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Lesson 2
THE
DISPERSAL AND RETURN OF THE JEWS
(Ezekiel 36 and 37)
16"Again the word of the Lord came to me: 17"Son
of man, when the people of Israel were living in their own land, they
defiled it by their conduct and their actions. . . . 18 So I
poured out my wrath on them because they had shed blood in the land and
because they had defiled it with their idols. 19 I dispersed
them among the nations, and they were scattered through the countries; I
judged them according to their conduct and their actions..."
Ezekiel 36:16-19
11"Son of man, these bones are the whole house of
Israel. They say, 'Our bones are dried up and our hope is gone; we are cut
off.' 12 Therefore prophesy and say to them: 'This is what the
Sovereign Lord says: O my people, I am going to open your graves and bring
you up from them; I will bring you back to the land of Israel. 13
Then you, my people, will know that I am the Lord, when I open your graves
and bring you up from them. 14 I will put my Spirit in you and
you will live, and I will settle you in your own land. Then you will know
that I the Lord have spoken, and I have done it, declares the Lord.'"
Ezekiel 37:11-14.
As discussed in lesson one, God brought
His people back to the promised land, just as He said He would. How the
Jews returned to the promise land has been the story of many books and
movies. However, rarely is God mentioned as being the prime mover in the
events that led to their return. Perhaps the most detailed account of the
second return is found in Chapters 36 and 37 of Ezekiel. Before we examine
how the Jews were able to return to their promise land after nearly 1900
years, let's first examine God's promises.
Many prophecies are given concerning the
Jew's return to their homeland. A few scholars have argued that because
these prophecies were made by prophets contemporary to the Babylonian
dispersal, they must deal with the Babylonian return only, and cannot
refer to a second return following their dispersal by Rome. As will be
discussed in future lessons, imposing this limitation results in a total
collapse of harmony within the respective prophecies.
Entire sections of these prophecies
conflict with what actually happened in the return from Babylonian
captivity. Such conflict would make Daniel and Ezekiel false prophets and
subject to death according to Deuteronomy 18:20-22. On the other hand,
these prophecies are literally being fulfilled today. But the final proof
of this error lies with Jesus himself. Jesus clearly illustrated how a
prophecy can be split by thousands of years when he cited Isaiah 61:1-2
61:1-2 as being fulfilled in Himself, but stopped right in the middle of
verse 2 (see Luke 4:18-19). The last half of verse 2 will be fulfilled at
Christ's second coming.
Therefore, some prophecies refer to the
Jew's return following the original dispersal at the hand of
Nebuchadnezzar and Babylon, while others refer to the return from their
second dispersal at the hand of Titus and Rome. Some prophecies can be
interpreted either way.
Ezekiel was a contemporary prophet with
Daniel, and was exiled to Babylon. But while Daniel lived in the City of
Babylon, Ezekiel resided by the Chebar canal (1:1,3; 3:15) which connected
the Tigris River with the Euphrates above Babylon. Ezekiel was powerfully
used by God to warn Israel of God's judgments, especially against
Jerusalem, if they did not turn to Him. It is perhaps the result of these
warnings that Israel never again turned to the practice of idolatry. After
his wife died about the time of Jerusalem's fall in 587 BC (Ezekiel 24:1,
18, 27), Ezekiel's prophecies began to emphasize comfort and the coming of
the Kingdom of God. In chapters 36 and 37 of Ezekiel God spells out in
detail how He would bring them home from the far corners of the earth.
Before proceeding, a word of explanation.
Chapter 36 is a generalized account of the return, while chapter 37
provides much more specific information. God often reveals His truth in
this manner. Some liberal scholars find these types of differences proof
of contradiction, when, in fact, none exists. Such descriptions are no
more contradictory than a person describing a vacation to New Orleans, the
Florida Gulf Coast, and Hilton Head in general terms to one person, and
specifically talking about the fantastic fishing trip he had while on
vacation in the Florida Gulf to his fishing buddy. Both describe different
elements of the same vacation. Likewise, God never contradicts Himself,
but will elaborate on something in one prophecy more than another.
God's
Promise to the Jews
Ezekiel 36
God
's Judgment of Edom--Ezekiel 36:1-8
Much of today's controversy surrounding
the Palestinian issue in Israel concerns the Jew's displacement of the
Palestinian Arabs. We will discuss in greater detail Israel's treatment of
the Arabs later in this lesson. However, verses 1-8 of Ezekiel 36 provides
a crucial prophecy needed to properly understand God's perspective in this
matter.
