “Because if they aren’t back in the sea when the sun comes up, they’ll die,” the boy answered. “Don’t you realize that the beach goes on for miles?” the man said. “How will your efforts make any difference?” The boy looked at the starfish in his hand and threw it into the sea. Then he said, “It made a difference to that one.”

This verse from Isaiah is one of many biblical prophecies about the Jews returning to their homeland. This time, the prophet Isaiah emphasized that they will come back “one by one.” This teaches us that we don’t have to throw our hands up in despair when we take on the giant task of helping all the Jewish people return home. We just need to help them one by one, until everyone is home.

Discover how you can help bring God’ children back to their biblical homeland through The Fellowship’s On Wings of Eagles ministry.