#6 Patterns of Prophecy-Restoration of the Land

Patterns of Prophecy The Supernatural History of Israel Session 6 Restoring of the Land of Israel Prophecies of Desolation & Restoration 1. Desolation of the land because of the Disobedience of Israel (Leviticus 26:21-35) 2. Regathering to the land & Restoration of the land (Deuteronomy 30:1-10) 3. Desolation, Regathering, Restoration, Delay… & one day Salvation (Ezek 36) Resource Recommendation In this fabulous resource, Doug Hershey explores Biblical prophecies concerning the Land of Israel. He then seeks to visually document the fulfillment of these prophecies by collecting photographs of the Land of Israel taken in the late 1800s or early 1900s, and then comparing those images with photographs taken from the exact same spot in 2016. The difference is stunning! Hence, the subtitle of his book, “The Land of Israel Reawakens.” Historic Beauty of the Land Babylonian, Persian, and Roman records evidence how coveted the Land of Israel was in antiquity. The renowned “cedars of Lebanon,” which are mentioned in the Bible, are also mentioned in secular records. The Land of Israel was a productive, and beautiful place in antiquity. Israel was truly, “a land flowing with milk and honey” (Ex. 3:8; 13:5; 33:3; Lev. 20:24; Num. 13-14; Deut. 6:3; 11:9). Quick Survey of History Period of Restoration under Nehemiah: Period of the Maccabees: Period after the Jewish-Roman Wars: Period of Muslim Occupation: The PEF, and the state of the Land in the 1800s: Look at the modern of Land of Israel: Survey of History Note Nehemiah 2:3 & 17 for a description of the desolation of the Land after the Babylonian and Assyrian Invasions. “Let the king live for ever: why should not my countenance be sad, when the city, the place of my fathers’ sepulchres, lieth waste, and the gates thereof are consumed with fire? … 17 Then said I unto them, Ye see the distress that we are in, how Jerusalem lieth waste, and the gates thereof are burned with fire: come, and let us build up the wall of Jerusalem, that we be no more a reproach.” Then note 1 Maccabees 1:29-39 & 14:4-12 for description of the desolation of the land, while it was being stripped by the Greek overlords, yet reclaimed and revitalized beneath the rule of the Maccabees. 1 Maccabees 1:29-39 29 And after two years fully expired the king sent his chief collector of tribute unto the cities of Judah, who came unto Jerusalem with a great multitude, 30 And spake peaceable words unto them, but all was deceit: for when they had given him credence, he fell suddenly upon the city, and smote it very sore, and destroyed much people of Israel. 31 And when he had taken the spoils of the city, he set it on fire, and pulled down the houses and walls thereof on every side. 32 But the women and children took they captive, and possessed the cattle. 33 Then builded they the city of David with a great and strong wall, and with mighty towers, and made it a strong hold for them. 34 And they put therein a sinful nation, wicked men, and fortified themselves therein. 35 They stored it also with armour and victuals, and when they had gathered together the spoils of Jerusalem, they laid them up there, and so they became a sore snare: 36 For it was a place to lie in wait against the sanctuary, and an evil adversary to Israel. 37 Thus they shed innocent blood on every side of the sanctuary, and defiled it: 38 Insomuch that the inhabitants of Jerusalem fled because of them: whereupon the city was made an habitation of strangers, and became strange to those that were born in her; and her own children left her. 39 Her sanctuary was laid waste like a wilderness, her feasts were turned into mourning, her sabbaths into reproach her honour into contempt. The Apocrypha: King James Version. (1995). (1 Mac 1:29–39). Bellingham, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc. 1 Maccabees 14:4-12 4 As for the land of Judea, that was quiet all the days of Simon; for he sought the good of his nation in such wise, as that evermore his authority and honour pleased them well. 5 And as he was honourable in all his acts, so in this, that he took Joppa for an haven, and made an entrance to the isles of the sea, 6 And enlarged the bounds of his nation, and recovered the country, 7 And gathered together a great number of captives, and had the dominion of Gazera, and Bethsura, and the tower, out of the which he took all uncleaness, neither was there any that resisted him. 8 Then did they till their ground in peace, and the earth gave her increase, and the trees of the field their fruit. 9 The ancient men sat all in the streets, communing together of good things, and the young men put on glorious and warlike apparel. 