Palestine by W. C. Ising

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Aug 6, 1908

Palestine

By W. C. Ising

DURING the month of June it has been my privilege to make a short visit through this field, affording an opportunity to get acquainted with the present situation and the needs. As the end is swiftly drawing nearer, the time has surely come when the work in this large field, comprising Syria, Palestine, Mesopotamia, and Arabia, with its approximate ten million population, should be more rapidly developed. Considering that the work has practically been started in only four places,—Beirut, Haifa, Jaffa, and Jerusalem,—and that there is a membership of only about twenty, including the workers themselves, it gives evidence of what there is yet to be done.

At Haifa, Sister Müller is laboring as nurse among the German colonists. I found her of good courage, although no definite result can be reported. I had the opportunity of visiting quite a number of the colonists, and holding interesting Bible readings with them, which, we hope, may lead to an awakening of an interest in the message.

At Jaffa there are at present four lay members who are doing their best in letting the light of the truth shine forth. We hope that this city may soon receive the help of a good worker. This is a very important city, it being the port of Jerusalem, with over forty thousand inhabitants. Oranges, wine, and other fruits, corn, oil, soap, and wool, are exported to the value of three million dollars a year.

This is the place, in Joppa, where King Hiram of Tyre sent the trees out of Lebanon in floats for the temple of Solomon. Here is also where the prophet Jonah attempted to flee from the presence of the Lord when he was told to go to Nineveh. From the apostolic days the house is still shown in which Peter is supposed to have lived during his long stay with Simon the tanner. Here he awakened Tabitha. When the time for the Gentiles had come, Joppa was the place where Peter had his vision from heaven to go to Cæsarea, to the house of Cornelius.

There are two families at Jaffa who seem interested in the truth, so there is a prospect of soon seeing an increase of the little company of believers. Through the death of our Brother Glenk, one of the German colonists, who was the elder of the Jerusalem-Jaffa church, the cause has lost a strong pillar in every respect. May the Lord soon fill his place. Our people are of good courage in the hope that their work and prayers may soon be rewarded by some fruits.

Our health institution at Jerusalem is having a good patronage at present, and our two workers (one brother and a lady nurse) are doing their best, and are of good cheer, notwithstanding the difficulties they must contend with. The misrepresentation of the gospel in many ways renders it much more difficult for the truth to compete with the corruptible methods of converting so-called “rice-Christians,” which are extensively introduced in Jerusalem. The true gospel, of course, can not compete with the same means.

It was very interesting to me, and must be considered as a sign of the times, that as a result of the Zionist propaganda, the Jews have been flocking into Palestine and Jerusalem from all parts of the world for the last few years. I met immigrants from Hungary, Russia, Australia, and other countries. In a confidential conversation with a Jew I was told that their aim is: Nationality, Language, and Land; and that Baron Rothschild is said to have already donated as much as one hundred million dollars for the purpose of re-establishing the Jewish nation. I was told that about sixty colonies have already sprung up throughout Palestine during the last few years. I was, in fact, very much surprised to find the city of Jerusalem so quiet on the Sabbath, which is due to the fact that the Jews, who are estimated at about fifty thousand of the approximate eighty thousand inhabitants, are controlling the commerce.

In Jaffa and Jerusalem we celebrated the Lord's supper, and encouraged one another to push forward, and improve every opportunity of building up the cause in this land. May the Lord bless our efforts to this effect. W. C. Ising.