| Highlights of Dawn | July 1955 |
Israel’s Double Portion
“First I will recompense their iniquity and their sin double.” —Jeremiah 16:18
THE name Israel was given to Jacob, the grandson of Abraham, because of his earnest and persistent plea for God to bless him in his meeting the next day with his estranged brother Esau. The angel with whom he wrestled said to Jacob, “Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel: for as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed.” (Gen. 32:28) His twelve sons became the heads of the twelve tribes of Israel, all of whom were properly called Israelites. The Israelites as a people have continued throughout the centuries to be separate from other nationalities, and now a representative group have created the State of Israel in Palestine, which, while only a few years old, already enjoys recognition as a nation among nations.
In this people we have a living testimony connecting us with the ancient past and authenticating the accuracy of the Bible, both historically and prophetically. The record of the Israelites’ experiences throughout the centuries and the remarkable position they occupy in the world today constitutes a valuable “key” to help unlock the prophecies of the Bible that we may know, from the standpoint of the divine plan, where we are living on the stream of time.
The Israelites are the natural descendants of Abraham, and therefore the inheritors of the promises made to him by God. These promises included the land of Palestine as an everlasting possession. They also were to be a channel of blessing to “all the families of the earth.” It was at the death of Jacob that God began to deal with them as a people, a nation. They were at that time in Egypt, later becoming slaves to the Egyptians, but in his own due time God delivered them.
It was then that God entered into a covenant with them, obedience to which, as we have seen in a previous article, would have sealed on their part the conditional promise that if they were faithful to the Lord he would use them as a “kingdom of priests” for the ultimate blessing of the whole world. God loved them and gave them every opportunity and assistance to qualify as the recipients of his richest blessings.
During the long centuries to the first advent of Christ, God’s favor continued with the Israelites. It was an exclusive favor. Through the Prophet Amos the Lord said, “You only have I known of all the families of the earth.” (Amos 3:2) This exclusive favor was recognized by Jesus, for he said, “I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” (Matt. 15:24) In sending his disciples into the ministry Jesus said, “Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not.”—Matt. 10:5,6
True, during their long period of favor the Israelites received many chastisements from the Lord because of their backsliding tendencies. But even these were evidences of God’s favor and fatherly care. He permitted troubles to come upon them, and more than once allowed them to be made captives to other nations, yet when they repented and showed a desire to return to him, he always heard their cries and delivered them.
Their longest period of captivity was the seventy years they spent in Babylon. It was at the beginning of this captivity that they lost their national independence. While they were permitted to return to their own land where they enjoyed religious liberty, their civil affairs continued to be subject to Gentile powers. They had lost their king, but otherwise God was still favoring them.
Next to the final evidence of God’s favor to the Israelites, was the sending of John the Baptist with a message of repentance, in the acceptance of which they would be prepared to receive and to rejoice in the coming of their long-promised Messiah. But only a remnant of the nation gave heed to John’s message, with the result that the vast majority also rejected Jesus. Speaking to the nation representatively through their religious leaders Jesus said:
“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, 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. For I say unto you, Ye shall not see me henceforth, till ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord.”—Matt. 23:37-39
Here, just five days before Jesus was crucified, we find the Master himself indicating the end of favor to the Israelites, declaring that their house was left “desolate,” and that they would not have another opportunity to see him until they would say, “Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord.” Thus a definite turning point in God’s dealings with the Israelites is given in the introduction of a time of desolation for them.
The significance of this turning point in the national experience of the Israelites is prophetically indicated in the prophecy of Zechariah, chapter 9, verses 9 to 12. Within a few days of the time when Jesus rode triumphantly into Jerusalem on an ass, and was acclaimed king by his followers and friends, he said to the nation, “Your house is left unto you desolate.” The Prophet Zechariah identifies this event, and then adds, “Turn you to the strong hold [Christ], ye prisoners of hope [captives to the Roman Empire]: even today do I declare that I will render double unto thee.”—vs. 12
The Hebrew word here translated “double” is mishneh, meaning a repetition, or another equal portion. Israel had for years been under the Roman yoke, but they were prisoners of hope, hoping for a coming king who would deliver them from this bondage. Now their king had come, but they failed to recognize and accept him. They were also, together with the whole world, held captive to sin and death, and the promised Deliverer, in harmony with the divine plan of salvation, purposed also a deliverance from this greater captivity.
