IT IS now ascertainable, after the fulfilment of certain prophecies, what the prophets meant by Israel's "double", and by this means to determine exactly the date when God's favor should begin to return to Israel. The facts show that Israel's period of disfavor or punishment was exactly the same length as the period of time during which God had shown his favor to Israel. Jehovah, by his prophet, said: "Therefore, behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that it shall no more be said, The Lord liveth, that brought up the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt; but, The Lord liveth, that brought up the children of Israel from the land of the north, and from all the lands whither he had driven them; and I will bring them again into their land that I gave unto their fathers. Behold, I will send for many fishers, saith the Lord, and they shall fish them: and after will I send for many hunters, and they shall hunt them from every mountain, and from every hill, and out of the holes of the rocks. For mine eyes are upon all their ways: they are not hid from my face, neither is their iniquity hid from mine eyes. And first I will recompense their iniquity and their sin double; because they have defiled my land, they have filled mine inheritance with
the carcases of their detestable and abominable things."
This dispersion without doubt refers to the final overthrow of the Jews in the month of Nisan, 73 A.D. When they were taken captive and carried away to Babylon, God still held out his hand of favor to the Jews and in due time brought them back into their land. His favor continued with them until the days of their overthrow by the Romans. Then they were driven into many countries, particularly into Russia, which is the "north country" mentioned here by the Prophet Jeremiah. The facts all show that it is from Russia, the north country, that the majority of the Jews have returned to Palestine during the past few years.
The word "double" used by the Prophet Jeremiah is from the Hebrew mishneh, which means repetition, duplication, or double (as to amount). The irresistible conclusion is that the period of God's disfavor upon the Jews would be the same length of time as the period of his favor, the one being a double of the other.
All historians agree that the final overthrow of Israel occurred in the month of Nisan, 73 A.D., and that their trouble began just forty years prior thereto; to wit, in Nisan, 33 A.D. Counting back from 33 A.D. to the date of the organization of the nation at the death of Jacob, we find that the period is exactly 1845 years. This, then, would mark the period, in years, of God's favor to Israel. The disfavor
should be exactly the same length, to fulfil the double. Before the evidence showing the fulfilment of this prophecy is examined, another prophecy is considered in corroboration of the above, which shows that the time is accurately calculated.
The Prophet Zechariah, addressing the Jews, said:
"Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, 0 daughter of Jerusalem; behold, thy King cometh unto thee; he is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass. Turn you to the strong hold, ye prisoners of hope: even to day do I declare that I will render double unto thee." — Zech. 9: 9,12.
The words "even to day do I declare that I will render double unto thee" show that the fulfilment of this prophecy of Zechariah will mark the day or time from which the double begins to count. Now again we introduce the testimony in regard to Jesus and cite some of his words. If the physical facts show a fulfilment of Zechariah's prophecy (and this is corroborated by the prophecy of Isaiah), then this should at least be taken as competent evidence upon the point at issue. All Jews must admit that Jesus was a competent witness.
It is a historical fact that on the tenth day of Nisan, 33 A.D., Jesus rode into Jerusalem upon an ass and offered himself to the Jews as their king. Whether they accepted him or
rejected him makes no difference. The fact is that he was a Jew, a great teacher with a following, and possessed the qualifications to be king, and that he offered himself as such. The following historical record appears concerning the same:
"And when they drew nigh unto Jerusalem, and were coming to Bethphage, unto the mount of Olives, then sent Jesus two disciples, saying unto them, Go into the village over against you, and straightway ye shall find an ass tied, and a colt with her: loose them, and bring them unto me. And if any man say ought unto you, ye shall say, The Lord hath need of them; and straightway he will send them. All this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying, Tell ye the daughter of Sion, Behold, thy King cometh unto thee, meek, and sitting upon an ass, and a colt the foal of an ass. And the disciples went, and did as Jesus commanded them, and brought the ass, and the colt, and put on them their clothes, and they set him thereon. And a very great multitude spread their garments in the way; others cut down branches from the trees, and strawed them in the way. And the multitude that went before, and that followed, cried, saying, Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord: Hosanna in the highest!" — Matt. 21:1-9.
Here then, in 33 A.D., is the occurrence of that which is stated as a fulfilment of Zecha-
riah's prophecy. It was a turning point From that day back to the time of the organization of Israel at Jacob's death is 1845 years, while from that date forty years forward marks the complete overthrow of the nation of Israel. The Jewish Encyclopedia says: "With the fall of Masada the war came to an end on the 14th of Nisan, 73 A.D." Other historians corroborate this date.
