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T H E K I N G ’ S B U S I N E S S
April, 1938
place, till they a ck n o w le d g e their offense, and seek my face” (Hos. 5:14, 15). Who can meditate upon the sorrows of Israel since our Lord lifted His feet from Olivet’s brow, to return unto His place, and can fail to see that this prophecy has been fulfilled to the full? But, let us complete the prophecy: ‘‘In their affliction they will seek me early” (Hos. 5:15). The day of Israel’s great “ affliction” seems to be here. What mean these tides of anti-Semitic hate and persecution that, ever rising higher, are now rolling over the whole world? Has not the hour nearly come for the sorrowing sons and daughters of Israel, buried within the hostile lands o f earth, to fulfill the prophetic cry? “ Come, and let us return unto the Lord: for he hath torn, and he will heal us; he hath smitten, and he will bind us up” (Hos. 6:1). The Hope of Israel, the Hope of the World! O Israel, long have you, as a nation, been buried. Long have you suffered in the torturing hells o f Europe and other un happy lands. The great Lover of the “ lost sheep of the house of Israel” shall yet find you and press to His bosom His own. Though you have also descended into the lower parts of the earth, yet shall He find you and bring you up. The Lover of the “ lost sheep of the house of Israel” shall return rejoicing, with His own upon His bosom. “ In the third day” it shall be. In that day, when your “ blindness’’ (Rom. 11:25) shall have passed away, you shall see His face, and understand. In the morning glory o f your resurrection day, not for you only, but for the whole world of men, “ sorrow and sigh ing shall flee away” (Isa. 35:10). “ Salva tion” still “ is of the Jews” (John 4:22)1 Hasten thou, another blessed resurrection morn! A New Book for m A and outline pictures for handwork. Price of Friends of God,” 25 cents each book; $2.75 a doz.; $ 2 0 .0 0 a IOO. FREE D. V. B. S. HELPS A free Prospectus and folder, showing sa mple Ies- sons and giving complete information on conducting a successful vacation Bible school, will be sent upon request. Address Dept. KB-381 STANDARD! PUBLISHING COMPANY 8th & Cutter Sts., Cincinnati, O . T H E splendid sup- piementa I study book. T h ir t e e n B ib le e x a m p le stories for Primary end Junior children, with new-type tests
Finally, at the close of that same year, the League of Nations ratified the issuance of its mandate over Palestine to Great Britain, wTben the mandatory power undertook to create* “ such political, administrative and economic conditions” as will “facilitate thé establishment of a Jewish National Home” Verily, in spite of the opposition of “Esau,” the present-day Arabs, “ the bones are roll ing— rolling, rolling homeward, bone back to his bone. The "Resurrection" of the Land Also But, there is also to be a “ resurrection” (perhaps “ renaissance” would be a better word) of the land itself. “And the desolate land shall be tilled, whereas it lay desolate in the sight of all that passed by. And they shall say, This land that was desolate is become like the garden of Eden ; and the waste and desolate and ruined cities are be come fenced, and are inhabited. Then the heathen that are left round about you shall know that I the Lord build the ruined places, and plant that that was desolate: I the Lord have spoken it, and I will do it” (Ezek. 36Î34-36). Once upon that sacred soil, there lived not less than 5,000,000 souls. Then the sons of Jacob were driven out. The sons of Esau came in. Sand dunes quickly covered the coasts ; valleys became swamps covered with poisoned waters, and fertility turned into desert wastes. For more than twelve hun dred years, the sons of Esau roamed in a land that “ lay desolate in the sight of all that passed by” (Ezek. 36:34). It blossomed not! Then Jacob returned. As if by magic, even the Dead Sea came to life and began to unbosom its fabulous wealth— chemical content sufficient to “ pay off the entire debt of Great Britain, and then run her govern ment forever free of all taxes.” No wonder Gog shall some day be tempted to swoop down upon that land intent “to take a prey” (Ezek. 38:12) ! Communication systems of every sort rapidly developed. The Jordan River was harnessed by a Jewish engineer. Great irrigation canals now line its banks. Orange groves, olive groves, lemon groves and vegetation of every kind thrive. Bananas flourish about the walls of Jericho. Airplanes drone in the skies with loads of passengers and mail-7-connecting Egypt with Assyria. The largest busses in the world roll along from Cairo to Bagdad. New rail roads are being built and more are planned. Sleepy, sluggish, old seaports are awaking and beginning to hum with activity. Indus tries thrive. Verily, “This land that was desolate” is on the way to “ become like the garden of Eden” (Ezek. 36:35). Israel's Departure and Israel's Return Nearly two millenniums ago, Israel’s King came unto her, and‘ she received Him not. It was then that judgment had to be pro nounced. Soon, not one stone of Israel’s city was left upon another (cf. Lk. 19:44). She who had refused to welcome her King, was now to meet Him in the way as a lion: “ For I will be unto Ephraim as a lion, and as a young lion to the house of Judah: I, even I, will tear and go away; I will take away, and none shall rescue him. I will go and return to my
RESURRECTION OF ISRAEL [ Continued from Page 143] from among the heathen [i. e., nations], whither they be gone, and will . . . bring them into their own land: And I will make them one nation in the land . . . and one king shall be king to them all: and they shall be no more two na tions, neither shall they be divided into two kingdoms any more at all . . . and David [Christ] my servant shall be king over them” (Ezek. 37:15, 16, 17, 18, 21, 22, 24). These words call for no interpretation be yond the reminder that “ Ephraim” stands in the history of Israel for the northern king dom, the “ten tribes.” The words describing the sign of the two sticks mean exactly what they say. The "D ry Bones" of Israel Will Move Before "Life " Itself Enters Understand, therefore, that the resurrec tion o f Israel involves the resurrection of the entire nation of Israel, its twelve tribes as “ whole” as they were yet in the days of Solomon, from the “ graves” (nations) wherein th ey lie to d a y -— unregenerate — dead! It should be carefully noted that, in Eze kiel’s vision of the dry bones, while “ sinews and the flesh came upon them, and the skin covered them above . . . there was no breath in them." Not until the “ breath” (Spirit) of God came upon them, did they become alive. Even so, the “ dry bones” of Israel will begin to move toward their proper places, and “ sinews” and “ skin” will appear before the Spirit falls upon all Israel and makes them alive to God. The Bones Shake! The Sinews and Skin Appear! With the great prophetic statements be fore us, thrilling to the heart of the true believer is the cyclorama of national and international events today. Israel, in the center of the whole scene, still is seen reject ing her Messiah. The “ whole house of Israel” is still dead, and her “ bones” are “ very dry.” Her hope of complete restora tion seems “cut off for her parts.” But, be hold! a noise! It is a rising tumult and ever-swelling clamor against the Jew in all nations. And, “ behold a shaking” ! The World W ar literally shook hundreds of thousands of them from foreign nests that they had provided for themselves. The sons of Jacob are astir! Yea, more— they are on the march. Suddenly, the doors to the ancient home land swung open! Allenby drove out the Turk. The sons of Judah rushed in by the tens of thousands. A return took place that makes the “ return” in the days of Ezra and Nehemiah look insignificant, indeed. The Balfour Declaration was issued in 1917. In 1920, at San Remo, the Allied Governments—fifty of them—c o lle c t iv e ly affirmed the basic id e a o f the B a lfo u r Declaration which recognized the right of the Jewish people to reestablish their National Home in Palestine. In 1922, both houses of the Congress of the United States by a joint resolution recognized the right of the Jewish people to resettle in their ancient homeland.
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