But the deliverance was not then to become a reality. They rejected their king, and would see no more of him, nor could they hope to receive the blessings which their God had provided for them through him, until, as Jesus prophesied, they would say, “Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord.” This is a reference to the time of Jesus’ second advent, when according to the prophecies of the Bible, his long-promised kingdom actually was to be established.
Meanwhile their “house” was to be left unto them desolate. This “desolation” was to result, for one thing, in the nation being driven out of the Promised Land and scattered throughout the Gentile nations of the earth. True to Jesus’ prediction this evil came upon the nation. In A.D. 70-73 the city of Jerusalem was destroyed by the Roman army, and the foretold desolation became a grim reality. Irresistibly the Israelites began to be scattered, and throughout the centuries history finds them far from their own land, and a people without a home—fugitives among the various Gentile nations of earth.
But this situation was not to continue indefinitely. Jesus was their Messiah, their King, their Blesser. They rejected him when he first presented himself to them, and now were to see him no more—have no further opportunity to receive God’s blessing through him—“until” they would say, “Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord.” Their loss was to be only “until” God’s due time to give them another opportunity to accept the favor of their God.
Since their rejection led to the complete destruction of their national polity, and their subsequent scattering among all nations, it is reasonable to suppose that when the “until” period in the divine plan approached they would be regathered into their own land to receive their Messiah and through him the blessings which God had promised to their father Abraham. Over and over again the prophecies point out that this is what we should expect, one especially noteworthy being Jeremiah 16:14-18, which we quote:
“Therefore, behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that it shall no more be said, The Lord liveth, that brought up the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt; but, The Lord liveth, that brought up the children of Israel from the land of the north, and from all the lands whither he had driven them: and I will bring them again into their land that I gave to their fathers. Behold, I will send for many fishers, saith the Lord, and they shall fish them; and after will I send for many hunters, and they shall hunt them from every mountain, and from every hill, and out of the holes of the rocks. For mine eyes are upon all their ways: they are not hid from my face, neither is their iniquity hid from mine eyes. And first I will recompense their iniquity and their sin double.”
This prophecy tells us that the Lord has never ceased to love his ancient people, the natural posterity of the beloved Abraham; that even though he had caused them to be scattered, his eye continued to be upon them. Nevertheless, the prophecy states, his love and care would not set aside the just punishment which his wisdom had decreed, that he would not restore them to their own land until he first rendered unto them “double” for their iniquity.
This is the same “double” referred to by the Prophet Zechariah, and shown by him to have its beginning just five days before our Lord’s crucifixion, when he said, “Your house is left unto you desolate.” Jeremiah’s prophecy indicates that when this double would be completed it would be time for the Israelites to be restored to their own land.
This “double” is in reality a time measurement. It indicates that the long period of time during which God dealt favorably with Israel would be duplicated by a similar period of time when they would look to him in vain for deliverance and help. The national existence of this people began with the death of Jacob, when God recognized the twelve tribes of Jacob, or of Israel, as the nucleus of the Israelitish nation, and from then until Jesus said, “Your house is left unto you desolate,” was a period of 1845 years.
This turning point in the prophetic “double” was in the year A.D. 33, and 1845 years later brings us to A.D. 1878. Time prophecies of the Bible, as a rule, point out transitional or merging periods related to the events to which they apply. In the prophecy of Daniel, chapter 9, verses 24-27, a period of seventy symbolic weeks are referred to, sixty-nine of these reaching to “Messiah the prince.” Each of these “weeks” was actually a period of seven years.
It was explained to Daniel that the “covenant” would be confirmed with Israel for one “week” which was the seventieth, beginning with Jesus’ baptism. The prophecy foretold that Jesus would be “cut off” in death in the middle of this seventieth week. Since the “covenant” was to be confirmed for this final week, a period of seven years, and Jesus was to die in the middle of this week, it would follow that the Israelites were to be specially favored for three and one-half years after Jesus died, and they were. The Gospel message was restricted exclusively to them during this prophetic period. It was not until its close that Cornelius, the first Gentile convert, was accepted.
A parallel of this extra three and one-half years, therefore, can properly be considered, which would bring us to A.D. 1881. Actually, however, at the turning point of the “double,” another thirty-six and one-half years followed before the Roman army besieged Jerusalem, and still another three years before the city fell and the people began to be dispersed from the Holy Land. These years may also be thought of as further parallels associated with the “double” bringing us to A.D. 1914-18.
