Does God want a "Greater Israel?"
reviewing prophecy
Via GPT-4o:
According to the Bible, the Israelites experienced two major expulsions or exiles from Jerusalem. These events are among the most significant in Jewish history, deeply impacting the identity and future of the Israelite people.
1. The Babylonian Exile (586 BCE)
This is the most well-known exile, often simply referred to as "The Exile" in biblical history. The Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar II captured Jerusalem in 586 BCE, after a series of conflicts with the Kingdom of Judah. The city, including Solomon’s Temple, was destroyed, and many Israelites, particularly the elite and skilled individuals, were taken into captivity in Babylon (2 Kings 25:8-21, Jeremiah 52). The Babylonian exile lasted for approximately 70 years, until 539 BCE, when the Persian King Cyrus the Great conquered Babylon and allowed the Jewish people to return to Jerusalem (Ezra 1).
2. The Roman Exile (70 CE)
The second major expulsion occurred during the Roman period, when Jerusalem was destroyed in 70 CE following a Jewish revolt against Roman rule. The Roman general Titus besieged and captured Jerusalem, culminating in the destruction of the Second Temple. This led to a significant dispersal of the Jewish people throughout the Roman Empire and beyond, marking the beginning of the "Great Diaspora." This event is referenced in texts like Luke 21:24, where Jesus predicts the destruction of Jerusalem and the scattering of its people.
Other Expulsions and Dispersions
While these two events are the most notable, there were other times when Israelites were expelled from or had to flee Jerusalem, but they are generally not counted as major exiles in the same sense as the Babylonian and Roman exiles:
Assyrian Conquest (722 BCE): The Assyrian Empire conquered the Northern Kingdom of Israel and exiled its people, though this did not directly involve Jerusalem, which was part of the Southern Kingdom of Judah.
Various Dispersions During the Roman Period: After 135 CE, following the failure of the Bar Kokhba revolt, further dispersions occurred, making the Romans more resolute in preventing a Jewish presence in Jerusalem.
Thus, according to the Bible and historical records, there are two major expulsions of the Israelites from Jerusalem: the Babylonian Exile and the Roman Exile. Both events had profound theological and cultural consequences, shaping Jewish identity and practice in the centuries that followed.
My understanding of the prophets Isaiah and Jeremiah is that the Israelites had fallen into moral depravity and that the Babylonian expulsion from the Promised Land was God’s punishment.
So, what possible moral depravity caused the expulsion in 70 AD?
I believe God does not favor a “Greater Israel” and that the Israelites’ title to the Promised Land was revoked 2000 years ago. There is no evidence that it has been restored.
Pray for peace!