The stage was set for the first return from exile when the Babylonians conquered the nation of Judah in 587 B.C. This had been predicted by different prophets, like Jeremiah, who specifically foretold that the captivity would last seventy years. "Because you have not obeyed My words... these nations shall serve the king of Babylon seventy years"¹. The Jews were forced to move to Babylon in a standard Babylonian technique for subjugating peoples. But in 539 the Persians defeated the Babylonians, and the Persian king Cyrus had a more moderate policy toward the Jews. In 538 he issued an edict allowing them to return to Judah. In 1948 President Wilson signed the mandate to restablish a Jewish Homeland and referred to himself as King Cyrus.

This they did, joyfully. An initial group of 42,360 traveled back to Jerusalem with the aim of restoring the city and the temple there. They began rebuilding the temple, but were beginning to assimilate into the population around them when a second, smaller group under the leadership of Ezra returned. Ezra revitalized the remnant and the people recommitted themselves to God. They completed the temple, and the sacrifices and ministry of the priesthood were reinstated. Later another Jew, Nehemiah, high in the service of the Persian king returned to Judah. His initiative sparked the rebuilding of Jerusalem’s walls even while under constant threat from the surrounding Samaritans. Thus the Jews were able to establish themselves once again in their homeland.

The path has been more difficult for today’s Jews, in many ways. A disturbing wave in anti-Semitism that spread across Europe in the late 19th century was the catalyst that inspired several groups to begin the Zionist movement. As early as 1870, a group named “Hibbat Zion”, or “Love of Zion” was founded, Zion being a name synonymous with Jerusalem. However, the true rise of Zionism dates to the work of Theodor Herzl in the 1890’s – he published a book called Der Judenstaat in 1896 and helped form the World Zionist Organization the year after. The notable thing about the Zionist movement was that it was primarily secular; religious Jews have dreamed of a return to Jerusalem since they lost the city in A.D. 70, but they were divided over this Zionist movement, some saying it was their chance to restore Israel, others doubting the secular Zionists or shrinking from the revolutionary nature of the movement.

Zionism spread quickly, though. Between the 1890’s and 1929 about 185,000 Jews from all over the world – Europe, Asia, even Africa – traveled back to Palestine, purchased land from the Turks or Arabs living there, and began to build a society. Financial assistance from rich Jewish philanthropists like Edmond Rothschild helped the Jews establish themselves, and they adapted quickly from the city life most of them had led to working in agriculture or industry.

At first Jews and Arabs were fairly friendly. In 1919 they signed a pact of co-operation based on their common desire for independence from the British. But as more Jews poured in, the Arabs began to view them as a threat, and hostility developed. Immigration increased even more as Nazism in Germany forced Jews to flee the country, and about 250,000 Jews entered Palestine between 1929 and 1939. This was too much for the Arabs to tolerate, and they waged a two-year revolt against the British rule and the Jews from 1937-39. The British were able to put down the rebellion on the eve of World War II, and to placate the Arabs they limited Jewish immigration to 6,000 people a year. In view of the atrocities the Nazis were already committing against the Jews and the atrocities they later would commit, this closing of an escape route is scandalous. Nevertheless, about 115,000 were able to sneak in during the war.

At the end of World War II, the British appealed to the newly formed U.N. to solve the problem between the Jews and Palestinians. The U.N. split the territory into separate countries for Arabs and Jews, but the Arabs refused to accept this decision. On May 14, 1948, Israel became a country. It was immediately attacked by the surrounding Arab countries, but successfully fought them off both in that war and in several wars since then. While violence is still rampant since 1948, Israel is now firmly established as a nation.

There are both remarkable contrasts and similarities between these two returns of the Jews. The causes were quite different: the first was made possible by the kindness of king Cyrus, while anti-Semitism provoked the second. The two groups had different purposes; the people returning from Babylon intended to reinstate both their nation and their religion, but the Zionist movement and the nation of Israel are largely secular and detached from the Jewish religion.

The actual process of the return makes for an interesting comparison. Both groups sensed immanent attack from their neighbors and began to fortify their defensive positions. The Jews returning from Babylon immediately started work on the city wall, temple, and their government/social structure. The Zionists had to deal with cultural differences, since they were made up of Jews from all over the world, but they also lacked the unifying and motivating force of religion that had given the Jews from Babylon their energy. The Zionist Jews bound together as the reality of Arab violence drove them into defensive positions.

The catalyst for the Zionist Jews would be the Arab opposition as it forced them to unify and exert the pressure needed to gain themselves an independent nation. The opposition from those surrounding the Jews in the 5th century B.C. had a different effect. It tempted them to assimilate into the pagan groups nearby, to marry a foreign wife and adopt foreign gods. Religion was the common purpose and unifying force for the Jews from Babylon and the anti-Jewish tribes nearby provided the opposition. In contrast, the attack on the Zionist Jews caused them to unify and firmly establish their society. Although both movements involved the same people group and the same destination, there were significant differences in cause, aim, process, and the opposition they experienced. This reflect notable differences in culture, religion, and historical situations for the two groups of Jews who were gathered by God into their promised land.

Does Jeremiah's prophecy have a corollary with God’s role in present events? The return from Babylonian captivity was clearly predicted by Jeremiah, and was God’s reinstatement of His people after punishing them for their sins. Similarly, the book of Revelation indicates that the Jews will be gathered back into a nation before the last judgment and the end times. It is certain that God will not forsake His promises to his chosen people, even if His interventions are 2,400 years apart. God remains faithful.

Sources
“History of Israel”, author n/a, accessed 01/09/04. http://www.aboutbibleprophecy.com/timeline.htm

“Babylonian Captivity – Wikipedia”. last modified 12/27/03, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Babylonian_captivity

“The Babylonian Captivity”, James Orr, M.A., accessed 01/09/04.
http://www.bible-history.com/map_babylonian_captivity/map_of_the_deportation_of_judah_international_standard_bible_encyclopedia.html

“Zionism Then and Now”; Dr. Robert Rockaway; 1975; http://www.azm.org/essays/rockaway2.html

“Zionism: The National Liberation Movement of the Jewish People”; Dr. Robert Rockaway; 1975; http://www.azm.org/essays/rockaway1.html

“Jewish Literacy – Jewish History”; accessed 01/13/04; http://search.aish.com/literacy/jewishhistory/default.asp?s=g&k=judaismhistory

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