These, of course, are merely figures. What has actually occurred? It was in the very year 1878, when the foretold “double” ended, that the “Berlin Congress of Nations” was held, in which Lord Beaconsfield (a Jew), then Prime Minister of England, was the central figure and took a leading part. There England assumed a general protectorate over the Asiatic provinces of Turkey, among which was Palestine; and the Turkish government amended its laws relating to aliens, which greatly ameliorated the condition of the Jews then residing in Palestine, as well as partially opening the doors for others to locate there, with the privilege of holding real estate.
Some years later, under the leadership of Dr. Theodor Herzl, the World Zionist Organization came into being, and for many years constantly kept before the Jews of all nations the desirability of going to Palestine and making it their homeland. Then came the First World War in 1914, the Balfour Declaration—implemented by a League of Nations mandate—attempting to guarantee the Israelites the right to return to the Promised Land and establish themselves there as an independent people. In 1918 this hope of the dispersed Israelites became partially true. Palestine was opened up to them. Later the situation became less favorable, but finally, in 1948, they took firm possession of at least part of the land and formed the new State of Israel.
Usually the time prophecies of the Bible pinpoint merely the beginning of events to which they refer, and the evidence is incontestable, we think, that a vital turning point in the experiences of the Israelites has been reached. There is much in the prophecies concerning them yet to be fulfilled, but they are on their way back to that position in the divine arrangement in which they will be brought to a realization that Jesus is their Messiah, and that the acceptance of him as their Redeemer, and obedience to his kingdom laws, is the only way to salvation and life.
The accuracy with which the prophecies have thus far been fulfilled is most striking. In the prophecy of Jeremiah, already quoted, the Lord speaks of first sending “fishers” among his people to gather them back to the Promised Land, and later “hunters.” How true this has been! Zionism offered every pleasant inducement for the Israelite to become interested in and move to the Promised Land, but with comparatively little success. Then came the harsher methods, symbolically referred to as the “hunters.” This seems to be well fulfilled in the severe persecution which arose against this people in Germany and elsewhere, which was such a powerful contributing factor to their great desire to take up residence in the Promised Land.
“Warfare” “Accomplished”
Living, as we are now, more than seventy-five years beyond the first touching point of the prophetic “double” of punishment, the prophecy of Isaiah 40:1,2, takes on a special significance. Here we read, “Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God. Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem, and cry unto her, that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned: for she hath received of the Lord’s hand double for all her sins.”
Here the “double” is again referred to, with the prophet taking his position at a time after its conclusion. It is in this position that we stand today. It does not mean that Israel’s troubles are all over, for they are not. The “iniquity” which led to the dispersion has been justly punished in the long period of the double, now completed, but the severe persecutions necessary to drive the people back to Palestine, and the critical conditions with their besetments and fears designed to humble the nation and prepare the people humbly to accept the Messiah when later he reveals himself to them, still continue.
Writing as though living in our time, the prophet says, “Her warfare is accomplished.” The marginal translation is, “Her appointed time is accomplished.” The Hebrew word here translated “appointed time” is the same one used by Job when he said, “All the days of my appointed time will I wait until my change come.” (Job 14:14) Here Job uses the word to describe the period in which he would be in death, awaiting the resurrection when he would hear the Lord calling him forth from the tomb.
The word is also used in the Old Testament to denote warfare, with which death is so closely associated. The full thought of the word, therefore, when applied to the period of Israel’s double, would seem to be a time when the nation or “house” of Israel would be nationally dead. It is thus that we find them represented in the prophecy of Ezekiel 37:1-14. Ezekiel was shown, in vision, a valley of dry bones, and it was explained to him that these bones were the whole house of Israel.
In the process of restoring the nation to life, Ezekiel first saw these “bones” come together; flesh, or sinews, then came upon the bones; breath entered; and that which was dead was once more alive. The prophecy seems to suggest three stages of progress in the rehabilitation of Israel to the point where the promises of God are wholly fulfilled on their behalf. But to understand these it is essential to see clearly just what this valley of dry bones represents in the experience of the Israelites. This is explained in verse 11, which reads, “These bones are the whole house of Israel: behold, they say, Our bones are dried, and our hope is lost: we are cut off from our parts.”