God warned that nations who brought shame
to His people and His land, would in turn be shamed by Him. Edom,
especially was singled out. Edom had manifested continual enmity against
Israel throughout history. Edom aided Israel's enemy's and aided in her
defeat in many cases. Herod was an Edomite who killed thousands of
innocent young Israelite boys in his attempt to kill Jesus (Matthew
2:12-21). Edom aggressively expanded into the vacated lands and cities
when the Jews were taken into captivity and dispersed by the Romans.
Many of the Palestinians today descended
from Edom. Finally, Edom had spoken against God (Ezekiel 35:13), and He
had heard them. The verdict of God was essentially that He would do to
Edom as she had done to Israel! But the main message of this prophecy is
that God claims this land as His own, to do with as He
pleases. He has chosen to shame those people that made His
land their own possession. Keep this in mind as we discuss the plight of
the Palestinians.
In these same verses God also reveals how
these nations will have pillaged the cities and left them in ruin, and how
the pastureland will have been plundered and left desolate. This was
exactly what happened to the Promised Land after the Jews were dispersed
in the first century. Once covered with forests, the mountains of
Jerusalem were stripped bare by centuries of uncontrolled overgrazing,
over harvesting, and neglect by Palestinian ancestors.
The final blow came in the 19th century
when the ruling Ottoman Turks clearcut whatever forest remained to obtain
timber for building the trans-Arabian railroad. They left the country more
than 97 percent bare. Palestine remained in this condition until 1950.
God's
Promise to the Jews--Ezekiel 36:8-12; 33-35
In verses 8-12 God promises Israel that 1)
they would 'soon' come home, that He would look upon them with favor, 2)
agriculture would once again be practiced, 3) the number of Jews living
there would be multiplied, 4) the towns would be rebuilt and inhabited, 5)
and they would become fruitful, numerous and prosperous.
This prophecy is literally being fulfilled
today. Less than 100,000 Jews lived in Palestine at the turn of the
century. Today Israel's Jewish population exceeds 5 million! Towns have
been rebuilt; new cities created from nothing. Israel protects its cities
and towns with one of the strongest and most disciplined military forces
in the world. A 1990 article in American Forests(1)
describes Israel and its amazing afforestation program that began in 1952.
"In a land with seemingly insurmountable problems, the Israelis have
planted more than 185 million trees, creating 280 forests that cover
275,000 acres. Every year they plant an additional 5,000 acres--in deserts
where the annual rainfall averages as little as 3½ inches, on mountains
where slopes run 50 percent or more, in cities where rapid population
growth puts added pressure on the land." Through this astonishing
effort, 5½ percent of Israel's land area is now forested! Israel has
become a major exporter of agricultural products and provides much of the
citrus products consumed by Europe and the Mediterranean nations.
God provides one final promise in verse 15: "No
longer will I make you hear the taunts of the nations, and no longer will
you suffer the scorn of the peoples or cause your nation to fall..."
This prophecy is one of those that obviously has yet to be fulfilled.
Although the Jews have been hounded and persecuted wherever they have
tried to settle, God promises that there will come a time when His people
will no longer suffer the scorn of the nations.
God's
Judgment of the Jews; Their Dispersal--Ezekiel 36:16-21The
prophecy in verses 16 through 21 switches from how God will restore
Israel, to why it was necessary to disperse the Jews among the nations.
God is patient and strives with His people so that they will clearly
understand His desire that they turn to Him. But if His people become
hard-hearted and go their own way, God must judge their actions.
After
repeated warnings, God revealed in verses 16-19 that He poured
judgment
upon Israel because they had hardened their hearts and defiled the land by
their conduct and actions. At the same time God knew that the very act of
scattering His people among the nations would profane His Holy name. Why?
Because the nations knew Israel claimed to be God's chosen people. Each
nation, in turn, had its own god. The nations would therefore reason that
Israel's God was not strong enough to prevent Israel's conquest and
dispersal. Although we know it was God who dispersed Israel in
judgment,
that is not how other nations would view it--they saw it as weakness!
God's Holy
Name--Ezekiel 36:22-32
The Jews profaned God's holy name wherever
they wandered. Eventually God had to vindicate His holy name! This is the
same reason behind the promise that He would bring His people Israel back
to their homeland when it was time for them to be cleansed (Deuteronomy
30:3-5). Some Bible scholars point to Ezekiel 4:3-6 as
evidence that God identified a total of 430 years (390
+ 40 days of years) of trouble and exile for the Jews.
God also warned in Leviticus 26:18 that if they
continued to defy Him, He would extend His punishment
by seven-fold. After the command by God for his people
to return to Israel from captivity by Babylon in Ezra
1-2, many Jews were comfortable and did not return,
defying God. God therefore extended their punishment
by seven-fold, and when the math is done, it concluded
in 1948--the very year that Israel became a nation for
the first time in nearly 2,000 years. (See Chart
2 for more details)
In any event, God's promise alone is sufficient for Him to bring the Jews home
-- for God is just. Israel was not brought home because
they deserved it any more than Christians receive salvation because they
deserve it! Rather, God brought them home for the sake of His holy name
(verses 22-23). He would show Himself holy to the nations by this action.
