Israel Reborn

MANY of us will remember the famous motion picture of years ago entitled, “The Birth of a Nation.” On the 15th of May, under circumstances more dramatic than fiction writers usually imagine, there was the rebirth of a nation—the nation of Israel. At least, this is the claim that has been made by the Jews in Palestine, and the claim was immediately thereafter backed up by the fact that the United States Government granted diplomatic recognition to the new nation. It is the first time in more than twenty-five hundred years that the Jews have been able to claim to be a free and independent state. Oddly enough, however, yet not out of keeping with the prophecies, no mention was made of God nor of his promises in the declaration of this new state of Israel.

The ancient history of the Jews constitutes the background of Christianity; although we are not always as conscious of this as we should be. The father of the Jewish nation was Abraham, and to this patriarch, who lived four centuries after the deluge of Noah’s day, God made a wonderful promise—in fact, he made two promises. He promised the land of Canaan to Abraham and to his descendants as an everlasting possession; and he promised that through the seed of Abraham all the families of the earth would be blessed.

The natural descendants of Abraham had the opportunity of inheriting the fulfillment of both of these promises; but with respect to one of them, they failed. The promise of blessing through the seed of Abraham was conditional upon obedience to God’s law, and the Jews failed to obey, and when their disobedience came to the full through their rejection of the Messiah they lost the privilege of being God’s royal nation, his “kingdom of priests” to bless all nations. (Exod. 19:6) But the promise of the land of Palestine was unconditional; and according to the prophecies of God’s Word, we are now living in the time when that land is to be restored to them forever.

The children of Israel were first recognized by God as a nation at the death of Jacob, the grandson of Abraham. At that time they were existing as slaves in the land of Egypt, being there as a result of Joseph being sold to Egyptian slave traders by his jealous brethren. They were delivered from this bondage by their great law-giver, Moses—although Moses himself never entered the Promised Land. They wandered in the desert of Sinai, called then the Wilderness of Sin, for forty years, and finally crossed over the river Jordan into the Promised Land under the leadership of Joshua, Moses having died.

For more than four hundred years thereafter they were ruled by what the Scriptures call “judges,” then they petitioned Samuel for a king—they wanted to be like other nations and have a king to rule over them. God instructed Samuel to yield to their request, but to warn them that they would be oppressed by their kings. Saul was appointed their first king and David was the second. Among their most colorful kings was Solomon. His fame spread to other nations, and all the way from Ethiopia the Queen of Sheba came to visit him. After seeing the majesty and glory of Solomon’s kingdom, she remarked that the half had never been told concerning his greatness and wisdom. Even Jesus referred to the glory of Solomon. Speaking of the lily of the field and the Creator’s handiwork as represented in it, he remarked that Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed as one of these.

Shortly after the death of Solomon, the kingdom of Israel soon began to go into decay. To start with, there was a division among the tribes of Israel. Ten of the tribes revolted against the new king, Rehoboam, Solomon’s son, and formed a separate kingdom. These ten tribes chose Jeroboam to reign over them. From this time forward nearly all the kings, both of the ten-tribe kingdom and the two-tribe kingdom of Judah and Benjamin, were disobedient to the Lord, and God’s protection and blessing were withheld from them.

Finally God permitted the ten-tribe kingdom—frequently referred to then as Israel, to distinguish it from the two-tribe kingdom which was called Judah—to be destroyed and the people to go into captivity in Assyria. It is these which even today are referred to as the “lost tribes of Israel.” There is an interesting theory pertaining to these to the effect that they are now represented in the Anglo-Saxon race, and that the British Empire, the United States, and certain other national groups, such as the Scandinavian nations, are destined to be the rulers of the world because they are the real Israel of God. This theory is enthusiastically promoted in Great Britain, in Canada, and in many parts of the United States. The claim is that these ten tribes of Israel were not in Palestine when Jesus was crucified, so are not held responsible for his death, hence that God has been blessing and prospering them as his chosen people. The claim is that the term Israel applies exclusively to the ten tribes which broke away from the two tribes of Israel.

