This report represents an attempt on my part to demonstrate reasons why I believe that a very profound shift in our time has taken place in biblical history. Specifically, what this means is that of the three stages in the work of Jesus the Messiah—(1) the Atonement; (2) the Gentile (or Christian stage); and (3) the Jewish stage—we have already left behind the Gentile Christian stage and are now in the third or final stage just before the return of Jesus.
What led essentially to this conclusion are two biblical prophecies, one by Jesus and the other by Paul. Jesus predicted two thousand years ago that when Gentiles (or non-Jews) lose control of Jerusalem, “the times of the Gentiles” —referring to Gentile Christianity—will be finished (or “fulfilled”): Luke 21:20-24 – “Jerusalem will be trampled on by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled." On the other hand, Paul predicted that once “the times of the Gentiles” reach their “fullness” (that is, completion or end), the hardness of Israel (or the Jews) against Jesus will be lifted: Romans 11:25-26 – “blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles be come in.”
Now, by reviewing briefly three separate movements in history, I will explain the evidence I believe strongly confirms that the prophecy of Jesus has been fulfilled and that the prophecy of Paul is now in the process of being fulfilled:
1. HUMANISM or SECULARISM – Humanism involves the belief that humans have enough resources in human reason and science to govern their own affairs, without the need for belief in the supernatural, a supernatural divinity, or divine revelation. Humanism is therefore essentially atheistic in nature. There are politicians influenced by Humanism who call themselves “Progressive.” Modern Humanism in European and U.S. history can trace its beginning to the Age of Reason (or the so-called “Enlightenment”) that flourished around the 18th century in Europe. In all the time it has been around since then, Humanism has existed side by side with Christianity.
However, for most of its existence, the cultural influence of Humanism in Europe and the U.S. had been limited primarily to highly educated people—or what is referred to as the “academicians.” The masses of the rest of humanity in society were largely influenced by the values of Gentile Christian religion.
Nevertheless, after many centuries of pushing to obtain a greater influence in the world, Humanism seems to have begun to triumph in Europe significantly around the first quarter of the twentieth century. The social impact this had was that Christian values in European society were largely abandoned by mid-twentieth century. By this time, European people were listening more to what the philosophers were saying than to what Christian religion had to say.
In the U.S., Christian values in society persisted a little longer. But in mid-twentieth century, Humanism in the U.S. began to make significant progress. It began in the 1940s with U.S. Supreme Court decisions that drove Christian religious involvement out of public institutions, such as branches of government and public schools. This steady trend of driving Christianity out of the public arena eventually led to the most dramatic breakthrough for Humanism. This was the so-called “culture wars” of the 1960s. From this Humanist triumph, Gentile Christianity as a vital source of influence in society has never recovered. In fact, things have gone from bad to worse for the values upheld by this religion. Western society continues to evolve only in favor of atheistic and secular Humanism.
2. GENTILE-CENTERED CHRISTIANITY – Practically from the beginning of its history, American society and its public institutions had been largely influenced by Christian values up to the beginning of the twentieth century. But once the Humanist triumph in Europe and America had arrived in mid-twentieth century—in America, particularly in the 1960s—American Christianity began to see the gradual loss of its former and pervasive social influence. This is a change that can be defined as one that has brought the era of traditional values fostered by Gentile Christianity to an irreversible end.
Based on historical and biblical research I have conducted and evidence I have compiled, my own answer to the issue of meaning behind the revolutionary social changes that have taken place and continue to take place is as follows:
What has happened with Gentile Christianity has happened not so much because atheistic Humanism is stronger that biblical religion. Instead, it has happened because God himself has foreordained this development and predicted their coming. As such, these changes had to happen. As already noted, Jesus himself first of all predicted (or prophesied) that this would happen to the Gentile Christian world at the time that it did. Secondly, Paul in his own prophecy explained why all of this happened. All this is demonstrated below as we examine how Jewish history evolved in mid-twentieth century, beginning in the 1940s.
3. JEWISH HISTORY – Prior to mid-twentieth century, anti-Semitism was very strong and pervasive throughout Europe and the United States. Up to mid-twentieth century, these two geographical areas represented the two primary strongholds of Gentile Christianity. For almost 2,000 years in Europe and America combined, Jews had been looked upon in anti-Semitic Christian society as outcasts and as a cliquish, arrogant, and God-forsaken people.
