Copyright © 2000, 2003 by Cornerstone Publishing

PO Box 26654

Minneapolis, MN 55426

Cornerstone@usfamily.net

First Printing – June, 2000

Second Printing – March, 2003

Newly revised electronic edition – 2007

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form without permission in writing from the publisher, except in case of brief quotations in critical reviews or articles.

Original book cover design – Rich Busch

Original photo montage – Carl & Karen Johnson

All scripture quotations in this publication are from the Holy Bible, New International Version.

Library of Congress Card Number: 00-105066

ISBN: 0-9623950-4-8

CP- 2000

Original publication printed in United States of America

***

This book is dedicated to my wife, Betsy, who has given me her faithful love and support for the last fifty-one years, and who has helped me immensely in all states of manuscript preparation.

***

I am extremely grateful to Carl Johnson, the original publisher, who has given his permission to make this free electronic version available.

     No book of this scope could be written without the help of many other people. I am indebted to Clarence H. Wagner, Jr. who assisted me with several sections of the book and made his personal library available to me. I am deeply indebted to my associates who patiently read the manuscript and offered their suggestions. These include Neal and Julie George, Earl Davis, Fran Grow and, of course, my wife who labored over the manuscript many months.
     Also, I am indebted to Judy Stone, Anne Davis and others who looked over various sections of the manuscript and offered their good advice. Certainly I wish to express my gratitude to Edmund Lambeth, Professor of Journalism at the University of Missouri, for his patient assistance. Ron Cantrell gave me great assistance in computer graphics and design.
     I am very grateful for the constant prayer support from my dear friends, Bill and Gloria Brereton, without which the book may never have come into existence.
     I am especially grateful to Dr. Marvin Wilson, Professor of Biblical and Theological Studies at Gordon College, Wenham, Massachusetts, who took time from his busy year-end schedule to carefully read this manuscript and offer his valuable suggestions and insights.
     Most of all, I am grateful to God who put Israel on my heart early in 1974. It is God who has sustained my wife and me in Israel now for over fifteen years. It is God who has allowed us to feed upon the heritage of our Father Jacob and to walk upon the land of his promise.
     Perhaps this book will be a partial release of this spiritual burden God has placed upon me.

     Several years ago I remember speaking about Israel at a certain church gathering. At the close of my sermon I was amazed to find that the pastor, who had previously acted friendly towards me, would no longer speak to me or even face me. As I remember, I left that church without receiving another word from him. I had spoken directly from the Bible but this man of God would have no part of the message. Over the years in my Israel ministry I have experienced other such perplexing episodes.
     Perhaps I should not be so amazed at the action of this pastor. I remember in my early ministry that I also had little concern for Israel. It was not until God dealt with me miraculously in 1974, that my eyes were opened to his nation and people. My studies of Israel since that time, and during the fifteen years that I have lived in the land, have been further eye-openers. It is unfortunate that so many millions of otherwise good Christians remain indifferent to the incredibly important subject of Israel.
     It is now apparent that during the lifetime of many of us, God has done a miraculous work of restoring the nation of Israel. We modern and postmodern Christians now have to deal with something that other generations have not had to deal with. We must deal with a partially restored Israel in our midst. Yes, Israel has arisen from dust and ashes, as was foretold long ago by her prophets.
     The rise of Israel is greatly impacting the Church, and many Christians, realizing this, are hungering for a deeper knowledge and understanding of Israel. It is my purpose in this book to share a portion of the things the Lord has shared with me over the years.
     As we seek understanding we must bear in mind that we will never comprehend Israel unless we first understand that she is incredibly unique. For instance, tiny Israel, with less than one-half of one percent of the earth’s population, now commands the second largest press corps in the world. But Israel is not just unique naturally. She is unique spiritually. The Bible tells us that God’s eyes are upon Israel continually.
     The Jews are a special people, as is related to us in the Bible. Just as the Jews are unlike other people, their history is also unlike that of others. It may even be called "redemptive history" or "holy history." It is the most amazing history in the world. Other nations have come and gone but the Jews seem to remain immortal. From Father Abraham; to Moses; to Jesus; to the Holocaust and now to the restoration of the nation, we have a four-thousand-year span of redemptive history.
     However, because Israel is chosen by God, the enemy has been busy. In the last hundred years Islam has raised its head to challenge the existence of Israel and even the existence of the Jewish people. Until fairly recent times, Islam had been of slight concern to Christians and Jews, especially those living in the west. Yet, since the recent Gulf Wars and especially since the events of 9/11, Christians have been forced to take notice of this religion. It now appears likely that Islam may be the biggest spiritual threat in our world today. It is a mortal threat not only to Israel and Judaism, but also to Christianity. The great Islamic battle against Israel and the Bible seems to have its focus in the Middle East. However, in spite of the sworn hatred of millions of Moslems in this area, the nation of Israel was not only born against incredible odds, but has prospered for over half a century.
     Modern Israel is causing us to examine our Bibles more closely. When we look carefully in the scripture we find some shocking facts about our Christian family tree. We learn that our family tree is actually a Jewish one, as is made clear in Romans 11:17-18. Thus we are somehow spiritually connected to Israel. This fact has been carefully hidden from us almost since Apostolic Times. It is now evident that there was a subtle shift from a totally Jewish Christianity of the first century to an almost totally Gentile Christianity of the fourth century. Now after almost sixteen centuries the Church is left, cut off from its rich Hebrew roots, nurturing an animosity toward Israel and the Jews. Instead of the heritage of Israel, the Church is left with the heritage of anti-Semitism. The recent, awful Holocaust was only a natural result of almost two thousand years of Christian anti-Semitic teaching.
     As we look more closely at our Bibles we must ask if the ancient promise to Abraham in Genesis 12:2-3 is still effective? Are individuals and nations still blessed or cursed depending upon their treatment of Abraham and his seed, the Jewish people? We have only to travel quickly through history to see many evidences of this strange fact. When we do, we will see how Jewish genius particularly blessed Holland, America, and many other nations. We will see how nations like Spain, Portugal, England and especially the Palestinian people have all come under a curse because of their treatment of the Jews. Which will it be for us? Will we receive blessing or cursing?
     Has the Church's shabby treatment of the Jews been noticed by God? Does it concern our Messiah? Could it be that the Messiah is involved in Israel and is even re-gathering the nation? There is a great deal of biblical evidence supporting this, especially in the so-called "Servant Songs" of Isaiah 41 and following. If Messiah is gathering and restoring Israel, it certainly places the Church in an embarrassing and awkward position. Not only has the Church failed to help with this messianic work - we have positively hindered it.
     A few centuries ago, as the Bible became available to the common reader, the Church began to wake up. The beginning of the Modern Christian Zionist movement (formerly known as Restorationism) can be traced back to the sixteenth century Puritans. Along the way, common people, presidents, prime ministers, and poets spoke out for the Jews and their homeland.
     Today the rise of Israel is forcing Christians to take another look at the Old Testament. It is also forcing us to take a new look at the New Testament. New archaeological discoveries in the land are shedding light on the whole Bible and broadening our understanding. The rebirth of Israel is helping us better understand Bible prophecy, especially that prophecy related to the end days.
     Although the ancient prophets spoke of the redeemed someday returning to Zion, the terminology has become politically loaded today. Where do God and the Bible stand in the present day conflicts? Disregarding the world's concepts of "political correctness," we must look at God’s special connection with Jerusalem and the Jews. In no uncertain terms God calls himself a Zionist.
     How is all this working out in our modern world? How will it all end? The scripture is very clear that God will deal with all nations. The time for this dealing seems to be close at hand. There will be a "storm before the calm" in world events according to the Bible. Nations will be drawn to Israel for one "final solution" of the world’s Jewish problem. The Mighty God of Israel will then intervene to fight for little Israel in a dramatic manner. Strangely, the Messiah will stand on the Mount of Olives for the specific purpose of delivering Israel from the wrath of the nations. After God has dealt with nations for their hatred and hypocrisy, a wonderful era of peace, real peace, Messianic peace, will rule in our world.

Israel’s Amazing Uniqueness

     How can a little country some fifty miles wide and a mere one-hundred-fifty miles long keep the world in an uproar all the time?
     How can tiny Israel be the constant focus of world news reports, and why should such a small place have the second largest concentration of news bureaus in the world? (1) Why should the little mountain town of Jerusalem always get a lion’s share of world publicity?

      How can the Israeli people, numbering less than seven million, be considered such a mortal threat to the approximately 300 million heavily-armed Muslims in the Middle East? And why would such an august body as the United Nations spend a third of its time dealing with little Israel? (2)
     These things all seem preposterous, but they certainly attest to Israel’s amazing uniqueness as a nation.
     For instance, just "down the road" from Jerusalem is the great city of Cairo and the country of Egypt. Cairo, the largest city in Africa, has over seventeen million people, yet it is rarely mentioned on the evening news. However, almost daily we hear of Jerusalem, whose population is less than three quarters of a million people. The world’s news bureaus do not jostle each other for space in Cairo or in Egypt. The city and country have been of little concern to the United Nations.

     The nation of Israel and its capital city of Jerusalem are minuscule in comparison with other nations and cities of the world. When compared to the US, Israel is about the size of the little state of New Jersey. The nation of France could hold twenty-six nations of Israel.
     Of course, Israel should rightly be compared with countries in her own neighborhood, the Middle East. It is shocking when we realize that the Middle East nations of the Arab League are spread over five million square miles, while Israel consists of less than 8,000 square miles. (3)
     Israel is so small that one can easily drive from the biblical border cities of Dan in the north, to Beersheba in the south, in half a day. We have cause to pity the Israeli jet pilots, who in a few careless moments of maneuvers could find themselves flying over hostile Syria or Saudi Arabia.
     Israel is tiny, but the nation possesses a geographic, political and spiritual importance far out of proportion to its size.

