History Repeating Itself: In the days of Joshua, Zerubbabel and Weizmann

History
Repeating Itself

In
the days of Joshua, Zerubbabel & Weizmann

By
David L. Cooper

            Jacob with seventy souls went down into the land of Egypt.  There, under the protection of the strong Egyptian Empire, this handful of people grew into a nation of approximately three million.  At the time appointed in the plan of God, the Lord sent Moses to deliver His people.  With a high hand and a strong arm He brought them forth from the house of bondage.  He led them to Sinai and there gave them His law and entered into a special covenant with them.  This great event is called the birth of the nation of Israel.

In concluding the book of the covenant—Exodus, chapter 21-23—the Lord made some wonderful promises to Israel concerning establishing her in the land which He promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, if she only would be faithful and true to Him in all things.  A person should read especially Exodus 23:20-33.  In this passage he will see that God promised to exempt Israel from diseases and to give her all necessary things for the enjoyment of life.  In connection with this passage he should also read Leviticus chapter 26, which was spoken by the Lord from the door of the tabernacle when it was set up on the first day of the second year of the Exodus.  In the first 13 verses of this chapter the Lord made marvelous, wonderful promises to Israel if she would but
be faithful and true to Him in her covenant relationship.  Had she been faithful, she would have been established in the land of the fathers from the very beginning.  She would never have been afflicted with any of the diseases of Egypt, or any diseases so far as that is concerned.  Never would there have been partial harvests, but there would always have been bumper crops every year.  Neither would there have been any soldiers who would cross their borders and invade the land.  In other words, had Israel been faithful and true to God in every respect, her land would have been a modern Utopia, Paradise regained.  On the other hand, the Lord warned Israel that, if she did not remain true in her covenant relationship, He would be forced to punish her; and that eventually, if after having corrected her time and again, she persisted in rebellion.  He would be forced to spew her out of the land and scatter her among the nations.
Since the people of Israel did not remain faithful and true, He was forced to carry out the threat, and finally, in A.D. 70, He had to scatter her throughout the world.  Thus she has been in exile for nineteen centuries.

Disobedience to the will of God on the part of the nation of Israel is the real secret of all the suffering through which that unfortunate people have been caused to pass.  Somehow or other the nation has not learned the great lesson of life, living in harmony with the will of God.  It seems that she can learn it only
the hard way.  There are promises, however, that she will yet in the future learn her lesson.  When she does, her sufferings will be over.

Under Joshua

The generation of those who were warriors when they left Egypt died in the wilderness during the forty years of wandering.  The new generation that was born during their desert trek entered the land of Canaan under the leadership of Joshua.  They marched into it in triumph.  The Lord worked a miracle in their behalf, causing the waters of the Jordan to stop and allow Israel to pass over dry shod.  According to the instructions of the Lord, the priests with their trumpets and the armed men were to encompass the city of Jericho, the first formidable fortress against which they came upon entering the land, once a day for six days and on the seventh day they were to make seven circuits of the city.  At the conclusion of the last of these, they were to blow the ram’s horn and shout for joy.  Joshua did exactly as the Lord said.  He believed that God would cause the overthrow of the city and would deliver it into the hands of Israel.  At
the blowing of the trumpets the wall fell and the city was taken.  God delivered this fortress over to Israel without any effort or fighting on her part.

This triumph was to serve as a token and a pledge to Israel of future conquests, if she would but be faithful and true to the Lord.  But to our great disappointment, such a signal victory by faith was the first and the last of its kind which Israel enjoyed.

Flushed with the joy of triumph and victory, the Israelites sent a small force up from Gilgal to Ai, which was on the tableland northeast of Jerusalem about fifteen miles.  These joined battle with the natives and were thrown back in utter defeat.  They retreated back to the camp at Gilgal.  Distress and gloom settled down over the people.  An investigation was instituted and, to the amazement of all the people, the discovery was made that Achan had seized a
wedge of gold, a Baylonish garment, and two hundred shekels of silver.  The strict orders were that nothing of the captured city should be seized.  Those
orders were given in compliance with the demands of God.  Sin was the cause of the defeat.  God could not and would not go forward with Israel when sin was in the camp.  This was removed by the execution of Achan, the leader in the transgression.  Thus normal relationships were restored between God and His people.  But there was always something that prevented the flow of the power of God constantly and unceasingly to Israel.