God also promised in verses 24 through 32
that when He brought the Jews home He would 1) cleanse them from all
impurities, 2) give them a new heart and spirit, and would 3) put His
Spirit within them. Earlier, we discussed that the only way for
forgiveness of sin is through Jesus Christ. God does not change His mind;
He is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow. Therefore, for verses 24-32
to be fulfilled, Israel must accept Christ as their Messiah. You don't
need to be a Ph.D. to figure out that this has not yet happened!
Israel has returned home, but has not yet
found her Messiah. This seems to be a potential paradox because God tells
us that when He brings His people home they will: 1) no longer suffer the
scorn of the peoples [nations], or cause your nation to fall (36:15), and
2) accept Christ as their Messiah; "On the day I
cleanse you from all your sins, I will resettle your towns..."
(36:33,emphasis mine). On the one hand the Jews are still scorned and
there is no evidence that Israel has been cleansed, yet scripture seems to
clearly state that they should no longer suffer scorn and should be
cleansed when they are brought back to Israel. Are you confused? Does this
seem contradictory?
As noted earlier, many in the world have
denied the fulfillment of this prophecy because there is no evidence of
this cleansing. Yet, these people miss the shocking, but obvious,
explanation. These prophecies are being fulfilled in our lifetime! The
Hebrew word for day as used in this passage is yôm, which can
mean a single day or period in time. It is especially used to refer to the
'day' (or season) of judgment: Isaiah 2:12; Joel 1:15; Amos 5:18 and
others. In Ezekiel 36:22 it means that Israel will be brought back in the
times (or season) of the Last Days. We are likely right in the middle of
the fulfillment of this prophecy! We will learn later that Israel accepts
Christ as Messiah in the middle of the Tribulation. If the Jews now have a
homeland, can the Tribulation be far behind?!
Fulfillment
of God's Plan for the Jews
Before proceeding to Ezekiel 37, let's take a
look at how all of this fits the Daniel Template. Chart 3 shows that at
the end of 483 years, the 'anointed one' or messiah was cut off; i.e.
Christ was crucified. But before He was crucified Jesus gave two
incredible prophecies. Matthew 24 and Mark 13 provide a detailed prophecy
by Jesus of Daniel's last week. This prophecy will be discussed in greater
detail in a future lesson. Jesus, in Luke 21 relates a similar prophecy,
except that He includes a contemporary account of what was to happen to
Jerusalem and the Temple in the near future.
In all three accounts, Jesus upon leaving the
Temple with His disciples, opens the discussion with the comment that not
one stone here will be left on another; every one will be thrown
down." With this statement, Jesus revealed that the temple was
to be destroyed. Now notice the difference in the questions that are asked
by the Disciples in Matthew 24:3 compared to Luke 21:7.(2)
In Matthew 24:3 the disciples asked: "Tell us, when will this
happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and the end of the
age?" In Luke 21:7 they asked "Teacher, when will these
things happen? And what will be the sign that they are about to take
place?"
Two different questions were asked. In
Matthew the disciples asked about the sign of His coming and the end of
the age, while in Luke they asked about the events surrounding the
destruction of the Temple. Verses 8-11 of Luke 21 parallel those of
Matthew 24:4-8 so historical events prior to both events will have these
characteristics in common. But there the similarity stops. While
Jesus' account in Matthew describe events in Daniel's last 'Week' sometime in the
distant future, He continues in Luke 21:12-24 to describe events that were
about to happen in their lifetimes!
The
Destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple-- Luke 21
The date is AD 32. It is the day before
Jesus' crucifixion. In Luke 21:12-19 Jesus relates the type of the
persecution that His followers (the Jewish Christians) would have to
endure before the Temple is destroyed. They would be delivered to
synagogues and prisons, and be betrayed by family and friends. They would
be hated because of their belief in Him, and some of them would be put to
death. Yet, this same persecution would provide opportunities for them to
witness to kings and governors. They need not worry about what to say, for
He would give them words and wisdom that none of their adversaries would
be able to resist or contradict. And although many would be martyred, not
a hair of their head would perish. By standing firm they will gain life!
The fulfillment of this prophecy is vividly detailed in the Book of Acts!