It is therefore to be seen that the double began to count in the spring of the year 33 A.D.; and since there had been 1845 years of favor to Israel, 1845 years must pass away before it could be expected that any favor could begin to return to Israel. And 1845 years forward from 33 A.D. brings us to 1878 A.D. That date, then, should mark the beginning of God's favor to Israel; while forty years later, or 1918 A.D., which would correspond with the date of the complete fall of Palestine, should mark the beginning of the official reestablishment of the Jews in Palestine, provided we have properly interpreted this scripture with reference to the beginning of the "double".
Now let us note the physical facts and see how these facts show that the dates above mentioned are correct:
Turkey as the governing factor had long been in possession of the land of Palestine. A war was in progress between Turkey and Russia in 1878. Russia was successful in that war and forced the Turks to sign the Treaty of San
Stefano. This treaty was so unjust that the British Empire took a hand in the affair. At that time Disraeli, known officially as Lord Beaconsfield, a Jew, was prime minister of the British Empire. After Russia had agreed to discuss the matter with Great Britain a congress was called which convened at Berlin, Germany, on June 13, 1878, and remained in session for thirty days. Lord Beaconsfield attended that congress and also wrote the treaty. He was the first and only Jewish prime minister of Great Britain. The following is an excerpt from the Jewish Encyclopedia:
Russia, at war with Turkey, was successful, and by the treaty of San Stefano, practically effaced Turkey from Europe. Lord Beaconsfield, a Jew, came into power in 1874. As premier of Great Britain, Beacons-field sent the English fleet into the Dardanelles and brought Indian troops to Malta and made a demonstration against Russia. She yielded and agreed to a discussion of the whole affair at Berlin. Accordingly, from June 13 to July 13, 1878, the Berlin Congress was held. Beaconsfield compelled Russia to greatly modify this treaty. Turkey was enfranchised and made independent, but upon condition that civil and religious rights be granted to the Jews. This had an important bearing on the history of the Jews.
It was exactly at the proper time, to wit, 1878, that the first favor toward the Jew was manifested. A short time thereafter there began in Russia, Roumania and Germany a great persecution of the Jews. Undoubtedly the Lord permit-
ted this persecution in order to create in the Jews themselves a desire to return to Palestine.
It was because of this persecution that Zionism had its birth. In 1896 Theodor Herzl was publishing a newspaper under the title, A Jewish State. In this paper he championed the cause of the Jews. In stating the reason why he had championed the cause of the Jews and would attempt to recolonize them in Palestine, the beloved Herzl said:
"The scheme in question included the employment of an existent propelling force. Everything depends on our propelling force. And what is our propelling force? The miseries of the Jews."
ZIONISM ORGANIZED
Zionism was officially organized in 1897. The first Zionist Congress was held in that year, at Basel, Switzerland, and was attended by 206 delegates. The purpose of organizing Zionism was declared at that congress:
Zionism aims to create a publicly secured, legally assured home for the Jewish people in Palestine.
In order to attain this object, the congress adopts the following means:
(1) The promotion of the settlement in Palestine of Jewish agriculturists, handicraftsmen, industrialists, and men following professions.
(2) The federation and association of entire Jewry by means of local and general institutions in conformity with the local laws.
(3) The strengthening of Jewish sentiment and national consciousness.
(4) The procuring of such government sanctions as are necessary for achieving the objects of Zionism.
When the due time came for God's favor to begin to return to the Jew, he permitted conditions to arise whereby the Jews would be persecuted in the countries where they were, in order that their minds might turn with hope toward Palestine. An effort on the part of the Jews to gain Palestine was pushed from the time of the organization of Zionism. Not a great deal of progress was made, however, until during the World War.
Now again note the parallel. It was forty years after 33 A.D., that is, in 73 A.D., that the final trouble came upon Israel, when they were dispersed from Palestine; and the date corresponding to that must be forty years after 1878, which is 1918. These parallel dates are exactly 1845 years apart. It should be expected then that some time in 1918 some official recognition would be taken by the governing factors toward the re-establishment of the Jews in Palestine. The atonement day of the Jews is in the fall of the year. Therefore the Jewish fiscal year is often counted from that period. It was in the fall of 1917, the fall beginning the year 1918, that the Balfour letter was written to Lord Rothschild. It was in the spring of 1918 that Dr. Charm Weizmann, clothed with an official commission from the British Empire, the mandatory over
Palestine, opened offices in Jerusalem and began the laying of the foundation of the new Jewish government. Here, then, was the first official recognition; and it came exactly on time to fulfil the double, as pointed out by the foregoing prophecies.
