| Highlights of DAWN | September 1975 |
Israel’s “Moment of Truth”?
“Blessed be the Lord, that hath given rest unto his people Israel, according to all that he promised: there hath not failed one word of all his good promise, which he promised by the hand of Moses his servant.” —I Kings 8:56-61
TO THOSE who are attentive to God’s prophetic Word, the remarkable events occurring daily throughout this troubled world provide clues as to where we are on the stream of time. From what is recorded in the Scriptures these watchers discern the beginnings of those worldwide difficulties which Jesus told his disciples would be the sign of his presence and of the end of the age. And while they take no pleasure in contemplating the mounting, unmanageable difficulties which mark the death struggle of this present evil world, Satan’s empire, they do rejoice in the evidence of mankind’s approaching escape from bondage to sin and death. They are mindful of Jesus’ words to his disciples on the Mount of Olives, “When ye see these things come to pass, know ye that the kingdom of God is nigh at hand.”—Luke 21:31
But the particular area of the world on which Bible students are today focusing their closest attention is the Mideast, and especially on that little nation of Israel; for it is concerning this tiny portion of the globe that the Bible makes some remarkable prophecies relating to the time in which we are now living, and to the ultimate destiny of that little nation; and, indeed, the destiny of the whole of mankind. The baffled leaders of the world are also turning anxious eyes on that area, fearing that another outbreak of hostilities between Israel and her Arab neighbors might escalate into a confrontation between the two great nuclear powers, and possibly lead to the destruction of civilization.
At the moment of this writing, the bitter enmity that has developed in the present century between the Arab nations and Israel has been heightened by the explosion of a bomb in the Israeli portion of Jerusalem by a Palestinian terrorist group, causing the death of 13 people, while another 72 were wounded, with the resulting debris scattered over a wide area. This cruel incident was timed, no doubt, to make more difficult, if not entirely to destroy, the efforts presently under way to induce Israel and Egypt to agree to further short steps toward an attempted solution to their thorny problem.
Who Will Yield?
Both parties to the dispute have adopted rather arbitrary positions from which it will be difficult for either to retreat. Egypt appears ready to agree to demilitarize any ground relinquished by Israel, but will not go so far as to openly guarantee she will not attack Israel if in her view she has sufficient provocation. Israel indicates a willingness to withdraw only from the western approaches to two strategic passes in the Sinai which were won at great cost in the last war, and is seeking additionally to obtain firm assurances from the United States of continued military and economic aid. In the resultant precarious stalemate, the United States is bringing great pressure on Israel to make whatever concessions are required to avoid a renewal of armed conflict, even to the point of permitting Israel to worry about the possibility of losing her sole remaining champion, the United States.
Thus, little Israel is left to wrestle with a most difficult decision. Shall she yield to the pressure, and withdraw from the hard-won ground that seems to provide a measure of defense to her homeland in the event of attack in order to retain the support of her one remaining ally, the United States; or, shall she stand her ground, and find herself alone to face the hate and military might of her many enemies? Considering the sorry plight in which she thus finds herself, one highly-placed Israeli official summed up the problem quite concisely. “This,” he stated, “is our moment of truth.” One way or the other, Israel must make a difficult choice.
The present impasse in the Mideast could, indeed, be the moment of truth, not only for little Israel, but for the whole world. For Bible prophecy reveals that when Israel is finally surrounded by her enemies, bereft of all her visible allies, and standing alone, events leading to the establishment of the long-awaited kingdom of heaven will be set in motion. In the final carnage that will immediately precede the establishment of Christ’s kingdom on earth, Israel will at long last learn the lesson that for long centuries has eluded her of the futility of leaning on the arm of flesh, and that in Jehovah God alone is her strength and salvation—not in guns and rockets and warplanes and earthly allies.
God’s Promises to Israel
And Israel will finally find peace. For in spite of her seeming abandonment by Jehovah God over the centuries, the Lord had made some wonderful promises to his people Israel; and there will not fail “one word of all his good promise.” Some of these promises were conditional, with the related blessings dependent on obedience to the conditions. In many of these cases the people fell short and therefore failed to reap the benefits promised. Other promises were unconditional, and the indicated blessings will surely be poured out.