Jesus continues (verses 20-25) by graphically
describing the fall of Jerusalem and the destruction of the Temple:
20"When you see Jerusalem
being surrounded by armies, you will know that its desolation is near. 21Then
let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, let those in the city
get out, and let those in the country not enter the city. 22For
this is the time of punishment in fulfillment of all that has been
written. 23How dreadful it will be in those days for
pregnant women and nursing mothers! There will be great distress in the
land and wrath against this people.
24 They will fall by the sword
and will be taken as prisoners to all the nations.
Jerusalem will be trampled on by the Gentiles until the times of the
Gentiles are fulfilled." (emphasis added)
Jesus then explains when this would happen: "I
tell you the truth, this generation will certainly not pass away until all
these things have happened. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words
will not pass away" (verses 32, 33). Actually this is probably a
double prophecy, and also concerns the timing for Daniel's last week. More
on that in a future lesson. In context with verses 20 through 25 though,
Jesus told his disciples that the temple would be destroyed within their
generation and that the Jews would be dispersed
among the nations as prisoners. Since the Hebrew generation is 40
years, the temple would be destroyed sometime around or before AD 70-72
(See Chart 3). Let's see how this happened.
After the crucifixion and resurrection of
Jesus, the new Christians were indeed persecuted by the Jews. At the same
time, Jewish unrest was also growing against Rome. Jewish Zealots demanded
that they be free from Roman bondage. Eventually this unrest developed
into an insurrection so intense that Rome sent a force to crush the
rebellion in AD 70, exactly as Jesus had prophesied! The Roman armies,
under the leadership of General Titus, laid siege to Jerusalem for 143
days. Just as Jesus prophesied, conditions were dreadful for those who
chose not to flee before Titus' land siege. Severe mass starvation
resulted in suicides, murder, and even cannibalism. Nearly one million
Jews were killed or starved to death in that siege. Tens and hundreds of
thousands were led away into captivity and slavery. Jerusalem has no
history for 60 years after its destruction!
The horrible and tragic events which occurred
in this siege partially fulfilled the ghastly prophecies found in
Deuteronomy 28:49-57, where a vivid account of these sickening days are
detailed. Yet, this horror is nothing compared to what awaits the Jews in
Jerusalem during the Great Tribulation and the last 3½ of Daniel's
seventh week. Only then will the Deuteronomy prophecy be completely
fulfilled!
Prophecy is always meant by God to warn His
people. The prophecy Jesus gave in Luke 21:20-24 was no exception. While
it was fulfilled in the greatest and most grisly detail, it also provided
a warning for the Christian Jews, and most of them escaped the slaughter!
They then went on to bear witness of Christ throughout the world!
One final tragic attempt of the Jews to win
freedom from the Romans was concentrated in the rebellion of AD 134. This
insurrection was led by the false messiah Bar Cochba and was eventually
overwhelmingly crushed. Following this defeat, most of the remaining Jews
in Judea were led away in captivity and slavery--just as Jesus foretold.
What was left of Jerusalem was leveled to the ground, and even the
foundations were plowed up. Two years later Romans began the rebuilding of
the city, then called Aelia Capitolina. Jews were strictly excluded for
two hundred years from entering Jerusalem. For 1880 years the city and the
country were ravaged by repeated wars and conquests-- many by the
'Christian' crusaders. In 1517 it was seized by the Ottoman Turks, who
held it for four centuries until conquered by Britain during World War I.
In conclusion of this prophecy, Jesus
provided one more critical piece of information. In verse 24 Jesus
declared that Jerusalem will remain in Gentile(3)
control until the "time of the Gentiles" is completed. On May
14, 1948, Israel became a nation for the first time in nearly 1,880 years.
In June 1967, during the Six Day War, Jerusalem, for the first time in
nearly 1,900 years, came under complete control of God's People--the Jews!
(see Chart 4)
This staggering fulfillment of prophecy has gone
almost entirely unnoticed by the world. If anything, the world condemned
Israel because they were so successful against the Arabs. The Arabs, in
case you have forgotten, were attempting to drive the Jews into the
sea--to literally obliterate them from the face of the earth! Now, let's
go back to Ezekiel 37, and expand upon this amazing prophetic account of
how God brought His people home!
The
Gathering of the Dry Bones
Ezekiel 37
After Ezekiel received the prophecy given in Chapter
36, He once again was "brought out by the Spirit of the Lord" to
a valley full of bones. In this vision, the Lord set Ezekiel in the middle
of these bones. In verses 11-14, Ezekiel finds out what this all means.
The bones represent Israel, dried up, with no hope
at all after wandering the world for over 1800 years. God promises to give
life to these dead and buried bones and bring them back to Israel. Once
there, He will put His Spirit in them and they will know the meaning of
life. A life that no one can know unless they have accepted Jesus Christ
as their Savior!
