| Highlights of Dawn | October 1952 |
When Israel Dwells Safely
“Therefore, son of man, prophesy and say unto Gog, Thus saith the Lord God; In that day when my people of Israel dwelleth safely, shalt thou not know it? And thou shalt come from thy place out of the north parts, thou, and many people with thee, all of them riding upon horses, a great company, and a mighty army: and thou shalt come up against my people of Israel, as a cloud to cover the land; it shall be in the latter days, and I will bring thee against my land, that the heathen [Gentiles] may know me, when I shall be sanctified in thee, O Gog, before their eyes.” —Ezekiel 38:14-16
MANY are the promises of God which assure us that in the “latter days” the Lord would gather the natural descendants of Abraham into the land which he promised to their fathers, and that this gathering would take place “from all the lands” whither they had been scattered. (Jer. 16:15) One of these promises reads, “Fear not: for I am with thee: I will bring thy seed from the east, and gather thee from the west; I will say to the north, Give up; and to the south, Keep not back: bring my sons from far, and my daughters from the ends of the earth.”—Isa. 43:5,6
However, our text, together with its context throughout the 38th and 39th chapters of Ezekiel, indicates clearly that the regathering of the Israelites into their land does not represent the full purpose of God concerning them. Nor does it mean that their troubles are at an end. In this prophecy it is clearly shown that after they have been regathered, and have become prosperous in the land, and seemingly dwelling in safety, there will be a massed attack against them by mighty allied forces from the north.
The prophecy also shows that this will be the time when the God of Israel will fight for them, manifesting his power in the defeat of their enemies, and in their deliverance. This will result in opening the eyes of the Gentile world to the fact that God’s promises to Israel are being fulfilled, and thus his glory will be revealed to them. The Israelites will also then behold the glory of the Lord. The prophecy states, “So will I make my holy name known in the midst of my people Israel; and I will not let them pollute my holy name any more: and the heathen [Gentiles] shall know that I am the Lord, the Holy One in Israel. Behold, it is come, and it is done, saith the Lord God; this is the day whereof I have spoken.” “So the house of Israel shall know that I am the Lord their God from that day and forward.”—Ezek. 39:7,8,22
Obviously, this development will mark the beginning of kingdom blessings to both Israel and to the world. The regathering of Israel to the Promised Land in preparation for this is therefore kingdom work. This is also true of the destruction of Gentile kingdoms which has likewise been occurring since 1914. The King, Christ Jesus, is exalted to the symbolic “holy hill” of Zion, and he is dashing the nations to pieces like a “potter’s vessel.” This is not necessarily being done by the direct exercise of divine power, except where necessary, but, as in the case of Gideon’s defeat of the Midianites, by turning the nations against each other.
But there is a vast difference between this kingdom work of preparation, and the blessings of life which later will flow out to the people through kingdom agencies. These blessings of life must await the destruction of “this present evil world,” and a further development in connection with the Israelites in Palestine. Like the Apostle John on the Isle of Patmos, it is but natural when thinking of the distress and sorrow prevailing everywhere in the world, even in Israel, and knowing that once the blessings of the kingdom begin to flow out to the people these conditions will cease, to inquire, “How long, O Lord?”—Rev. 6:10
Are the Jewish people safely settled in Israel today, to the extent that the assault forecast in our text may be mounted almost any time? It would not seem so! True, the Jewish population of Israel is now a little more than a million and a half, but Jews are still going there from many countries, and many thousands of others are desperately longing to go as soon as the governments in the countries where they are still exiled will permit them to leave. This applies to Russia, Romania, and other countries back of the Iron Curtain. Even those in the Israeli Government recognize that the return of the exiles is not nearly completed. On this point we quote from Mr. David Ben-Gurion. After outlining the wonderful manner in which Jews have already been brought back to Palestine from practically all parts of the world, he said:
“This unparalleled return is the cardinal fact and the primary task of our generation. Without it, our independence will not be established, nor our State fully rise. … But it is only a beginning. If it is not continued on a large scale and at a rapid rate there will be no security and no purport in this beginning.
