By Nathanael Hernandez
Over three hundred years ago King Louis XIV of France asked Blaise Pascal, the great French philosopher of his day, to give him proof of the existence of miracles. Without a moment's hesitation, Pascal answered, "Why, the Jews, your Majesty-the Jews." Even Mark Twain, an agnostic and skeptic, would state how people like the Babylonians, the Persians, the Greeks and the Romans would come, but they would be gone. Though the Jews would witness them all and beat them. Only the Jew has remained. So what is so miraculous about the Jewish people you may ask? Perhaps you never went into the Bible to see if what it says is true? Let's dive into what the Bible and history have to say about Jews.
What does the Bible say about Jews/Israel?
Israel would also refer to the Jews since God is not about places, but about people. The terms, Jews, Judeans, Israel and Israelites are all used interchangeably throughout the Bible. The Jews are the people who accepted God's covenant. Covenant means agreement. That is where you get testament from. In fact there are at least five covenants in the Bible. These are the Abrahamic, Noahic, Mosaic, Davidic, and New Covenant. From the very start it is said how God would use the Jews which is in the very first book of the Bible which is Genesis.
“Then Adonai(LORD) said to Abram, “Get going out from your land, and from your relatives, and from your father’s house, to the land that I will show you. My heart’s desire is to make you into a great nation, to bless you, to make your name great so that you may be a blessing.”(Genesis 12:1-2 TLV)
This was written around 1400-1440 B.C. This is God talking to Abram/Abraham and how he will make him a great nation. These blessings are true since Abraham's name would be great since he is the father of the world's main religions. That is Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. How could someone predict that? He would have descendants who are the Jews. Israel would be a nation during Biblical times as well as even today. This nation would also birth the Jewish messiah Jesus Christ/Yeshua Hamasiah. Who would save people from their sins. Through the Jews/Israel would come the Bible, Monotheism, and Jesus.
“Now when all these things come upon you—the blessing and the curse that I have set before you—and you take them to heart in all the nations where Adonai(LORD) your God has banished you, and you return to Adonai(LORD) your God and listen to His voice according to all that I am commanding you today—you and your children—with all your heart and with all your soul, then Adonai(LORD) your God will bring you back from captivity and have compassion on you, and He will return and gather you from all the peoples where Adonai(LORD) your God has scattered you. Even if your outcasts are at the ends of the heavens, from there Adonai(LORD) your God will gather you, and from there He will bring you.”(Deut 30:1-4 TLV).
Written/spoken around 1400-1440 B.C.E. Context is that during when this was spoken it was already said the Jews/Israel would be dispersed around the world due to rebellion. That God would come to save those(The Jews/Israelites) from all around the world and bring them back home(Israel). Even the prophets would state about Jews returning.
“Behold, these shall come from afar. behold, these from the north and from the west, and from the land of Sinim.”(Isaiah 49:12 TLV)
Written and Spoken around 701 and 681 B.C.E by the Prophet Isaiah. Him getting the revelation that many would come from northern parts and western parts. The land of Sinim is believed to be what we know as the area of China. Remember, when Isaiah was prophesying this Israel had not yet been dispersed or when this would happen.
“Do not fear, for I am with you. I will bring your offspring from the east and gather you from the west. will say to the north, ‘Give them up!’ and to the south, ‘Do not hold them back.’ Bring My sons from far and My daughters from the ends of the earth.(Isaiah 43:5-6)
Behold, I will bring them from the north country, and I will gather them from the ends of the earth— among them the blind and the lame, the pregnant together with she who is in labor with child. A great throng will return here.(Jeremiah 31:7 TLV)
Written/spoken around between 627 and 586 B.C.E. Jereimah prophesied worldwide of Jews returning back to Israel.