Prior to entering Canaan the Lord had appeared to Abraham and made a wonderful promise to him. “Now the Lord had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will show thee; and I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: and I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.” (Gen. 12:1-3) This was a conditional promise to Abraham, and he met the conditions—he obeyed the Lord’s instructions to leave the land of his fathers, and entered Canaan with his little family.
After Abraham had dwelt for some time in Canaan and became rich in cattle and goods, the Lord elaborated on his original promise to Abraham. “And the Lord said unto Abram, … Lift up now thine eyes, and look from the place where thou art northward, and southward, and eastward, and westward; for all the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed for ever. And I will make thy seed as the dust of the earth; so that if a man can number the dust of the earth, then shall thy seed also be numbered. Arise, walk through the land in the length and in the breadth of it; for I will give it unto thee.”—Gen. 13:14-17
Abraham’s Mighty Faith
Somewhat later the Lord enlarged still further on his promise to Abraham, to whom by this time the Lord had given his miracle son Isaac, through the formerly barren Sarah. The Lord had severely tested Abraham’s faith in asking him to offer this dearly beloved son as a burnt offering. As a result of his obedience and faith in this trial, we read that “the angel of the Lord called unto Abraham out of heaven the second time, and said, By myself have I sworn, saith the Lord, for because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son: that in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies; and in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice.”—Gen. 22:15-18
The general substance of these promises to Abraham was repeated to the son of his faith, Isaac. “And the Lord appeared unto him [Isaac], and said, … Sojourn in this land, and I will be with thee, and will bless thee; for unto thee, and unto thy seed, I will give all these countries, and I will perform the oath which I sware unto Abraham thy father; and I will make thy seed to multiply as the stars of heaven, and will give unto thy seed all these countries; and in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because that Abraham obeyed my voice, and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws.”—Gen. 26:2-5
In these oathbound statements the Lord made promises relating (1) to the multiplicity of Abraham’s posterity, (2) to that seed through whom the whole world would be blessed, and (3) to the land. All will in due time have been fulfilled, for it is the Lord Jehovah himself who made these promises. It is well to note how clear the Lord makes this point by saying, I will do this, and I will do that.
All God’s Promises Sure!
The promise concerning the great number of his seed was fulfilled when the Israelites left Egypt. When they went down into Egypt they were a mere seventy souls, but so greatly had they multiplied while sojourning in Egypt that some three million Israelites left that land under Moses, who commented on that remarkable fact. “The Lord your God hath multiplied you, and, behold, ye are this day as the stars of heaven for multitude.” (Deut. 1:10) The Apostle Paul confirms the fulfillment of this promise in his letter to the Hebrews. Speaking of Abraham, Paul says, “Therefore sprang there even of one, and him as good as dead, so many as the stars of the sky in multitude, and as the sand which is by the sea shore innumerable.”—Heb. 11:12
What a testimony is this to the faithfulness and power of God, that from one who was “as good as dead” he could produce so great a nation! It is the Lord who had said, I will do it.
And so with the seed that will bless all the families of the earth. The Apostle Paul said that seed was Christ. (Gal 3:16) And he came from Abraham’s line, through Isaac, through whom also came the nation of Israel; not through Ishmael, who was the progenitor of the Arab races. “For in Isaac shall thy seed be called,” the Lord had said to Abraham. (Gen. 21:12; Rom. 9:7) That seed of blessing is not yet complete, for Paul points out that the faithful overcoming church of the Gospel Age is to be a part of that seed. “If ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.” (Gal. 3:29) So we see that that particular part of God’s promise to Abraham is even now in process of fulfillment, having begun with Christ; and it will surely be brought to pass, for it is God who has promised that there shall indeed be such a seed to bring blessings to all the families of the earth.
And so also shall it be with God’s promise to Abraham concerning the land that was to be given to his progeny for an everlasting possession, as we shall see a little later on.