It will be found that the Lord's returning favor to the Jew is not sudden, but gradual and progressive, even as the turning away of his favor was gradual, 1845 years previous. As we examine the evidence we shall see that 1925 A.D. is another marked date in favor of the Jews. It was in 1925, in the spring of the year, that the great Jewish university was dedicated at Jerusalem. Other evidence relating to 1925 is here considered.
THE JUBILEE
The prophet of God, under inspiration, wrote: "Blessed is the people that know the joyful sound: they shall walk, O Lord, in the light of thy countenance. In thy name shall they rejoice all the day: and in thy righteousness shall they be exalted." (Ps. 89:15,16) This prophecy may be applied to the jubilee year. Jews have long looked forward to the time when they might enjoy their great jubilee. The words "joyful sound" mean an acclamation of joy or battle-cry, a joyful shout or sound. A trumpet was sounded, announcing the jubilee.
The Scriptures show that because of the disobedience of Adam he was sentenced to death
and expelled from Eden; that he lost favor with God, and lost everything for himself and for his offspring. (Ps. 51:5) For this reason the whole human family has been born in sin; not because they wanted to be sinners, but because they could not avoid it. The great desire of man has been to get away from sin and to enjoy peace and happiness. Complete harmony with God brings such.
The nation of Israel is the only nation with which God ever dealt. This he makes clear to them when he says: "You only have I known of all the families of the earth." (Amos 3:2) It is manifest therefore that Israel was intended to be used and was used as an example or type for the benefit of the nations of earth that should follow thereafter. It likewise follows that the law which God gave to Israel was typical and foreshadowed a greater and better thing to come in the future; that is to say, the coming of a time when God will make good his promise to bless all the families of the earth through the seed of Abraham.
The promise that God made to Abraham in which he said, "In thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed" (Gen. 22:18), could mean nothing less than a full restoration to man of all the things lost, the chief among which is life in its fulness and the right thereto. This blessing carries with it all the favors of health, peace, prosperity and happiness. Every feature of the divine law therefore be-
comes important, to the Jew first, and afterward to all those who shall receive the blessings through the divinely provided seed.
One of the most prominent statutes of the law given to Israel through the hand of Moses is that pertaining to the jubilee. Without a question of doubt this law foreshadowed a time future during which God would bless all the families of the earth through the seed of Abraham, and that this blessing shall be a restoration to all the things that were lost in Eden.
The beginning of the law with Israel was really at the institution of the Passover. Moses had already received divine appointment as the deliverer of Israel from Egypt. Instructions had been given concerning the preparation and observation of the Passover. The people of Israel, by accepting and obeying Moses as their leader, had thereby made a covenant or contract in solemn form with Jehovah God that they would obey his law. The law covenant therefore dated from the time of the Passover. What transpired at Mount Sinai was a formal ratification of the covenant made in Egypt.
Within a short time after the deliverance from Egypt the Lord provided manna for the Israelites for food. This was while they journeyed in the desert and had no other means of food. Here the law clearly defines the sabbath day as a day of rest. The law required the keeping of the sabbath day and the sabbath year as a memorial of the deliverance of Israel
from Egypt. God said to them: "And remember that thou wast a servant in the land of Egypt, and that the Lord thy God brought thee out thence through a mighty hand and by a stretched out arm: therefore the Lord thy God commanded thee to keep the sabbath day." — Deut. 5:15.
The first mention of the sabbath day is in connection with the giving of the manna to the Israelites. There we read that Moses spoke unto the children of Israel concerning the sabbath and the manna: "And he said unto them, This is that which the Lord hath said, To morrow is the rest of the holy sabbath unto the Lord: bake that which ye will bake to day, and seethe that ye will seethe; and that which remaineth over lay up for you to be kept until the morning." — Ex. 16:23.
Thus is definitely established that the word "sabbath" means rest. The distinction between the sabbath and the jubilee is that the jubilee is the time, not merely of rest, but of great rejoicing because of restoration.
INSTITUTION OF THE JUBILEE
At Mount Sinai God enacted the law governing the jubilee. The reading of that statute is illuminating:
"And the Lord spake unto Moses in Mount Sinai, saying, Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye come into the land which I give you, then shall the land keep a
sabbath unto the Lord. Six years thou shalt sow thy field, and six years thou shalt prune thy vineyard, and gather in the fruit thereof; but in the seventh year shall be a sabbath of rest unto the land, a sabbath for the Lord: thou shalt neither sow thy field, nor prune thy vineyard. That which groweth of its own accord of thy harvest thou shalt not reap, neither gather the grapes of thy vine undressed: for it is a year of rest unto the land. And the sabbath of the land shall be meat for you; for thee, and for thy servant, and for thy maid, and for thy hired servant, and for thy stranger that sojourneth with thee, and for thy cattle, and for the beast that are in thy land, shall all the increase thereof be meat.