The only basis for the true explanation of Israel’s triumphs and defeats as she took possession of the land is to be found in the fact that there are the spiritual hosts of wickedness that are in the air, and that are opposed to God and His people.  When Israel was thus faithful to God and was in close fellowship and touch with Him, she went forward from victory to victory.  On the other hand, when she was out of fellowship with Him and sin had come in between Him and her, defeat and disaster became inevitable.  What was true of the nation of Israel in relation   to God is also true with reference to the believer in Christ today.  When one is walking in close fellowship with God and sin is not allowed to disturb that relationship, the believer can go from victory to victory.  But when sin is allowed to enter the life and is cherished by men, though they be born again people, the fellowship is broken and the power ceases to a great extent to flow into the life of such a one.  Of course defeat on all sides is inevitable.

Though God was with Israel, He could not give her any more signal victories, like the one which she was granted at Jericho, as she moved forward in the conquest of the land.

Joshua was a military genius.  He laid well his plans of operation.  Thus he drove a wedge into the central part of the country and conquered the strongholds of the enemy in the mountainous plateau north of Jerusalem.  Following these triumphs, he turned to the left and conquered all the southern part of the country.  Of course there were strongholds that were not subdued at this time.  After this Joshua led his forces victoriously on into the northern part of the land, conquered a coalition of nations, and took possession of that section of the fatherland.  Here too were strongholds of the enemy which were bypassed, and which were not conquered at that time.  For instance, Beth-shean in the eastern part of the Plain of Jezreel was never conquered until late in the history of Israel.  The same thing was true of Taanach and Megiddo, which stubbornly held out against the mighty blows of Israel, who had to fight every step of the way.

Certain strongholds remained in the land which proved to be thorns in the side of Israel.  They were the occasion of trouble constantly.  The Books of Joshua and Judges give us the terrible warlike experiences through which the nation passed—and all because of a lack of surrender and trust in God.

Under Zerubbabel

            Although the Lord blessed Israel by giving her rest, in a measure, from her enemies and permitting her to establish the monarchy, yet she was periodically lapsing into idolatry and forsaking God.  At all these crises in the life of the nation God raised up His faithful prophets who pled with the people to return to Him and to trust Him.  The chronicler, speaking by inspiration, summed up the days of the monarchy in the following quotation:  “11 Zedekiah was twenty and one years old when he began to reign; and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem: 12 and he did that which was evil in the sight of Jehovah his God; he humbled not himself before Jeremiah the prophet speaking from the mouth of Jehovah.  13 And he also rebelled against king Nebuchadnezzar, who had made him swear by God:  but he stiffened his neck, and hardened his heart against turning unto Jehovah, the God of Israel.  14 Moreover all the chiefs of the priests, and the people, trespassed very greatly after all the abominations of the nations; and they polluted the house of Jehovah which he had hallowed in Jerusalem.  15 And Jehovah, the God of their fathers, sent to them by his messengers, rising up early and sending, because he had compassion on his people, and on his dwelling place:  16 but they mocked the messengers of God, and despised his words, and scoffed at his prophets until the wrath of Jehovah arose against his people, till there was no remedy” (II Chronicles 36:11-16).

From this quotation we see that God did His best in trying to get Israel to be faithful to Him.  But the people mocked the messengers of God, despised His Word, “until the wrath of Jehovah arose against his people, till there was no remedy” (vs. 16).  The Lord brought Nebuchadnezzar against the nation who overthrew the kingdom, devastated the land, and took many into captivity, where they remained for seventy years.  It is impossible for us, who have never
passed through such an experience, to realize the sufferings of that time through which the Chosen People went.

Jeremiah, who foretold the seventy years of Babylonian captivity, promised the nation that, at the expiration of that period, they should return to their own land.  It was necessary that the Lord thus bring them back at the time appointed.  The reason for this statement is that God has far-reaching plans and
purposes for Israel, which will eventually affect the entire world.  Everything is related to things about it and affects them more or less.  Thus life is an endless chain of causes and effects.  The Lord therefore said that He would have to bring the people back from Babylon in order that He might perform His plans regarding them and His thoughts toward the nation to give them hope in their latter end.  We may not be able to see the full force of this statement, but it is true nevertheless.  Thus at the appointed time the Lord brought His people back from Babylon, that is, those who loved Him and His service, and who wanted to do His will.