     Israel not only commands a disproportionate amount of media coverage, but the land is a veritable crossroads of the world, connecting the continents of Europe, Asia and Africa.
     In ancient times, people and armies traveled over the roads situated in what is known as the Fertile Crescent. This strip of fertile land ran from Egypt to the other great centers of Assyria and Babylonia. This ancient super-highway system ran directly through Israel. Thus the great nations of the Middle East always struggled between themselves for this passageway.
     One famous ancient route was the Way of the Sea (Via Maris) mentioned in Isaiah 9:1-2, and also in Matthew 4:15-16. This ancient road ran through Capernaum where Jesus established a base for his ministry. The prophet Isaiah, who lived in the eighth century BC, prophesied that a bright light would shine along this highway.
     Israel was not only a land bridge from north to south, but also from east to west. Many ancient caravans bearing spices and other items from the east, traveled through the general area. Also, from the time of Solomon, Israel had periodic access to the Far East via the Gulf of Aqaba and the Red Sea.
     Even today, Israel is still a world crossroads. People from almost every nation live in the country and millions more visit it. The Jews themselves have returned home from more than one hundred nations. On a bus ride, or a stroll through the park, one may see people reading newspapers from virtually every corner of the world.

     The Jerusalem taxi drivers have the very difficult task of communicating with people from every language background. It often seems that as soon as passengers open their mouths, the drivers are able to communicate in the necessary tongues.
     Israel is not just a crossroads for people, but one for birds as well. For instance, twice each year, in spring and again in the fall, millions of birds pass over Israel, as they make their trips to and from Europe, Asia and Africa. In all, there are 121 species of migratory birds, plus another 94 species that come to spend the winter in Israel. There are honey buzzards, storks, pelicans and many more winged visitors. (4) Some of these birds love Israel and decide to stay, much to the chagrin of  Israel's fish farmers.

     The Bible assures us that Israel is the most beautiful land in all the earth. In Ezekiel 20:6 we read:

     On that day I swore to them that I would bring them out of Egypt into a land I had
     searched out for them, a land flowing with milk and honey, the most beautiful of all
     lands.

     The physical setting of Israel is not just beautiful, but it is also extremely interesting and diversified, as we read in Deuteronomy 8:7-9:

     For the LORD your God is bringing you into a good land—a land with streams and
     pools of water, with springs flowing in the valleys and hills; a land with wheat and
     barley, vines and fig trees, pomegranates, olive oil and honey; a land where bread will
     not be scarce and you will lack nothing; a land where the rocks are iron and you can
     dig copper out of the hills.

     Israel has a vast diversity in its terrain. There is cool, snow-capped Mount Hermon in the north, reaching to an elevation of 9,232 ft. (2,841 m.), and there are the blistering semi-deserts of the Negev in the south. Also, in contrast with the heights of Hermon are the depths of the Jordan Rift and the Dead Sea. This body of water marks the lowest habitable spot on earth, at 1,312 ft. (404 m.) below sea level.
     Israel also enjoys a great variety in climate. When Jerusalemites are shivering in the winter cold, they can take comfort in the fact that they are a mere thirty-minute drive from semi-tropical Jericho, and the warm resorts at the Dead Sea.
     Since Israel borders on three deserts, much of the area to the east of its central chain of mountains is desert of some type. This desert runs from the areas around Jericho to the Dead Sea, on to The Wilderness of Zin and then to Eilat.

     The amount of rainfall in the country ranges from about 60 inches (152 centimeters) per year on Mt. Hermon in the north, to less than an inch (2.5 centemeters) for Eilat in the south. (5) The central mountains of Israel may be blasted with snow and cold in the winter months, and yet may swelter with an early spring heat wave. The heat wave, or sharav, blowing in from the desert can quickly drive temperatures into the 90 degree F. range ( 32 C.).
     In Deuteronomy 6:18, Israel is referred to as ha-eretz ha-tovah, or "the good land." Then again in Psalm 106:24, the Psalmist refers to Israel as "the pleasant land." Even in the hot summer, there are cool, pleasant breezes that come up from the Mediterranean in the afternoon. In the winter, even cities with the highest elevations like Jerusalem and Zefat, seldom see temperatures drop below freezing. Roses usually bloom all winter in Jerusalem. There are no tornadoes or hurricanes.

     The uniqueness of Israel really becomes apparent when we look at the country’s flora and fauna. Because of Israel’s geographic position, linking three continents, there is an amazing variety of plant and animal life. For instance, within the tiny land of Israel there are five distinct vegetation zones. This great variety of life has perplexed naturalists as they have labored to make the proper classifications.

     Lambert states, "The rich variety of vegetation zones, make it the meeting ground of plants native to widely differing parts of the earth, plants with such differing origins as Siberia, Western Europe, Inner Asia, North Africa and East Africa." (6)
     Israel at present has some 2500 plant types. For the sake of comparison, Egypt with its rich Nile Delta has only 1500. Britain has 1700, and Norway has 1335. "No other place in the world has such floral wealth concentrated within such a comparatively small area." (7)
     For instance, in the Hula swampland one might find the tropical papyrus plant flourishing. Papyrus is an African plant and Israel is as far north as it grows. (8) Or at Ein Gedi on the Dead Sea one might see the Moringa tree, which is a native of Sudan. In the Jordan Valley alone there are some forty varieties of tropical flora.
     In the southernmost tip of Israel at Eilat, the visitor is treated to a magnificent desert climate with its special vegetation. For instance, the Doum Palm (Dome Mitzri - Hyphaene thebaica), normally found in Sudan, grows around Eilat. (9) The Doum Palm has a distinguished look with a trunk that forks out about mid-way up giving it the appearance of having two horns.
     Numerous animals have ventured in from Africa in the south, or from Syria and points further in the north and have made Israel their home. For instance, the land of Israel marks the southernmost limit in the range of the Siberian wolf. The little coney has come up to Israel from Africa, and Israel and Syria mark its northernmost limits. Israel also has about twenty-five species of bat, from the three continents of Europe, Asia and Africa. (10)

     At Eilat, the visitor will see what has been called "one of the three richest coral reefs in the world."(11) From Eilat’s underwater observatory one can see a vast array of colorful tropical fish in their natural habitat. A trip to Eilat is a thrilling and unforgettable experience.

     Israel is certainly unique in the natural sense, because of its size, location and diversity of climate and wild life. However, its greatest uniqueness is in the spiritual realm. We see this clearly reflected in the pages of the Bible. The Bible, after all, is our guide and authority, not only in matters of theology, but in matters of our everyday lives.
     For centuries, preachers and biblical expositors have realized that the frequency of words found in the scripture gives us some indication as to the importance of the subjects. As an example, Christianity rests upon three pillars, as Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 13:13. The pillars are faith, hope and love. When we check out the frequency of these words in the Authorized Version of the Bible, we find that faith appears 257 times, and hope appears 129 times. Love, being the most important of the three, appears 310 times. This is a respectable amount of appearances.
     However when we check out the occurrence of "Jerusalem" in scripture we may be amazed to learn that it appears 811 times - more than faith, hope and love combined. Jerusalem is just one of the many names the city is called in scripture. Also, when we search under the subject of "Israel," we may be shocked to find that it appears 2565 times. We should realize by this that "Jerusalem" and "Israel" are subjects very close to the heart of God.
     In the scripture, the expression "God of Israel" appears over 200 times. This is only one of several expressions like "God of Jacob," and "God of Abraham," which connect the God of the universe closely with the Jewish people and the land of Israel. These are names by which God wishes to be known. However, these names are deemed "not politically correct" by many in our day.
     In the Bible, we read about God’s great attachment to the land of Israel. In Deuteronomy 11:12, we learn that "It is a land the LORD your God cares for; the eyes of the LORD your God are continually on it from the beginning of the year to its end."
     We learn in the Bible that Israel is central in God’s plan for the earth. In Ezekiel 38:12, it is mentioned that the land of Israel is at the very center of the earth. The Hebrew word used here is tabbuwr, and in modern Hebrew it means "navel" or "bellybutton." The earth does have a navel, a place where the umbilical cord between heaven and earth was once attached. In Revelation 21:1-4, the Bible indicates that it will someday be re-attached as this world undergoes a re-creation.
     In Psalm 76:1 we read, "...In Judah God is known; his name is great in Israel." For thousands of years, God has been busy building a salvation infrastructure in the land of Israel. He has done this so that peoples and nations the world over may fully know him.
     In a real sense, "...He has set his foundation on the holy mountain..." (Psa. 87:1). God had to establish the patterns, types, and pictures that would help us understand his great salvation. For instance, the Tabernacle and Temple with all their rites help us understand the sacrifice of Jesus. Without these pictures we would be at a total loss to understand.
     Jerusalem, being the very center or hub of God’s redemptive activity, is extremely important to him. We read in Isaiah 49:16, "See, I have engraved you [Jerusalem] on the palms of my hands; your walls are ever before me."
     Israel and its capital city of Jerusalem are certain to be the focus of last-day activity. This will transpire as sinful man and his systems collide head-on with God and his coming kingdom. We are assured in scripture that God will gather all nations to Jerusalem for battle (Zech. 14:2). At that time the Lord will fight for Israel and afterward the nations of the earth will know that the Lord is God.

     To illustrate her great spiritual importance, Jerusalem is claimed jointly by the religions of Judaism, Christianity and Islam. These claims apply not only to Jerusalem but also to most other parts of the land. Since these religions include more than three billion people, we can see that Jerusalem and Israel are extremely important to half the world’s population.
     Jerusalem has long been the focal point of Jewish aspirations. Over the centuries the Passover seder has ended with the longing and hopeful words, "Next year in Jerusalem!"
     The Jewish National Anthem, Ha Tikva, by Naphtali Herz Imber, also expresses that eternal hope within the Jewish heart in these words translated into English:

     As long as in depth of the heart a Jewish soul is yearning, and towards the east an eye
     is still looking to Zion, our hope is not lost yet, the 2000-year-old hope to be a free
     nation in our land, the land of Zion and Jerusalem.

     In addition to being at the very heart of the Jewish faith, Jerusalem is the cradle of Christianity. The dramas of the birth, death and resurrection of Jesus all took place in the general area of Jerusalem. The Church of the Nativity in the city of Bethlehem marks the place of Messiah’s birth. This city, which is now a part of the Palestinian Authority, is still practically a suburb of Jerusalem. The twin sites, the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem’s Old City, and the Garden Tomb just outside the north city wall, both mark possible places of the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus.

