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Lesson Seven -- Israel, The Nation that Refuses to Die
After returned from Paddan Aram, Allah appeared to him
again and blessed him. Allah said to him, "Your name is
, but you will no longer be called ; your name will
be Israel." So he named him Israel. (, Genesis 35:9,10)
Israel's Past
The people today known by the name "Israel" are
a very ancient people, tracing their lineage back to Prophet (pbuh). As can be seen in the above verse, Allah gave
the new name, Israel. So when we speak of "the descendants
of Israel" or "Bani-Israel", we are speaking of
the descendants of Prophet . (pbuh) was the grandson of
(pbuh). Allah blessed Prophet with twelve sons who became a great nation with many notable
descendants. The most famous king of all time, prophet-king (pbuh), known for his wealth and wisdom, and the builder of
the Holy House in Jerusalem, was a descendant of Prophet (pbuh).
Think of the many prophets who have come from this family.
Prophet , , , , , , ,
, and (peace be on them all), are just a few
of the many prophets who came from Bani-Israel. Allah gave to
Israel a special ministry of prophethood. These holy men prophesied
to the children of Israel about the Messiah () who would
come one day. They said that he would be their king and their
Saviour from sins. Allah would also bless the entire world through
the Messiah because he would one day rule a righteous kingdom
in which there was peace and long life for all. But what actually
happened when Isa the Messiah came? The children of Israel
did not recognize him and so rejected him. This did not surprise
Allah, for he knows all things. Hundreds of years before the
rejection of the Messiah, the prophets said that this would happen:
He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and
familiar with suffering. Like one from whom men hide their faces
he was despised, and we esteemed him not. (Book of the Prophets,
53:3)
Prophet Isa also knew that the Jews would reject him
and so he said:
O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone
those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children
together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you
were not willing. Look, your house is left to you desolate. For
I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, 'Blessed
is he who comes in the name of the Lord.'
A large number of people followed him, including women who
mourned and wailed for him. Isa turned and said to them, "Daughters
of Jerusalem, do not weep for me; weep for yourselves and for
your children. For the time will come when you will say, 'Blessed
are the barren women, the wombs that never bore and the breasts
that never nursed!' (Holy , Matthew 23:37-39; Luke 23:27-29)
Less than 40 years later, these words were fulfilled as the
Roman armies surrounded and destroyed Jerusalem. The Jews were
scattered throughout the world as a result of this, and remained
so for almost 1,900 years. But why? Why did Allah bless them
so much and then turn around and curse them? They rejected Allah's
Masih, Prophet Isa, their Saviour, and so rejected Allah's grace.
Even until the present time, most Jews continue to reject
the claims of Isa . They think of him as an imposter, a
.
Israel's Present
Some call it Palestine. Others call it Israel. But no matter
what you call it, the land which gave birth to Isa is
a source of tension for many people around the world. And there
appears to be no easy solution. Almost daily, you can read in
the newspapers about Israelis killing Palestinians, or Palestinians
killing Israelis, over that small piece of land. So people ask, "Whose
land is it?"
As important as that question may be, there
is a more important question in relation to Bani-Israel. The
question is, "What is their relationship to Allah?"
The Jews claim to worship Allah correctly, and believe that they
are following the truth. But even though the Jews now live in
the land of Palestine after 1900 years of exile, that which caused
the exile in the first place has not been made right. Most Jews
still reject , the one whom Allah sent to them. We know
that Isa is no ordinary prophet. He is unique in many ways. He
is the only virgin-born person there has ever been. He has the
distinction of being "the healing prophet". He has
more followers around the world than any other religion. He is
the only one who rightfully bears titles such as "Allah's
Word", "Masih", and "Saviour". Is it
any wonder that Allah would show such great displeasure when
Israel rejected such a one?
Israel then, is in one way an "enemy"
of Allah (see Holy , Romans 11:28), but that is only half
the truth. Allah still loves Israel, because of his relationship
to Prophet and . Even though Israel is presently
under the curse of Allah, the day will come in which Israel will
once again receive Allah's blessing.
