Jerusalem Rebuilt—Ezekiel and Zechariah.—The Babylonian captivity lasted for seventy years. At the expiration of that period, some of the Jews, under the permissive edict of Cyrus the Great, who had conquered Babylon, returned and rebuilt their City and Temple. These, however, were only a remnant, numbering fifty thousand, led by Zerubbabel and Joshua. The bulk of the nation remained in a scattered condition. The Jews who rebuilt Jerusalem were those to whose descendants the Christ came, and predicted, after their rejection of him, that their "House" should be "left unto them desolate."[[9]] Meanwhile Ezekiel and Zechariah—the former in exile among the Babylonians, the latter at Jerusalem after the restoration—had added their predictions to those already uttered relating to Israel's dispersion.
The Roman Conquest.—Centuries later, in Apostolic times, went forth the Epistle of James, with its greeting: "To the Twelve Tribes which are scattered abroad." But the dispersion, even then, was not complete. There were yet to be other painful experiences of the same kind. One of the most notable occurred in A. D. 70, when Titus the Roman came against Jerusalem, captured the city, and sold the inhabitants—such as had survived the horrors of the siege—into slavery, or scattered them through different parts of the Empire. To follow the fortunes of this branch of the fated nation in all its subsequent migrations and wanderings, would fill volumes.
What of the Benefits?—Let us now consider the question: In what way did these calamities upon Israel prove a blessing to the human race? How, by the scattering of the children of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, was God's promise to those patriarchs in any degree fulfilled, that in their seed should all the nations of the earth be blessed? Already I have answered these questions in part, and will now answer them more fully.
The Blood That Believes.—Through these acts of deportation, enforced exile, and voluntary wandering, the blood of Israel, the blood that believes, with choice spirits answering to that blood, and no doubt selected for the purpose, were sent into those nations where the Gospel has since been preached—spirits capable of recognizing and appreciating the Truth, and brave enough to embrace it, regardless of consequences; thus setting an example of heroism, of obedience to the dictates of conscience, that would naturally appeal to the noble and upright surrounding them, and influence them in the same direction. Manifestly, that was of far greater consequence than the carrying by the captive Israelites of their laws, traditions and customs into those nations; though this also would help to prepare the way for the wonderful developments that were to follow.
Rapid Spread of Christianity.—And such things told in after years. One of the marvels of history is the rapid spread of Christianity in the days of the Apostles, who, unlettered as most of them were, and in the midst of the fiercest persecution, planted the Gospel standard in all the principal cities of the Roman Empire. From Jerusalem, the tidings of "Christ and him crucified" radiated to Britain on the west, to India on the east, to Scythia on the north, and to Ethiopia on the south—all within the short space of fifty years.[[10]]
Many Nations Sprinkled.—How could such things be, if Divine Providence had not prepared the way by sending the blood and genius of Israel into all nations, prior to pouring out upon those nations the Spirit of the Gospel and the Gathering? Others before Abraham had shown their faith by their works; but this does not disprove his claim to the title—"Father of the Faithful." Nor does it prove that the blood of faith, wherever found, is not his blood. The Moabite maiden Ruth, ancestor of Jesus of Nazareth; the Roman centurion, whose faith caused even the Savior to marvel; Cornelius and the Woman of Canaan—these were not of Israel, by recognized earthly descent; yet their spirits were well worthy of such a lineage, and in their veins was the believing blood with which God has "sprinkled many nations."
Footnotes
[1]. Deut. 28:64.
[2]. I Kings 14:15.
[3]. Hos. 7:8.