     In modern times, the dark clouds of political turmoil have increased over Israel and Jerusalem. This has been especially true as the Jews have returned home from the nations. Because of Muslim political aspirations concerning the land, Jerusalem and Israel have taken on an increased importance to Islam.
     Although Jerusalem’s Temple Mount has been the location of the Dome of the Rock and Al Aksa Mosque since the seventh century, Jerusalem was a "backwater" so far as its importance to Muslims until the twentieth century. For instance, in the thirteen hundred years that Islam exercised general domination over Israel, Jerusalem was never a Muslim capital city or even an administrative center. The administrative center was at Ramle near the coast.
     Today, because of the increasing political struggle over Jerusalem, Muslims are flocking in greater numbers to the Temple Mount for prayer and pilgrimage, although prior to the twentieth century the Temple Mount had not been a place of Muslim pilgrimage. (12) Thousands of Muslims now gather to the area on Fridays for weekly prayers. The religious struggle over the Temple Mount has greatly intensified in recent years, with occasional flare-ups of violence as Jews and Muslims worship in close proximity.

SITE OF PILGRIMAGE SINCE ANCIENT TIMES

     The Jewish people have made pilgrimage to Jerusalem since ancient times. According to Jewish law, each male was required to come to Jerusalem every year for the three major festivals of Passover (Pe-sach), Pentecost (Sha-vu-ot) and Tabernacles (Suk-kot) (Ex. 23:17). Since Jerusalem sits astride the mountain ridge running through the country, it was necessary to climb up to Jerusalem. The trip was dangerous and difficult. It often had to be done on foot and in the heat of the sun.

     In our Bibles we still have recorded many songs that were undoubtedly sung by pilgrims as they ascended to the city and to the Temple Mount. They were also used in Temple worship at certain times. These "Songs of Ascents," or of "going up," are very descriptive of the journey. They begin with Psalm 120 and continue through Psalm 134.
     It is interesting today that the process by which one becomes a citizen of modern Israel is called "making aliya." In Hebrew it simply means "going up."

     In the Book of Acts we learn that great numbers of Jewish pilgrims had come to the Feast of Pentecost from many different parts of the world. After witnessing the outpouring of the Holy Spirit these pilgrims replied:

Then how is it that each of us hears them in his own native language? Parthians, Medes and Elamites; residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene; visitors from Rome (both Jews and converts to Judaism); Cretans and Arabs—we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues! (Acts 2:8-11).

     In the fourth century, after Christianity was finally established as the legal religion in the Roman Empire, Christian pilgrims began to make their appearance in Jerusalem. Even Emperor Constantine’s mother, Helena, became a pilgrim in the fourth century AD. It was due to her influence that some of the great churches were built, such as the Church of the Holy Sepulcher and the Church of the Nativity.
     Another pilgrim in the latter part of the fourth century was named Egeria. Archaeologists and Bible scholars still use her written accounts to try and piece together the locations of authentic biblical sites. What a shame it is that many other pilgrims did not visit the land and heed the command of Psalm 48:12-13:

 Walk about Zion, go around her, count her towers, consider well her ramparts, view
 her citadels, that you may tell of them to the next generation.

     Today, millions of modern pilgrims journey by airliner to Israel and then travel by luxurious air-conditioned buses throughout the land. They know few of the hardships of pilgrims in earlier times. However, they are pilgrims nonetheless, with their notepads, recorders, cameras and videos. It is interesting that the bulk of these pilgrims are Christians.

     A visit to the land is important for Christians. The land of Israel has often been called "the fifth gospel." There are four gospels we can read anywhere in the world, but one we can only experience by a visit to Israel. This "gospel" quickly brings the other four gospels into perspective. It does the same for the rest of the Bible. As one enlightened visitor remarked: "I used to see the Bible only in black and white - now I see it in living color."
     When one travels about the land, the stories of the Bible come to life. Almost everywhere one looks or walks in Israel, there is a contact made with the Bible and history. One may drive past Rachel’s Tomb near Bethlehem and be reminded that there she died while giving birth to her son Benjamin (Jer. 31:15; Matt. 2:18). One may see the Temple complex and suddenly realize the accuracy of Jesus’ prophecy that one of those original stones would not be left upon another on top of this Temple platform (Matt. 24:2).
     The land of Israel is no doubt the World’s biggest "show-and- tell." God designed it that way so that we can picture the mysteries of his kingdom.
     As millions of pilgrims arrive in Israel and as Israel and Jerusalem come more and more into the spotlight of the world media, we need to reflect much upon Israel’s great significance. If we believe the Bible we must admit that Israel, with its heart in Jerusalem, is God’s project. It is an age-old project.
     In all the ages God has had only one plan, and that plan is that his glory and his salvation should go forth from Israel to all nations. As one old preacher said, "God plans his work and works his plan." God has never had to change his plan, because he knew the end from the beginning. All this gives Israel and Jerusalem a uniqueness not possessed by other nations or cities. Israel and Jerusalem are truly unique in that they are central in God’s great plan for the earth. God himself says:

     Remember the former things, those of long ago; I am God, and there is no other; I am
     God, and there is none like me. I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient
     times, what is still to come. I say: My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I
     please. (Isa. 46:9-10)

STUDY QUESTIONS:

Give some reasons why God chose the physical land of Israel as a base for his redemptive work.

Is it still important for Christians to visit Israel and Jerusalem in this modern day?
If so, why?

Give two reasons why it might be beneficial to pray for Jerusalem (Psalm 122:6-9).

Why might Israel and Jerusalem become a "bone of contention" to nations and peoples in the future?

NOTES

1.  Ramon Bennett, Philistine- The Great Deception (Jerusalem: Arm of Salvation, 1995) p. 181.
2.  See Editorial, "The UN Impediment," The Jerusalem Post, 9 June, 1991.
3.  Leonard Davis, Myths and Facts, A concise Record of the Arab-Israeli Conflict (Washington, DC: Near East Report, 1984) pp. 248-49.
4.  See "Birds of Passage Pass Over," Dispatch From Jerusalem, September/October,1995, p. 9.
5.  Facts About Israel (Jerusalem: Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Information Division, 1985), p. 5.
6.  Lance Lambert, The Uniqueness of Israel (Eastbourne: Kingsway Publications Ltd., 1980) p. 20.
7.  Goeffrey Wigoder, Israel Pocket Library, Geography (Jerusalem: Keter Publishing House Jerusalem Ltd, 1973) p. 137.
8.  Azzaria Alon, Flowers and Trees of the Holy Land (Printed in the Holy Land: Palpot Ltd.,) p. 31.
9.  Uzi Plitman, Clara Heyn, Avinoam Danin and Avishai Shmidah, Plants in Israel, trans. from Hebrew (Masada, Israel 1983) p. 260.
10. Lambert, The Uniqueness of Israel, p. 24.
11. Lambert, The Uniqueness of Israel, p. 25.
12. Eliyahu Tal, Whose Jerusalem (Jerusalem: International Forum for a United Jerusalem, 1994) p. 74

     For ages, the Jews have been called "the chosen people." How did they get such a title? Did they make it up themselves? The Bible has much to say about this. In Deuteronomy 7:6, we read this about the Jews:

     For you are a people holy to the LORD your God. The LORD your God has
     chosen you out of all the peoples on the face of the earth to be his people, his
     treasured possession.

     So it was God who chose the Jewish people. We might ask the question, "Why the Jews?" They are certainly not a plentiful people on earth, since they number somewhat over 13 million today, or less than one half of one percent of world population. Nor were they the largest or greatest people of antiquity. When we look at the Bible in Deuteronomy 7:7, we read that quite the opposite was the case:

     The LORD did not set his affection on you and choose you because you were more
     numerous than other peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples.

THEIR CHOICE - A SOVEREIGN ACT OF GOD

     The Bible makes it plain that the choice of the Jewish people was a sovereign act of God. God as the Creator of the universe has the right to choose whom he wills. In Romans 9:21, we see that he can choose the vessels he has made, whether men or nations, for honor or for dishonor.
     God does not play favorites however. The sovereign choice of Israel was for God’s own redemptive purposes on earth. In his wisdom he chose a family to influence families and a nation to influence nations. God chose Israel to introduce his word to the world.

     Then in the fullness of time, God allowed Israel to bring forth his Messiah, in order that all nations could be blessed through him. God’s choice bore with it a great amount of responsibility and it has resulted in an incredible degree of suffering for the Jewish people.
     Because of this responsibility and suffering, there are many Jews today who would just as soon not be the chosen people. They echo the words of Tevye in the famous play, Fiddler on the Roof. After Tevye heard news about an impending persecution, he had another of his little talks with God, complaining to him: "I know, I know we are the chosen people, but once in a while can’t you choose someone else!"
     We see from the scripture that the sovereign choice of the Jewish people goes back to Abram, in Genesis 12:1-3:

     The LORD had said to Abram, "Leave your country, your people and your father’s
     household and go to the land I will show you. I will make you into a great nation and
     I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless
     those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth
     will be blessed through you."

     This divine choice of Abram and his heirs as a redemptive family in the earth, and later as a redemptive nation, is documented in numerous places in scripture. In Genesis 17:3-9 it is repeated to Abram, whose name is then changed to Abraham. In Genesis 26:2-5, it is repeated to Isaac. Then in Genesis 28:13-15 it is repeated to Jacob. References are made to this covenant in many other places, such as Leviticus 20:26, Psalm 105:8-11 and Amos 3:2.

A UNIQUE AND SPECIAL PEOPLE

     It is clear from scripture that the Jewish people are chosen in a unique and special sense. In the passage we quoted earlier in Deuteronomy 7:6, the Hebrew expression used for "special people" is am se-gu-lah. It has the meaning of "special treasure," or "peculiar or extraordinary people."

     Balaam, who is referred to by the Jews as the first Gentile prophet, has this to say about the Jews in Numbers 23:9:

     From the rocky peaks I see them, from the heights I view them. I see a people who live
     apart and do not consider themselves one of the nations.