"And thou shalt number seven sabbaths of years unto thee, seven times seven years; and the space of the seven sabbaths of years shall be unto thee forty and nine years. Then shalt thou cause the trumpet of the jubilee to sound on the tenth day of the seventh month, in the day of atonement shall ye make the trumpet sound throughout all your land. And ye shall hallow the fiftieth year, and proclaim liberty throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof: it shall be a jubilee unto you; and ye shall return every man unto his possession, and ye shall return every man unto his family. A jubilee shall that fiftieth year be unto you: ye shall not sow, neither reap that which groweth of itself in it, nor gather the grapes in it of
thy vine undressed. For it is the jubilee; it shall be holy unto you: ye shall eat the increase thereof out of the field.
"In the year of this jubilee ye shall return every man unto his possession. And if thou sell ought unto thy neighbour, or buyest ought of thy neighbour's hand, ye shall not oppress one another: according to the number of years after the jubilee thou shalt buy of thy neighbour, and according unto the number of years of the fruits he shall sell unto thee: according to the multitude of years thou shalt increase the price thereof, and according to the fewness of years thou shalt diminish the price of it: for according to the number of the years of the fruits doth he sell unto thee.
"Ye shall not therefore oppress one another; but thou shalt fear thy God: for I am the Lord your God. Wherefore ye shall do my statutes, and keep my judgments, and do them; and ye shall dwell in the land in safety. And the land shall yield her fruit, and ye shall eat your fill, and dwell therein in safety. And if ye shall say, What shall we eat the seventh year? behold, we shall not sow, nor gather in our increase: then I will command my blessing upon you in the sixth year, and it shall bring forth fruit for three years. And ye shall sow the eighth year, and eat yet of old fruit until the ninth year; until her fruits come in ye shall eat of the old store. The land shall not be sold for ever: for
the land is mine; for ye are strangers and sojourners with me." — Lev. 25:1-23.
There is a fixed purpose in everything God causes to be done. If God provided for a certain number of jubilees to be kept we may be sure that he had a purpose therefor. Ascertaining that purpose will bring comfort to the heart of the searcher for truth. We should expect to find in the Scriptures a reason for providing for the jubilee.
God permitted the Jews to be carried away to Babylon as captives, and let the land of Palestine lie idle during that period of captivity of seventy years. This is in exact harmony with the prophecy of Jeremiah. This prophet of God had, as the Lord's mouthpiece, spoken to Israel: "And this whole land shall be a desolation, and an astonishment; and these nations shall serve the king of Babylon seventy years. And it shall come to pass, when seventy years are accomplished, that I will punish the king of Babylon, and that nation, saith the Lord, for their iniquity, and the land of the Chaldeans, and will make it perpetual desolations." — Jer. 25:11,12.
Since the prophet here said that they were to serve another king for seventy years, the presumption would be indulged that at the end of that time they should be relieved of this servitude. The same prophet (Jer. 29:10) says: "For thus saith the Lord, That after seventy years be accomplished at Babylon I will visit
you, and perform my good word toward you, in causing you to return to this place."
It was exactly seventy years from the beginning of the desolation of their land by Nebuchadnezzar until the Jews did return from Babylon to Palestine. God, through the prophet, states why the land was left desolate for this period of time, as it is written in 2 Chronicles 36:21, "To fulfil the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah, until the land had enjoyed her sabbaths; for as long as she lay desolate she kept sabbath, to fulfil threescore and ten years."
Exactly on time, at the end of this seventy-year period of desolation, the Lord stirred up the spirit of the king of Persia to send the Jews back into their own land, as it is written in 2 Chronicles 36:22, "Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the Lord spoken by the mouth of Jeremiah might be accomplished, the Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and put it also in writing."
Thus the Lord definitely shows that since the Jews had not obeyed him in keeping the sabbath years which the law had commanded, he had permitted them to be carried away captive, and Palestine to be desolated, for seventy years, that the land might thereby enjoy her allotted sabbaths during this period of time. This is
further corroborated by the prophet, in Leviticus 26:34, 35 and 43:
"Then shall the land enjoy her sabbaths, as long as it lieth desolate, and ye be in your enemies' land; even then shall the land rest, and enjoy her sabbaths. As long as it lieth desolate it shall rest; because it did not rest in your sabbaths, when ye dwelt upon it. The land also shall be left of them, and shall enjoy her sabbaths, while she lieth desolate without them: and they shall accept of the punishment of their iniquity: because, even because they despised my judgments, and because their soul abhorred my statutes."