God does this in two phases. First, in verses 7 and
8, He brings the bones together--symbolizing the Jews returning to Israel
from all corners of the world. Second, in verses 9 and 10 He gives them
life--their acceptance of Jesus as their Messiah!
There was a rattling sound and the bones began to
stir. Slowly at first, then with increasing speed, the bones come
together. The Jews began to come home. Then tendons and flesh begin to
appear on them and they became a nation once again! How God did this
provides one of the most fascinating accounts of prophetic fulfillment in
Biblical history.
The Bones Stir
The year was 1895. A Jewish Austrian newspaperman
named Theodore Herzl was sent to report on the trial of one Alfred
Dreyfus, a Jewish French soldier accused of collaboration with Germany.
Although Dreyfus was obviously a strong French patriot, and despite scant
evidence, a secret court-martial condemned Dreyfus to public humiliation
and life imprisonment on Devil's Island. History records this case as a
miscarriage of French justice.
As Herzl was standing in the crowd following the
trial, he heard them cry "Kill the traitor, kill the Jew." This
scene had a life changing impact on Herzl. He suddenly saw with clarity
that this trial represented his people, and that the hatred against the
Jews would put them in continual peril of being scapegoats wherever they
found themselves in the world.
Herzl was so disturbed that he went into seclusion
to write a book which he entitled Der Judenstaat--The Jewish State.
It focused on the need for the Jews to have a state of their own. The book
caught fire with the Jews, and in 1897 the first World Zionist Congress
was convened by Herzl in Basle, Switzerland. From that the Zionist
movement was born. At the conclusion of the first Zionist Congress Herzl
wrote in his diary, "I have founded the Jewish state. If I were to
say so today, people would laugh at me, but in five years' time, certainly
in fifty years, it will be seen that I was right." History would
prove him correct exactly 51 years later. The bones stir and begin to
rattle.
The Bones
Rattle
Then came World War I. Palestine had been occupied
by the Ottoman Turks for 400 years. There were fewer than 100,000 Jews in
all of Palestine. The war was going badly for England; Germany's advanced
weaponry was devastating the Allied troops. They were desperate to find a
rapid method of manufacturing TNT and smokeless gun powder. A brilliant
Jew named Dr. Chaim Weizmann, a Zionist, invented a fast and economical
way of producing acetone, a key ingredient in these explosives. This
single invention literally changed the course of the war!
England asked Dr. Weizmann to name his reward.
Rejecting personal reward, Weizmann requested that Palestine be declared
the national homeland for the Jewish people. As a result of this request,
the Balfour Declaration was drawn up and signed on November 2, 1917
(Chart 4):
Dear Lord Rothchild:
I have much pleasure in conveying
to you, on behalf of his Majesty's Government, the following declaration
of sympathy with Jewish Zionist aspirations, which as been submitted to,
and approved by, the Cabinet. His Majesty's Government views with
favor the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish
people [emphasis mine], and will use their best endeavors to
facilitate the achievement of this object, it being clearly understood
that nothing shall be done which may prejudice the civil and religious
rights of existing non-Jewish communities in Palestine, or the rights and
political status enjoyed by Jews in any other country.
I should be grateful if you would
bring this declaration to the knowledge of the Zionist Federation.
- Yours sincerely,
- Arthur James Balfour
With this simple declaration,
God was about to redirect history to fulfill His promise made thousands of
years ago. Although the conclusion was certain because God had decreed it,
the road to nationhood would prove to be long and bitter.
Concurrent with these events
during World War I, Turkey's alliance with Germany threatened disaster to
the Jews in Palestine. Work on the homeland came to a stop, and any
immigrants with citizenship from an Allied nation were deported or
executed. But what man intends for evil, God uses to further His purpose.
The same German/Turkish alliance
forced Britain to fight Turkey as well. They chose Palestine as a key
military target to engage the Turks. General Allenby commanded the British
troops, and the conquest of Jerusalem was one of his first objectives. But
he was in at a real impasse about how to displace the Turks from Jerusalem
without destroying it. There was no way to rout the well entrenched Turks
in Jerusalem without leveling this historic city, just as the Romans had.
Jerusalem was of special concern for Allenby, because as a child his
Christian mother would have him pray that God would not forget His ancient
people, Israel, and would hasten the day when they would return home. The
significance of Jerusalem was not lost on General
Allenby!
Out of desperation Allenby
ordered a bi-plane to drop leaflets over the city, carrying his signature,
commanding the Turks to surrender. When the Turks found out that it was a
General named Allenby (to them "Allah Bey"--The Prophet of God),
they apparently took this to mean that God was against them and they
evacuated the city! It is also claimed that seeing an airplane in battle
for the first time caused panic. Although unaware of it, the Turks were
possibly fulfilling another of God's promises of Jerusalem's deliverance
made by Isaiah in 32:5: "As birds flying, so will the Lord of
hosts defend Jerusalem; defending also he will deliver it; and passing
over he will preserve it."