     Israel is not considered a part of the nations. In addition, we see an amazing fact about Israel in Deuteronomy 32:8:
    
     When the Most High gave the nations their inheritance, when he divided all mankind,
     he set up boundaries for the peoples according to the number of the sons of Israel.

     This is a puzzling and astonishing verse. It seems to mean that when the Almighty marked out the nations of the world, he did so in reference to the number of Jewish people. Possibly he did this in reference to the Jews who would live in these very nations.
     We learn more in Psalm 148:14 about the special nature of the Children of Israel. The Psalm reads:

     He has raised up for his people a horn, the praise of all his saints, of Israel, the
     people close to his heart. Praise the LORD!

     Of all the people on the face of the earth, only the people of Israel are described as being close to God’s very heart. What a special place and privilege!

     Because of God’s redemptive choice, he did not choose other people in the same way he chose Israel. In Psalm 147:19-20, we are surprised to read:

     He has revealed his word to Jacob, his laws and decrees to Israel. He has done this
     for no other nation; they do not know his laws. Praise the LORD.

     Why does the Psalmist say, "Praise the Lord" after making a statement like this? It is probably because he realized that the Jewish people would keep God’s word intact and deliver it safely to coming peoples throughout history. God once said of Abraham in Genesis 18:19:

     For I have chosen him, so that he will direct his children and his household after him
     to keep the way of the LORD by doing what is right and just, so that the LORD will
     bring about for Abraham what he has promised him.

     The idea here may well be better expressed in the King James Version. It is the thought that God knew Abraham and thus chose him. God knew that Abraham would command his children after him regarding the ways of the Almighty.
     The idea is still prevalent in Israel that one must guard the commands of God and keep them (shomer mitzvot). Many Israelis believe that they must carefully instruct their children to guard the things of the Lord.
     In Deuteronomy 11:19-20, the Jewish people are commanded to teach the word of God when they rise up, when they sit down, and when they walk. They are also taught to write the word of God upon their doorposts and gates. The fulfillment of this command can be seen today in the many mezuzot on the doors of Israel.

     We might wonder what would have happened if God had given his precious word to the nations at large. How would they have handled the word over the last 3500 years? The answer seems to be apparent. We Gentiles have had the word for only a few centuries and we are already busily corrupting it.
     Consider some of the ideas floating around about the scriptures today. Some people are trying to make God feminine. Others are trying to remove every reference to Zion and Israel in order to make the Bible "politically correct." Thank God that he gave the word to the Jewish people. They have faithfully delivered it to us intact.

CAN GOD CAST AWAY HIS PEOPLE?

     Since the early centuries of Christianity, many voices have proclaimed in the Church that God is finished with the Jews. Can such a thing be? According to this theology the Jews failed God, so the Lord has washed his hands of them forever. Can God cast away his people? The scripture is clear on this. God knew beforehand that Israel would not be faithful. He also knows the same thing about us Christians. In Leviticus 26:14-43, Moses speaks in detail about all their coming failures. Yet, in verse 44, God still says of them:

     Yet in spite of this, when they are in the land of their enemies, I will not reject them or
     abhor them so as to destroy them completely, breaking my covenant with them. I am
     the LORD their God.

     This is a rather shocking passage of scripture. It simply means that God has never changed his mind about the Jews. Still today, almost 2700 years after the beginning of their exiles in 722 BC, they are still his people. Those Jewish people whom we have known, associated with, and often persecuted are still a special people to God. Whenever we touch them, we touch "... the apple of his eye" (Zech. 2:8).
     God speaks to us of their continuing special nature to him in yet another passage. God, who is the Creator of the vast universe above us and the earth below, declares in Jeremiah 31:35-37:

     This is what the LORD says, he who appoints the sun to shine by day, who decrees the
     moon and stars to shine by night, who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar—the
     LORD Almighty is his name: "Only if these decrees vanish from my sight," declares
     the LORD, "will the descendants of Israel ever cease to be a nation before me."
     This is what the LORD says: "Only if the heavens above can be measured and the
     foundations of the earth below be searched out will I reject all the descendants of
     Israel because of all they have done," declares the LORD.

     When the sun stops shining; when the stars stop twinkling in the heavens; and when the waves of the sea stop roaring, then there might be a possibility that God can reject his chosen people Israel. Until that time they remain chosen and we Christians need to get used to that idea. The New Testament verifies this truth to us in Romans 11:29 as Paul assures us, "...God’s gifts and his call are irrevocable."

     Paul asks and answers his own question about the Jews in Romans 11:1-2. He is almost aghast at the thought that God could forsake them: "... Did God reject his people? By no means! ...God did not reject his people, whom he foreknew..."

CHOSEN PEOPLE - CHOSEN LAND

     God chose a unique and special people, the people of Israel, and a unique and special land, the land of Israel. Once more after two thousand years we see the chosen people inhabiting the chosen land.
     It may surprise many today in our modern world that God gave this special land to his special people. It was given to them as an eternal inheritance. Let us look at this eternal promise to Abraham and his heirs in Genesis 17:8:

     Also I give to you and your descendants after you the land in which you are a stranger,
     all the land of Canaan, as an everlasting possession; and I will be their God.

     Some have objected saying that all God’s promises are conditional. God’s promises do have a conditional nature about them. Each generation may or may not receive the benefits of these promises and covenants, depending upon its faithfulness or lack of it. However, the promises themselves are eternal and this fact is stated plainly in the above passage and in numerous other places.
     In Genesis 15:9-21, God made the covenant with Abram to give him all the land of Canaan, from the River of Egypt to the Euphrates. As was the custom in ancient times, animals were slaughtered in the traditional fashion of a blood covenant. The bloody parts were then laid out so that the makers of the covenant could pass between them. Interestingly, Abram fell into a deep sleep and God alone passed between the parts, signifying that it is God alone who maintains the covenant.
     God is very emphatic about giving the land of Israel to his chosen people forever. Not only do we have the "title deed" fully written out in Genesis 17:8, but in a real sense, the title has been legally recorded and published in the Bible so that the whole world can know of its existence.
     God does not stop here. God even goes to the extreme of swearing an oath about this. We have reference to this oath in Genesis 24:7:

     The LORD, the God of heaven, who brought me out of my father's household and my
     native land and who spoke to me and promised me on oath, saying, 'To your offspring
     I will give this land...’

     This must be something very important for the God of the whole universe, that he would swear an oath about it. Let us pause and try to get this incredible picture.
     Imagine the Almighty standing before all the angels, heavenly beings, principalities, powers and saying something like this: "I God Almighty do solemnly swear that the land of Israel shall be the possession of the children of Israel forever!"
     Now the Bible tells us that there was no one greater by whom God could swear, so he swore by his own great name (Heb. 6:13-14). Perhaps as in the movie O God, he just put his hand on his own shoulder and said, "So help me - me!"

BUT WHAT ABOUT THE ARABS?

     It is important for us to notice that God specifically did not give his land to Ishmael or to his descendants, the Arabs (Gen. 17:21). Of course, Muslims everywhere look to Ishmael as their spiritual father. This is the core of the problem in the Middle East today. Does it mean that God discriminated against Ishmael, the Arabs or the Muslims in general? Absolutely not!
     God greatly loved Ishmael and he loves the Arabs today. God promised to surely bless Ishmael and multiply him into twelve princes and to make him great (Gen. 17:18-20). In fact, God loved Ishmael so much that he has now given him twenty-two sovereign nations that make up the Arab League. He has given the Arab League over five million square miles as compared with only eight thousand square miles in Israel. (2)
     God loved Ishmael so much that he made him incredibly rich. Today, over 57 percent of the world’s oil reserves are located in the mostly Arab Middle Eastern countries. (3) God has blessed Ishmael with abundant land and fantastic wealth, but he has not given him Israel, and he will not do so for all time and eternity.
     Does this mean that the Arabs cannot live in Israel? Of course not! Some Arabs have been living in the land since the Muslim conquest of the seventh century. They have every right to live in the land. However, the issue is not one of living in the land but of sovereignty. The Land was given to Israel, and Israel alone must exercise sovereignty.
     The Bible makes it clear that Gentiles may come and live in the land and even be protected by Israel’s laws (Ex. 12:49; Jer. 12:16). However, we read in Exodus 20:10, that the Gentiles, or aliens, have the responsibility of paying respect to Israel and acting according to the laws and customs of the land.
     If we believe the Bible, we must believe that God is a bit upset by what is happening today. The land of Israel has become a political "hot potato." There is much agitation throughout the Middle East for Palestinian sovereignty in the territory of Israel. This agitation is seen and heard constantly in the media and it resounds in numerous foreign capitals. In very recent times even the US bowed down and began to promote a sovereign Palestinian state alongside the state of Israel. We must understand that this Palestinian state would be carved from the sacred mountainous territory that was given eternally to Israel.
     Many of the nations of the earth and their leaders are now working feverishly to separate the people of Israel from the land of Israel. Through the effort known as the "peace process" Israel has already lost control of Shechem, Hebron, Bethlehem and several other important cities, as well as large tracts of open land in its mountainous area. The Israeli government in recent times has even offered the Palestinians as much as 97 percent of the West Bank area only to have the offer refused. The Arabs opted for 100 percent. This mountainous West Bank is prophesied to be the very area of Israel’s return and resettlement according to Ezekiel (36:1-15).
     What will God eventually do about this problem? In Joel 3:2 we read these sobering verses:

     I will gather all nations and bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat. There I
     will enter into judgment against them concerning my inheritance, my people Israel, for
     they scattered my people among the nations and divided up my land.

     It is clear that judgment is coming for people and nations who do not respect the word of God.

TODAY, GOD IS VERIFYING HIS COVENANT

     If we had lived a hundred years ago we might have had cause to wonder if God would be true to the Jewish people. At that time they were hopelessly scattered over the world. The idea of a Jewish homeland was just the dream of a few visionaries.
     However, today God has moved with a mighty hand to reestablish his chosen people in his chosen land. He has restored their cities, their farmlands, their language, their military power, their government, and many other things. He has done this in spite of much interference and outright opposition of men and nations. In our day God has fulfilled dozens of prophecies such as Isaiah 11:11; Isaiah 43:5-6; Jeremiah 32:15. It is now possible to come to Israel and see for oneself what God has done for his people.