Israel's Future
Before Israel can receive Allah's promised blessings, it must
endure much more hardship. In the future seven-year time of great
trouble, Jews will suffer terribly. It is common knowledge that
during the era of Adolph Hitler in Nazi Germany, many many Jews
died in concentration camps. However, Hitler may seem like a
gentleman compared to the coming . will hate Jews
intensely and even exceed the cruelty shown by Adolph Hitler.
As Prophet Isa said:
...thenlet those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. Let
no one on the roof of his house go down to take anything out
of the house. Let no one in the field go back to get his cloak.
How dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and
nursing mothers! Pray that your flight will not take place in
winter or on the Sabbath. For then there will be great distress,
unequaled from the beginning of the world until now -- and never
to be equaled again. (Holy , Matthew 24:16-21)
As terrible as this will be, Allah will use it in the lives
of countless Jews to bring about repentance. In the day of qiyamat,
the nation of Israel will have its eyes opened as to how it has
rejected Allah's Masih for all these centuries. Bani-Israel shall
repent and believe in the Masih. Allah in turn, will forgive
them and give them new hearts to fully obey him:
And I will pour out on the house of and the inhabitants
of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and supplication. They will look
on me, the one they have pierced, and they will mourn for him
as one mourns for an only child, and grieve bitterly for him
as one grieves for a firstborn son. On that day the weeping in
Jerusalem will be great, like the weeping of Hadad Rimmon in
the plain of Megiddo.On that day a fountain will be opened to
the house of and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, to cleanse
them from sin and impurity. (Holy , 12:10,11;
13:1)
I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I
will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart
of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow
my decrees and be careful to keep my laws. You will live in the
land I gave your forefathers; you will be my people, and I will
be your God. I will save you from all your uncleanness. I will
call for the grain and make it plentiful and will not bring famine
upon you. I will increase the fruit of the trees and the crops
of the field, so that you will no longer suffer disgrace among
the nations because of famine. Then you will remember your evil
ways and wicked deeds, and you will loathe yourselves for your
sins and detestable practices. I want you to know that I am not
doing this for your sake, declares the Sovereign Lord. Be ashamed
and disgraced for your conduct, O house of Israel! (, 36:26-32)
Allah will bring blessing upon Israel in the future. He will
bless them with eyes to see their wickedness. He will grant them
repentance and faith in Prophet . He will give them a new heart
in exchange for their hard heart. He will let them live in the
land promised to , and bless them with prosperity. What
more could they ask for?
The call goes out to Israel today to "be ashamed and
disgraced" for their conduct. But the same call goes out
to us all to repent, and believe in Prophet Isa, the Saviour.
Then similar blessings can be ours. Allah will give us a new
heart, forgiveness of sins, and a beautiful place of our own
in paradise.
But the question still remains, "Whose land is it?"
It is Allah's land!
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QUESTIONS: -- Choose the most correct answers
1. The prophet to whom Allah gave the name "Israel"
was
a. Ibrahim
b. Musa
c. Sulayman
d.
2. The term "Bani-Israel" refers to
a. the Jews
b.
the physical descendants
of Prophet
c.
a nation which gave
birth to many prophets
d. all of
the above
3. The prophets of Israel said a Messiah would come. He would,
a.
be the rightful
king of the Jews
b.
save them from their
sins
c.
be a blessing to the
entire world
d. all of
the above
4. It was predicted that the Jews would reject the Messiah.
a. true
b. false
5. The Jews were scattered throughout the world for centuries
because,
a. they were weak
b. they were on vacation
c.
they had rejected
Allah's chosen Saviour
d.
it was
good for business
6. In the future, the Jews will
a.
suffer greatly
in the time of great trouble
b.
turn to Allah in great
numbers someday and accept their Messiah
c.
receive Allah's blessing
once again because of their repentance
d. all of
the above
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