Going back in time, we note that shortly after having exercised his almighty power to lead them from bondage in Egypt Jehovah God made another marvelous promise to his people Israel—a conditional promise. He called Moses before him and gave him a message to deliver to the people. “Ye have seen what I did unto the Egyptians,” the Lord said, “and how I bare you on eagles’ wings, and brought you unto myself. Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine: and ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation. … And all the people answered together, and said, All that the Lord hath spoken we will do.”—Exod. 19:1-8
Associated with the keeping of that covenant was another promise by Jehovah—the promise of life. But this also was conditional. Again the Lord called Moses to him, and said, “Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, I am the Lord your God. After the doings of the land of Egypt, wherein ye dwelt, shall ye not do: and after the doings of the land of Canaan, whither I bring you, shall ye not do: neither shall ye walk in their ordinances. Ye shall do my judgments, and keep mine ordinances, to walk therein. I am the Lord your God. Ye shall therefore keep my statutes, and my judgments: which if a man do, he shall live in them: I am the Lord.—Lev. 18:2-5
Israel’s Scattering and Regathering
But the Jews failed to keep their covenant with the Lord; as a result they lost their high privilege of being God’s peculiar treasure and kingdom of priests; and they lost life. The privilege was taken from them as a nation and passed after Pentecost to all those individuals, both of Jews and Gentiles, who accept Christ as their Savior and follow in his sacrificial steps. “Behold, your house is left unto you desolate,” Jesus told the Jews.—Matt. 23:38
The Apostle Peter, referring to this rejection of the Jewish nation, shows that the privilege was transferred to all believers of the Gospel Age, both Jew and Gentile: “Ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should show forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light: which in time past were not a [special] people [as were the Jews], but are now the people of God.” (I Pet. 2:7-11) These become the promised seed which in due time will bless all the families of the earth.
Had the Jews been faithful to their covenant, they, as a nation, would have been God’s kingdom of priests, an holy nation. But when then failed, God still showed himself true by rejecting them, according to his promise.
Also, because they did not keep their covenant with the Lord, the Israelites were scattered among all the peoples of the earth. This, too, was according to the word of the Lord, for they had been forewarned of this eventuality. After recounting all the blessings that would come upon Israel if faithful, the Lord warned them of the curses they would suffer if unfaithful. “But it shall come to pass, if thou wilt not hearken unto the voice of the Lord thy God, to observe to do all his commandments and his statutes which I command thee this day; that all these curses come upon thee, and overtake thee.”—Deut. 28:15
“Thou Shalt Find No Ease”
Then follows a long list of the disasters that would befall the people. Among these, the Lord said, “Thou … shalt be removed into all the kingdoms of the earth.” “And the Lord shall scatter thee among all people, from the one end of the earth even unto the other; and there thou shalt serve other gods, which neither thou nor thy fathers have known, … and among these nations shalt thou find no ease, neither shall the sole of thy foot have rest; but the Lord shall give thee there a trembling heart, and failing of eyes, and sorrow of mind; and thy life shall hang in doubt before thee; and thou shalt fear day and night, and shalt have none assurance of thy life.”—Deut. 28:25,64-67
Just how precisely this prophecy was fulfilled is obvious to all, but especially to the suffering Jews upon whom these foretold troubles fell. The people were indeed scattered into every land, wherein they underwent long centuries of persecution. But, once more, we see the Lord’s faithfulness even in this, the meting out of the forewarned punishment upon his own chosen people.
God’s Unfailing Love for Israel
Although the Lord found it necessary to chasten his people Israel for their disobedience, yet he never ceased to love them, and he promised that at the close of their period of punishment he would regather them to their own land. To the Prophet Jeremiah the Lord said, “Thus speaketh the Lord God of Israel, saying, Write thee all the words that I have spoken unto thee in a book. For, lo, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will bring again the captivity of my people Israel and Judah, saith the Lord; I will cause them to return to the land that I gave to their fathers, and they shall possess it.”—Jer. 30:2,3
Even while they were disobedient, the Lord still spoke of himself as “the Lord God of Israel,” so great was his love for them. And lest they should ever lose sight of his promise to return them to the land, he instructed Jeremiah to write this promise down in a book, that their hearts might be warmed in adversity by that comforting hope!