     How ironic it is, that at a time like this, a time of restoration, many are rising up to say that God has broken his covenant with Israel!
     God’s dealing with the Jewish people should be a cause for great confidence among Christians. Quite simply, if God remains faithful to his Old Covenant people, then he will also remain faithful to his New Covenant people. If God is capricious with Israel, then he could certainly act the same way with the Church couldn’t he?
     Thank God that he is a covenant making and covenant keeping God. In Psalm 94:14 we read: "For the LORD will not reject his people; he will never forsake his inheritance."
     In fact, God’s dealing with Israel after all these thousands of years is really a great proof of his existence. "There is a story of Friedrich the Great of Prussia. He was an atheist but had a very pious medical doctor. Once, he demanded of his doctor: ‘Give me proof that there is a God! But hurry up, I have no time!’ The doctor replied immediately: ‘The Jews, Your Majesty!’" (4)

STUDY QUESTIONS:

Why did God choose the Jewish people above all other people?

How does this fit with the scripture in Acts 10:34-35, that God is no respecter of persons?

Are God’s promises to Israel unconditional or are they conditional and based upon Israel’s obedience?

Some Arabs have lived in the land of Israel for centuries, long before Israel became a nation in 1948. Some areas are predominately Arab. Should these Arab people now have a right to declare their own sovereignty? Give a reason for your answer.

NOTES

1. Lance Lambert, The Uniqueness of Israel (Eastbourne: Kingsway Publications Ltd., 1980) p. 57.
2. Leonard J. Davis, Myths and Facts 1985, A Concise Record of the Arab-IsraeliConflict (Washington, DC: Near East Report, 1984)
    pp. 248-49.
3. MSN Encarta Encyclopedia, (Microsoft Corp, 2007). Data for 2004.
4. Goran Larsson, "The Jews! Your Majesty" (San Diego, CA., Jerusalem, Israel: Jerusalem Center for Biblical Studies and Research,
    second revised edition, 1989) p. 37.

     The history of Israel is unlike the history of other nations. Since Israel is very special to God and since the nation figures prominently in God’s worldwide redemptive program, the history of Israel may be more accurately called "redemptive history," "salvation history," or even "holy history."
     Trying to summarize the history of Israel is like trying to summarize the history of the world. Because of God’s great redemptive plan, the Jews have been dispersed to almost every place on this globe. They have also lived in virtually every time frame in recorded history.
     Although the land of Israel was given to them as their dwelling place, they have lived outside the land much more than they have lived in it. This fact impacts the study of Israel’s history to a considerable degree.
     Let us take a quick look at the redemptive history of Israel as we attempt to picture it in seven critical events. These events are:

     1) The call of Abram
     2) Birth of the nation (deliverance from Egypt and giving of the law)
     3) Conquest and settlement of Canaan
     4) Rise of the Davidic kingship and its messianic implications
     5) First dispersion and restoration, including Daniel’s view of history
     6) Coming of the Messiah
     7) Second dispersion and restoration, including the Holocaust

SCENE ONE: THE CALL OF ABRAM

     Abram was one of the most remarkable men this world has ever known. He was remarkable in that he introduced the whole pagan world to the unique and incredible concept of the one true God.
     We can imagine that in the pagan land where Abram lived, he often heard the screams of babies as they were burned alive in the fires at pagan altars. He must have often passed the pagan temples, which were the churches and synagogues of his day. As he passed them, he must have seen the open and flagrant adultery and homosexuality, because this was the way people worshipped their gods in Abram’s time.

       People worshipped many gods. In fact, every nation had its own panoply of pagan gods. Ancient Babylon, in the area where Abraham lived, is said to have had 300 gods of heaven and another 600 of earth. This did not count the many spirits, who were also worshipped. (1) The gods of the past were capricious and demonic. Many times the gods were more unrighteous than men.
     God desired to redeem mankind from this dismal environment of idolatry. For God to redeem a whole world it was necessary for him first to redeem a man, then a family, and finally a whole nation.
     Let us look back to the days of Abram. In his day, what was to be the land of Israel was a part of "the Fertile Crescent." On one end of the crescent was the future land of Israel, God’s proposed redemptive base in the world. On the other end of the crescent was Abram, the man who would bring the nation of Israel into being, and who would become the redemptive "father" of all believers everywhere. His name, Abram (exalted father), was thus changed to Abraham (father of a multitude).
     We read in the Bible that Abraham was from Ur of the Chaldees in Babylonia. He hailed from the land of the two rivers, the Tigris and Euphrates. Abraham first lived in Ur and then later his family moved to Haran. While in Haran, God called him to leave his father’s house and his country and to go to Canaan (Gen. 12:1-3). The time of his journey was probably around 2000 BC, and Abraham was seventy-five years old, a time when most people retire to their rocking chairs.
     Abraham crossed the Euphrates, and its tributaries, and set out for the land to which God had called him. In so doing, he inadvertently supplied the name to his future people, the Hebrews. The root for their name in the Hebrew language is aber, and it means "to cross over."
     Abraham crossed over from his idolatrous and depraved world to become the man of God and to bring forth a people to God. The followers of Abraham today, who number into the multiplied millions, are likewise people who "cross over." They cross over the sea from Egypt (flesh) into the realm of the Spirit. They cross over the Jordan to possess the heavenly country God has given.
     Father Abraham arrived in Canaan with Sarah his wife, his nephew Lot, and all their possessions, including their servants (Gen. 12:4-5). His first recorded visit in the land was at Shechem (today’s Nablus). There, by the great tree of Moreh, among strangers, God appeared to him and promised to give the land to his offspring (Gen. 12:7). The everlasting drama of the land and the man had begun.

     Although Abraham was a remarkable man, he was still very much a human being like all the rest of us. There were times when his faith wavered. There were other times when he stood as a giant in the earth. His faith must have wavered when God told him to leave Haran and his father’s house. Somehow, Abraham took his nephew Lot along with him (Gen. 12:4). Lot caused Abraham much heartache. The children of Lot, Ammon and Moab (present day Jordan), have continued to vex Israel to this time.
     Abraham was promised a son by faith, although he was very old and his wife Sarah was far past the age of childbearing. Apparently Abraham had some slight doubts about this promise. At Sarah’s urging he finally took her handmaid Hagar and from her was born Ishmael. Today, over a billion Muslims in the world look to Ishmael as their spiritual father. For the last thirteen hundred years the Muslims have bitterly persecuted the true spiritual seed of Abraham.
     On other occasions Abraham stood as a mighty tower of faith. One of these occasions particularly stands out. After Abraham and Lot were separated, the latter was taken captive as a result of a Babylonian raid into the area. If Abraham had been like most of us he would have probably said, "Thank God, my troubles are over. Lot has finally gotten what he deserves!"
     Abraham didn’t react that way. He called his little group of 318 servants together. We can imagine that Abraham had to give some quick instruction to those of his men who were not trained as warriors. He might have said something like this: "Now guys, this is a bow, and this is an arrow. Please remember to keep the feathers next to you when you try to shoot the thing!"
     It was no doubt a motley crew that Abraham had as an army. Who would think of taking such an army to fight one of the greatest powers of the ancient world. But Abraham was a man of faith in the Mighty God.
     As he led his tiny army through the brush that night in northern Galilee, something incredible happened. The Babylonian army went crazy. We don’t know what they saw or heard. I doubt if we would want to know. They may have heard the war cries of a million angelic soldiers and they may have seen fiery chariots racing through the skies. They panicked and ran for their lives. Abraham and his men collected the vast booty, including Lot and all that belonged to him, and returned home victorious.
     This was to be the first of many such strange victories that Abraham’s people would gain through future centuries. Little would pagan enemies understand that they were not just fighting against Abraham or his seed, but against the mighty God of Israel and his eternal redemptive program.

Tombs of Abraham and the Patriarchs in Hebron
(Courtesy Israel Information Office)

     Abraham became the father of Israel and of all those who believe (Rom. 4:11). His son Isaac carried on the redemptive history to the next generation. After him, Jacob carried on the tradition and brought forth the twelve tribes of Israel.
     Through the envy of his brothers, one of Jacob’s sons, Joseph, was sold into Egypt as a slave. In time, through God’s providence, he rose to great heights of power, becoming second only to Pharaoh. Joseph, through prophecy, had foretold a seven-year famine in the whole land. He had also predicted seven years of plenty before the famine. As a result, Joseph was placed in charge of grain storage and abundant provisions were laid up in Egypt.
     At last, to stave off famine, the whole house of Israel, some seventy souls, came to sojourn in Egypt. The people were treated kindly at first, but after four hundred years, the people were made slaves and they cried out to the God of Abraham.