Whatever the reason, the next
morning Allenby awoke to find a delegation from the city waiting to
surrender to him-- without a shot fired! Jerusalem was freed on December
9, 1917, one month after the Balfour Declaration was issued!
The Jews now had a homeland to return to and a mandate to do it
(Chart 4)!
The rattling gets louder.
The
Bones Come Together--Israel is Born
Following the war, the newly
formed League of Nations approved the providing of a national homeland for
the Jews as outlined in the Balfour Resolution. But the gathering of the
Jews to their homeland was a gradual process. They were once again
prosperous in their host nations, things were relatively peaceful, and
they were
content. There was just no
incentive to leave the 'good life' and start anew in a strange and hostile
land! And so only a few did. By 1932 there were only 180,000 Jews in
Palestine. It was not easy for the few Jews that did immigrate to
Palestine. But, armed with money donated through the Zionist Federation,
the Jews were determined to succeed.
It is commonly believed that the Jews took
the land they settled on from the Arabs. Not so. All land was bought from
the Arabs, who were more than willing to sell, often at exorbitant prices
for the poorest of land. Yet from that the Jews performed an agricultural
miracle as they brought the desert back to life! Though slowly, the bones
began to come together and the desert began to flourish.
Muscles
and Tendons Form
The return became harder. Britain reneged
on her 1917 treaty, and in 1939, after much deliberation over the growing
conflicts between the Arabs and the Jews, England issued a series of White
Papers that favored Arab independence and control of the area. They
claimed for instance, that the land could not support more people so
immigration quotas were set ridiculously low. At the same time Germany's
Holocaust against the Jews provided all the incentive the Jews needed to
leave Europe! The peaceful days of the previous decade vanished in a
rapidly growing nightmare of persecution and slaughter!
The British set up a blockade to keep the
Jews from entering Palestine. No country in the world would take Jewish
refugees. The Jews escaping Europe had two choices; find a way into
Palestine or return to Germany! Though there were more failures than
successes, the Jews were brilliant in running the British blockade around
Palestine. Those that didn't were captured and sent back to Germany to
die.
By 1945 there were over 500,000 Jews in
Palestine. The blockade continued after the war, and those Jews that did
not make it were sent to refugee camps in Cyprus to await an uncertain
future. But many Jews did make it and the Jewish population began to
explode. The rattling became a roar as the bones began to rapidly take
shape. Muscles and tendons were being molded. A nation was forming!
The
Birth of Israel
The British failed to keep the peace
between the Arabs and Jews following World War II. In frustration, Britain
turned the problem over to the United Nations on April 2, 1947. The fate
of Palestine was now in the hands of the newly created United Nations. On
November 29, 1947 the United Nations voted to partition Palestine, giving
independence to the Jews. On May 14, 1948 Israel became a nation, but the
euphoria was short-lived. Their problems were just beginning.
The agreement provided the Jews only a
quarter of the territory they originally intended for their homeland. It
was only 10 miles wide and vulnerable to attack on nearly every side. But
at least they would have a home of their own!
Under the terms of the partition, arms
could only be sold to recognized nations. This allowed the Palestinian
Arabs to fully arm themselves, while arms sales to the Jews were
forbidden. Against incredible odds however, the Zionists were able to
clandestinely purchase some arms. These were secretly stockpiled in
Northern Mediterranean countries to be shipped to Israel on the very day
they proclaimed statehood. The fateful day of May 14, 1948 arrived.
At the same time Israel proclaimed
Statehood (Chart 4), and was recognized by the United States, a bloody war
with the Palestinian Arabs ensued. Vastly outnumbered and outgunned by the
Arabs, God intervened and miracle after miracle kept the infant state from
being stillborn. Against insurmountable odds, the Jews not only prevailed,
they even expanded their territory by six hundred square miles! The final
armistice gained them 21 percent more land than had been granted by the
United Nations.
By the early 1950's the Jewish population
had swelled to nearly a million and a half people. Tendons and flesh were
fully formed! They were a nation, a 'whole' people once again!
The
'Time of the Gentiles' Completed
Though a nation, the Jews had control of
less than half of Jerusalem. That sacred city was still in the control of
the Gentiles (Arabs)--especially the Temple Site. As discussed earlier in
this lesson, Jesus revealed that the 'Time of the Gentiles' would not be
complete until Jerusalem was no longer under Gentile Control (Luke 21:24).