Hence, it is not surprising that, when the Nazi Holocaust emerged, causing one of the greatest miseries the Jews have ever endured, Gentile people in power who could have offered vital help to the Jews were difficult to find. For example,
1. In Europe, Pope Pius XII (1939-1958) allowed the Nazi Holocaust to go on in its massive killing of Jews without uttering a single word of condemnation against this genocide.
2. In America, President Franklin D. Roosevelt, who was not himself an anti-Semite, nevertheless, out of political deference to American anti-Semitism, refused to give safe haven in the U.S. to a shipload of Jews fleeing the Holocaust.
However, many Jews who managed to escape the Holocaust were either smuggled or allowed to settle in Palestine. During the 1940s, when these events were occurring, this area of Palestine was heavily inhabited by Arabs and was under British control. In 1948, with the Jewish population surging in Palestine, Jewish leaders managed to establish the sovereign Jewish “State of Israel.” Then, on June 7, 1967, in the so-called “6-day war,” the armed forces of the State of Israel fought against the Arabs and won control of original (or old) Jerusalem after the city had been in Gentile control for almost 2,000 years.
Hence, it is here where we see the prophecy of Jesus on Jerusalem and Gentile Christianity fulfilled—by June 7, 1967, on the same decade of the 1960s when Jerusalem fell to the Jews, the cultural revolution had given Gentile Christian values in society their irreversible death-blow.
As for Paul’s prophecy predicting that Jewish hardness against Jesus would prevail until the times of the Gentiles had reached their full completion, I note in a religious blog article entitled "Jews reclaim Jesus as one of their own" (dated April 5, 2012) that, as Paul predicted, CNN described as follows a rising movement among Jews towards an acceptance of Jesus:
"Jews, for their part, tended largely to ignore Jesus. That's changing now. In the past year, a spate of Jewish authors, from the popular to the rabbinic to the scholarly, have wrestled with what Jews should think about Jesus. And overwhelmingly, they are coming up with positive answers, urging their fellow Jews to learn about Jesus, understand him and claim him as one of their own."
All that is left now is the return of Jesus in the midst of great earthly suffering (Matt. 24:21-31)
What led essentially to this conclusion are two biblical prophecies, one by Jesus and the other by Paul. Jesus predicted two thousand years ago that when Gentiles (or non-Jews) lose control of Jerusalem, “the times of the Gentiles” —referring to Gentile Christianity—will be finished (or “fulfilled”): Luke 21:20-24 – “Jerusalem will be trampled on by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled." On the other hand, Paul predicted that once “the times of the Gentiles” reach their “fullness” (that is, completion or end), the hardness of Israel (or the Jews) against Jesus will be lifted: Romans 11:25-26 – “blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles be come in.”
Now, by reviewing briefly three separate movements in history, I will explain the evidence I believe strongly confirms that the prophecy of Jesus has been fulfilled and that the prophecy of Paul is now in the process of being fulfilled:
1. HUMANISM or SECULARISM – Humanism involves the belief that humans have enough resources in human reason and science to govern their own affairs, without the need for belief in the supernatural, a supernatural divinity, or divine revelation. Humanism is therefore essentially atheistic in nature. There are politicians influenced by Humanism who call themselves “Progressive.” Modern Humanism in European and U.S. history can trace its beginning to the Age of Reason (or the so-called “Enlightenment”) that flourished around the 18th century in Europe. In all the time it has been around since then, Humanism has existed side by side with Christianity.
However, for most of its existence, the cultural influence of Humanism in Europe and the U.S. had been limited primarily to highly educated people—or what is referred to as the “academicians.” The masses of the rest of humanity in society were largely influenced by the values of Gentile Christian religion.
Nevertheless, after many centuries of pushing to obtain a greater influence in the world, Humanism seems to have begun to triumph in Europe significantly around the first quarter of the twentieth century. The social impact this had was that Christian values in European society were largely abandoned by mid-twentieth century. By this time, European people were listening more to what the philosophers were saying than to what Christian religion had to say.