SCENE TWO: BIRTH OF THE NATION (Deliverance from Egypt and giving of the Law)

     It seemed that Moses had missed his calling in life. He had a great beginning, being adopted into the family of Pharaoh, king of Egypt. Now he had fallen from grace in the Egyptian court, and quite frankly had also fallen on bad times. He now spent his days herding sheep and goats on the back side of the desert of Sinai.
     Moses once thought that he would deliver his oppressed people from Egypt, but now that idea must have seemed remote. Moses’ life was now well spent, seeing that he was already about 80 years old.
     However, God had not forgotten Moses, nor had he forgotten his people suffering down in Egypt. God knew that the sojourn in Egypt was necessary for the Children of Israel. It had also been necessary for Moses. It seems that the faithful of every age have had to endure the "Egypt experience." On one occasion even Abraham had to go down into Egypt and sojourn there for a time. Now the whole nation of Israel was stuck in Egypt.
     It was to be a type of God’s redemption and a messianic type as well. God would later speak of Jesus in Matthew 2:15 saying: "Out of Egypt I called my son." The separation from Egypt is pictured throughout the scripture as a separation from this world and a consecration to God.
     The Living God, who had heard the cries of his captive people, now paid a visit to lonely Moses in the desert of Sinai. There Moses saw the Living God, the "I Am" of scripture. He is the only man who ever did so and lived to tell about it.
     God sent stammering Moses along with his brother Aaron down to Egypt to pay a call on perhaps the most powerful monarch of the ancient world. Moses went with the message "Let my people Go!"
     Again we need to use our imaginations just a little as we picture this shepherd from the back side of the desert coming before mighty Pharaoh. What happened when Moses delivered this message? Pharaoh and his whole court probably had some good belly laughter. After this, Pharaoh said something equivalent to "No way Mo-shea!"
     Pharaoh’s refusal was the beginning of one of the most unusual periods in the history of the world. God with a mighty hand began to plague Egypt.
     The story of the deliverance from Egypt is one of the classic dramas of all time. Never before in history was a nation born in the midst of another nation (Deut. 4:34). Never before had the world seen such a miraculous visitation with astounding supernatural displays.
     Awesome and fearful plagues fell on Egypt. There were plagues of blood and frogs. Mrs. Pharaoh couldn’t go to the bathroom at night without stepping on the squishy, croaking things. There were gnats, insects, pestilence, and boils. We can imagine mighty Pharaoh waddling out gingerly to speak to Moses, having a boil on each foot, and perhaps another one on the very place where he would have sat down.
     There was hail, locusts, and darkness, devastating the land. Finally there was the death of the firstborn in Egypt. That night the people of Israel were spared while Egypt’s firstborn all died. Through Moses, God had instructed his people to slay the Passover lamb and place its blood on the lintels and doorposts of their houses. When this last plague came, the people of Israel were spared. At that last plague the whole house of Israel was freed from bondage.
     The whole drama of salvation is pictured vividly in the plagues of Egypt, particularly the slaying of the firstborn. The slaying of an unblemished lamb, the blood upon the doorpost, the passing over of the death angel and the following deliverance would always stand out as vivid types of God’s salvation through the Messiah. To this day the Jews in their Passover seder annually recount much of this salvation history.
     Later, as Israel was leaving Egypt and as they were in the awkward position of trying to cross the Red Sea without boats, Pharaoh changed his mind and pursued them.
     That night as Moses held his staff over the sea and as the horses of Pharaoh pawed and neighed a short distance away, the east wind began to blow and the sea stood up in columns revealing the dry ground beneath. The people of Israel then began to pass through the sea on dry ground.
     At this, one would think that Pharaoh would have dismounted his chariot, bowed his face to the ground and repented of his evil. Instead, in his insane rage, he dared send his army after the Israelites.
     When Moses and all the people had passed through the sea, and as the whole army of Pharaoh was now in the midst of the sea, the waters suddenly closed upon them. That night there was something like twin tidal waves coming together with such velocity that Egyptian horses and their riders were hurled through the air and into the sea (Exo. 15:1).
     Too often we read the accounts of scripture without truly getting the picture of the awesome works of God. We need again to stop and meditate until we can smell the sea water and hear the cries of the drowning.
     That morning as the bodies of Egyptians washed up on the shores, all the women sang with tambourines. Miriam led them in this chorus: "Sing to the LORD, for he is highly exalted. The horse and its rider he has hurled into the sea" (Exo. 15:21).
     Moses then led the people which God himself describes as "stiff necked" (Exo. 32:9) into the wilderness of Sinai. It was there that the nation, or at least the remnant of the nation, was molded into the people God desired. There in the desert God fed them daily with manna from heaven. In the desert they were given commandments from the mouth of God. In all the history of the world, no people had ever heard God’s voice out of the fire and smoke (Deut. 5:26). This experience made a lasting impression upon the Jewish people.
     The generation that came out of Egypt was not able to enter the land of Canaan due to their lack of faith and vision. However, the following generation began to enter the land that God had long before promised to Abraham and to his children.

A wilderness area where Israel likely ventured
(photo credit Yoni Gerrish)

SCENE THREE: CONQUEST OF CANAAN

     Moses led the people forty years in the wilderness and, finally he led them to the Jordan River. However, God did not permit him to lead them any further. He did help them to experience their first great victories in battle, as they fought against Sihon, king of Heshbon (today’s Jordan) and Og, the king of Bashan (today’s Golan Heights). As a result of these two battles the people began to inherit the land on the east side of the Jordan River. The tribes of Reuben, Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh settled in this area.
     After the death of Moses, his able assistant Joshua took command. Joshua led the people miraculously over the Jordan River. Again, they walked through on dry ground, even though the river was at flood stage.
     Joshua then led the people in a smashing victory over the city of Jericho. It is thought by some today that Jericho is actually the oldest city in the world. There is presently even a sign to that effect on the outskirts of the city. Even by Joshua’s time, Jericho was heavily fortified and virtually impossible to conquer. Through a great miracle the mighty walls of Jericho fell down. There is no trace of city walls on the ancient mound of Jericho today.
     After the miraculous victory at Jericho, Joshua proceeded to cut the land of Canaan in two just a few kilometers north of Jerusalem. In swift succession he defeated the principal cities and centers of influence in the land of Canaan. These cities included Ai, Makkedah, Libnah, Lachish, Gezer, Eglon, Hebron, and Debir. Joshua accomplished this in one campaign, because the Lord God fought for Israel (Josh. 10:42).
     Later, Joshua fought a confederation of northern kings led by Jabin, king of Hazor. Their warriors were as numerous as sand on the seashore (Josh. 11:4). Hazor was one of the mightiest cities in Canaan and was actually the gateway city into the land from the north. This confederation of kings was also defeated, and Hazor was then burned by Joshua. The burn line from Joshua’s time can still be seen in this ancient city.

     The land was then divided among the remaining tribes and settlement was begun. The battles for the land, however, would continue on for many generations. Sometime after Israel’s settlement in the land, the Philistines, a sea people from the area of Crete, began to settle along the seacoast in the Gaza area. They were destined to become one of Israel’s greatest antagonists.
     In appraising the conquest of Canaan by the Israelites we must stop and marvel. Canaan was a well-developed area with greatly fortified cities that had been built over many centuries. The Israelites were a band of desert wanderers with little skill in the type warfare required to conquer fortified cities.
     The conquest was a series of miracles. God had promised this land to Abraham’s seed long before. As he had promised, God came to fight for Israel. Even nature was incorporated on several occasions to fight against the Canaanites. We see that hornets went on the offensive against them (Josh. 24:12). Hailstones fell from heaven (Josh. 10:11). Even "...the stars fought, from their courses..." against the northern commander, Sisera (Jud. 5:20).
     The entry of Israel into the land of Canaan has been variously set by scholars, with dates ranging from 1550 to 1200 BC. It is clear that the actual settlement was not without its problems. After the death of the great leader Joshua, the people began to turn away from the true God to serve the idols of the Canaanites. Swift punishment came from God, and he allowed them to be harassed by various enemies. When the people cried out to God he sent judges to deliver them from their foes.
     Probably some of the most famous of these judges were Deborah and her military assistant Barak (Judges chs. 4-5), who delivered Israel from another league of Canaanite kings in the north; Gideon (Judges chs. 6-8), who delivered the people from the Midianites; and Samson (Judges chs. 13-16), who began to deliver the people from the Philistines.

The spring where Gideon formed his small army

     In time, the people of Israel began to long for a king like the other nations. Again, God heard their requests and gave them their first king, Saul. Saul began to make a serious attempt to war against the Philistines, who were at this time imposing their rule upon Israel. At last, through his own disobedience, Saul was killed in battle by the Philistines on Mount Gilboa.

SCENE FOUR: RISE OF THE DAVIDIC KINGDOM (and its Messianic implications)

     Even before Saul’s death God had chosen the next king of Israel. This time it was a man after God’s own heart (1 Sam. 13:14). Of all the kings who have ever ruled on this earth, David was unique. Even as a child he was able to play on his harp and soothe the deranged King Saul. As a mere child he went forth to fight mighty Goliath, the Philistine giant. This giant was over nine feet tall and was heavily armed. David came against him with a sling and stone, and with the mighty power of God. The giant was slain and Israel won another of her miraculous victories.
     David was gifted as a mighty warrior and leader of men. Saul soon began to envy David, and for many years thereafter, David and his men hid out as fugitives in the various wilderness areas of the country.
     After the death of Saul on Mount Gilboa, and the humiliating defeat of Israel by the Philistines, David became king. He first ruled at Hebron in the south, but he later moved to consolidate his kingdom in Jerusalem about 998-995 BC. For the most part, David ruled very wisely over the people of Israel.

A view of the ancient tel (city) of Bet Shean. The bodies of Saul and
Jonathan were hung here after the defeat on Mt. Gilboa.

    During his reign the kingdom was greatly expanded to include most of the land God had promised Israel. With the direct help of God he scored numerous victories over Israel’s persistent foes. For the first time, even the Philistines began to wilt away before the onslaught of David.

The City of David, at Jerusalem’s ancient model.

     David was not only a mighty warrior; he was an extremely sensitive spiritual person. While other kings of the earth, no doubt, immersed themselves in politics, David immersed himself in God. His many Psalms bear witness to this. In Psalm 63:1, David cries out:

     O God, you are my God, earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you, my body longs
    for you, in a dry and weary land where there is no water.

     Of all men on earth, David may have been the most urgent seeker after God. He worshipped God with a whole-hearted devotion. He longed to dwell in God’s house (Psa. 23:6). He danced unashamedly before the Lord (2 Sam. 6:14). David began a revolution in worship that has had a tremendous affect upon Jews and Christians alike. His Psalms have comforted Israel and the Church for three thousand years.
     It is interesting that as the end-days come upon us, the style of David’s worship is returning to the Church. We may assume that it will also return to Israel. This is in full accordance with the words of the prophet:

     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 (Amos 9:11).

     Once he was settled in his kingdom, David greatly desired to build God a house. Since the days of the wilderness wanderings the "house" of God had been a tabernacle or tent. David spoke to the prophet Nathan about his desire. However, God did not permit David to build his house or Temple. Nathan informed David that God desired to build a house for him instead.
     The divine promises to King David are unique. There has never been a king in history who received such promises. God said to David in 2 Samuel 7:16:

     Your house and your kingdom will endure forever before me; your throne will be
     established forever.