“No one can foretell whether all of dispersed Israel will be reassembled in this land, or not. The present Diaspora may be divided into those who do not consider themselves in exile and do not intend to settle here, and those who cannot and do not want to stay where they are because their life is unhappy, poor, and unsafe, and are driven to come.”
In the speech from which this quotation is taken, Israel’s premier enlarges somewhat upon the situation of the Jews in countries where they are not satisfied and prosperous. He suggests the possibility that this situation may well change, and that even from these places the Jews will be glad to go to Palestine to seek safety and security. And it is interesting to note his use of the word “driven,” when speaking of those who are being forced to seek refuge in the Promised Land. This reminds us of the prophecy which states that the Lord would use “hunters” as well as “fishers” to induce his people to leave the countries where they had been exiled.—Jer. 16:16
Note also Mr. Ben-Gurion’s emphasis on the thought that Israel’s safety and security in the land depends on a large scale continuance of the regathering, and that what has been accomplished thus far is “only a beginning.” If his viewpoint is correct, it becomes apparent that the condition of safety and prosperity described in our text has not yet been attained in Israel. The foretold assault upon the nation by forces from the “north” is not therefore something to be looked for in the immediate future.
Nor is Israel really prosperous today. Quite the reverse is true. The hardships of the people in Palestine are acute. The economic crisis through which the nation is passing is imposing severe austerity upon all. Besides, the outlook for the future is far from bright. To pass through this crisis, and finally to reach a state of relative prosperity and economic security will require time. Since this seems to be called for in the prophecy from which our text is taken, we have another evidence that the full establishment of the kingdom which will be manifested to Israel and the world by the resurrection of the ancient worthies should not be expected in the immediate future.
That Israel has within herself the potentials for attaining economic independence and security, seems reasonably certain. Nor should we discount the possibility of the Lord taking a hand in the situation in ways unforeseen even by the Israelites themselves. We mention this in view of the fact that it is not at all certain that the much hailed mineral and other resources of the land are as plentiful as has been supposed. We have before us a full page article entitled, “Assessing Israel’s Varied Mineral Resources.” This very complete analysis of the subject was written by Mr. M.A. Novomeysky, one of Israel’s leading Geological scientists. It appeared in the July 4th edition of The Jerusalem Post. The information it contains may be considered authentic, but in no way does the article paint the rosy picture that has been presented in some Jewish and other papers in America. On the subject of oil, this scientist says:
“All the accumulated geological evidence gives sufficient justification to place pre-war Palestine in the category of oil-bearing countries. … The economic and national issues involved in the question of the presence of oil-fuel in the country are of such tremendous importance that the government will no doubt take speedy steps to encourage deep borings in search for the precious minerals. The work, if crowned with success, will be one of the greatest contributions to the economic development of the State.”
It is well to note that in the opening sentence of this quotation reference is made to “pre-war” Palestine. The Israel government does not now control all of pre-war Palestine. The land has been divided. In Joel 3:2 there is a hint that this would occur. It might well be, however, that before the time referred to in our text, Israel will possess and control all the land. Even so, no part of the land is now furnishing oil, and as this quotation shows, it is as yet only a reasonable hope that oil will be discovered in commercially large quantities.
Phosphates and Bituminous Limestone
Mr. Novomeysky informs us that millions of tons of phosphates and bituminous limestone exist near Han-el-Hatrura, half way between Jerusalem and the Dead Sea. It is now being mined on a small scale, sufficient to supply The Fertilizers & Chemical, Ltd. of Haifa. In this there is a present saving of imports of about $900,000 a year. The scientist goes into great detail to compare the quality of this material now available within Israel, with that found in other countries. The comparison is not too favorable. He also notes the abundant supplies found in many countries, and the prevailing low prices.
There is also the matter of transportation from the mines. At present the small supply being used in Haifa is transported many miles by truck over dirt roads. This would be impracticable if large quantities were to be exported. The suggestion is made that a remedy for this might be the proposed Beersheba railroad, if and when built. Explaining that if in the future it is possible to have modern equipment for mining the phosphate, and adequate means of transportation, which are not now available, the scientist says, “There is no reason why the Negev phosphates should not have a fair share in shipments of phosphate rock to other countries.”