The dryness of the “bones,” the loss of hope, and being “cut off from our parts,” is the condition Israel was in before the conclusion of their “double.” Then the “bones” began to move, as it were. While widely separated, cut off from one another, dispersed from their own land, without hope, Zionism began to give hope, at least for some. It was an organizing force in their midst, helping them to realize their relationship one to another as a people. Thus the dried and hopeless “bones” found a common national interest.
The second stage in their restoration is represented by flesh coming upon the bones. This might well picture the more definite organization and new shape of their national affairs, which culminated in the formation of the State of Israel and their possession of part of the Promised Land. Looking at Israel now, they seem to be more than a “valley of dry bones.”
But there is a third development which is still in the future. The “four winds” must “breath upon these slain, that they may live.” In verse 14 this is explained to be their receiving the Spirit of the Lord, and as a result, actually being restored to life as a people, or nation. They have not yet received the Spirit of the Lord. The “noise” and the “shaking” mentioned in verse 7—symbolizing various aspects of the great time of trouble through which they have passed—have brought the “bones” together, and flesh has appeared on them, but, as the prophet declares, there is “no breath in them”—they have not yet received the Spirit of the Lord.
Only a very small percent of the Israelites in Palestine today have faith in the promises of God. They have not gone there because of God’s promises, but because of economic necessity, and to escape persecution. The “noise” and the “shaking” and the “hunters” have caused them to go to the land of their fathers, but eventually the experiences which the Lord will permit will cause them to seek his face, and then he will pour out his Spirit upon them.
This further development—yet future—is outlined in chapters 38 and 39 of Ezekiel, which follow. Briefly, it is indicated that Israel, even in her unbelief, will yet become more firmly established in the Promised Land, and will be dwelling there prosperously and safely. Then armies of aggression from the north and elsewhere will attack them, be defeated, and in the divine intervention on their behalf by which their enemies are driven back and destroyed, their eyes will be opened to behold the glory of the Lord.
Chapter 39:7 reads, “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 of Israel.” Just what sort of miraculous event will occur in defense of Israel in the final aspect of the great Armageddon struggle, we cannot now know, but we may be sure that it is not too far distant.
The evidences that Israel’s double portion is completed mean that the consummation of all the wonderful promises pertaining to this people, as well also as the kingdom promises which assure blessings for all the families of the earth, is near. It means that we are living in the most wonderful time of all the ages. It is a time of transition into a new age, yes, into a new world.
This new world will have Jesus as its Ruler instead of Satan, who is the prince of this “present evil world.” (Gal. 1:4) Instead of poverty, war, sickness, and death, the people will soon have the opportunity of enjoying security, health, peace, and life, and these kingdom blessings will be available for all mankind, both Jews and Gentiles.
In Ezekiel’s prophecy concerning the “valley of dry bones” the Lord says to Israel, “Behold, O my people, I will open your graves, and cause you to come up out of your graves, and bring you into the land of Israel. And ye shall know that I am the Lord, when I have opened your graves, O my people, and brought you up out of your graves, and shall put my Spirit in you, and ye shall live.”—Ezek. 37:12-14
While this promise refers primarily to the revival of Israel’s national hopes, it could also well include the thought of their individual restoration to life. Certainly millions of them died throughout the long centuries of their dispersion, and these also are to share in their glorious homecoming to the Promised Land. In any event, other promises of God show clearly that it is the divine purpose to restore both Jews and Gentiles to life during the messianic kingdom period.
It is a glorious prospect! Through the Prophet Isaiah, the Lord calls upon us to “comfort” his people Israel at this time by calling attention to the fact that the time has come for his favor to return to them. It is appropriate that we do this on every suitable opportunity, and in every way the Lord may open up for us to speak a word of encouragement to those who may have a hearing ear.
Indeed, it is our privilege to “comfort all that mourn,” whether they be Jew or Gentile. One of the joys of living in this wonderful time in the outworking of the divine plan is in bearing witness to the significance of what is transpiring around us, and explaining the glorious outcome.
If we have learned the truth and have received of its spirit, we will want to tell the whole world these blessed tidings. Yet in doing so we should not be discouraged if only a few, perhaps almost none, have a hearing ear for the message. However, let not this discourage us from proclaiming the kingdom message, for it will mean more and more to us as we sacrifice time, strength, and means to make it known to others.