The Roman Exile
The Jews suffered quite a few exiles like the Babylon exile, Greece exile and Roman exile. The Roman exile which occurred in 135 C.E would be the longest exile, almost 2,000 years. Before the exile, it would be the destruction of the second temple.“Finally, in the year 3829 (69 CE), an oppression that started with heavy taxes ended with mass murder. The Jewish people were butchered and slaughtered, their homes ransacked and the Holy Temple burnt to the ground. And since then, the Jewish people have been persecuted and exiled.” The Jews would then seek to revolt against the Romans but failed in 135 A.D. “Following the battle of Bethar, there were a few small skirmishes in the Judean Desert Caves, but the war was essentially over and Judean independence was lost. The Romans plowed Jerusalem with a yoke of oxen. Jews were sold into slavery and many were transported to Egypt. Judean settlements were not rebuilt. Jerusalem was turned into a pagan city called Aelia Capitolina and the Jews were forbidden to live there. They were permitted to enter only on the 9th of Av to mourn their losses in the revolt. Hadrian changed the country’s name from Judea to Syria Palestina.” It is estimated that hundreds of thousands of Jews died in the war and that Romans would use the Jewish people's blood to fertilize their fields for several years and even use their bodies as fences. The Jews would be exiled throughout the world from there.
Anti-Semitism throughout History
Anti-semitism is a modern term that is the discrimination or hostility towards the Jews as a racial or religious group. Though it has existed for centuries
Origin of Hanukkah
In 175 B.C Antiochus IV who is the Seleucid King tried to assimilate the Judeans. The Selecids would capture the second Temple and erect an altar to the Greek god Zeus. The Jews were mistreated in that they were whipped, bodies torn to pieces, crucified and their books were destroyed. The Jewish faith was outlawed in Judea and the worship of Zeus was commanded. Those who observed the sabbath, studying the Torah, and circumcision of Jewish boys were to be put to death. Torah means instructions or also referred to as the first five books of the Old Testament. There would be a revolt and the Judeans would win. That event would be known as Hanukkah.
Roman Empire
During Constantine's reign as emperor of the Roman empire, he would make Christianity the official religion. This unfortunately led to anti-Jewish beliefs and influenced legal systems within the Roman empire. Christians would attack Synagogues, and Christian leaders would support laws that restricted Jews freedom in certain aspects in the fourth and fifth centuries. In some regions, Jews were not permitted to hold positions in government or have land.
The First Crusade
Due to the belief that Jews were the “Christ Killers”, it would lead Christian zealots to massacre many Jews in Europe and the Middle East. Also there were accusations of Jews kidnapping people when a Christian went missing. This was due to the belief that Jews would use the blood of Christians for their rituals. This would lead to even more torturing and killing of European Jews.
The Holocaust
The Nazi regime would conduct one of the worst atrocities in human history with over six million Jews slaughtered across Europe. Over 1.5 million of them were children.
These are just some instances of anti-sementism. Even when Jesus was born Herod the Great wanted to kill him and Moses was sought to be killed by the King of Egypt. It is estimated that there should be at least 26 million Jews alive without the holocaust. It’s predicted that it won’t be until 2050 Jews should return to their worldwide population of around 16.6 million.
The operations which fulfilled prophecy
Operation Magic Carpet
Yemen would agree to let 45,000 Jews to leave to Israel out of 46,000. The Yemeite Jews would be brought back to Israel in 1949 in around 380 flights. The operation was kept secret until seven months later. The operation would use American and British planes and airlift Jews from all over Yemen
Operation Solomon
In 1991, Ethiopia would be in a long civil war and rebel forces would go against Addis Ababa and Jews. Addis Ababa is the capital and largest city in Ethiopia. George H.W Bush would send a letter to the Ethiopian president on an agreement to allow all Jews to leave at once. The capital would fall to the rebels. Over 35 aircraft would be involved in Operation Solomon and within 36 hours 14,300 Ethiopian Jews would be airlifted from Addis Ababa to Israel. One plane would hold the Guinness world record for most passengers on an aircraft with 1,078 people on board. Two babies would be born in-flight.
Operation Nehemiah and Ezra
In 1951, the operation finally began airlifting Jews from Iraq. Though before the operation would begin, it was illegal for Jews to leave for Israel. Eventually, Iraq would pass a bill that allowed Jewish emigration under certain restrictions. The Jews had to sell all their property and could only carry no more than 140$ out of the country.Despite the restrictions Jews would sign up to leave to Israel. Around 120,000 Jews would leave to Israel and only 6,000 Jews would be left behind.
