Revelation 1:7 (NKJV) Behold, He is coming with clouds, and every eye will see Him, even they who pierced Him. And all the tribes of the earth will mourn because of Him. Even so, Amen.
This passage speaks of Christ's second coming in judgment on Israel. We noticed that cloud comings in the Old Testament are frequently prophetic emblems of God's judgment on the nations. The coming spoken of in Revelation is to be upon those "who pierced Him." Who is that? The New Testament continually points out that those who pierced Christ were the first century Jews. Also those who pierced Christ are "the tribes of the earth" (or the land), which refers to the promised land, or Israel. This book revelation introduces its readers to the theology of judgment and specifically God's judgment sanctions against the nation of Israel.
Israel had crucified the Lord and publicly called God's judgment down on themselves: "And all the people answered and said, `His blood be on us and on our children.'" (Matthew 27:25). God's judgment on Israel in 70 AD matched their crime, the crucifixion of Christ. This crime was the worst in history so their punishment was also the worst in history. To call anything else "the great tribulation" is to downplay the immensity of that generation's crime.
Entering the Promised Land had been the dream of God's people for the past forty years, ever since Moses had shared with the elders of Israel (Exodus 4:29) God's promise:
I have promised to bring you up out of your misery in Egypt into the land of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites -- a land flowing with milk and honey" (Exodus 3:17)
--------------------------------------------------
Ethiopian Jews hope for a promised land
Thousands of Ethiopians who practice Judaism live in impoverished limbo, waiting for a chance to move to Israel. It's doubtful how many will get to go.BY EDMUND SANDERSLos Angeles Times Service
ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia - In shantytowns scattered around the imposing Israeli Embassy here, thousands of self-described Ethiopian Jews wait idly, hoping one day to make it to the Promised Land.
They started flooding to Addis Ababa nearly a decade ago, expecting to join a massive migration to Israel. Now many are caught in limbo. They abandoned jobs, homes and in some cases religious beliefs, but are uncertain whether they ever will join a resettlement program bogged down by budget, political whim and an international debate over who is a Jew.
Like many, Haymanot Hailu, 34, moved eight years ago to a one-room metal shack in the shadow of the heavily guarded hillside embassy. She and her husband gave up a comfortable life as sorghum farmers in the green hills of the north to bring their six children to Ethiopia's congested capital. They barely earn enough as day laborers to feed the family.
`LOOKING FORWARD'
They are sustained by one dream: to go to Israel, where, Hailu says, her sister is waiting.
''I miss our old life very much, but now I try to forget it,'' she said. ``I'm only looking forward. There's no going back. I don't know what we will do if we don't go. We are Jews, and we want to go to the Promised Land.''
It's unclear whether Hailu, and thousands like her, will be judged by Israeli authorities as eligible for relocation. Many are suspected of feigning Jewish roots to trade an often impoverished existence for a more comfortable, government-subsidized life in Israel. Others simply won't qualify under eligibility rules, which require that they have relatives living in Israel.
more in this report from Miami Herald:
http://www.twincities.com/mld/miamiherald/news/world/13849049.htm?source=rss&channel=miamiherald_world
|
|
