Ezekiel’s Return

Ezekiel prophesied of a return of Israel to the Promised Land (see especially Ezekiel 36). Ezekiel prophesied this while Israel was in captivity in Babylon and the surrounding nations. Some have claimed that prophecies like Ezekiel’s have a double fulfilment. There is nothing in the context of Ezekiel that speaks of a double fulfilment. These prophecies mean:

1. After 70 years in captivity in Babylon God would restore the captivity to Jerusalem as Jeremiah prophesied would happen (Jer 29:10).

2. Some of the Jews scattered to Babylon and to all the nations would be re-gathered.

3. The words “nations” in this context meant all the provinces of the known empires of that day, according to plain biblical usage in that time.

4. The return from captivity included Jews from Babylon and a remnant from all the tribes of Israel scattered earlier through many nations by Assyria. (The Jews also included a remnant from all the tribes of Israel, who returned to Jerusalem when Jeroboam sinned in setting up the idol.)

Therefore, the Dispensationalist’s claim that the return from Babylon was not a return from “all nations” as the prophets said it would be is false. The return was from all the nations of the relevant world in that day, from the north, south, east and west.