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God's Special People The
Restoration of Israel In that day I will restore David’s fallen tent. I will repair its broken places, restore its ruins, and build it as it used to be ... I will bring back my exiled people Israel; they will rebuild the ruined cities and live in them. They will plant vineyards and drink their wine; they will make gardens and eat their fruit. I will plant Israel in their own land, never again to be uprooted from the land I have given them, says the LORD your God.—Amos 9:11,14,1{FOOTNOTE: All Scripture citations are from the New International Version of the Bible unless otherwise identified.} Len Griehs The overthrow of Jerusalem between the years 70 and 135 A.D. left Jews without a land of their own. At the earlier captivity by Babylon between 607 and 587 B.C., God had left the Jewish nation hope by keeping a remnant in the land. When the people began to return in 538 B.C., the hope of a land was restored. But time and again the people of Israel turned away from God and were threatened with annihilation. Each time the people cried out and God responded: “Many times he delivered them, but they were bent on rebellion and they wasted away in their sin. But he took note of their distress when he heard their cry; for their sake he remembered his covenant and out of this great love he relented. He caused them to be pitied by all who held them captive” (Psalm 106:43-46). Rome left few to cry out. The temple was burned and destroyed beyond repair, and the Jewish people were scattered. The land was called Palestine, a word derived from “Peleshet” which appears frequently as a geographical designation for a nation.{FOOTNOTE: Strongs #6429 appears eight times in the O.T. and is usually translated “Philistia.” The first appearance is Exodus 15:14.} Jews could enter but once a year on the ninth of Av, the annual day of mourning. Jerusalem was covered and built over by Roman soldiers. Conquering nations took turns occupying a land that Jews, Muslims, and Christians believe to be holy. Jesus’ Prophecy Just a few days prior to being crucified in 33 A.D., Jesus prophesied of Jerusalem’s destruction: “Jesus left the temple and was walking away when his disciples came up to him to call his attention to its buildings. Do you see all these things? he asked. I tell you the truth, not one stone here will be left on another; every one will be thrown down” (Matthew 24:1,2). Forty years later, Israel would cease to exist for another 1,800 years. Soon after he had forecast the destruction of the temple, Jesus told his disciples, “But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then be sure her desolation is not far away. Then let those who are in Judea fly to the hills, let those who are in the city escape, and let not those who are in the country come in to the city; for these are the days of the divine vengeance, in fulfillment of all that is written in Scripture. Woe to women with child and to women who give suck in those days, for sore anguish will come upon the land and Wrath on this people; they will fall by the edge of the sword, they will be carried prisoners to all nations, and Jerusalem will be under the heel of the Gentiles till the period of the Gentiles expires” (Luke 21:20-24, Moffatt translation). Israel’s Double Israel Destroyed Following the death of Jacob (or Israel), his twelve sons organized into a twelve-tribe nation. God dealt with the descendants of Israel exclusively: “You only have I chosen of all the families of the earth” (Amos 3:2). This 1,845-year period of undivided favor ended on the tenth day of Nisan in 33 A.D. when Jesus entered Jerusalem riding on a donkey, offering himself as the king to the Jews. Whether they accepted him or rejected him, Jesus, as the Messiah of Israel, from the line of David, had the right to claim the throne of David. The prophet Zechariah foretold this event: “Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem; behold, thy King cometh unto thee; he is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass” (Zechariah 9:9, KJV). Zechariah noted, however, that Israel’s time of favor was ending and its comparable time of disfavor was beginning: “Return to the stronghold, ye prisoners of hope, even today do I declare double will I return to thee!” (Zechariah 9:12, Rotherham).