     Hence, we have in David the beginnings of an eternal Messianic kingdom. It was not just a natural kingdom, but also one with deep spiritual implications. In time, David the king died. Later, his son Solomon reigned and died. Finally in our day the natural line of David has all but disappeared from among men. Yet, the kingdom of David continues through his heir, the Messiah.
     The kingdom was split in 928 BC upon the death of Solomon. The northern section was called Israel, and the southern section became known as Judah. The kingdom generally disintegrated in both these areas as the people were prone to mix their unique faith with that of their pagan Canaanite neighbors.
     It was in this turbulent period that the mighty voices of Israel’s prophets began to thunder out, starting with those of Elijah and Elisha.
     By the eighth century BC the voice of Israel’s prophets reached a high water mark in Isaiah, Micah and others. Later in 627 BC, Jeremiah began his prophetic work in the southern kingdom of Judah.
     The prophets of Israel have had far-reaching influence and have, over the centuries, touched people in many nations of the earth.

SCENE FIVE: ISRAEL’S FIRST DISPERSIONS AND HER RESTORATION (Including Daniel’s unique view of history)

     It was becoming more and more apparent that Israel was called to live in the middle of a super highway. The only way she could live there was by faith and absolute obedience to God. Unfortunately, both of these qualities were waning in the land. By 722 BC, the northern kingdom of Israel was so weakened by idolatry that it fell to the Assyrian king, Shalmaneser, and the people were carried into captivity.

Remains of the altar to false gods that Israel constructed at Dan

     The Assyrians, who had a policy of displacing rebellious kingdoms with people from other conquered provinces, brought in alien people to settle the land. Thus, we have the beginnings of the Samaritans. The ten northern tribes of Israel who were dispersed in the land of Assyria became known in history and legend as the "Ten Lost Tribes." Although these tribes have disappeared from history, the prophets still speak of their resurrection in the end-days (Hos. 1:10-11). It is of interest that several people groups claiming descent from these tribes have immigrated to Israel in recent years.
     The southern kingdom of Judah continued until it was finally conquered by Nebuchadnezzar of Babylonia in 586 BC. The beautiful Temple built by Solomon, David’s son, was destroyed and the people were also carried away captive. However, this time they were carried to Babylon. Unlike the dispersion of Israel, the people of Judah soon had an opportunity to return and experience a restoration in the land, just as the prophets had foretold.
     In Mesopotamia the suzerainty soon passed from Babylon to the Media-Persian Empire. The policy of the Persians was opposite to that of the Assyrians and Babylonians, in that they sought to restore captive peoples to their native lands. In addition, God had specifically spoken to King Cyrus that he might let the people of Judah return home. God had even called Cyrus "his anointed" (Isa. 45:10).
     We can be certain that Daniel, who rose to great power both in the Babylonian and Persian empires, had some influence on these events. Daniel prayed earnestly for restoration and he also had opportunities to speak with these kings.

     As a result, the decree of Cyrus allowing the exiles to return was issued in 536 BC (Ezra 1:1-4). Shortly thereafter the first wave of Jewish exiles began the journey home under Zerubabbel.
     We can sense the divine favor riding upon the small company of some forty-two thousand who returned. Although we do not know the names of those who preferred to remain in Babylon, we certainly know the names of many who came home. We even know how many donkeys returned. There were 6,720 of them and they are recorded in God’s book (Ezra 2:67). At this, we might assume that it is better to be a donkey and return home to Israel, than to remain and be a prince in Babylon.
     When we look at this whole period, we have to marvel at how God has worked in history. This sets him apart from the pagan gods, who all failed to work in history. In fact, history worked on them. History consigned their images to its dustbins and their names are long since forgotten. However, the name of the God of Israel is an everlasting memorial (Exo. 3:15). His mighty acts have been repeated by the lips of millions through the ages.
     Upon arrival home, the exiles rebuilt the altar and began also to rebuild the Temple. Their work was greatly hindered by the surrounding peoples in the land, and it was finally stopped altogether by decree of the new king. It was not until the prophetic work of Haggai and Zechariah in 520 BC that the work began again. The Temple was finally completed in 516 BC.
     In the latter days of the Persian Empire, God intervened once more in history to elevate a young Jewess to the heights of imperial majesty by making her Queen of Persia. Queen Esther later found it necessary to go before her husband, the all-powerful monarch, in a bid to rescue her own Jewish people from the plots of evil Haman.
     The historian Josephus sheds some interesting light on her visit to the king. After fasting three days, Esther approached the king without his bidding. In ancient Persia this usually resulted in the death sentence. Josephus says that as Esther saw the king sitting on the throne and looking sternly at her, she fainted, whereupon the king sprang from his throne and lifted her up, placing his scepter in her hand and reassuring her. (2) Esther saved her people and her great influence may well have helped later in re-establishing the people of Israel in the land.
     Perhaps it was somehow a result of her influence that two Jewish luminaries from the Persian Empire came to give much needed assistance to the returned exiles. The first was Ezra the Scribe. Ezra did much to mold Israel into the "people of the Book," a title by which they are known even to this day.
     Later, Nehemiah, who was cupbearer of the Persian king Artaxerxes I, came to Israel with the specific commission from God to rebuild the wall of defense around Jerusalem. He faced immense persecution from the people of the land, the Samaritans and Arabs. Nevertheless, about 444 BC, the wall was completed. Judah was at last firmly established, awaiting the crucial period of history leading up to the appearing of her Messiah.

SCENE SIX: COMING OF THE MESSIAH

     Israel’s most famous son was born during the turbulent period at the turn of the millennium. At this time, due to the oppression of the Romans, messianic expectations were at an extremely high pitch. This unique period in history was chosen by God long before and became known as "the fullness of time" (Gal. 4:4-5). During this special time frame God gave his son Yeshua (Jesus) to the world.
     He was not born in the royal palaces of Herod, but according to the prophecy of Micah 5:2, he was born in the nearby town of Bethlehem. He was born in a lowly stable. His birth and life as the Savior of Israel and of the world are without parallel.
     The coming of this long-awaited Messiah was God’s utmost intervention into human history. The Messiah was not just man, but he was the unique combination of God and man, or the God-man. At last, God had come to live in his world. Jesus fulfilled the word of Isaiah spoken many centuries before in Isaiah 7:14, "...The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel" [God with us].
     Jesus, or Yeshua as he is called in the Hebrew language, fulfilled numerous other prophecies in the scriptures. He was born of the tribe of Judah (Gen. 49:10). He was of the house of David and heir to that house forever (Isa. 9:7 & Luke 1:32-33)

     His eternal nature is set forth in Psalm 45:6-7:

     Your throne, O God, will last for ever and ever; a scepter of justice will be the scepter
     of your kingdom. You love righteousness and hate wickedness; therefore God, your
     God, has set you above your companions by anointing you with the oil of joy.

     Also, in Psalm 110:1 we read:

     The LORD says to my Lord: "Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a
     footstool for your feet."

     We do not believe that God was talking to himself. In these passages God was talking to his Son, the Messiah.
     The historical events surrounding Jesus’ birth also correspond to the Hebrew scriptures. He was preceded by a forerunner (Isa. 40:3-5; Luke 3:2-6). According to Daniel’s prophecy he was born prior to the destruction of the Second Temple (Dan. 9:25-26). Even the slaughter of infants in the Bethlehem area was foretold (Jer. 31:15; Matt. 2:16-18). After his birth he was taken to Egypt because of the wrath of Herod (Hos. 11:1; Matt. 2:14-15).
     Years later when Jesus began his ministry, he was declared to be God’s son (Psa. 2:7; Matt. 3:17). He was not another god, but the physical manifestation of the one true God. Jesus conducted his ministry very much in the pattern of Moses: he fed the people miraculously, he brought healing to them and gave them a new law, one to be written on their hearts. Thus he fulfilled the word of God in Deuteronomy 18:15:

     The LORD your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your own
     brothers. You must listen to him.

    

The Sea of Galilee where Jesus conducted most of his ministry

     Yeshua spoke in parables (Psa. 78:2-3; Matt. 13:34-35), bound up the brokenhearted (Isa. 61:1; Luke 4:18), he healed the blind, deaf, dumb and lame (Isa. 35:5-6; Luke 4:18-19). He was adored by small children (Psa. 8:2; Matt. 21:15). Although the religious leaders of his day could remember nothing in scripture spoken about a Messiah from Galilee (John 7:52), he fulfilled Isaiah 9:1-2 which says:

     Nevertheless, there will be no more gloom for those who were in distress. In the past
     he humbled the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the future he will
     honor Galilee of the Gentiles, by the way of the sea, along the Jordan— The people
     walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow
     of death a light has dawned.

     Jesus spent a great deal of his ministry on the northern and northwestern shores of the Sea of Galilee. He even made his base at nearby Capernaum, situated on the Way of the Sea (Via Maris). At Capernaum, along that famous road, the Light of the World was manifested.

The synagogue at Capernaum where Jesus did much teaching
(photo credit Peggy Steffel)

     Unfortunately for Israel, Yeshua was not accepted, but was in fact rejected and despised by the leaders (Isa. 53:3; John 1:11). His good news of salvation was not believed by them (Isa. 53:1; John 12:37), although the common people seem to have heard him gladly. The Jewish leaders did not know the time of their visitation, and now it would be hidden from their eyes (Luke 19:42-44).
     Jesus was betrayed by his close friend (Psa. 41:9; Lk. 22:47) for thirty pieces of silver (Zech 11:12; Matt. 26:14-15).
     During his trial before the religious court he was abused and spat upon (Isa. 50:6; Matt. 26:67). He was tried and accused by false witnesses (Psa. 35:11; Mk. 14:57). To these accusations he opened not his mouth (Isa. 53:7; Mark 15:4-5).
     Later he was crucified with criminals as the scripture foretold (Isa. 53:12; Mark 15:27). He was pierced through his hands and his feet (Zech. 12:10; John 20:27). He was mocked and reproached (Psa. 22:7-8; Luke 23:35). But no bone of his was broken (Psa. 34:20; John 19:32).
     In that dark hour on the cross, even God the Father found it necessary to turn his face away from him (Psa. 22:1; Matt. 27:46). Yet, while he hung there on the cross he prayed for his enemies (Psa. 109:4; Luke 23:34).

