- By Britt Gillette -
Many people claim God doesn't exist, and I often hear people say there's no proof or evidence to believe in God's existence. "You just have to accept it on faith," they say. "There's no evidence." This statement is made as if it's a fact. But is it? No way. Nothing could be further from the truth. People can prove God's existence in any number of ways. But for me, one piece of evidence stands above all others. It's inarguable. We can all see it. It's a modern-day miracle - proof of God's existence in plain view of everyone living in the world today. What is this rock-solid evidence?
If you haven't guessed already - it's the modern-day nation of Israel.
Evidence God Exists
Approximately 4,000 years ago, the Bible says God promised Abraham, "I will make your descendants as numerous as the stars" (Genesis 22:17), and "I will bless those who bless you and curse those who curse you" (Genesis 12:3). God kept His promise, and we are all witnesses. Despite centuries of persecution and national tragedy, both the Jewish people and the nation of Israel endure.
How many others can make the same claim? How many other groups of people have been conquered, enslaved, and persecuted all over the world yet managed to not only survive, but retain their unique cultural, religious, and ethnic identity? Only the Jewish people can make this claim. And it's proof the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob is the one true God. Why do I say this? Because after all that's happened over the centuries, the Jewish people continue to thrive and the nation of Israel still exists - just as God promised.
A Promise From God
Almost everyone knows the story of how God used Moses to deliver the Jewish people from Egyptian bondage. But thousands of years ago, God promised a day will come when the world will no longer refer to the God of Israel as the one who rescued His people from the land of Egypt. Instead, they will refer to Him as the one who brought His people back into the land of Israel from all the countries in the world where He had exiled them (Jeremiah 16:14-15).
This prophecy began its fulfillment nearly 2,000 years ago when Jesus told His disciples the Temple will be destroyed and the people of Israel will be scattered among the nations to serve as slaves. This happened in A.D. 70. Titus and the Roman legions attacked Jerusalem, destroyed the Temple, and took the surviving Israelites to every corner of the Roman Empire to serve as slaves. Any other nation would have been broken. Any other people would have assimilated over the next 2,000 years.
History tells us this is true. After all, have you ever met a Carthaginian? How about a Babylonian? Me neither. Yet the Jewish people miraculously survived as a distinct people for nearly 2,000 years without a homeland of their own. And that's not just in the face of Roman conquerors. They survived the Spanish Inquisition, Hitler's Holocaust, and numerous other atrocities. How is this possible?
There's only one explanation - God said they would. The survival and success of the Jewish people proves God's existence. But for those who need further convincing, God provided another miracle in our day and time - the miracle of the restored nation of Israel.
The Rebirth of Israel
How many conquered nations have reappeared? How many nations have been destroyed, their people taken to other lands as slaves, and then nineteen centuries later they reappear? As far as I can tell, only one - the nation of Israel. Not only is this a historical first, it was foretold more than 2,000 years in advance.
God promised the Jewish people they would survive and thrive despite the hardships they faced (Isaiah 43:1-13).
He promised to call them from "among the nations" (Ezekiel 39:28), from "the farthest corners of the earth" (Isaiah 11:12), and from "north, south, east, and west" (Psalm 107:3).
He promised to bring them home and display His holiness to the nations (Ezekiel 20:41-42). He promised to welcome them home from the lands where they were scattered (Ezekiel 20:34).
He said He would restore them to the land of Israel from distant lands (Jeremiah 30:3, 10). And God promised, though scattered among the nations, His people would never forget Him, and He would bring them back into the land of Israel (Zechariah 10:9).
As early as the days of Moses, God made this promise: "Even though you are banished to the ends of the earth, the Lord your God will gather you from there and bring you back again. The Lord your God will return you to the land that belonged to your ancestors, and you will possess that land again" (Deuteronomy 30:4-5, NLT). God kept His promise. Modern-day Israel is the proof.
So What Happens Next?
The existence of the Jewish people in the reborn nation of Israel should convince anyone the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob is real. His fulfilled promises are on full display in our own day and time. But God made additional promises as well:
He said when He brings His people back into the land of Israel, the desert will bloom (Isaiah 35:1), and the Lord will return to destroy Israel's enemies (Isaiah 35:2-4). Through Jeremiah, God said once He brings His people back into the land, He will raise up a righteous king who will rule the land with wisdom - the long-awaited Messiah (Jeremiah 23:3-6). Through Micah, God promised to gather His exiles and form them into a strong nation. Then, He promised to rule from Jerusalem as their king forever (Micah 4:6-7).
Over and over again, the prophet Isaiah relayed God's promise to bring back the exiled people of Israel and form a new nation. Through Isaiah, God promised to restore the nation of Israel and raise its flag among the nations (Isaiah 11:12). And then?
Then He promised the wolf and the lamb will lie together. Leopards will lie down with goats. Even a baby will play with a cobra and not be bitten! (Isaiah 11:6-9). How is this?
Because the heir to David's throne (Jesus Christ) will rule over the nations, transforming the world into a place of peace and tranquility (Isaiah 11:10). And when does God say this will happen?
After His people are re-gathered from distant lands and the ends of the earth (Isaiah 11:11-12). After Israel is reborn as a single, unified nation (Isaiah 11:13). In other words, in our day and time. Because the Bible says shortly after Israel is restored, Jesus will return to earth and rule from Jerusalem!
God didn't promise to restore Israel and then send the Messiah a thousand years later. The prophets intimately linked these two events. And they're not the only ones. Jesus Himself did. He said "And Jerusalem will be trampled by the Gentiles until the period of the Gentiles comes to an end" (Luke 21:24). Today, the Jewish people control Jerusalem. It's the capital of Israel. Then Jesus said, "When all these things happen, look up, because your salvation is near" (Luke 21:28).
The things Jesus said to look for are here. Israel is a nation again. The Gentiles no longer control Jerusalem. So look up. Jesus is coming!
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