In the U.S., Christian values in society persisted a little longer. But in mid-twentieth century, Humanism in the U.S. began to make significant progress. It began in the 1940s with U.S. Supreme Court decisions that drove Christian religious involvement out of public institutions, such as branches of government and public schools. This steady trend of driving Christianity out of the public arena eventually led to the most dramatic breakthrough for Humanism. This was the so-called “culture wars” of the 1960s. From this Humanist triumph, Gentile Christianity as a vital source of influence in society has never recovered. In fact, things have gone from bad to worse for the values upheld by this religion. Western society continues to evolve only in favor of atheistic and secular Humanism.
2. GENTILE-CENTERED CHRISTIANITY – Practically from the beginning of its history, American society and its public institutions had been largely influenced by Christian values up to the beginning of the twentieth century. But once the Humanist triumph in Europe and America had arrived in mid-twentieth century—in America, particularly in the 1960s—American Christianity began to see the gradual loss of its former and pervasive social influence. This is a change that can be defined as one that has brought the era of traditional values fostered by Gentile Christianity to an irreversible end.
Based on historical and biblical research I have conducted and evidence I have compiled, my own answer to the issue of meaning behind the revolutionary social changes that have taken place and continue to take place is as follows:
What has happened with Gentile Christianity has happened not so much because atheistic Humanism is stronger that biblical religion. Instead, it has happened because God himself has foreordained this development and predicted their coming. As such, these changes had to happen. As already noted, Jesus himself first of all predicted (or prophesied) that this would happen to the Gentile Christian world at the time that it did. Secondly, Paul in his own prophecy explained why all of this happened. All this is demonstrated below as we examine how Jewish history evolved in mid-twentieth century, beginning in the 1940s.
3. JEWISH HISTORY – Prior to mid-twentieth century, anti-Semitism was very strong and pervasive throughout Europe and the United States. Up to mid-twentieth century, these two geographical areas represented the two primary strongholds of Gentile Christianity. For almost 2,000 years in Europe and America combined, Jews had been looked upon in anti-Semitic Christian society as outcasts and as a cliquish, arrogant, and God-forsaken people.
Hence, it is not surprising that, when the Nazi Holocaust emerged, causing one of the greatest miseries the Jews have ever endured, Gentile people in power who could have offered vital help to the Jews were difficult to find. For example,
1. In Europe, Pope Pius XII (1939-1958) allowed the Nazi Holocaust to go on in its massive killing of Jews without uttering a single word of condemnation against this genocide.
2. In America, President Franklin D. Roosevelt, who was not himself an anti-Semite, nevertheless, out of political deference to American anti-Semitism, refused to give safe haven in the U.S. to a shipload of Jews fleeing the Holocaust.
However, many Jews who managed to escape the Holocaust were either smuggled or allowed to settle in Palestine. During the 1940s, when these events were occurring, this area of Palestine was heavily inhabited by Arabs and was under British control. In 1948, with the Jewish population surging in Palestine, Jewish leaders managed to establish the sovereign Jewish “State of Israel.” Then, on June 7, 1967, in the so-called “6-day war,” the armed forces of the State of Israel fought against the Arabs and won control of original (or old) Jerusalem after the city had been in Gentile control for almost 2,000 years.
Hence, it is here where we see the prophecy of Jesus on Jerusalem and Gentile Christianity fulfilled—by June 7, 1967, on the same decade of the 1960s when Jerusalem fell to the Jews, the cultural revolution had given Gentile Christian values in society their irreversible death-blow.
As for Paul’s prophecy predicting that Jewish hardness against Jesus would prevail until the times of the Gentiles had reached their full completion, I note in a religious blog article entitled "Jews reclaim Jesus as one of their own" (dated April 5, 2012) that, as Paul predicted, CNN described as follows a rising movement among Jews towards an acceptance of Jesus:
"Jews, for their part, tended largely to ignore Jesus. That's changing now. In the past year, a spate of Jewish authors, from the popular to the rabbinic to the scholarly, have wrestled with what Jews should think about Jesus. And overwhelmingly, they are coming up with positive answers, urging their fellow Jews to learn about Jesus, understand him and claim him as one of their own."
All that is left now is the return of Jesus in the midst of great earthly suffering (Matt. 24:21-31)