The Lord raised up Zerubbabel, a prince of the house of David, to lead back all those who longed to live in the land of their fathers.  Joshua, the high priest, likewise accompanied them and led in spiritual matters.  When this call came for the nation to return home, most of the people had settled down into a quiet life of east and prosperity.  They were not willing to pull up stakes and to return.  There were, however, devout souls who wished to go back.  Under the leadership of Zerubbabel, later under that of Ezra, and still later under that of Nehemiah, there were approximately 50,000 Jews who returned to their own land.

The exiles, upon their arrival at home, found the land in a state of desolation and waste.  They had to begin from scratch in their building program and to begin life anew.  Of course, this experience was a struggle for everyone.  The odds were against them.  Nevertheless, valiantly they prosecuted their work of rebuilding their homeland.

In the second year of their return, as we learn from the third chapter of Ezra, the heroic exiles began to lay the foundation for their Temple.  They had already built up the walls of the city of Jerusalem.  No sooner did they begin to build the national shrine than the people who had settled in the land during their absence started a campaign to stop the work.  Opposition in every form was encountered.  These opponents even wrote letters to the Persian kings in efforts to thwart the purpose of the “Zionists” of that day and time.  The situation seemed hopeless and desperate.  Zerubbabel became discouraged and downhearted.  Then God raised up two prophets, Haggai and Zechariah, who proclaimed the Word of the Lord and gave visions of the future, when Israel will yet be reinstated into favor with God and be established as the head of the nations—when she accepts her Messiah.  It was by the visions of Zechariah largely
that the struggling band of heroic exiles took on new life and hope and pushed their work forward with enthusiasm and vigor.

Ezra came, at an opportune time, with others of the priestly order. Their arrival and their work was a great boon to the discouraged exiles.  Nevertheless opposition took on formidable proportions.  Whenever God works among His people who turn to Him, Satan always launches determined opposition.  The city wall that had at the first been rebuilt by Zerubbabel was thrown down.  Great abuses had risen in Israel.  Irregularities in the worship had sprung up.  The people had begun to marry foreigners, who were then residing in the land.

God always has His man in the right place at the proper time.  On this occasion the man of the hour was Nehemiah, who was cupbearer to the Persian king.  Being overwhelmed by sad news from his brethren in Palestine, Nehemiah appeared once before the king with his countenance downcast.  The king read the message of sadness in his heart and insisted that his favorite official reveal to him the cause.  He did so.  The king relieved him of his duties and granted him permission to return to the city of his fathers, which thing he did.  Upon his arrival in Jerusalem after an inspection tour of three days around the city, he gathered the people together and encouraged them to build up the walls, which recently had been torn down.  This thing they did in 52 days.  Opposition sprang up from every quarter.  Guile and deceit were used; attacks were launched.  But Nehemiah with a firm had continued the work of restoration and finally won out.

It took courage and faith to go against the evils that had developed among the people of God and to fight off attacks of the enemies around about.  There were enemies within the camp as well as those without, but Nehemiah in a most heroic and self-sacrificing spirit led the nation to higher things.

Such a struggle for the returned captives was to be expected.  The angel Gabriel in his revelation to Daniel as recorded in Daniel 9:24-25 foretold that there would be seven weeks of years (49 years) during which the city would be rebuilt and re-established in troublous times.  Thus the Word of God was fulfilled literally on this point, as well as on all others.

Under Dr. Weizmann

            The Lord through Ezekiel gave us a vivid picture of Israel’s final restoration.  This particular prediction is found in the vision of the valley of dry bones recorded in Ezekiel 37:1-14.  The prophet was shown a valley over which dry bones were scattered.  He was instructed to prophesy to them and to tell them to live.  When he obeyed this injunction, there was in his vision a tremendous explosion and a mighty earthquake.  Then each of these bones began to move as if
it had life and to take its position in relation to other bones so as to form skeletons.  Then sinews began to appear and to join the bones.  Thereupon flesh
appeared and finally skin covered it.  At last, at the command of the Lord, the prophet called upon the Spirit of God to breathe life into these bodies.  Then
they all arose, a mighty army of Jehovah.   We are told that these bones represent the whole house of Israel, at the time when they say that their hope is lost, and that they are clearly cut off, that is, that their messianic hope is not to be relied upon, and that they are cut off from the touch and the power of God (Ezek. 37:11).