Speaking to the Prophet Ezekiel of Israel’s unfaithfulness, the Lord said, therefore “I scattered them among the heathen, and they were dispersed through the countries: … But I had pity for mine holy name, which the house of Israel had profaned among the heathen, whither they went. … And … I will take you from among the heathen, and gather you out of all countries, and will bring you into your own land.” (Ezek. 36:17-24) Earlier, the Lord had shown that he would bring them forth under difficult circumstances from the lands wherein they were scattered. “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.”—Ezek. 20:33-35
Here, again, the Lord makes it clear that it would be he, and he alone, who would be responsible for the return of the Jews to their land. Indeed, without his having intervened with his “mighty hand, and [his] stretched out arm” and his “fury poured out” it would never have been accomplished! (Ezek. 20:33-35) And how closely in accord with the actual circumstances is this description of their return! But this has been no surprise to those students of God’s Word who have been privileged witnesses of this remarkable event: for it is the Lord who promised it; it is the Lord who described it in detail, and it is the Lord who accomplished it.
So now we find that, some 1,900 years after having been driven from the land and scattered over the earth, the Jews are once more in partial possession of it. But it is all through the Lord’s overruling in the affairs of that people, first, in having arranged that the land again be thrown open to the Jews, and second, in having brought about those special circumstances which virtually forced them to seek it out as a refuge from persecution.
Notice how the Lord shows that he was directly involved in this remarkable event. “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 unto 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.” (Jer. 16:14-17) Thus, we see that it was the Lord God himself who was watching over them and who arranged for their return to the land.
True, they now occupy the land precariously; but when Christ’s kingdom is established, and the resurrected Ancient Worthies are exercising the authority of that kingdom in the earth, then will the Jews truly “dwell safely” in the land, just as all the remainder of resurrected mankind will then similarly enjoy the peaceful conditions of the kingdom that shall then reign throughout the whole earth. For, be it noted again, it is Jehovah God himself who has made the promise.
Yes, the Lord God Almighty has made many wonderful promises to his people Israel, and, as we have seen, of all those whose time for fulfillment has ripened there has not failed one word of all his good promises.
And Even Greater Promises!
But the Lord has made other, and even more outstanding promises to Israel whose fulfillment, though still future, would appear to follow rather closely upon their regathering to the land, and for whose accomplishment he himself, as always, has undertaken full and sole responsibility.
Foreknowing that there would be enemies who would seek to destroy Israel after their return to the land, the Lord directed the Prophet Ezekiel to record his promise to destroy the attacker and preserve their land. Speaking for the Lord, Ezekiel wrote concerning Israel’s enemies, “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 may know me, when I shall be sanctified in thee, O Gog, before their eyes. … And it shall come to pass at the same time when Gog shall come against the land of Israel, saith the Lord God, that my fury shall come up in my face.” Then follows a vivid description of the utter and devastating defeat that Jehovah shall inflict upon the powerful attackers, closing with the statement by the Lord, “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 shall know that I am the Lord, the Holy One in Israel.”—Ezek. 38:15-23; 39:1-7
This same incident is recorded, by the Lord’s direction, in the 30th chapter of Jeremiah; and again, it is placed chronologically as following upon the return of the Jews to their land. Then the Lord describes the fear which grips the hearts of the people as they find themselves surrounded by implacable enemies. “And these are the words that the Lord spake concerning Israel and concerning Judah. For thus saith the Lord: We have heard a voice of trembling, of fear, and not of peace. Ask ye now, and see whether a man doth travail with child? wherefore do I see every man with his hands on his loins, as a woman in travail, and all faces are turned into paleness? Alas! for that day is great, so that none is like it: it is even the time of Jacob’s trouble; but he [Israel] shall be saved out of it.”