Copper Deposits in Israel
Copper impregnations are known to exist in many places in the Southern Negev. Dr. Nelson Glueck, former director of the American School for Oriental research in Jerusalem, and the discoverer of King Solomon’s seaport at the Gulf of Akaba, with the imagination of an archeologist, describes in glowing words the busy industrial copper center of that ancient time. There were mining camps, slaves’ quarters, furnaces, large slag heaps, and large caravans of donkeys carrying the metal, partly to King Solomon’s Phoenician master coppersmith. This was Hiram, of Tyre, of the tribe of Naphtali.—I Kings 7:45,46
And there is still copper in this same region, but it is not known yet just how rich the deposits are, and whether the percentage of copper to slag will make it really profitable to mine and export. It is hoped that this may be the case. On this point The Jerusalem Post article states:
“Drilling and prospecting is a lengthy business, and it will take some time until the full extent of the quantity of available metal can be more or less accurately ascertained.”
Manganese
There is also manganese in Israel, in sizeable quantities. But the question here is whether or not, due to high cost of mining and transportation, it will ever provide a profitable export trade. On this point Mr. Novomeysky writes:
“For the moment it is not the quantity ascertained in the area which is of importance. The extent seems to be sufficient to justify discussion about the exploitability of the ore, if other conditions, such as cost of excavation, concentration, and mainly cost of transport in future, when proper shipping facilities are established, turn out not to be too high. … It must be left to the future, whether or not, in connection with improved transport and other modern technical facilities created for the exploitation of copper and phosphates, the mining of manganese ore may become a profitable venture.”
Iron Ore
There have been references in newspapers to the discovery of iron ore in the Negev district of Israel. The Jerusalem Post article states that up until now the only known iron ore deposits in old Palestine are those of the River Jabbok, in modern Ajlun. These deposits contain a rich percentage of iron, and the mines were worked in ancient time, furnishing this metal for use in the building of Solomon’s Temple. They were, apparently, also worked by the Crusaders, and were rediscovered in the late eighties of the last century. It is not known as yet how great the quantity of iron ore in Palestine may be, or whether or not this metal will ever be a real asset to the nation. Mr. Novomeysky, the scientist from which we are quoting, says on this point:
“To make the exploitation of iron ore possible for the building up of an iron-steel industry, particularly favorable conditions are required. Besides a reasonably high content of metal in the ore, large established quantities and accessibility of the site for cheap mining and transport, is also the availability of cheap fuel, which is of the greatest importance. Without it no iron could be extracted from the ores. … Geologists would be less surprised if gold were to be discovered in the pre-Cambrian schists of the Granit-Schist-Complex at the Israel side of the Gulf of Akab, than if good coal were found somewhere in Israel.”
Thus, while not discounting the possibility that quantities of iron ore may yet be discovered in Israel, this scientist reminds us that the presence of such ore would not in itself necessarily prove to be a great economic asset to the nation, due to the fact that cheap fuel would not be available for processing purposes. We realize, of course, that a scientist’s viewpoint is usually a conservative one. A scientist, presumably, deals with facts only, and the facts are that at the moment there is no certainty that Israel’s mineral deposits will ever help to a great extent in making the nation prosperous.
However, this need not discourage those who believe in the prophecies and promises of God. Israel’s mineral wealth may be far greater than this scientist is now willing to admit. Oil alone may well serve to balance the economy of the country. A promise concerning Asher says, “Let him dip his foot in oil.” (Deut. 33:24) This has been construed to be a prophecy that oil would be discovered in Palestine. It is much more likely, however, that in this promise the reference is to olive oil rather than mineral oil. In this case, the reference would simply be to prosperity and health. It is thus understood by Jews who have faith in God’s promises.
Our text assures us that regathered Israel will become prosperous in the land, and it is not necessary for us to understand just how this will come about in order to have faith in what God has promised. But we need not suppose that this will take place in a few weeks or months. The returning of the exiles still continues. They are being assimilated and educated. The land is being reclaimed through irrigation and other methods. Homes are being built, and factories erected and put into operation. The regathering of a dispersed people is being accomplished, but as yet it is far from complete.