10 He provided victuals for the cities, and set in them all manner of munition, so that his honourable name was renowned unto the end of the world. 11 He made peace in the land, and Israel rejoiced with great joy: 12 For every man sat under his vine and his fig tree, and there was none to fray them: The Apocrypha: King James Version. (1995). (1 Mac 14:4–12). Bellingham, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc. Survey of the Roman Period Compare Josephus’ boast about the Land of Israel in the 1st Century: “The country that lies over against this lake [Galilee] has the same name of Gennesaret; its nature is wonderful as well as its beauty; its soil is so fruitful that all sorts of trees can grow upon it, and the inhabitants accordingly plant all sort of trees there; for the temper of the air is well mixed, that it agrees very well with those types, particularly walnuts, that require an air that is more moderate. One may call this place the ambition of nature, where it forces those plants that are naturally enemies to one another to agree together; it is a happy contention of the seasons, as if every one of them laid claim to this country…” Survey of the Roman Period Josephus describes how the Romans during the 1st Jewish Revolt stripped the Land of its produce and fertility. During the siege of Jerusalem, the Romans cut down every single tree within a radius of 11 miles in order to construct siege equipment. After emphasizing the beauty of the Land, Josephus goes on to mourn the desolation caused by the Roman invasion, and how the Land was nearly unrecognizable. Survey of the Roman Period Cassius Dio, speaking of the 2nd Jewish Revolt (132-135 A.D.), says Rome razed to the ground 50 strongholds and destroyed 985 villages throughout Israel. Similar to the words of Lamentations 5:18, Dio describes wolves & hyenas roaming the land and taking over. Recall how Hadrian plundered the area, renamed the city of Jerusalem into Aelia Capitolina, renamed the Land of Israel into Palestine, and sowed the fields with salt in order to sterilize the ground. Cassius Dio Survey of Muslim Period By the 630s A.D. the newly born religion of Islam began its conquest of the Middle East. The Land of Israel came under muslim domination in the 630s, and remained under its control till 1917. Many separate muslim factions would conquer, and then reconquer the land during these centuries so that the land was ravaged again and again. Muslim conquest of the Land of Israel resulted in the destruction of most churches & monasteries, as well as infrastructure such as ancient canals and irrigation systems, which fed the Land. Survey of Muslim Period Under muslim rule Jews & Christians were impoverished by the infidel nonmuslim tax imposed upon them. As a result, many homes, villages, and fields were deserted (see “The Decline of Eastern Christianity” by Bat Ye’or). Greek chronicler, Theophanes, describes another pillaging in 809 A.D. after Caliph Harun-Rashid died. Muslim historian Baladhuri says 50,000 Jews & Samaritans lived in Caesarea before the muslim conquest, but disappeared soon afterward. The coastal plain boasted 58 cities before the muslim conquest, but only 17 afterwards. Survey of Muslim Period The infighting between different muslim factions in the 10-11th centuries continued to devastate the Land. Acts of violence and pillaging continued to depopulate the Land. Then the Crusades happened. Crusaders were no better. Beginning with the 1st Crusade (1096-1099), war continued to keep the Land from settled prosperity. Crusaders slew both muslims and Jews alike. The waves of 8-9 Crusades kept up the slaughter with little more than 50 years between each conflict. Survey of Muslim Period Once the Crusaders were ejected from the Land by the mamluke muslims, all the major ports into Palestine were destroyed in order to isolate the Land and keep the Crusaders out. Yet this unintentionally devastated the trade routes that ran through Israel, and caused a further decline to the economy of the Land. Without order and justice the Land was never able to be productive. Bedouin bandits constantly preyed upon the Land. Finally the Ottoman Turks came to power in 1517, yet little changed. The Land was still overtaxed, underdeveloped, and further depopulated. Survey of Muslim Period The Ottoman government failed to exercise any check or control over their subjects in Palestine. Under Ottoman rule, peasant farmers were forced into the hands of money-lenders, who merely took advantage of them. Depopulation became more severe, and the one time estimate of 3,200 villages in the Land decreased to about 400. By the 18th century the Land was mostly owned by absentee