In the vision there was a mighty explosion and a terrific earthquake when the prophet, in obedience to the command of God, first spoke to the dry bones.  These mighty upheavals obviously had some connection with the moving of the bones together in order to form skeletons.  In the fulfillment of this vision there must be that which could properly be represented by a terrific explosion and a mighty earthquake and at the same time that which affects the nation of Israel and causes it to come together in order to form itself into a body politic, a movement toward nationhood.  An examination of the history of Israel and of her condition at the time that her hope—expectation that a personal Messiah will come and deliver her—is clean cut off, leads one to the conclusion that World War I with its aftermath affected Israel in such a way that it caused the disjointed members of the nation to come together in order to be welded and bound together by later bonds—as the bones were by the sinews.  Israel had never before realized as at that time that she would have to
become a political unit and would have to be settled in her own land.

Though there were efforts at colonization on the part of the Jews in Palestine from the days of the early adventure put forth by Sir Claude Montefiore and other independent attempts by individual Jews and groups, never was there a concerted united endeavor launched by the people of Israel until the Balfour Declaration of 1917 was written into the Versailles Treaty which concluded the great war.  Zionism began to go forward with leaps and bounds, and most marvelous progress was made from the time of the signing of the Versailles Treaty until the strikes and disturbances that broke out throughout the land in 1935, and that continued up to the outbreak of World War II.  Notwithstanding these troubles momentous strides were made by the Jews in building up colonies throughout the land.

I am of the conviction that most of these troubles were caused by foreign propaganda and influence.  The facts in the case show that the Nazis under the leadership of Hitler and his cohorts, together with Mussolini and his stooges, were the prime cause of the troubles between the Arabic peoples and the Jews.
Of course there were other factors that entered into the situation, but, according to the information which I have, the foreign influence was the principal disturbing element.

Since World War II the differences between Arabs and Jews have been aggravated, and the situation in the Land has deteriorated and grown from bad to worse.  That which has precipitated the present crisis is the issuing by the United Nations of the order to partition Palestine into Arabic and Jewish states.  Great Britain officially gave up the mandate over Palestine at midnight, May 14, 1948.  Her withdrawal was the signal for the mighty explosion in the form of the devastating war which has broken out, and which is wrecking the country.

At 12:01 A.M., May 15, the new Israel was born and a new Jewish government was set up at Tel Aviv.  Dr. Chaim Weizmann, was elected the first president of Israel.  These developments have aggravated the case.  Both sides refuse to make any concessions.  Fighting is advancing with an increasing tempo at the present time (June 1).  God only knows to what lengths it may go and what may develop out of this raging tempest.

At this stage of the conflict it would be indeed foolish for anyone to make any prognostications or predictions concerning the course that events will take, and what we may expect in the very near future.  There doubtless will be an ebb and flow of events.  Hard days for Israel are ahead.  History is repeating itself.  Joshua was the man who was selected by the Lord to be the leader in bringing Israel out of the wilderness and taking her into the Land of Promise.  Zerubbabel was the one who led at the command of God the discouraged exiles back to the land of their fathers.  It seems that, by the providence of God, Dr. Chaim Weizmann has been brought to the fore to occupy the position which he is filling at the present day.  He seems to have the sterling qualities of a
true statesman, who has the interest of his brethren at heart.  He demonstrated the nobility of his soul by offering his chemical formula, used to manufacturing T.N.T., which he had discovered, to Great Britain as the price for her sponsoring a movement for the Jews to return and to rebuild a home in the land of their fathers.  He could have asked a great price in cold cash from Britain for his secret formula which was sorely needed at the time, and could have gotten it; but no, he was not looking at personal gain:  he had his heart set on the welfare of his people.  Thus in a self-sacrificing manner, he has labored for his brethren and has done what he could in trying to re-establish the home of his people in the land which God gave to them.

Since  we are in the very end of the age, as all evidence proves, we may be certain that there are in the immediate future grave and difficult days, not only for Israel, but for the entire world.  But Israel will yet have her gravest problems.  God will use this opposition and make it contribute to the advancement
of His plans and purposes concerning the Chosen People.  He will punish them double for all their sins (Isa. 40:1-2).  We may be sure that, in the end, God will bring them forth, tried and purged, to the position which they are to occupy as the head of all nations:  “And Jehovah will make thee the head, and not the tail; and thou shalt be above only, and thou shalt not be beneath; if thou shalt hearken unto the commandments of Jehovah thy God, which I command thee this day, to observe and to do them. . .” (Deut. 28:13).  The holiness and the omnipotence of God are the guarantee of this fact.

