rebuild the temple under Zerubbabel. This was by the permission of King Cyrus of Persia who had by then captured and subdued the Babyloni an empire. In 168 to 170 A.D. the temple was desecrated by Antiochus Epiphanes. Just before the birth of Christ, when Herod was in power, he endeavored to remodel and redecorate the tem ple, which went on in varying de grees until he died in 64 A.D. Less than four decades after our Saviour’s crucifixion, in the year 70 A.D. Jeru salem was completely enveloped by Titus. The temple was leveled to the ground in fulfillment of Christ’s words of prophecy. So many of God’s chosen people were crucified that the historian Josephus rep o rts there wasn’t even a stick of wood to be found in Jerusalem on which a per son could be mounted for death; they had all been used repeatedly as Ro man g ibbets. During those days 1,100,000 Jews were put to death. The Roman emperor Vespasian gave large portions of the promised land to his personal friends. He tried to change the name too. Weary of the slaughter where blood had run so freely, the Romans began selling the Jewish people as slaves. Oftimes, be cause there were so many, an adult male would bring less than the value
remain in their area, but only to be slaves. For the Jews, however, so deeply had been instilled into their hearts the nationalistic spirit that the Assyrians very wisely, as far as warfare is concerned, carried them away into a distant area. Let us underscore the prime fact that there is no such thing in the Word of God as “10 lost tribes” as some cultists would have you believe. Some have even been led into error, thinking that these people crossed the Danube River and became part of the Anglo-Saxon race. This is cer tainly not taught in Scripture, in anthropology, or in any other sci ence which deals with man’s back ground. One hundred and forty years fol lowing the Assyrian captivity, Nebu chadnezzar, head of Babylon, swept over the Southern kingdom. The two tribes, Judah and Benjamin, were likewise taken into captivity. During this time one of the most beautiful Psalms (137th) was written. One can feel the heartbreak and pathos in this strange land to which they had been taken. Listen to the Psalmist agonize, “By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down, yea, we wept, when we remembered Zion. We hanged our harps upon the willows in the midst thereof. For there they that carried us away captive required of us a song; and they that wasted us required of us mirth, saying, ‘Sing us one of the songs of Zion.’ How shall we sing the Lord’s song in a strange land?” That’s such a beautiful chapter. This captivity by Nebuchadnezzar happened in 587 B.C. Before the conquerors returned to Babylon with their spoil, the mag nificent temple which Solomon built was destroyed. It would seem clear therefore that, prophetically speak ing, this actually began what is known as “the times of the Gentiles,” spoken of in Luke 21:24. Seventy years later, about 40,000 Jews at the very most, returned to
Various paraphernalia necessary for emergency work in the security patrol for the Biola Campus is pictured here. This includes flash lights, two-way radio, fire fighting equipment, and other items. 7
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