landlords who leased the land to poor farmers. The infamous tree tax was created by these landlords. As a result, the poor farmers cut down all their trees in order to avoid paying higher taxes. Yet without trees, the rate of erosion dramatically increased, and ruined the Land completely. Survey of British Period Increased erosion stripped the hillsides during the heavy rainy season, and caused the water to pool in the valleys and stagnate. This created swamps full of malaria, and sand dunes incapable of production. This desolated state of the Land is where it was when the British began taking an interest in Palestine because of its strategic access to the Far East. In 1857 British consuls reported that the Land was no more than a desert wasteland with few inhabitants, and even absent of the traditional nomadic shepherds. Palestinian Exploration Fund 1. The Palestinian Exploration Fund is a British organization established in 1865 to study the Bible Lands. 2. In the mid-late 1800s European scholasticism embraced Evolutionary thought & a growing doubt regarding the Historicity of the Bible. 3. The completely desolate, uninhabitable, and nearly impassable state of the Land of Palestine in the 1800s, contributed to this attitude of discrediting the Bible. These critics could not believe the Biblical accounts of large populations & vibrant commerce in the Land of Israel. Palestinian Exploration Fund 4. Ironically, the PEF was founded to go to the Land, explore, and ultimately disprove the Bible. Yet as they began to explore, they uncovered archeological evidence of huge populations & vibrant commerce just as the Bible said. 5. The PEF would actually become a major impetus to the Zionist movement. As the PEF uncovered evidence of vast populations in Palestine in the distant past, Zionists began to believe that they could reclaim the Land of Israel, and once again make it productive! Mark Twain in Israel Further evidence of the state of the Land at this time came from Mark Twain, who visited the Holy Land in 1867, but had nothing good to say about it. His witty denunciation became well known: “Not 10 humans in 10 miles.” “No dew, nor flowers, nor birds, nor trees.” “A country whose soil is rich enough, but is given over wholly to weeds. A silent, mournful expanse.” “Even the olive tree and the cactus, those fast friends of worthless soil, had almost deserted the country.” “Palestine sits in sackcloth and ashes.” Survey of British Period In her book “Bible & Sword,” Barbara Tuchman points out that the incredible decay of the Land of Israel, and the supposed inability of the Land to support any substantial population, were the primary arguments used by the British government to issue the “White Papers,” which limited Jewish immigration into the Land in the early 1900s. As we have already seen, the real motive of the white papers were to appease the local Arab populations, nonetheless, the desolation of the Land was still apparent as late as the early 1900s. Modern Israel This wretched history of desolation and depopulation of the Land of Israel is dramatically contrasted by the astounding fruitfulness of the Land today. The early Zionists went into the Land of Israel, purchased huge tracts of worthless land from the Ottoman Empire, drained the swamps, planted trees, cultivated the earth, and caused the desert wasteland to bloom. This dramatic contrast is fun to look at, but remember it is a fulfillment of prophecy! Zionist Accomplishments Up to 15 years before Zionism had obtained permission from the Turkish government to purchase land, wealthy Jewish Philanthropists, like Baron Rothschild & Montefiore, had already begun to purchase large tracks of worthless land in Palestine, and allow downtrodden Jews, mostly from eastern Europe, to settle on it. Though originally independent of Zionism, these early Jewish immigrants would later team up with the Zionists. Recall that the Turkish Sultan at the time believed the presence of industrious Jews would help build up the infrastructure of his crumbling empire. New settlements would theoretically grant new taxes, etc. Baron Rothschild Zionist Accomplishments Beginning with the 1880s till 1917, the Zionist movement, and other nonZionist Jews in Palestine accomplished an astounding amount of agricultural activity. The land of Palestine was mismanaged and ravaged for centuries, which resulted in severe deforestation & rapid erosion. This process stripped the hillsides, and caused the water to pool in the valleys and on the coast. The land was an absolute wasteland that was unlivable, and nearly impassable. The Zionist movement, however, reclaimed the land within a few decades. Zionist Accomplishments