For one to attempt to map out or delineate the course of events as they will in the immediate future develop would be foolish.  The Scriptures have not revealed the course of events of the present crisis.  The wise and discreet one will therefore refrain from making any pronouncement and from claiming that the Scripture is definitely being fulfilled in the present Palestine situation.  But He has not given us details and specific information concerning this present crisis—except in a general way.

One should read carefully Joel 3:1-8 and study it in its context.  For lack of space I will quote only the first three verses of this passage:  “For, behold, in those days, and in that time, when I shall bring back the captivityof Judah and Jerusalem, 2 I will gather all the nations, and will bring them down into the valley of Jehoshaphat; and I will execute judgment upon them there for my people and for my heritage Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations:  and they have parted my land, 3 and have cast lots for my people, and have given a boy for a harlot, and sold a girl for wine, that they may drink” (Joel 3:1-3).  From the context which precedes and follows, we see that the prophet was speaking of the events of the end time—end of the present age.  In verse 1 of this quotation the Lord speaks about His bringing back “the captivity of Judah and Jerusalem.”  When He does that, He declares that He “will gather all the nations, and will bring them down into the valley of Jehoshaphat; and . . . will execute judgment upon them there” for His people and for His heritage Israel, whom they (the nations which are to be punished) have scattered among the nations:  and have parted His land.  This prediction reminds one of the following statement by Zephaniah:  “Therefore wait ye for me, saith Jehovah, until the day that I rise up to the prey; for my determination is to gather the nations, that I may assemble the kingdoms, to pour upon them mine indignation, even all my fierce anger; for all the earth shall be devoured with the fire of my jealousy” (Zeph. 3:8).

Micah spoke on the same subject in the following passage:  “And now many nations are assembled against thee, that say, Let he be defiled, and let our eye see our desire upon Zion.  12 But they know not the thoughts of Jehovah, neither understand they his counsel; for he hath gathered them as the sheaves to the threshing floor.  13 Arise and thresh, O daughter of Zion; for I will make thy horn iron, and I will make thy hoofs brass; and thou shalt beat in pieces many peoples:  and I will devote their gain unto Jehovah, and their substance unto the Lord of the whole earth” (Micah 4:11-13).  An examination of this context  shows that verses 9-13 are an example of the law of double reference.  In verses 9 and 10 the prophet was speaking of the collapse of the Hebrew nation at the  time of the Babylonian conquest of the country and the subsequent exile from which the prophet assured his readers that Israel would be rescued.   Blending
with this picture he presented the final siege of Jerusalem in the day of Jehovah when the Lord gathers all nations against Jerusalem as sheaves are gathered into the threshing floor.  At that time Israel will be the beast, according to verse 13, which will tread out the grain.  She will be supernaturally assisted in this mighty struggle.  Thus Joel, Zephaniah, and Micah are foretell the time when God will gather the nations against Jerusalem in order to punish them because they have scattered Israel out of her land and have parted the land and cast lots for His people.  Since God punishes the nations in the end time for their driving Israel out of her own country and for dividing the land, and since God will not punish one person or a nation for what another has done, it is quite evident that the nations in the end time will scatter Israel out of her land and will part it according to their plans and purposes.  We may therefore be certain that the nations in the end time will drive Israel from her native soil, will divide the land, and will cast lots for His people.  Will these things be the outcome of the present struggle in Palestine?  It is the part of wisdom for us who are watching closely the development of the situation, and who are studying the prophecies, to hold our opinions by a firm reserve and to wait until the situation becomes obviously and clearly that which is foretold in these passages.

