| Highlights of Dawn | April 1948 |
With Fury Poured Out
“As I live saith the Lord God, surely with a mighty hand, and with a stretched out arm, and with fury poured out, will I rule over you.”—Ezekiel 20:33
PALESTINE is a mere dot on the map, and the Jewish people, since so many of them were killed by their oppressors in Europe, now total only a few million, but the Jewish problem is the number one worry of most of the major powers today. Why is this so? It is a fulfilment of prophecy. Earliest of the Old Testament prophecies related to this problem is the promise God made to Abraham concerning Palestine—“I will give unto thee, and to thy seed after thee, … all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession.”—Gen. 17:8; 48:4
Hundreds of years after this promise was made the overruling providences of God brought the descendants of Abraham then known as the “children of Israel”—into the Promised Land. This followed their deliverance from Egyptian bondage and their forty years’ wanderings in the wilderness. However, while they were still wandering in the wilderness their lawgiver, Moses, prophesied that they would not be permitted to remain in the land even though they would cross over Jordan to possess it. “I call heaven and earth to witness against you this day,” Moses said, “that ye shall soon utterly perish from off the land. … And the Lord shall scatter you among the nations, and ye shall be left few in number among the heathen [nations], whither the Lord shall lead you.”—Deut. 4:26,27
Moses also prophesied that in the “latter days” God would “turn” the “captivity” of his people, and would gather them from the nations whither he had scattered them, and would bring them again into the land which he gave to their fathers. (Deut. 4:30; 30:1-6; 31:29) On different brief occasions during the pre-Christian era the Israelites were driven from their land and taken into captivity by one or another nation. The last of these captivities was in Babylon. At that time they were away from their land for seventy years, being permitted to return when the Babylonian Empire fell to the Medes and Persians. It was in 536 B.C. that Cyrus, the Persian king, issued a decree granting this liberty.
But none of these captivities fit the prophetic picture of a scattering among “all nations.” Only since their dispersion from the land by the Roman armies in A.D. 70 has this been true. That was the beginning of a scattering that has driven this persecuted people into all parts of the so-called civilized world. It is the regathering from this age-long scattering that so many of the prophecies describe, and these prophecies present a wonderfully clear explanation of the Jewish problem as it confronts the nations today.
“Times of the Gentiles”
Let us turn back into prophecy again for a moment to pick up another thread of thought. In warning the Israelites of the dire calamities which would come upon them if unfaithful to the Lord. Moses speaks of a final period of punishment, which he describes as “seven times more.” (Lev. 26:18,21,24,28) This is recognized by Bible scholars as descriptive of a period of time 2,520 years in length. It is apparently to this very period that Jesus alludes when he prophesied, “Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled.”—Luke 21:24
Jerusalem was trodden down of the Gentiles in Jesus’ day even though the Jews themselves were still permitted to dwell in the land. The reference is evidently to the fact that the nation was not free, being at that time subject to the Roman Empire. This loss of national independence occurred in 606 B.C., when their last king, Zedekiah, was overthrown and the nation taken into captivity to Babylon. That was when and how the “times of the Gentiles” began. They were to continue for 2,520 years, which would bring their termination in A.D. 1914.
Before noting developments which began in 1914, let us turn back to the prophecy of Ezekiel for a description of just what occurred with relationship to God’s plan when Zedekiah, the last Jewish king, was overthrown. We quote, “And thou, profane wicked prince of Israel, whose day is come, when iniquity shall have an end, Thus saith the Lord God; Remove the diadem, and take off the crown: this shall not be the same: … and it will be no more, until he come whose right it is; and I will give it him.”—Ezek. 21:25-27
The kingdom of Israel was the kingdom of the Lord. Of Solomon it is written that he “sat on the throne of the Lord as king instead of David his father.” And in a prayer to Jehovah, David said, “Thine is the kingdom, O Lord, and thou art exalted as Head above all.” (I Chron. 29:23,11) When, therefore, the Lord said to Zedekiah, “Take off the crown,” it meant the end for the time being of divine rulership in the earth, the typical kingdom of Israel having come to an end. This coincides with the statement made to Nebuchadnezzar by the Prophet Daniel—“The God of heaven hath given thee, a kingdom, … and wheresoever the children of men dwell, … hath he … made thee ruler over them all.”—Dan. 2:37,38
This was to be “until he come whose right it is.” In other words, with the termination of the “times of the Gentiles” the Lord would again establish his authority over Israel, and the Gentile nations would no longer rule by a divine mandate. God ruled over Israel during the pre-Christian age through Saul, David, Solomon, and others, Zedekiah being the last of that line of representatives. But the prophecies foretold that when the Lord again became Ruler over his ancient people it would be through another representative, even Jesus, the Messiah, the One “whose right it is.”