For two decades following their
nationhood, the surrounding Arab countries amassed a huge military force
for the expressed purpose of driving the Jews into the sea. In 1957 Egypt
and Syria attempted to destroy Israel militarily and were humiliated for
their efforts. By 1967 the Arabs were rearmed and daily threatened the
Jews with annihilation. In June of that year, war seemed imminent. Nassar,
Egypt's President, intimidated Israel continuously over the radio. Syria
shelled Israeli cities daily from the Golan Heights.
In a preemptive move Israel launched a
sneak attack on June 5, and in six days drove the Arabs from Jerusalem,
the West Bank, the Golan Heights, the Sinai Peninsula. They were on their
way to Cairo and Damascus when the United States pressured them to stop.
The West Bank and Golan Heights are still under Israeli control and are
being negotiated today with the PLO. (Chart
5) Only the recent four day
Persian Gulf War rivals the Six Day War for its astonishing success. This
war fulfilled Christ's prophecy of Luke 21:24! (Chart 3 &
Chart 4)
Except
for the Temple site itself, Jerusalem was no longer in the hands of the
Gentiles! And even the Temple site was under Israeli
sovereignty, but Israel chose to permit the
Palestinians to administer the site. The 'Times of the Gentiles' are being fulfilled in our lifetime!
Meanwhile, the seeds of another plan were
being planted, but not by God. Led by the youth who were sick of what they
perceived as materialism and an unjust war in Vietnam, the new
age/counterculture movement exploded on the American scene. Demanding
cosmic harmony with nature, these youth protested, rioted and bombed their
way into history. The peace and environmental movements were born which
would set as its goal the destruction of Christianity and the
transformation of America into a pagan nation. The stage was set, but its
importance cannot crystallize until the prophecies in Revelation are
understood.
One Nation--Ezekiel
37:21-22
God made one more important promise in
Ezekiel 37:21-22. The two sticks (nations) of 'Judah' and 'Israel', were
joined into one (verse 16-17). After 1900 years of exile (2600 years for
'Israel' since they were led into captivity by Assyria!), all records of
lineage were lost and one nation now exists where before there were two!
Though the Jews remain a divided people today because of cultural
differences and religious beliefs, Israel is one nation.
The
Jews--Villain or Victim?
Most Jews in Israel today give only
cursory, if any, credit to God for what He has done. Israel today is
basically a Godless nation. It should only be expected that a Godless
country will make godless decisions. Even so, for the first 25 years as a
nation, the Jews made an attempt to treat the Arabs living within their
borders with justice. Had there been no outside pressure from their Arab
neighbors, relations may have stabilized between the Jews and Arabs living
in common within Israel.
But constant hostile and inflammatory
rhetoric from the Palestine Liberation Organization, and surrounding Arab
nations, fed the flames of hatred. Moderate Arab leaders living in Israel
that sought peaceful solutions were murdered by terrorist Arab
organizations. Instead of using oil revenues to assimilate the Palestinian
Arabs into other Arab nations, these nations instead kept the refugees in
near destitute conditions within squalid camps, where they still live
today. These camps were, and still are, used as a symbol to inflame hatred
and justify the Arab attempts to retake Israel for the Palestinian
Refugees! Money and resources that could have gone to the Palestinians
went instead to buying arms to drive the Jews into the sea.
Tensions once again reached the flash
point in the fall of 1973. During Israel's Holy Day of Yom Kippur, Syria
and Egypt launched a surprise attack against Israel in October of 1973.
Unlike the brilliant Six Day War of 1967, Israel almost lost to the Arabs.
After ferocious tank battles, Syria retook most of the Golan Heights, and
Egypt was rapidly advancing across the Sinai by the third day of the war.
Defeat seemed inevitable for Israel as the war quickly depleted its
supplies and the death-toll mounted. Only an emergency air lift by the
United States kept them from losing. Once again, miracle after miracle
reversed the tide of war, and led Israel into another stunning victory!
And, once again Cairo and Damascus could have been easily taken, if the
United States had not interfered.
Israel's
Loss of Innocence
Although Israel was victorious, this war
was a critical turning point for Israel--for it was in this war that
Israel lost its innocence. Until then, the Jews had at least made an
attempt to treat the Arabs within Israel justly, though some would argue
this point. But this war literally changed the world, and Israel's
policies with it. Though they were defeated once again, the Yom Kippur War
helped the Arabs finally realize the power they had over the world in oil.
Even though the West did not abandon Israel, the oil embargoes of the
1970's subtly shifted support away from Israel and weakened Israel's ties
with the west.
This shift in support was not lost on the
Jews. They realized that they were truly alone in the world and could only
depend on themselves for survival. Israel's internal policies shifted
towards even more nationalism, if that were possible. Once again tensions
mounted. The Arab Nations finally realized they could not win through war.
