“Do you think all the Jews in Palestine are of the two tribes, and that the, ten tribes are still hidden, or are they of the twelve tribes generally? And what do the Jews themselves say as to the ten tribes and the two?”
I asked my venerable informant, the Jewish priest, specially as to this matter; and his reply was exactly what you would have made. He said that the ten tribes as a whole were carried into captivity, and are unknown until now. However, a few individuals of them joined Judah, and are found amongst the Jews until this day. He said some of them are to be found here as elsewhere, but they are few. He quite in the future restoration of the ten tribes; and was interested when I pointed out to him that, having given up the one God before their captivity, they are doubtless now in heathenism or some false religion, and will so remain until God visits them to bring them back. He could quite accept also that the Jews now known will have to pass through special trials, and be dealt with more severely than the ten tribes. And I explained this to him as being on the ground of their greater responsibility, for having had far greater light, especially the presence of Christ among them.
He assured me that David’s family is still well known, and that there are many of it now in Jerusalem; and that the rightful heir is known.
While on this subject, I may add as a matter of interest, that there are now about 80,000 Jews in Palestine and Syria; and they seem to be much stirred up, and expect that the time of their restoration is drawing near. All authorities agree that two-thirds of the present inhabitants of Jerusalem are Jews. Gentiles estimate the entire population at 30,000. But D. C., my informant, assured me that there are now 30,000 Jews in Jerusalem, for they had recently taken a census. They have no wish to make a display of their numbers, for fear of the Ottoman government, which has prohibited their settling in Palestine unless they become Ottoman subjects. The reason is this, if any considerable number of foreign Jews (Russians, for example), emigrate hither the consul of that government claims them as his protégés, and gives the Ottoman government a deal of trouble. He has a little kingdom of his own. Jerusalem is now practically under the rule of its foreign consuls.
Old D. C. is intelligent, has traveled much and knows the Jews well. He has made his calculation, that their restoration must take place within twenty years. He and his sons had been anxious to see me for some time, and they gladly entertained me for the night, and gave me a good bed (a pallet) between the old man and his son Isaac.
We spent a long evening, and had up many questions: such as—the general scope of dispensational truth; God’s ways and purposes as to Israel. I heard what they had to say, and asked them questions on different points. They then listened to all I had to say, and manifested a (rood deal of interest. Their thoughts of God’s ways and Israel’s future are narrow indeed, as we might expect. Israel is to be restored and blessed, Messiah will be raised up, and there will be forty years of events preparatory to the full glory of the kingdom. During this time the resurrection will take place. All Jews buried in Palestine will be raised first, and will never die again, although they will only be restored to their natural bodies. Hence the desire of all Jews to be buried in Palestine. But other Jews, and all the old believers will be raised also to enjoy the kingdom. Messiah will then reign a thousand years; then the judgment, and after that no man knows what will be.
We had up the genealogies of the Gospels and Isa. 7:10-1610Moreover the Lord spake again unto Ahaz, saying, 11Ask thee a sign of the Lord thy God; ask it either in the depth, or in the height above. 12But Ahaz said, I will not ask, neither will I tempt the Lord. 13And he said, Hear ye now, O house of David; Is it a small thing for you to weary men, but will ye weary my God also? 14Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. 15Butter and honey shall he eat, that he may know to refuse the evil, and choose the good. 16For before the child shall know to refuse the evil, and choose the good, the land that thou abhorrest shall be forsaken of both her kings. (Isaiah 7:10‑16), and I met all their objections kindly; so that they had nothing further to object. I had opportunity to skew what we believe as to Christ’s Person and the Atonement, His resurrection, and present place in heaven—the proclamation of the gospel to all—what Christianity is, and what our hope is in contradistinction to that of Israel. We had up Daniel’s weeks, and the one week remaining for Israel; the false Messiah, and the faithful remnant, their persecution and dispersion; the Gentile remnant; Christ’s appearing; the gathering of the ten tribes; Israel’s place of blessing and supremacy during the kingdom, and kindred truths.
They had read the four Gospels, and were interested to hear the character and object of each one of them.
“But if the kingdom is near, why could not you have a part in it, and be blessed with Israel?”
I showed them that this could not be. I am not a Jew, and, as a Christian, my only hope is to be taken to be with Christ.
“But pious Gentiles of old got blessing with Israel.” Yes, for God was then owning Israel, but now He is not. They are now under the sentence of “Lo-Ammi!” If I should seek blessing on Israel’s ground now, I should only be a bad Jew, and a worse Christian. Christendom has really taken that place. They say they are Jews, but are not. God has rejected Israel since they rejected Christ; and there can be only spiritual and heavenly blessing now, and in connection with Christ where He is. We as Christians wait for Him from heaven, and if He be no our portion and hope, we have nothing but cutting off and damnation to expect. They were interested in this point.
They are perfectly aware that Protestantism has alleviated their condition; and are delighted to know that there are now many who do not deny Israel’s hopes. This greatly confirms pious. Jews. They admit that there are very many Jews who care little for their own hopes.
They feel the spirit of persecution now raised in some places against them, and admit that this is of God, to show Israel that they cannot expect rest and blessing among the Gentiles. To this hour they are still “Tribes of the wandering foot, and weary breast.”
They say that they can feel safe nowhere. Only three years ago there had nearly taken place a massacre of the Jews in Beirut, and another in Alexandria, through a false accusation that they had taken some christian children to get their blood for sacrifice. I myself have heard Christians talking about this, and they positively affirm that it is so, and profess to give details. No one actually witnessed it, but they are quite satisfied of the truth of it. I can only account for such a delusion by supposing that God allows it, that the poor Jews may be reminded of their guilt concerning “their brother,” whose blood they once wickedly shed; and will have no rest until they acknowledge their own guilt in the matter; and see that while they meant evil by it, God meant good; and that grace really declared that it was expedient for one man to die, that the whole nation perish not.
B. F. P.