Kaifeng Jews from China
In 2009, Several young Jewish men went to Israel from Kaifeng with the help of Shavei Israel. In 2016, five women in their 20s arrived in Israel from Kaifeng. A growing number of Kaifeng Jews are seeking to return to their Jewish roots and embrace Judaism. Judaism is not an authorized religion and is not officially tolerated in China. Around 500 to 1,000 Jews are in Kaifeng, China.
Operation Swords of Iron
In 2023, Jews from “U.S. states including New York, New Jersey, Florida, California, Maryland, Michigan and Ohio.” 25 new immigrants have arrived in Israel who range from the ages of 19 to 79.
These are just some examples of prophecy being fulfilled considering the return of Jews from all over the world. Even fulfilling how Jews would come from China which is the land of Shinm. “Over the past 120 years or so, more than 3.5 million Jews have immigrated to the Land of Israel from all over the world—from the north, south, east, and west—in literal fulfillment of God’s promises (Isaiah 43:5–6).”. More and more Jews are coming back to Israel despite all the oppression throughout the centuries.
The Land of Israel
Mark Twain would write about his trip to Israel and how desolate it was.“ ...[a] desolate country whose soil is rich enough, but is given over wholly to weeds-a silent mournful expanse....A desolation is here that not even imagination can grace with the pomp of life and action....We never saw a human being on the whole route....There was hardly a tree or a shrub anywhere. Even the olive and the cactus, those fast friends of the worthless soil, had almost deserted the country.” - 1867 (Quoted in Mark Twain, The Innocents Abroad. London: 1881).
“In days to come Jacob will take root, Israel will blossom and bud and fill the face of the world with fruit.”(Isaiah 27:6 TLV)
“Before she was in labor, she gave birth. Before her pain came, she delivered a male child.Who has heard such a thing? Who has seen such things? Can a land be born in one day? Can a nation be brought forth at once? For as soon as Zion was in labor, she gave birth to her children.(Isaiah 66:7-8 TLV).
Written/spoken around between 701 and 681 B.C.E by the prophet Isaiah. The first verse is regarding both a physical and spiritual blossom. Which is being fruitful. The second verse is regarding Israel becoming a nation once again in a day. Israel during this time has not been exiled.
In 1948, After the events of the Holocaust a couple years later Israel would be declared a nation as “Israel's future Prime Minister and Defense Minister David Ben-Gurion declared "the establishment of a Jewish state in Eretz-Israel, to be known as the State of Israel.". This fulfills the prophecy of Israel becoming a nation once again. As well as the fact that Israel is no longer that desolate country. This goes back to how God would use the Jews to be a blessing to others. Despite Israel being a very small country and the population of Jews making up 0.2% of the entire world population(Not even 1%). According to the Jerusalem Post, Israel is usually the one who offers emergency assistance to other countries when it comes to the aftermath of natural disasters. Sending medical personnel, doctors, nurses, and equipment to devastated areas such as those in Haiti who suffered a 7.0 Earthquake. This earthquake led to 320,000 deaths and a million homeless. Israel the next morning would send aid to go and help them from around the world. Other instances are in the Philippines and Burkina Faso in 2009. In 2011 Japan suffered an earthquake and Israel within 48 hours sent medical personnel while in the same year an earthquake would hit Turkey. Israel would send help to Turkey as well. These are just some examples of Israel filling the world with fruit and being a blessing.
Conclusion
This only touches a very small fraction of the prophecies fulfilled and what Jews have done and gone through. While many prophecies in the Bible have yet to be fulfilled in their entirety, we can see that despite the hatred and circumstances of the Jews, God is the one who helped them preserve. This is proven due to the prophecies being fulfilled revealing there is a supernatural cause behind it. To the Jew remember to keep the faith in God. Remember that God won’t forsake you and the words Brauch HaSheem.
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