God does not perform miracles on behalf of his people except when necessary, and will not do so in Palestine. But he will make sure that his promises are fulfilled. For example, the yearly average rainfall in Israel is definitely increasing. This is officially recorded in the Israeli Year Book, and was confirmed this year by a convention of desert scientists which met in Palestine to discuss the world-wide efforts which are now being made to reclaim desert lands. The large scale planting of trees in Israel is thought to have much to do with the increased precipitation of rain, but we should not rule out the possibility of divine intervention, for God is abundantly able to accomplish all his good purposes.
As students of prophecy, we should continue to watch developments in the Holy Land, as well as the fulfillment of the prophecies describing the disintegration of the Gentile nations which make up “this present evil world.” In the general picture of the fulfillment of prophecies, the two trends should be noted. One world is dying, and there is also the preparation for a new world. So far as the material aspects of the new world are concerned, the work of preparation can be seen in the returning exiles of Israel and the rehabilitation of the Land of Promise.
When the Lord’s due time comes, this slow work of preparation will give place to a sudden and dramatic manifestation of divine power in the defeat of Israel’s enemies which come against the land and the people from out of the “north.” Very quickly then the whole world will come to understand the significance of what is now occurring in Palestine. The kingdom of Christ, with the resurrected ancient worthies as its human representatives, will replace the present Israeli government; and with their eyes opened to recognize their true Messiah, the Israelites will be among the first to accept the rulership of his kingdom, and to participate in the blessings of life and peace which then will be dispensed.
As already suggested, we think it is possible that the division of the land as mentioned in Joel 3:2, might well refer to the present partition of Palestine, in which, by the authority of the United Nations, the Arabs are in possession of a large portion of it. Possibly before the prophecy of Ezekiel 38 is fulfilled, this situation may change and the Israelites will be in possession of all the land. We will have to wait and see. It is interesting, however, to note an official Israeli viewpoint as to the influences in the United Nations which are helping to prevent the Israelites from exercising a more widespread control, especially in the old city of Jerusalem, which now is in Arab hands. Commenting on a vote taken in the United Nations, Mr. David Ben-Gurion said:
“It was indeed a strange, an amazing, combination that we witnessed on the Jerusalem issue. On the one side there stood, not the whole Christian world, but the most universal group within it—the Catholic bloc. On another stood the Moslem bloc, and on the third, the Communist.
“There is no doubt that each had its own reasons. But there is also no doubt that they had a similar, although not a common interest. What unites the blocs is not a political interest, but an idea. Islam, Catholicism, Communism—each has its ideology. Again it is not important for the understanding of our problem to know whether the idea governs policy or whether policy determines the concept. Both derive from a common source. To ignore the factor of an idea is to ignore one of the cardinal factors and revelations in the history of mankind.”
The power of ideas cannot be overestimated. It is ideas that are symbolically described in Revelation 16:13,14, as “unclean spirits like frogs.” These are shown to exercise great influence in gathering the nations to the “battle of the great day of God Almighty.” It would be speculative to attempt too close an identification of these “unclean spirits,” but it is interesting to note that in Palestine, as elsewhere in the world, the opposing ideologies of men are helping to prepare the nations for that final and terrible clash in which the Lord will show his strength on behalf of his chosen people Israel.
Then a new ideology will take the place of the selfish concepts of men. That new ideology will be represented in the laws of the messianic kingdom, laws which will supplant the rulership of selfishness, and instill in the hearts and lives of the people the great principle of divine love. Beginning then, gradually the knowledge of the glory of God will fill the whole earth as the waters cover the sea. Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened and the ears of the deaf unstopped. Then the former deserts of Palestine, as well as the rest of the world, will “rejoice and blossom as the rose.”
It is an encouragement today to realize that God is fulfilling his promises to restore the dispersed Jews to their own land. But he has also promised a still more wonderful restoration, of both Gentiles and Jews—a restoration from the “land of the enemy,” the land of death. (Jer. 31:16) One of the promises concerning this is that “the ransomed of the Lord shall return, and come to Zion with songs of everlasting joy upon their heads: they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.”—Isa. 35:10