Ezekiel, chapter 20, is a passage which has bearing upon the present Palestinian Arabic-Jewish situation.  In the beginning of this chapter the prophet spoke of God’s bringing Israel out of Egypt by the leadership of Moses and of His entering into judgment with the people in the wilderness.  After all the
disobedient and the rebels had died off or been slain by one stroke or another of God’s judgment, the generation that arose during the forty years’ trek in
the wilderness entered the land under the leadership of Joshua.  With these historical facts in mind, Ezekiel foretold that God would, with a strong hand, bring the scattered people of Israel out from among the countries wherein they have been:  “. . . and I (Jehovah) will bring you into the wilderness of the peoples, and there will I enter into judgment with you face to face” (Eze. 20:35).  In the light of the entire discourse of Ezekiel, it is clear that the expression “the
wilderness of the peoples,” is a play on words.  There is no country that is called by that name.  The prophet saw in vision all Israel scattered among the nations and declared that God would bring her out from her world-wide dispersion and bring her into what he called “the wilderness of the peoples.”  From this passage we do not know what is meant by that expression; but, when we examine closely Isaiah 19:16-25 and Isaiah 27:12, 13, we see that God will gather His people from among the nations and plant them in what is termed “the fertile crescent,” which consists of Egypt, Palestine, Syria, Assyria, and old Babylonia.  When He brings them into this fertile crescent, He will purge out all the wicked, will then bring them into the land of the fathers, re-establish them as the Chosen People, and make them the head of the nations.  When will the fathering of Israel into the wilderness of the peoples take place?  Will it result from the present situation?  Wisdom says for us to withhold judgment on this theme until the picture becomes clear and unmistakable.

The following Scripture is another important one which has bearing upon the present Palestinian situation:

“And thou, son of man, prophesy unto the mountains of Israel, and say, Ye mountains of Israel, hear the word of Jehovah.  2 Thus saith the Lord Jehovah:  Because the enemy hath said against you, Aha! And, The ancient high places are ours in possession; 3 therefore prophesy, and say, Thus saith the Lord Jehovah:  Because, even because they have made you desolate, and swallowed you up on every side, that ye might be a possession unto the residue of the nations, and ye are taken up in the lips of talkers, and the evil report of the people; 4 therefore, ye mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Lord Jehovah:  Thus saith the Lord Jehovah to the mountains and to the hills, to the water-courses and to the valleys, to the desolate wastes and to the cities that are forsaken, which are become a prey and derision to the residue of the nations that are round about; 5 therefore thus said the Lord Jehovah: Surely in the fire of my jealousy have I spoken against the residue of the nations, and against all Edom, that have appointed my land unto themselves for a possession with the joy of all their heart, with despite of soul, to cast it out for a prey.  6 Therefore prophesy concerning the land of Israel, and say unto the mountains and to the hills, to the watercourses and to the valleys, Thus saith the Lord Jehovah:  Behold I have spoken in my jealousy and in my wrath, because ye have borne the shame of the nations:  7 therefore thus saith the Lord Jehovah:  I have sworn, saying, Surely the nations that are round about you, they shall bear their shame” (Ezekiel 36:1-7).

This passage was spoken by the prophet to the mountains of Israel, the land of Palestine.  According to it the enemy of Israel gloats over the fact that the ancient high places are in his possession (vs. 2).  According to verse 3 God’s answer to this situation is, “Because, even because they have made you desolate, and swallowed you up on every side, that ye might be a possession unto the residue of the nations, and ye are taken up in the lips of talkers, and the evil report of the people; 4therefore ye mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Lord Jehovah:  Thus saith the Lord Jehovah to the mountains and to the hills, to the water-courses and to the valleys, to the desolate wastes and to the cities that are forsaken, which are become a prey and derision to the residue of the nations that are round about. . .Surely in the fire of my jealousy have I spoken against the residue of the nations, and against all Edom, that have appointed my land unto themselves for a possession with the joy of all their heart, with despite of soul, to cast it out for a prey” (vss. 3-5).  Here the enemies of the Jews devastate the land, get it in possession, are jubilant over the disaster that he befallen Israel, and also over the fact that the country has been reduced to rubble.  From verse 4 it seems that the nations round about Palestine are the ones who wreck the country.  God, according to verse 5 has “spoken against the residue of the nations, and against all Edom, that have appointed my land unto themselves for a possession. . .”  In the latter part of verse 7 God speaks in His wrath saying, “Surely the nations that are round about you, they shall bear their shame.”

It  seems by careful study of this passage that the nations round about Palestine are the ones who go into the land, wreck it, and reduce it to a state of desolation and waste.  Then they hold the high places in possession.  But the nations round about Palestine are not the only ones who are interested in, and who participate in this wrecking of the country.  For in verse 3 we are told that this campaign against the mountains of Israel is directed “that ye (the mountains of Israel) might be a possession unto the residue of the nations.”  Here the international aspect of the situation is brought into clear focus.  The “residue of the nations” – those not counted in the nations round about Israel—are not disinterested spectators. On the contrary, they manipulate affairs and help bring about this wrecking of the country and the dispossession of Israel.