Forty years later, in the spring of 73
A.D., a
small band of Jewish fighters died on Masada. Sixty-two years later a final
rebellion was squashed. Rome had accomplished its task. The Return of Favor In 1878, 1,845 years from Jesus’ declaration that the house of Israel would become desolate (Matthew 23:38) and soon after our Lord returned, evidence appeared to suggest that the time of punishment was over. Turkey controlled Palestine but partially surrendered to Russia in the Russo-Turkish war. The Treaty of San Stefano signed at the end of that war, modified by the Berlin Congress of Nations, began the breakup of the Ottoman Empire, and later (during World War I) Palestine fell into the hands of the British. Benjamin Disraeli, a non-practicing Jew, also known as Lord Beaconsfield, became prime minister of England in 1874, and was able to influence matters favorably for the Jewish people. The following excerpt from the Jewish Encyclopedia published between 1901 and 1906 describes the situation: “Lord Derby (a rival) now retired from political life and Disraeli became premier. In 1869 the elections went against him, and he yielded office to Mr. Gladstone. ... In 1874 he was once more returned to power. ... Now nearly seventy, he was compelled to exchange the House of Commons for the less strenuous atmosphere of the House of Lords, becoming Earl of Beaconsfield in 1876. At this time several Turkish provinces were in rebellion, and Russia, in defiance of treaty obligations, declared war upon the sultan. ... But when Russia had practically effaced the Turkish Empire in Europe by the treaty of San Stefano, Lord Beaconsfield sent the British fleet into the Dardanelles and brought Indian troops to Malta as an indication of the intentions of the British government. ... Russia submitted, and agreed to the discussion of the whole affair at the Congress of Berlin (June 13 to July 13, 1878). Lord Beaconsfield went as a delegate, accompanied by the Marquis of Salisbury ... Disraeli’s public interference on behalf of the Jews of Rumania [sic] consisted in supporting M. Waddington, who introduced the subject on behalf of France; but it is believed that he was more active, and took the initiative behind the diplomatic scenes ... In several instances the congress made the grant of full civic and political rights to Jews a condition for the recognition of independence, and it has therefore an important bearing upon the history of Jews in the southeast of Europe in recent times.”—www.jewishencyclopedia.com Russia, Romania and Germany began pogroms against Jews. Those pogroms resulted in the first wave of refugees exercising their new rights to return and buy land in Ottoman-controlled Palestine. Petah Tikva Those early pioneers made an offer on land in the Achor Valley near Jericho. After the Turkish Sultan cancelled the transaction and refused them access, the settlers turned to an area near the Yarkon River and kept the name Petah Tikvah (Doorway of Hope). This time the Sultan allowed the purchase, but forced them to evacuate the swampy area when malaria spread throughout the area. With the financial backing of Baron Edmond de Rothschild, the group drained the swamp and returned in 1883. Others from Europe came to flee the persecutions taking place in pre-World War I Europe. Zionism Theodore Herzl had been trained as a lawyer in Vienna but was working as a newspaper correspondent in Paris. In 1895, he covered the case of French army Captain Alfred Dreyfus. Dreyfus was a Jew who was accused of passing classified documents to the German government. A long bitter trial produced little evidence to convict Dreyfus, but he was ordered to Devil’s Island, a penal colony near Australia. Herzl realized the depth that anti-Semitism had reached in Europe. The following February, Herzl published Judenstaat (Jewish State). His own words best describe the document’s purpose: “The idea I have developed in this pamphlet is an ancient one: It is the restoration of the Jewish State.” When the English translation appeared three months later, Herzl’s life took a new turn. He sailed to London and was immediately summoned to the East End. Zionists there persuaded him to take over leadership of their movement. Soon all of Zionist Jewry recognized his leadership. His life became a relentless effort to establish a national polity for Jews. His small group developed into a mighty movement. Herzl planned the first Zionist Congress in 1897 in Switzerland, the land he knew best. The lawyer was elected president and convinced delegates that the movement must pursue the “creat[ion of] a publicly secured, legally assured home for the Jewish people in Palestine.”
Although the early settlers in the first settlement had witnessed the Lord’s
favor in their efforts, before World War I most Jews were restrained from
emigrating by constant persecution. Forty years later in 1918, a significant
relief in pogroms and a significant change in world politics led to the first
massive aliyah as a witness to the time of returned favor. The Balfour Declaration The Balfour Declaration has been declared by some observers to be the most extraordinary document produced by any Government in world history. It took the form of a letter from the Government of King George the fifth to an international financier of the banking house of Rothschild. Lord Allenby, general in the British Army, prevented the “Declaration” from being published in Palestine for two years because his forces were still engaged in a fight south of the Gaza-Beersheba line. While the Balfour declaration was not known in Palestine until after the establishment of the Civil Administration in 1920, the declaration came shortly after the expiration for the time of the gentiles to “trample” Jerusalem. Shortly thereafter, the United States government as well as others expressed the sentiments of the Balfour Declaration. The British government was appointed as Mandatory over Palestine and the League of Nations confirmed Britain’s presentation of the declaration on July 24, 1922. One peculiar incident occurred during that confirmation process. Zionist leaders feared that British opposition to the confirmation in the Council of the League of Nations would result in defeat and thus lack of international support for their rights to establish Palestine as a homeland. Lord Curzon was the acting British representative who would have represented the Balfour Declaration to the Council. He had been vocal in his opposition to the Mandate and it was likely he might not present it for approval. Shortly before the time for the question of confirmation was due to be considered by the Council, Lord Curzon became seriously ill and could not attend the vote. Arthur James Balfour was immediately selected as the British delegate and stood in the Council. Balfour, the originator of the document, voted in favor of the confirmation and leading Jews proclaimed, “It is a miracle from God.” Twenty-six years later, in 1948, the nation of Israel was born.
Foreign Office Dear Lord Rothschild, 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 has been submitted to, and approved by, the Cabinet: “His Majesty’s Government view with favour the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people, and will use their best endeavours 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 |