So they shifted to terrorism. The Palestine Liberation Organization and
others launched terrorist actions within Israel, and throughout the world.
Israel retaliated destroying homes of suspected Arab collaborators, as
well as incursions across its borders against suspected PLO strongholds.
What rights the Arabs had in Israel eroded away. Property was confiscated,
and the Jews began to treat the Arabs almost as poorly as the Arabs had
treated them when they were struggling to forge a nation. Israel has
resorted to a policy of an 'eye-for-an-eye' and a 'tooth-for-a-tooth'.
Tragically, two wrongs never make a right.
Many in the United States believe that we
should no longer support Israel. While we must not condone their actions,
it could be a fatal mistake for America to abandon Israel. God promises
that any nation that blesses Israel will in turn be blessed by Him.
Conversely, any nation that treats Israel poorly will be eventually
punished by God (Genesis 12:3). History has proven this prophecy correct.
We cannot condone Israel's policies, but we dare not abandon them!
Spiritual
Warfare
Tragically, the escalating terrorism in
the Mid-East has played right in the hands of not only the Arabs, but also
the mastermind behind all misery--Satan! For too long now we have focused
so much on who is the villain and who is the victim that we have forgotten
a basic fact--Our battle is not against flesh and blood, but against
the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world
and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms
(Ephesians 6:12). We should be focusing our attention on what is happening
in the spiritual realm.
Israel's true enemy is not the Arabs, but
Satan, who has continuously sought to destroy God's chosen people. God has
clearly told us that there will always be enmity between His people and
Satan (Genesis 3:15). We will learn when we study the twelfth chapter of
Revelation that Satan has, and will continue to, attempt to destroy Israel
and the Jews! His final effort will occur during the last 3½ years of the
Tribulation. Satan's desire to destroy the Jews has fed the hatred of many
people; including Hitler and the Arabs today. One of Saddam Hussein's
biggest dreams was to totally destroy the 'hated Jews'. This spiritual
battle over the Jews will continue until the battle of Armageddon, when
God executes His final Judgments against the nations, and Satan is thrown
into the Pit (Revelation 19:11 through 20:3).
So while it is true that the Jews are
being unfair to the Palestinians, both the Arabs and the Jews are
victims! There is far more going on than appears on the surface.
While we cannot condone Israel's treatment of the Palestinian Arabs, it is
best to let God be the judge of both Israel and the Palestinians!
New
Life for the Jews
Only one more thing needs to happen for
Ezekiel's prophecies in Chapters 36 and 37 to be fulfilled. Sometime in
the near future God will give the Israelites life (Ezekiel 37:9 and 10)
when they accept Christ as their Messiah and receive God's Spirit (verse
14)! How this will occur will be discussed in later lessons. Before doing
this, however, we need to have a better understanding of the events that
surround Israel's discovery that Jesus has been their long-awaited Messiah
all this time. Once again Daniel provides critical and fascinating
information that gives incredible insight about these events.
QUESTIONS
1. Many of the prophets writing about the
dispersal and the return of the Jews to their promised land are
contemporary to the Babylonian captivity. Some scholars insist that the
prophecies that are referring to a second dispersal into all the
nations are really merely referring to the Babylonian dispersal. What are
some of the reasons that this claim cannot be correct?
2. Why did God destroy Jerusalem and
disperse the Jews? Was this arbitrary or were they warned? Was it fair?
Just?
3. Why has God brought His People back to
their homeland? Did they deserve it?
4. The series of events that led to the
establishment of the nation of Israel in 1948 are truly astonishing. Could
it have been merely a series of coincidences? Was it easy for the Jewish
people to survive, establish a nation, and then survive as a nation? What
does this tell us about how God works in our lives when He calls us to do
something?5. What is the significance of the 1966 Six Day War? Could the
"end of the times of the Gentiles" (Luke 21:24) be at hand? What
may still need to happen for this prophecy of Jesus to be completely
fulfilled?6. The Jewish people have suffered horribly throughout the
centuries and have Jacob's Trouble yet ahead of them. Should Christians
feel superior to the Jews? (Also see Rom. 11:11-31) Has God called
Christians to abandon His people or help them?7. Many claim that the Arabs
displaced from Palestine is unfair. Is this true? What does this reveal
about the nature of God?8. Has God abandoned His Chosen People forever?
What hope do they have?
1. Lora, Mary E. 1990.
"Israel: A National Passion for Trees." American Forests
96(July/August):46-68
2. These may have been two different events, or more
likely were the same event where different aspects of the same discussion
were revealed.
3. A Gentile is any
non-Jew.
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