REDEMPTION OF THE “HOLY LAND.”
By M. E. Kellogg
During the Middle Ages the idea of the redemption of the Holy Land, or Palestine, became the ruling thought in the hearts of many thousands. When Peter the Hermit, barefooted and travel-stained, in impassioned language called upon the people of Europe to rescue the Holy Land from the impious Mohammedans, they were greatly stirred, and prince and peasant alike were impelled to take up arms for the rescue of the Holy Sepulcher. The history of the crusades is but the record of the way and means employed by Christendom to redeem the Holy Land. For this purpose vast torrents of blood were shed. It was Europe attacking Asia; and tho Europe succeeded for a time, and a professedly Christian government was established in Palestine, with Jerusalem as the capital, it soon fell, and the Mohammedans have ruled it ever since. The historian of to-day looks upon the crusades as having been the most terrible series of fearful, desolating, and unnecessary wars that ever were waged. A whole continent of professed Christians was precipitated upon another continent of another faith in bloody battle for a long series of years, when wars and battles are diametrically opposed to the teachings of the Founder of the religion they professed to believe, and for whose honor they went to war. He had said that all they that take the sword shall perish with the sword. They took the sword, and their bleaching bones strewn all the way from Europe to Jerusalem, and piled thickly at Antioch and Cæsarea, proved the truthfulness of Christ’s words. Strange to say, the thought of the redemption of Palestine by human power and human arms is now being revived. This modern idea of the redemption of the Holy Land has several phases. One is that England should take possession of the country. There are in England many people who believe that the English are the descendants of Jacob, and that the taking of Palestine by England would be the same as the restoration of Israel. The Catholic Church would like to see it taken by some nation which would insure its control by the church; and Russia is grimly determined that when the time comes to take the Holy Land from the Turk, she is the chosen power; and the Greek Russian Church would be glad to have it so. Still another view is that the Jews, the literal seed of Abraham, ought yet to inherit that land; and there are not wanting those in this country who believe that this government should enter into negotiation with the Turkish Government to purchase the land of Palestine, in order to give it to the Jews. More than this, they profess to believe that it could be done,—that Turkey would yield it up for a consideration, and that Russia would forget her formulated plans and fixed determination to own Palestine, in favor of a purchase of the Holy Land by this government, to be turned over to the Jews. When we saw this idea lately put forth seriously by a religious paper, we could but exclaim, What is there so absurd and illogical that some one will not believe it? The land of Palestine is now under the curse. Not only is it suffering the general curse which rests upon all the earth because of sin, but it would seem as tho a special curse must rest upon the land where the Son of God was crucified by cruel men. Nor is it probable that the unchristian descendants of those who crucified him will be restored to special favor in that land. Palestine will be redeemed, but not by might, nor by power of man, nor by money, but by the same power that will redeem the whole earth, and at the same time. Because of sin all the earth is mortgaged. Because of special acts of sin, some portions of the earth may be resting under a double curse, a second mortgage. But the blood of Christ has met the demands against man, and against the earth, and we are only waiting until the time arrives when the final act in this great drama of sin and redemption shall be accomplished, and the mortgage will be discharged. Christ has redeemed the whole earth, and after the purifying fires of the last days (2 Thess. 1:8; 2 Peter 3:7) it shall be given to the people of the saints of the Most High (Dan. 7:27). There will be no particular redemption of the Holy Land, so called, but there will be redemption of the sin-cursed earth, which will make it all into holy land, so to forever remain.