Modern Israel was founded on 14th May, 1948, so the 12th anniversary of the State was celebrated by Jews, particularly in Israel, on 14th May, this year. By coincidence the Australian Christadelphian Fraternal Gathering and Conference commenced in the Sydney Town Hall on that same day.
Fulfilment Of Prophecy
An Israel Digest, under the heading, “Fulfilment of Prophecy”, had this to say :
“We have much experience behind us ; we have seen many changes in our own lives and those of the peoples among whom we live ; and we are certain that the way will not always remain barred to those who aspire for redemption. At the same time, we believe that tens and hundreds of thousands will also come home from the prosperous countries, and we believe that the prophecy of Isaiah will be fulfilled, which 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.” . “And he shall judge among nations, and shall rebuke many people ; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning-hooks ; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.”
Thousands of Jews heard the prophecy quoted. Have they faith that God will finally save them ? The Lord Jesus Christ prophesied in Matthew 24. 6, 7,
“And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars ; see that ye be not troubled ; for all these things must come to pass ; but the end is not yet. For nation shall rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom ; and there shall be famines and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places”.
This prophecy is now being fulfilled.
Recent efforts for peace in the world have failed, showing that Divine intervention alone can bring permanent peace.
The prophecy also refers to earthquakes. In Chile, tortured by six days of earthquakes, tremors, tidal waves and land slides, over 6,000 have died and two million lost their homes. One survivor described the earthquake in these words :
“Everything danced in a terrible rhythm. I ran for the street and could hardly stand up. I was dancing on the swaying pavement while stones and pieces of building fell all around. Around one volcano, the surrounding country has sunk as much at 1,000 feet for as far as 25 miles”.
The Lord Jesus Christ referred to wars, famines and earthquakes. These things, of course, have occurred in the past, but at present they look far more serious and significant, and could result in God’s sending Jesus Christ back to the earth to save the world and bring permanent peace and joy.
Germans Who Killed Jews
The Jews have arrested Adolf Eichmann in connection with the six million Jews who were killed in Germany. His trial is not expected to take place before September, but it has dominated both parliamentary discussion and coffee-shop talk. We do not know what the outcome of this will be, but it is possible that it may cause more to hate the Jews and try to retaliate for the arrest of Eichmann. The Premier of Israel stated that Eizhmann was in an Israel gaol and would be tried for war crimes. Eichmann is said to have been responsible for the deaths of millions of Jews.
Bible Conference In Israel
Bible scholars from all parts of the country, including the Prime Minister, gathered in Jerusalem for the opening of the Israel Bible Research Society’s eighth Conference. Grey-haired veterans sat side by side with teen-age students as the audience of some 700 persons, including a relatively large number of women, assembled for the four-day meeting, devoted this year to the Book of Psalms.
The Prime Minister, who is host to a fortnightly Bible study circle in his home, devoted his address to the theme, “The Bible and the Homeland”, as the two pillars on which the nation stands, for neither Jewish survival nor the homeland would have been possible without the Book of Books, as he said.
He said, “Now, again, I have seen the dedicated love for Israel of millions of Jews in the U.S. and England—a phenomenon which surely also exists in countries I did not visit”. It was one of the wonders of Jewish history, he declared.
President I. Ben-Zvi lectured on the group of Psalms incorporated into the “Haller service, and dwelt principally on the historical background of these Psalms.
The Jews have great faith in their Bible, which is read by the people and their leaders. The Prime Minister quotes the Bible regularly, not as a matter of form, but because he personally believes it and does all he can to carry out the commandments by God. He knows the future of Israel as outlined in Bible, which tells that Israel will again be a great nation. He must have great faith, and that will please God.
Israel’s Strength
In the absence of any effective disarmament of the Middle East, Israel continues to depend on her defensive strength to provide the main deterrent against Nasser’s ambition, Mrs. Golda Meir, the Foreign Minister, said recently in Jerusalem. There had not been any deterioration in the Middle East she said, but the troubled situation still existed :
“As long as there are these unprecedented Egyptian troop concentrations along our border, the threat to peace has not abated”.
Asked for her opinion on what was behind Egypt’s latest move in the Sinai Peninsula and the Gaza Strip, Mrs. Meir gave three reasons, “Experience has shown”, she said, “that the Arab leaders believe a public demonstration of hostility toward Israel to be the most potent weapon in the struggle for overall Arab leadership”. There was always the danger that this competition would pass from the verbal level to an action threatening the peace of the area.
Secondly, she said that increased hostility towards Israel was being used by Nasser in Syria “to divert the attention of the Arabs from their real troubles and to cover up internal failure”.
The third reason was the “lack of energetic action by the world community” regarding the closure of the Suez Canal to Israel shipping. This might have emboldened Nasser to the point that he believed he could violate international law and ignore U.N. decisions and world opinion with impunity.
Non-Jew Leaves £20,000 To J.N.F.
It was good to read in “Ivriah Journal” that a Christadelphian gave £20,000 to the Jews.
The following appeared in the May issue :
“Johannesburg. A non-Jew, Mr. James Bell, of Durban, has left £20,000 to the Jewish National Fund.
Originally from England, Mr. Bell was a member of the Christadelphian Ecclesia Association, a sect which believes “that the restoration of God”s kingdom to Israel will involve the ingathering of God”s chosen but scattered nation—the Jews, and their re-instatement in the land of their fathers, when it shall have been reclaimed from the desolation of many generations”.
Conclusion
World events have been very unusual, and many of them prove that the word of God is being fulfilled. We do not know when Jesus Christ will come back to earth, but the signs of the times indicate that the promises made to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, David and others will certainly be carried out. But apart from having regard to prophecy, we have to carry out the commands of God personally. Jesus Christ has told us what we should do to be in the Kingdom of God, and we read in Psalm 93.1, 2, “The Lord reigneth ; he is clothed with majesty; the Lord is clothed with strength, wherewith he hath girded himself ; the world also is established, that it cannot be moved Thy throne is established ; thou art from everlasting”.
When Christ comes, let us hope that we shall receive this invitation : “Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world”.
The Borders of the Land of Israel