Has this prophesy been fulfilled?  Or does it await materialization?  History knows of no such attack on the land and wrecking of the same such as is set forth in this passage.  There has never been, so far as the biblical account is concerned or any archeological evidence, the aligning of the surrounding nations against Israel, while the rest of the nations participate, in an indirect manner, in the wrecking of the country.

But positive evidence seems to be afforded in verse 8 that this prediction is future:  “But ye, O mountains of Israel, ye shall shoot forth your branches, and yield your fruit to my people Israel; for they are at hand to come.”  The prophet sees the country wrecked and the Arabic nations in possession of the
land (vs. 2); and declares that, notwithstanding this desolate condition, the people of Israel are at hand, are ready to come in and possess the land.  Then by a study of the rest of the chapter, one sees that this return to their native soil is a time when Israel will turn to the Lord nationally, and He will give her a clean heart and renew a right spirit within her.  Then Israel will become the head of the nations.  That which is mentioned as being at hand when the country has been wrecked and its high places are in the hands of surrounding nations is yet in the future.  It therefore awaits fulfillment.

When will this prophecy be fulfilled?  Is it on the eve of realization at the present time?  Wisdom dictates to us that we should be very wise and careful and refrain from making out any schedule for the Lord to follow.  God has never followed man-made timetables.

Let us therefore study these passages and all others that have any bearing upon the situation, let us hold our judgment in reserve, and let us pray for more light.  At the same time, let us pray for the peace of Jerusalem—that the Lord may hasten the day when Christ returns from heaven and establishes His reign of righteousness upon the earth.  Let us pray that the Arabic nations that have become engulfed in this struggle may have the wisdom to see the mistake that they are making and cease the fighting.  Let us also pray that Israel may see her mistake and her wrongs and turn from them—especially that she may be given the truth concerning her national sin of rejecting the Messiah, which trespass she must confess and must plead for Him to return and deliver her.  Not
until she makes this confession and pleads for His return will her problems be solved.  Neither will the problems of the world be solved until she takes this step.

All free, thinking people of the world are very much interested in the present tense international situation.  The peoples—apart from their rulers—I am persuaded, want peace.  The rulers and the leaders of the free nations of the world who like our democratic way of life also want peace.  They dread the horrors of war.  But there will be no peace for the world until the Jewish problem is settled.  The peace of the world will be solved only when Israel’s problem is solved.  Anyone reaches this conclusion, when he takes into consideration the following scriptural prepositions:

• There can be no permanent peace until the Prince of Peace returns.
• The Prince of Peace will not return until Israel acknowledges her national sin of rejecting Him and seeks His face.
• Israel can never repent of her offense against Him, her national sin, until she is given the facts regarding Him and her relation to Him.
• Those who know Christ and the prophetic word must give her the truth that she may repent, seek Him, and plead for His return.
• Those who know the truth regarding Messiah and His relation to Israel hold the key to world peace.

Therefore:  To give Israel the truth is a tremendous responsibility and the imperative need of the hour!

What are you doing about this momentous issue?  The most important thing to be done today is that of giving the facts as they are outlined in the Hebrew Scriptures and as they have been fulfilled in the New Testament to the people of Israel, especially to the leaders, so that they can ponder these things, can pray over them, and be brought to the light to see that all of this trouble is due to the rejection, on the part of Israel, of her Messiah.  May God give us grace to enable us to do that which is our part in proclaiming the truth to all Israel.  May He burden us with a spirit of prayer and supplication for the poor suffering Hebrews.

“Awake, Jerusalem, awake!
No longer in thy sins lie down:
The garment of salvation take;
Thy beauty and thy strength put on.

“Shake off the dust that blinds thy sight,
And hides the promise from thine eyes;
Arise, and struggle into light;
The great Deliverer calls, ‘Arise!”

“Shake off the bands of sad despair;
Zion, assert thy liberty;
Look up, they broken heart prepare,
And God shall set the captive free.

“Vessels of mercy, sons of grace,
Be purged from every sinful stain;
Be like your Lord, His word embrace
Nor bear His hallowed name in vain.”

By Charles Wesley