The law required that each fiftieth year be observed as a jubilee. That was the rest and restoration period. The time of desolation (in order that the land might have her rest), being seventy years, fixed the total number of jubilees at seventy. What could have been God's purpose in having this number kept? The answer is that these seventy jubilees were time-markers, marking the total number of years that should elapse until his time for something better to transpire. God was here saying by his law that seventy jubilees (3500 years) would span the time that would elapse until the great jubilee would be due to begin.
But what could have been God's purpose in providing for only seventy jubilees and stopping there? It is quite certain that the things of the law foreshadowed better things to come;
that the law was typical; and that when the type ends, that which was foreshadowed must begin.
The promise to Abraham was: "In thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed." What blessing is to be expected? There could be no adequate blessing until man is fully restored to everything that Adam lost by reason of sin and his expulsion from Eden.
The jubilee year, as provided by the law, was for the purpose of restoring to every one that which had been taken away from him. It could therefore foreshadow nothing else than the restoration blessings which God promised Abraham should come to mankind. It follows, then, that the end of the typical jubilee years is the due time for the beginning of the blessings promised, and that these blessings are to be expected during the time of the great antitype.
TIME
Now it becomes very important to ascertain, if possible, when the seventy predetermined jubilees began to count and when the seventieth one will end, since this would mark the time for the great jubilee. God is an accurate timekeeper. He never makes a mistake. His law required the children of Israel to begin counting the time from the day they entered the land of Palestine. The children of Israel, under the leadership of Joshua, entered the land of Palestine in the spring of the year 2553 A.M. Since
seventy sabbath cycles of forty-nine years each are fixed by the Holy Scriptures, and since each of the forty-ninth-year sabbaths was to be followed immediately by a year of jubilee, therefore it follows that seventy jubilees, fifty years apart, are to be counted, and no more.
The fact that these jubilees were to be repeated every fiftieth year for seventy times proves that the jubilee was a type. Seventy times fifty equal 3500. If we add 3500 years to 2553 A.M., it brings us to the year 6053 A.M. Describing these dates according to our modern method of calculating time, it will be found that the Israelites entered the land of Palestine in the spring of the year 1575 B.C.; and if to that we add 3500 years, the period of time covered by the typical jubilees which were required to be kept by the law, it brings us to the end of the year 1925 A.D. In other words, 6053 A.M. and 1925 A.D. are one and the same date.
What, then, should be expected at the end of 1925? This may be determined by reference to the law given to Israel through Moses. That law provided that in the year of jubilee "ye shall return every man unto his possession". Thus the law states that the jubilee is the time of restitution. Since restitution is the blessing clearly intended by the promise God gave to Abraham, and since every one of the prophets from Samuel to Malachi foretold the coming times of great restitution of all things, it follows that the beginning of the antitypical jubi-
lee marks the beginning of the times of restitution.
Now it is exceedingly interesting to mark what the law required should be done to announce the beginning of the jubilee. At the end of the atonement day of each forty-ninth year the jubilee should be announced in the following manner:
"Then shalt thou cause the trumpet of the jubilee to sound on the tenth day of the seventh month, in the day of atonement shall ye make the trumpet sound throughout all your land. And ye shall hallow the fiftieth year, and proclaim liberty throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof: it shall be a jubilee unto you; and ye shall return every man unto his possession, and ye shall return every man unto his family." — Lev. 25: 9,10.
The sounding of the trumpet was for the very purpose of informing the people that the year of jubilee had arrived. Otherwise stated, knowledge that the time of the jubilee had come was the first thing essential for the people to have, and such they must have before the beginning of restoration of that which had been lost.
Reaching a conclusion from what the law required, it must be seen that the beginning of the jubilee is marked by the sounding of the trumpet. And what did the jubilee trumpet signify? A trumpet is always a symbol of a proclamation conveying knowledge to the people that the time has come for them to look for and
expect something and, concerning the jubilee, to expect that which will be pleasing and helpful to them. If the end of 1925 marks the end of the last fifty-year period, then it follows that we should expect the people to begin to receive some knowledge concerning God's great plan of restoration. The Jews are to have the favors first, and thereafter all others who obey the Lord.
There could be no restoration without knowledge, even as it is impossible to give a man anything unless he knows about it. A gift is a contract, and knowledge is the first and essential element on the part of both giver and receiver. From 1925 forward there has been the greatest proclamation of truth concerning Jehovah's government ever made on earth. That government means the restitution of man. The proclamation goes grandly on, and when that work is done restitution of the people must begin.