The two-tribe kingdom of Judah and Benjamin held together somewhat longer than did the ten-tribe kingdom; but in 606 B.C. they also went into captivity, not to Assyria, but to Babylon. Their last king was Zedekiah, and he was dethroned and taken captive to Babylon by King Nebuchadnezzar. The Jews have not enjoyed national independence since. When the Medo-Persian Empire conquered Babylon, King Cyrus permitted them to return to Palestine—as many as wanted to go, but he did not grant them national independence.

Later, Greece conquered the empire of the Medes and Persians, and the Jews were subject to them. Then Greece fell before the rising power of Rome, and the Jews became a vassal people to Rome. They were under the domination of Rome when Jesus was born. Five days before Jesus was crucified he said to this people, “How often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not! Behold, your house is left unto you desolate.” (Matt. 23:37,38) This foretold desolation of the nation came in tragic reality during the years A.D. 70 to 73. Jerusalem was destroyed, and the people of Palestine dispersed from their land; and they have remained scattered ever since that time, until the British Mandate over Palestine permitted them to begin the reoccupying of their Promised Land.

So the Jews are indeed a historic people; and their history is vitally associated with the development of the divine plan of the ages—that plan of God through which he proposes to bring peace and joy and life to. a suffering and dying world. The Bible records their history down to the first advent of Christ, and foretells what it would continue to be thereafter. And one of the greatest proofs of the divine inspiration of the Bible is the accuracy with which it foretells the experiences of the Jews throughout the centuries from Jesus’ day until now. It tells of their dispersion, their scattering among the nations, their bitter persecutions. The prophecies declared that they would become a byword and a hissing among all nations. And how true all this has been!

The Bible also foretold that at this end of the age the time would come for this people to be restored to their land. It points out that this would occur during a time of international upheaval, when all the Gentile nations would be assembled and prepared for war. It prophesied that one of the problems of the nations would be the problem of the Jews and of Palestine, and it has been given to us of this generation to witness the fulfillment of these prophecies.

It would not be of great material value to know that the Bible has been accurate in its forecast of Jewish experiences throughout the centuries, and particularly in this time of destiny in which we now live, if that were the end of the matter. But the fact is that the same Bible foretells what is yet to develop in the experiences of the Jews, and the manner in which these experiences will be related to the eternal destiny of all nations. The evidence of the divine inspiration of the Bible which we see in the manner in which it has traced the past and present experiences of this ancient people, should give us confidence, indeed utmost confidence, in what it declares concerning the final outcome of such a colorful career.

And what does the Bible say concerning things yet to come as they relate to the Jews and to all nations? It assures us that they will repossess the land of Palestine and dwell therein forever. It reveals that so far as the present troublous time is concerned the land will be delivered from the sword, and that they will dwell in the land in safety, and become exceedingly prosperous. These points are not given in detail, but we may be assured, regardless of how the details are worked out, that the Palestinian war will cease, and to the great advantage of the Jew.

But this will not mean the end of all trouble for the Jews. The Scriptures point out that even after they have been restored to their land, and are dwelling therein in safety and prosperity, they will be attacked by a powerful aggressor nation from the north. Most students of the prophecies believe that this attack will come from Russia. But Russia will not be alone in it, for satellite nations are shown to join in this aggression against a helpless people.

It will be then that the power and glory of the Lord will be manifested on behalf of his ancient people. In some way, the details of which the prophecies but vaguely disclose, God will defeat and destroy the enemies of Israel. And then the people, both Jews and Gentiles, will recognize the glory of God, and the kingdom of the Lord will begin to function, beginning at Jerusalem.

But the new state of Israel will not be the kingdom of the Lord. That new government will be established by Christ, whereas the new state of Israel just announced in Palestine was brought into being by man, and, like all other nations, is attempting to maintain its existence and its right to territory by the force of arms.