Jerusalem was to be trodden down by the Gentiles, having no king of her own, but absolutely subservient to the nations among which the people were scattered, “until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled.” This clearly implies that when the “times of the Gentiles” were fulfilled the status of the Israelites would change, that then, through him “whose right it is,” Jehovah would begin again to rule over them. Has there, then, been anything in the experience of the scattered people of Israel, beginning with 1914, which indicates that this has been the case? If so, we have another definite and irrefutable proof that 1914 was the correct date for the end of the “times of the Gentiles.”
The time prophecies pertaining to the “double” period of punishment* point out that returning favor upon Israel was due to come in 1878. The Berlin Congress of Nations in that very year and the birth of the Zionist movement in 1897, representing a budding of their national hopes, indicate clearly that even at that early date the “fig tree” did indeed begin to show signs of life. But not much progress was made so far as actually possessing the Promised Land was concerned, nor was there any widespread interest among the Jews concerning the prospect of returning to Palestine.
* See chapter vii in “Thy Kingdom Come.”
Throughout the long period of their dispersion, until the turn of the twentieth century, the Jews had almost continuously been a persecuted people. But this picture began to change. In America, in Great Britain, in Germany, and finally even in Russia, they began to be recognized, and on their part the Jews in these countries began to feel secure. The growth of modernism among the Gentiles also had its effect upon the Jews so that a large percentage of them became agnostics, having little or no faith in the prophecies of the Old Testament. They had found, as they thought, their “Promised Land,” so they were not interested in going to Palestine. Hence the appeal of the Zionists had little effect upon them.
Then came the first World War, a war which toppled crowns from the heads of many of Europe’s rulers, notable among them being the Czar and the Kaiser. Thus began the disintegration of the hereditary Gentile Times’ rulership. But even more noteworthy is the fact that out of that war came the Balfour Declaration, recognizing the right of the Jews to the Holy Land. That declaration was implemented by the League of Nations. While the United States did not join the League, she did concur in this one act. Thus for the first time since the overthrow of King Zedekiah in 606 B.C., Gentile nations officially recognized the right of the Jewish nation to a free and independent existence; and the right of the nation also to the Promised Land.
There was a furor of excitement in Jewish circles over this for a time. Millions of dollars of Jewish money were poured into Palestine, and several hundred thousand Israelites went there to live and to reclaim the land. But only a minority—a pitiably small minority—of the Jews were interested. Foreknowing this lack of interest, the Lord prophesied that he would send “hunters” among his people to drive them back to Palestine. In this hunting expedition four million Jews were killed.—Jer. 16:14-16
Some students of prophecy have argued that while undoubtedly what has been occurring in connection with the Jews and Palestine throughout these tragic years since 1914 has some relationship to God’s purposes, there is yet no evidence that his favor has actually returned to them, such as we would expect to see had the “times of the Gentiles” actually ended in 1914. Those who have this viewpoint fail to take into account all that the prophets have written on the subject. There are many prophecies which show that Israel’s return to Palestine would be during a severe time of trouble among Gentile nations, and that they themselves would suffer many hardships in connection with their final exodus from the nations. One of these prophecies is that of Ezekiel 20:32-38. We suggest a careful study of this entire prophecy. Here we will call attention only to certain vital facts which it states.
Verse 32 reads, “And that which cometh into your mind shall not be at all, that ye say, We will be as the heathen [nations], as the families of the countries, to serve wood and stone.” Here is a clear-cut expression of the attitude of most of the Jews the world over prior to the experiences through which they have passed as a result of the “hunters” being among them. They wanted to be as the people among whom they dwelt, that is to be assimilated, to lose their identity. They wanted to worship the gods of the nations, principally, the god of mammon. After declaring that the Israelites would not be permitted to become as the nations in which they were sojourning, the prophet quotes the Lord as saying,
“As I live, saith the Lord God, surely with a mighty hand, and with a stretched out arm, and with fury poured out, will I rule over you: and I will bring you out from the people, and will gather you out of the countries wherein ye are scattered, with a mighty hand, and with a stretched out arm, and with fury poured out. And I will bring you into the wilderness of the people, and there will I plead with you face to face, like as I pleaded with your fathers in the wilderness of the land of Egypt, so will I plead with you saith the Lord God.”—Ezek. 20:33-36
The 38th verse completes the prophetic picture of the manner in which the Lord is now dealing with his ancient people. It reads: “And I will purge out from among you the rebels, and them that transgress against me: I will bring them forth out of the country where they sojourn, and they shall not enter into the land of Israel: and ye shall know that I am the Lord.”
In this prophecy we are told that when the time came for the Israelites to be gathered out of the nations where they had been scattered the Lord would accomplish it with “fury poured out,” and that in doing this he would be ruling over them. Other translations use the term “king,” saying that the Lord would be King over his people while gathering them from among the nations.