Notice, again, that Israel does not save herself; it is Jehovah who saves her. “For I am with thee, saith the Lord, to save thee; though I make a full end of all nations whither I have scattered thee, yet will I not make a full end of thee; but I will correct thee in measure, and will not leave thee altogether unpunished.”—Jer. 30:1-11
The Lord Saves Israel
Through the Prophet Zechariah the Lord spoke again of that fateful time in the history of the people of Israel. “Behold, the day of the Lord cometh, and thy spoil shall be divided in the midst of thee. For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle; and the city shall be taken, and the houses rifled, and the women ravished; and half of the city shall go forth into captivity, and the residue of the people shall not be cut off from the city. Then [just as the day seems hopelessly lost] shall the Lord go forth, and fight against those nations, as when he fought in the day of battle.” (Zech. 14:1-3) The day of battle here mentioned by the prophet is a reference to the many times in bygone days when Jehovah took the side of his people and destroyed their enemies.
In each of these prophetic descriptions of the attack that shall come upon Israel in the last days of her troubles, the Lord clearly shows that he, and he alone, will save them. He will need no help from Israel. Indeed, the national government now operating in that country has no validity in the eyes of the Lord; it is just another earthly arrangement, and along with all the other governments of earth it will pass away in the final phase of the great time of trouble.
In the upcoming battle with the forces of evil the Lord will not need Israel’s guns or warplanes. He who destroyed the hosts of the Egyptians in the Red Sea; who caused the walls of Jericho to fall before the Israelites; who delivered the hosts of the Midianites and the Amalekites into the hands of Gideon, will need no fleshly assistance. Nor will Jehovah require the assistance of the armed might of the United States, Israel’s present powerful ally. In point of fact, the Scriptures show that at this fateful time in her history Israel will be standing entirely alone, for the prophet says, “There is none to plead thy cause, … all thy lovers have forgotten thee; they seek thee not.” (Jer. 30:13,14) He who created and directs the course and controls the bounds of the universe needs no human help to accomplish his wise and beneficent purposes. Jesus said that he could have called for twelve legions of angels to deliver him from his captors. How many legions of angels does the Heavenly Father command!
“I Will Be Your God”
The Lord also promised his people Israel that after he delivers them from this final attack by their enemies he will make them to dwell safely in their land; he will make with them a new covenant, under a better Mediator, whereunder they may truly gain everlasting life; and he will be their God, and they will be his people. “So will I make my holy name known in the midst of my people Israel;” said the Lord; “and I will not let them pollute my holy name any more; and the heathen shall know that I am the Lord, the Holy One in Israel. … And I will set my glory among the heathen, and all the heathen shall see my judgment that I have executed, and my hand that I have laid upon them. … Neither will I hide my face any more from … [Israel]; for I have poured out my spirit upon the house of Israel, saith the Lord God.”—Ezek. 28:25,26; Jer. 31:31; Deut. 18:15,18; Jer. 30:22; Ezek. 39:7,21,29
Truly, the Lord has wonderfully brought to loving consummation all those promises he made to his people Israel which up to this hour were due to be fulfilled. Not one has failed! Surely, this fact should have encouraged them to look in fullness of faith to the Lord for the fulfillment of those other and even grander promises which relate to the present and the future! One is forced to conclude, however, by what can be seen, that the governors and the governed of present-day Israel either are unaware of these glorious promises, or they lack faith in God’s power or willingness to bring them to pass. For they are placing their hope for peace, prosperity, and life, not in Jehovah God, but in their own armed might, and in that of their present ally, the United States.
But even this final lack of faith will be overlooked and forgiven by their merciful and loving Jehovah God, after he has delivered them from their enemies, when “the house of Israel shall know that I am the Lord their God from that day and forward.” (Ezek. 39:22) For it is the great and loving God of the whole universe who has made these glorious promises to his people Israel. And it is the same Lord God who will do it! Then, at long last, his people will say, “Blessed be the Lord, that hath given rest unto his people Israel, according to all that he promised: there hath not failed one word of all his good promise, which he promised by the hand of Moses his servant.”—I Kings 8:56-61