God's Coming Kingdom

God, in the pages of the Bible, often speaks about the coming kingdom of God on earth. This page is a continuing series of articles about this coming kingdom, as shown in the Bible.

Part 37      God's Coming Kingdom

In final fulfillment of God’s warning to the young nation of Israel, the Jewish state was overthrown in 70 AD. The remaining Jews in the land of Israel were expelled to join the majority of their nation, who were already scattered among the nations, ever since their last king was overthrown by the Babylonians.

“It shall come to pass, if you do not obey the voice of the Lord your God...Then the Lord will scatter you among all peoples, from one end of the earth to the other...Your life shall hang in doubt before you; you shall fear day and night, and have no assurance of life...” - Deuteronomy 28:64-66.

But following His warning, God declared in Leviticus 26:45 - “But for their sake I will remember the covenant of their ancestors, whom I brought out of the land of Egypt in the sight of the nations, that I might be their God: I am the Lord.”

M. Gilbert in his Atlas of Jewish History, p. 10, supplies an example of the troubles the Jews have endured through the centuries and until very recently, under the title, The Jews of Iraq 600 BC - 1900 AD. The Jews had lived in hundreds of settlements for more than twelve centuries until the Muslim conquest in 634 AD. To overcome the effect of their treatment as foreign refugees, they were forced to use their talents to best advantage and prospered because of this.

But those times were interrupted by periods of intermittent and sometimes harsh oppression as in the years 800, 850 and again in 1000 the Jews were subjected to ridiculously high taxes and forced to display coloured patches on their clothes.

Conditions deteriorated further in 1333 when there were many instances of Jewish property being looted and synagogues destroyed. Under the rule of the Turks there was a long extended period of extreme persecution from which many Jews fled to other counties.

Meanwhile, and before the worst of these incidences, there emerged in Baghdad a class of rich Jewish bankers who in a short time arranged an association with the offices of high Arab officials. They financed both their armed expeditions and their self-indulgent ways.

This relationship gave these Jews a sufficient influence which enabled them to defend the interests of their community. See A Historical Atlas of the Jewish People, p. 82.

This and other similar efforts have greatly assisted to fulfill the promise of God, while meting out His punishment on them, nevertheless preserving Israel until Jesus will return to repair their fortunes for all time, as referenced in Leviticus 26:45, when He will send Jesus to restore His kingdom.

Latter day believers have rejoiced to see world events moving slowly but surely in the direction which is predicted in the word of God. The Jewish State has managed to defend their occupation of a portion of the territory which God promised to Abraham.

But for differing reasons a large segment of mankind denies that the Jews have any political or religious right to that land. But in so doing they are placing themselves in direct hostility to the declared purpose of God.