Here, then, is vital evidence proving that the Gentile Times have ended, that the Lord is again ruling over his ancient people—not through Saul, or David, or Zedekiah, but through Christ—the One whose right it is, and because he has come. And how reasonable that this should be so! In the outworking of the divine plan God’s blessings are offered to the Jew first. It was thus at the first advent of Jesus. The high privileges of this Gospel age were first offered to Israel. And now again, in the opening of the Millennial age the remnant of the natural house of Israel are the first to have the blessings of Messiah’s kingdom presented to them. But these blessings are to be offered in Palestine, in their Land of Promise; so it is first necessary to get them back into that land, and the rulership of the Lord, the kingdom authority of the new age, is shown in this prophecy to include the execution of measures by which they are uprooted from the nations and brought back to the Holy Land.
To believe, then, that the experience through which we see the Jews passing today represents the beginning of the Lord’s reign over them, is merely a matter of accepting this literal statement of fact just as the Lord himself sets it forth. True, it is by no means as yet a peaceful reign. On the contrary, it is a very furious one, as the slaying of millions of Jews within a few years so vividly testifies. But this should not shake our faith in the reality of what the Lord states, namely, that this fury would be a manifestation of his rulership over them. God ruled over this people when he brought them out of Egypt, but nearly a whole generation of them died in the wilderness without reaching the Promised Land.
And so it is now in this modem exodus from the nations. The Lord himself compares the two experiences, explaining that as he led them into the wilderness in the first instance, so now he would bring them out from the nations and into the “wilderness of the people,” and that there he would purge out the rebels from among them, not permitting these to enter into and remain in the land of their fathers.
What a true picture this is of the situation of the Jews today. As a result of the “hunters,” practically all the remaining Jews in Europe have been uprooted from the lands in which they had been sojourning. This people who, when the Gentile Times ended, were neither ready nor willing to go to Palestine, are now insisting that they must go there. Hence, even if they could, they refuse to settle down in Europe again. They are “displaced persons,” homeless wanderers, existing as best they can in that “wilderness of the people” which is war-torn and starving Europe. And all of this while the Lord is ruling over them to purge out the rebels and gradually to prepare a remnant of them for the blessings that will soon begin to flow out from Jerusalem like a river.—Zech. 14:8,9
Yes, through the returned Christ, divine sovereignty is again operative in the earth after having been withdrawn during the period of the “times of the Gentiles.” That which is occurring among the Jews, which the Lord himself says would evidence his rulership over them, is so clearly in fulfillment of the prophecies that there can be no room for doubt. He “whose right it is” has come! The divine purposes of his reign are beginning to be accomplished, hence with greater conviction and enthusiasm than ever before we can proclaim to all that “our King is marching on.”
Through the Prophet Zechariah, the Lord tells of a time when he will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle, and that then he shall “go forth, and fight against those nations, as when he fought in the day of battle.” (Zech. 14:2,3) This is a further development in the Jewish scene, and one which continues to represent the Lord’s rulership over his people. He says, “I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle.” It is not that these nations are gathered against Jerusalem contrary to his will, for he does the gathering.
The purpose of this is two-fold. It serves as a further preparation of his people to recognize and receive their King; and it puts the Gentile nations in a position where the Lord will humble them in preparation for the kingdom blessings which later will be theirs. “The Lord shall he King over all the earth in that day,” the prophet tells us. (Zech. 14:9) Furthermore, “It shall come to pass, that every one that is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall even go up from year to year to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, and to keep the feast of tabernacles.”—Zech. 14:16
Praise God, then, for this additional assurance that “he whose right it is” has come! Long before he took unto himself his great power to reign, he came to the “household” of faith to serve them “meat in due season,” and to reckon with his servants. We are still rejoicing in that feast of truth. He came also as the “chief reaper” to supervise the harvest work. It is still our privilege, being among those who “are alive and remain,” to have a small part in that work. (I Thess. 4:15,17) As the “feet of Him,” it is also our privilege to proclaim “good tidings of good,” and to say “unto Zion, thy God reigneth.”—Isa. 52:7
Surely the Lord’s people today are a favored people. To be living now and know the significance of events in this transition period when our present Lord and reigning King is “dashing the nations to pieces like a potter’s vessel,” when he is ruling over natural Israel in fury to purge them and to restore them to the land of their fathers, is a high honor. Blessed indeed are our “eyes” if we can see these things, for it is one of the proofs of our sonship in the divine family—“Ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief.” (I Thess. 5:4) But knowledge brings responsibility, a responsibility which is clearly summed up by Peter, saying, “Seeing then that all these things shall be [now we can say, “are being”] dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness?”—II Pet. 3:11