The real kingdom of the Lord is implemented by divine, miracle-working power. One of the miracles in the setting up of that government was wrought nearly two thousand years ago when God raised Jesus from the dead. At this end of the age another and similar miracle will contribute to the setting up of Christ’s kingdom; namely, the resurrection of his true followers to live and reign with him in his kingdom.

Then there will be another miracle. It will be the resurrection of the ancient prophets and other faithful servants of God who lived and died prior to the first advent of Christ. These, the prophecies tell us, will be the human representatives of the new, divine kingdom. The Bible declares that they shall be “princes in all the earth.” (Psa. 45:16) They will be the ones with whom the people will deal, and from whom they will learn the laws and requirements of the new kingdom.

Some may think that this is a visionary outlook. But not so! The visionary person of today is the one who imagines that human wisdom will somehow find a way out of the terrible dilemma into which selfishness has plunged the world. Only divine wisdom and divine power will be able to do this. We have seen how divine foreknowledge has so accurately forecast the experiences of the Jews throughout the centuries. We have seen that their experiences, which we have witnessed in our generation, were also foretold by the Spirit of God. Let us then be realists, and acknowledge that the God of the Bible, the Creator of heaven and earth, and of man, has provided the only solution for a dying world. And let us be realistic enough to believe that he will do just exactly what he has promised to do, and in the divinely foretold “due time.”

A World Going Mad

THERE is to be held in London, England, this August, an International Conference on Mental Health. Recently a luncheon was given in New York City, at which General Eisenhower was one of the principal speakers. Referring to the mentally sick of the world, he said:

“You mustn’t think of these people as just some sort of unfortunates. … They are not—they are one of you. I saw a major general, one of the finest athletes of his time, definitely break—break because he could no longer sustain the agonies of combat. He could not talk to me without shaking, and he had to go home. This cannot be dismissed as not touching you personally.”

In addition to seeking the cause of the unprecedented increase in mental illness, the London Conference will also make a study of human relationships in an effort to find the basic cause of so much misunderstanding among the nations, and among the heads of nations, who it is assumed are not mentally ill. Concerning this purpose of the London Conference, General Eisenhower said:

“These gentlemen … are trying to find out why we don’t manage to understand each other. It is not enough to say that a few men in the Kremlin will deny to a large number of people the chance to learn. It is not enough to say that our motives, which we think of as altruistic and pure, are certainly misunderstood in South America. Now we must find out why we are misunderstood. … If the London Conference [begins] the solution of this problem … we will be doing a great deal to eliminate the causes of war. If in the measurable future we don’t find some way of eliminating the causes of war, our grandchildren are going to find this world a most unhappy place in which to live. … That is important to me. I have lately had a grandson.”

Another speaker at the New York money-raising luncheon on behalf of the International Conference on Mental Health was Dr. William C. Menninger, formerly a Brigadier General, and head of Army psychiatry during World War II. The tragic seriousness of the general mental health of the world was highlighted by Dr. Menninger by the figures which he cited:

“We became aware that in the Army one out of eight men who came before the draft boards had to be rejected for mental illness. … Sixty-two per cent in the veterans’ hospitals are psychiatric problems. Half of our hospital beds in America are devoted to mental illness. We have many, many evidences of a sick world. … We wish we knew why … these things occur.”

The purpose of the London Conference is to try to find out what makes the world so sick, so mentally sick. Delegates from fifty-five nations will attend, among them teachers, nurses, industrialists, clergymen, and psychiatrists. They will attack the problem of mental health, or more properly speaking, mental ill health, as it exists all over the world, and from every possible angle. They will explore the origin of group mental disorders, such as class and national hatreds and prejudice against minorities.