An ancient tomb with a rolling stone door

     After his agonizing death, the Roman soldiers cast lots for his clothing just as the Psalmist had spoken long before (Psa. 22:17; Matt. 27:35-36). He was then taken from the cross and buried with the rich as Isaiah had prophesied (Isa. 53:9; Matt. 27:57-60). He did not die as a malefactor, but as a redeemer. Isaiah 53:5 speaks of his death in this way:

     But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the
     punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed.

     His death was not the end. God would not leave his Messiah in Sheol, but he was raised from the dead (Psa. 16:10; Mark 16:6). After appearing on many occasions to his disciples, even to more than five hundred followers on one occasion, he ascended to the Father and took his seat at the Father’s right hand (Psa. 68:18; Mark 16:19; 1 Cor. 15:6).
     It is the fervent belief of the Church that he will come again according to scripture. His feet will stand again upon the Mount of Olives at Jerusalem (Zech. 14:4). He will come when his people can at last speak in sincerity the words of Matthew 23:39:

     For I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, "Blessed is he who comes in the
     name of the Lord."

The Mount of Olives where Jesus will stand at his return

     Today, as we look back on the history of two thousand years, we realize that a truly momentous event took place. We are living on a visited planet. The Almighty God, the King of the Universe, came to live on earth as a man. The shock waves of that visit continue to reverberate through the world and through history.

SCENE SEVEN: ISRAEL’S SECOND DISPERSION AND RESTORATION

     Within a generation of Jesus’ death, a disaster of immense magnitude befell Israel. This disaster was predicted by Jesus as he was led to his death in Luke 23:28-29:

      ... Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me; weep for yourselves and for your
      children. For the time will come when you will say, "Blessed are the barren women,
      the wombs that never bore and the breasts that never nursed!"

     He also spoke of this event as his disciples were admiring the beauty of the Temple. Jesus warned them sternly by saying in Luke 19:43-44:

     The days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment against
     you and encircle you and hem you in on every side. They will dash you to the ground,
     you and the children within your walls. They will not leave one stone on another,
     because you did not recognize the time of God’s coming to you.

     During the years from AD 66-73, Israel became embroiled in a futile revolt to throw off the Roman yoke. As the revolt continued, Jerusalem was at last surrounded and shut up by the enemy. The situation became very grave for its inhabitants. The historian Josephus tells of the deaths of countless thousands from hunger. He even relates how a mother roasted her own child and dined upon it. (3)

The fortress of Masada looking down on the Dead Sea. This was Israel’s last stand against the Romans. One of the rectangular Roman camps can still be seen in the right foreground.

     At last the city walls were breached. Then the unthinkable happened, the beautiful Temple was set on fire and destroyed. Later the Romans proceeded to burn and sack the city. Josephus again describes the awful slaughter as one in which streams of blood ran down the streets in such volume as to actually put out the flames. (4) After the fall of Jerusalem the war lingered on until Masada, the last stronghold, fell in AD 73.

The Arch of Titus in Rome, showing captured Temple items brought from Jerusalem
 (Courtesy Israel Information Office)

     Israel’s agony was not ended. Some years later, Simon Bar Kokhba was proclaimed by many to be the messiah. In the years AD 132-135, he led a second revolt against Rome. Once more the Romans cruelly ended this rebellion, but not before multiplied thousands were killed and the slave markets glutted once more by Jews.
     At this time, Rome was determined to put an end to Jewish rebellions. In derision, the land was renamed Syria Palestina. They rebuilt the city of Jerusalem as a pagan city and renamed it Aelia Capitolina. Hadrian, the Roman Emperor, then prohibited the practice of Judaism and Jews were even forbidden to come near the city.
     After the earlier defeat of Jerusalem in AD 70, the Jews had made a valiant attempt to continue on in the land. The Sanhederin was established near the Mediterranean coast in Yavne. From there the sages of the Torah continued their work. After the second revolt, however, the center of Judaism moved to the Galilee. Rome was determined to punish the leaders of the revolt it was necessary for many of them to hide out in the Galilee for several years.
     By the year 210, the work on the Mishna, the compilation of Jewish oral tradition, was completed and soon thereafter the first generations of Talmudic scholars were being produced in Israel. Nevertheless, Jewish life in the Holy Land was a flickering candle. In a few generations the center of Judaism would shift from Israel to Babylon once again. It would for the most part remain in Gentile lands for the next fifteen centuries.
     In the early fourth century, the Roman ruler Constantine declared himself to be a Christian and Christianity began to hold sway in the Middle East. This further encouraged the Jews to disperse to other nations.
     In the seventh century, Islam arose and one of its first acts was the conquest of Palestine including Jerusalem. With the exception of the brief interlude of the Crusades at the turn of the first Christian millennium, the Muslims would control Palestine until the twentieth century.
     After their unsuccessful revolts against the Romans, the Jews began their dispersion to the farthest reaches of the Roman Empire. They now began to make their homes in places like Alexandria, Tarsus, Ephesus, Byzantium, and Rome. By the year 300, they had settled in all parts of the empire except Britain. (5)
     After the fall of the Roman Empire in 476, the Jews began to play a leading part in world trade. They traveled to the farthest reaches of the empire and even as far as India and China through their involvement in the spice trade. (6)
     As the vast areas of Europe became civilized, the Jews settled in these areas also. In early years a thriving Jewish civilization flourished in Spain. The Jews settled in France and Germany. Unfortunately, the lot of the Jews in "Christian" Europe would never be secure. Although they made great and lasting contributions to these societies, time and time again they were expelled from different cities and nations.
     When the new world was discovered, a Jew was one of the first two people to set foot upon it. The Jews followed the wave of discovery and colonization to the ends of the earth and to the islands of the sea. This in itself was a fulfillment of prophecy. It is said in Isaiah 11:11:

     In that day the Lord will reach out his hand a second time to reclaim the remnant that
     is left of his people from Assyria, from Lower Egypt, from Upper Egypt, from Cush,
     from Elam, from Babylonia, from Hamath and from the islands of the sea.

     During all their long centuries in gentile lands the Jews suffered persecution in many forms and were driven from one land to another. They suffered under Crusades, Inquisitions, blood libels, forced conversions, forced baptisms, pogroms, and slanders of many types. Under Islam their lot was only slightly improved.
     In time, the virulent anti-Semitism, which had flourished in the Church since the fourth century, blossomed into severe persecution under the Nazis, beginning in 1933. During the Holocaust that followed, six million Jews lost their lives. From the ashes of that greatest of all disasters, the modern nation of Israel began to rise once more.
     After World War II, the survivors made their way to Palestine to join with the many others who had come earlier from the persecutions of Russia and other places on the globe. The word of the Lord was fulfilled once again:

     This is what the LORD says: "The people who survive the sword will find favor in the
     desert; I will come to give rest to Israel." (Jer. 31:2)

     On November 29, 1947, the United Nations approved the partition plan allowing Israel to become a nation once more after almost two thousand years.
     Israel was declared a state in May 1948 and following this act she was forced into an agonizing War of Independence with her many Arab neighbors. At the close of this war the nation of Israel was successful and once again firmly established among the family of nations.


STUDY QUESTIONS:

How does holy history, or redemptive history, differ from regular history?

Was it unfair for God to almost destroy Egypt in order to bring Israel out of bondage? Why?

What kind of things happened when pagan forces fought Israel in the Bible? Do you suppose such things still happen in Israel’s wars today?

What are some qualities David had that enabled him to become a type of God’s coming Messiah?

How does Daniel’s view of history differ from most views today?

In what ways were Jesus’ claims different from that of all other great religious leaders?

NOTES

1. E.A. Wallis Budge, Babylonian Life and History (New York: Dorset Press, 1992) p. 110.
2. William Whiston, The Works of Josephus, Complete and Unabridged (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers, Peabody, MA, 1987)
    p. 301.
3. Whiston, The Works of Josephus, Complete and Unabridged, p. 737.
4. Whiston, The Works of Josephus, Complete and Unabridged, p.748.
5. Martin Gilbert, Jewish History Atlas (Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Haifa: Steimatzky, Ltd, 1969, fourth edition 1992) p. 17.
6. Martin Gilbert, Jewish History Atlas, p. 22.

     Only a few years ago Islam was of little concern to many living in the western world. It was thought to be a wholly Middle Eastern problem far removed from any effect upon westerners. However, in the last few years, particularly since the 1991 Gulf War, there has been a quickening of interest in this religion. Of course that interest was greatly accelerated with the Islamic attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon in September, 2001.
     North Americans are realizing now that there are some five million Muslims living in their midst. In fact, Muslims are now on the verge of outnumbering Jews in North America, making Islam the second largest religion.
     US citizens are awaking to the fact that mosques are rising in many of their cities, and over 800 mosques and Islamic centers are already built in their country. Episcopalians in the US are no doubt shocked to find themselves outnumbered by the Muslims. Incredibly, the shrill cry of the muezzin is now competing with the ringing of church bells in many communities.
     Europe is also beginning to experience the reality of Islam on the move. Citizens of England are becoming aware that there are more Muslims living there than Methodists, or even evangelical Christians. (1) The French are realizing that Islam is now their second largest religion, with far more Muslims living in their country than Protestants. (2) In the Netherlands the most common boys name has already become ‘Muhammad.’
     People the world over are being forced to "come to grips" with this fast-rising phenomenon. They have had to contemplate the sobering fact that there are now approximately 1.2 billion Muslims in the world. Roughly one out of every five person in the world is a Muslim. With Islam’s rapid birthrate and its vigorous missionary efforts, it has now said to be the fastest growing religion in the world.
     How could a religion develop so rapidly on the modern scene? What are the roots and the history of this religio