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T H E K I N G ’ S B U S I N E S S
March 1926
The Chosen People, the Land and the Book Jewish News Notes Compiled from Various Sources
KING DAVID’S CITY FOUND Professor R. A. Macalister, leader of the expedition to Palestine, confirms the discovery of King David’s City of Jerusalem in a telegram to the Pales tine Exploration Fund in London. The site of the city is on Mount Ophel, near the modern Jerusalem. Prof. Macal ister goes on to say that he has now every reason to think that, by a most fortunate coincidence, the expedition has come upon the remains of the mysterious Millo. Millo is mentioned in the Biblical description of King David’s fortifications in the Jebusite citadel he had captured. We are told that he built "round about from Millo inward.” It was always conjectured that Millo was some kind of solid tower or else a dam, "filling” the open ing of the bottom of the Tyropoeon valley. Until now all this- was mere guesswork, and only excavation could tell us what Millo really was. Pro fessor Macalister seems to have ex cellent prospects of being able to sup ply the world with precise data, the importance of which will be clear to all students of Biblical history. —The Christian Herald. THE JEWS AND EVOLUTION Two recent utterances reveal the attitude of Reform Jews toward the hypothesis of evolution. Dr. Stephen S. Wise, in an address in Brooklyn, New York, declared that there is no conflict between “ the truth of the Bible and evolution.” Dr. Wise said further: Ev.olution does destroy the Nicene Creed, the Apostles’ Creed and the creed of orthodox Christianity, but it does not destroy our Bible, the Bible of .our prophets. Moses foretold the ascent of man long before"Darwin. Con trary to all teachings of the gradual elevation of man, the fall of man, not his ascent, lies at the heart of Chris tian doctrine. The Jews that stand with the Fundamentalists are giving support to the teachings that man has fallen and can be saved only through atonement. Our Bible, on the other hand, has taught the spiritual eleva tion of man-through the ages. How contrary Reform Judaism is to Christianity is seen in this statement by Dr. Wise. If Reform Judaism sees no fall of man, then there is no need of a divine Saviour, or of any saviour at all. But the Bible and Christianity still stand. — Jewish Missionary Magazine. JEWISH NEWS NOTES The American Jewish Congress has appointed Mr. Lowenthal Marvin, a European Editor, as “ Unofficial Ob-
process of fulfilment. Among them He said, ‘Now learn a parable of the fig- tree; when his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh; so likewise ye, when ye shall see dll these things, know that it (He) is near, even at the doors’ (Matt. 24:33). Now, just as the rose is the emblem of England, the thistle of Scotland, and the Shamrock of Ire land, so the fig-tree Is the symbol of Israel. The Jews have been suffering s hard and long winter, but a new national instinct has been budding from the old tree, by which we know that a new era is opening for them. The dry bones spoken of by Ezekiel are living again, and God is restoring to Israel the land of their fathers. Since the war, wonderful changes have taken place in Palestine, and whatever obstructions may have to be faced, we are convinced that prophecy is fulfilling and that great events are at hand. To the Christian believer, it is clear that these and other signs of the times point to the imminent return to this earth of the Lord Jesus Christ. The man who is living a care less, worldly life today may well ask himself, in the words of the prophet Malachi, ’How shall I abide the day of His coming?’ And the believer him self, as he ponders these events, will be constrained by the Holy Spirit to be ready, in order that he ‘may not be ashamed before Him at His appear ing,’ ” (1 John 2:28). THE NATURAL EXPECTATION OF THE JEWS What should the Jews do after re* turning to Palestine in lafge numbers and finding the necessity of providing for their rqligious needs? What would they expect to do? If they retain any zeal for God, such as Paul mentions in Romans 10:2, they will seek to wor ship him in the only ways known and acceptable to them. The returning Jews are of various opinions religiously- Some have cast off all care for God. Some are of the extreme orthodox type. These are few in number at present. The majority are more or less orthodox but with an inclination to make nationalism their religion. They have high ideals as to the imw nation to be built up in Palestine, lop ing to make it a model for all nations and to show the way of peace to all the world. When the time comes for united action, aB it will, they will be ready to follow the strong leaders who will appear on the side of orthodox Judaism, building on national lines,” must return to the old rabbinical Judaism, whicb was the Judaism that ruled the nation in the time of Christ. This Judaism will demand the sacri fices and the Temple.— Exchange.
AN EPOCH IN JEWISH HISTORY The year 1925 was an epoch-mak ing period for Palestine. One of the chief events was the opening of the Hebrew University at Jerusalem by Lord Balfour which was recognized by both Jews and Christian students of prophecy as one of the most significant signs of the times since the Qreat War. We quote from "The Christian Her ald" (London): "Representative Jews flocked to Pal estine for the occasion from all parts of the world, 5.00 coming from Amer ica on the ‘President Arthur,’ of the Palestine-American Line, the first ocean liner to fly the Zionist blue and white flag. As the vessel came to anchor, the ship’s band played the Zionist hymn, ’Hatikvah’ (Hope). The ship was welcomed by representatives of the Zionist organization, the Pales tine Foundation Fund, and local Jew ish institutions. Mr. Levin-Epstein, of the American-Palestine Line, reply ing on behalf of the company to speeches of welcome, said that, al though a private enterprise, the exis tence of a Jewish steamer was a sig nificant development in the upbuild ing of Palestine. "In the course of an address Lord Balfour said from that spot he could see where Israel entered the Land of Promise and where the siege of Jeru salem by the Romans ended. What is it (he asked) that has brought to gether this vast concourse, drawn •from every quarter of the world? It is a consciousness that this marks a great epoch in the history of a people who made this little land o f Palestine the center of great religions, whose intellectual and moral destiny is from the national point of view reviving, and who will look back to this day we are celebrating as one of the great milestones in their career. A new epoch has begun. “ Why is it that the opening of this University has so stirred the imagina tion of the world? Surely it is the realization that God’s ancient people are coming into their own once more. But to the student of “Bible prophecy there is more in it than mere senti ment. It is one of the signs of the times that should startle the most casual observer of history. For cen turies the Jews have been scattered among the nations; but the Old Testa ment foretold that in the latter days they would be gathered to their home land and become a great people. When our Lord was asked by the disciples, ’’When shall these things be, and what shall be the sign of Thy coming.?’ He told them many things now actually in
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