They drained the swamps, planted trees, and crops, and conducted one of the greatest agricultural experiments of all time. They developed new agricultural techniques, and the land began to bloom. One of the issues the Zionists discovered was a unique sort of sea creature from the Mediterranean that secretes a certain element, which caused the sand to bind up and dam the water along the coastal plane, which had drained from the hill country. One solution they came to was to plant eucalyptus trees imported from Australia. Eucalyptus trees naturally sink deep roots, and suck high quantities of water out of the ground, thus slowly regaining the land. Agricultural Achievements in Modern Israel From 1948-2002 the total area of cultivated land increased from 165,000 acres to 420,000 acres. Since 1948, agricultural output increased 12-fold, yet water usage only 3-fold. In fact Israel has created a unique drip irrigation system where water goes directly to the roots and drastically cuts down on evaporation. Israel is the only country in the world with a receding desert. The U.N. has called Israel one of the driest, yet most agriculturally successful countries in the world. Tikkun Olam Roughly translated, “Tikkun Olam” means “repair the world.” It refers to the Jewish belief in their mandate to make the world a better place… or can we say, “have dominion over the earth” (Gen. 1) Jonathan Medved, Israeli Venture Capitalist, believes this mandate lies at the heart of Israeli innovation, and their willingness to share ideas and technology with the world. Rebirth of the Land Itzhik Moshe, Southern Director of Jewish National Fund, speaks of Israel’s goal to make the most of the land they have. One thing they have done is to study the ruins of ancient cisterns, terraces, and locations of farms. Much of their research was based on the Bible. They started by planting trees mentioned in the Bible, and have found that these trees survive without additional irrigation. Rebirth of the Land An Israeli company, Tal-Ya (“Dew of YHWH), has produced plastic trays around trees in order to catch morning dew, reducing water usage by 50%. Israel is one of only two countries in the world that began the 21st century with a net gain in the number of trees in their country. Their reforestation efforts have been an astounding success. Scientists from around the world have traveled to Israel to study this rebirth. Rebirth of the Land Since 1948 the agricultural output of Israel has increased 12fold, yet water usage has only increased 3-fold. Israel has developed a unique water drip system to get water directly to the roots of a plant drastically reducing loss of water by evaporation. This irrigation technique has caused a 50% increase in output of plants with a 40% decrease in the amount of water! Rebirth of the Land To help solve water needs Israel perfected the process of desalinization in 2015, now pulling water directly from the Mediterranean Sea. Israel used to run awareness adds on water conservation, now they have a water surplus. 80% of household water in Israel is recycled, which measures about 400 million cubic meters per year. This is 8x higher than any other nation on earth. Currently 50% of their drinking water comes from the desalinization process. Rebirth of the Land This desalinization is yet another mark the country of Israel has made upon history. They are a country, which has gone from a severe drought to a water surplus in only 10 years, yet without any significant change in the weather patters! They have achieved this by perfecting the water filtration systems involved in desalinization, cutting the cost in half of what it was formerly. Israel has extended this technology to a total of 40 countries around the world from China to the U.S. In fact Israeli engineers just helped install a desalinization plant in San Diego in December of 2015. Rebirth of the Land Israeli technology has made the so called “Israeli Super Cow” sort of famous. In 2012 each individual Israeli cow produced as average of 10.5 tons of milk each, which is 10% higher than the 2nd place cows of America and almost 50% more than German cows. This has been attributed to the special treatment Israeli cows receive, and the advanced form of technology Israel uses to track a cow’s health. Though Israel has exported this technology to 50 countries, Israeli cows still lead the world in milk production. This Israeli technology has created a new market for the milk monitors and cow tags sales of which have increased 30-fold since 2001. Certain Arab countries are now using this Israeli technology to milk camels! Photographic Evidence A picture is worth a thousand words! Coincidence or Providence?