Surely this is a very laudable effort, although the cause of the increasing mental illness of the world is easily explained to those who are willing to accept the explanation from the only truly reliable source there is in the world today, which, of course, is the Bible. The explanation which the Bible gives is that six thousand years ago man chose to disobey the law of God, and that by and large the human race has been in rebellion against God and his law ever since that time. The old-fashioned word for it is the “fall” of man. The Scriptures describe man’s downward course toward physical, mental, and moral depravity, as traveling over a broad road which leads to destruction. The longer the journey continues over this road, the less ability the people have to resist the forces of evil which hasten them along toward the cataclysmic end of an evil world.

Increasing mental illness is only one of the symptoms of a sick and dying world order. It is well to remember that in addition to those who are classified as mental cases and cared for as such, there are countless millions of borderline cases and near borderline cases; and many of these doubtless are in high positions of trust in their respective fields. Some are in the world’s governments and among the world’s statesmen. Is it any wonder the world is so chaotic? The stepped-up tempo of living in the mechanized world of today, two global wars in a generation, and the fear of universal atomic destruction which may fall upon the world almost any time like a thunder clap out of a clear sky, are all contributing to driving mankind mad. But as we have already said, according to the Bible, the cause of it all is the fact that man is a sinner, estranged from God through wicked works, and gradually paying the wages of sin, which is death.

One would think that in the light of statistics as we have just quoted from the head of the Army’s psychiatry division during the war, evolutionists would ponder well their theory that man is ever and continually evolving to higher and higher planes of mental and physical existence. With the world going mad, why don’t the evolutionists wake up and recognize that their theory is false, that the human race is not evolving at all, but falling, and that it will continue to fall until divine intervention in the affairs of men occurs through the establishment of the kingdom of Christ. There is no other solution for this dilemma into which human sin and selfishness have plunged the human race.

The Church of England and War

IN 1946 the Archbishops of Canterbury and York appointed a commission to consider one of the great problems of our time—that is, the use of the atom bomb and total war, and what the attitude of the Church of England should be in case the nations ever embark on such an orgy of wholesale destruction. Not so long ago the report of this commission was published, and in June it was presented to the Church Assembly for approval.

The report goes a long way toward taking an outright stand against war of any kind, but doesn’t quite do so. For centuries the churches of Europe, which were allied with civil governments, could be relied upon to sanction any war the civil rulers thought to be essential to safeguard the commercial and territorial interests of their countries. Indeed, the churches usually help to whip up enthusiasm for such wars. From this standpoint, therefore, the stand of the Church of England is rather significant. It grants that it may be possible for a war to be justified at the start, but often deteriorates into a campaign of hate, hence that Christians should be guided by their conscience as to refusal to participate. On this point we quote from the Commission’s report:

“The tendency of a conflict to change its character as it proceeds, and of a nation at war to deteriorate progressively in outlook and conduct, must always be of grave concern to Christians, on account of the ethical dilemmas that arise when what begins as a ‘just’ war comes to assume a more dubious countenance. … We would therefore emphasize the duty that is laid upon Christians of refusing to participate in any act of war which they are morally certain is wrong.”

It seems that on the committee which issued this report there was one pacifist, the Venerable Percy Hartill, Archdeacon of Stoke-on-Trent. He registered his disapproval of any kind of modern war, but the majority report commenting on this viewpoint said:

“There are those who say that the solution is to counter aggression by love. Ultimately that may be true. But is it applicable to the problems that confront us? … A nation that by disarmament rendered itself defenseless would not be assisting in the prevention of aggression, which is the only way to preserve justice in the world.”

How do the prelates of the Church of England know that a counter aggression by love would not make an end of war? It has never been tried! Certainly there is no case on record where being prepared for war has prevented war. All the records from the very beginning of human history prove that this method doesn’t work. They say that an aggression of love ultimately might work. It would work now; the only difficulty is to induce the nations to try it.

But it will be tried, and it will be found to work, when, under the administration of Christ’s kingdom, the nations, in following the way of love, beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruninghooks, and when they learn war no more. And the Bible assures us that under such conditions there will be none to molest nor make afraid, for Christ will be King then, and under his rulership the people will learn the way of love.

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