Recently, there were clashes in Syria, in the southern predominantly Druze city of Suweida, between a Druze militia and Sunni Bedouins. Soldiers of the government of Al-Sharaa intervened but the Druze clashed with them as well, which intensified the fighting. Then, Israel bombed Syria's military HQ in Damascus, to signal support for the Druze. That prompted Al-Sharaa to back off for a bit. But the fighting continued between the Druze and the Bedouins. Then a deal was arranged to allow Al-Sharaa to try to regain control of Suweida, and he did. When it was over, more than 1120 had been killed: 427 Druze fighters and 298 Druze civilians, and 354 government personnel and 21 Bedouin fighters. The UK based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says, some 194 Druze were summarily executed by defence and interior ministry personnel of Al-Sharaa's government. Among the Druze civilians killed were men, women and children. Over 128000 were displaced by the violence, and Suweida was largely ransacked.
This goes to show that Syria is still a very wicked and psychotic place, and in due time all of this evil will be on the side of "the Assyrian", the prophesied Antichrist.
Israel tried to help the Druze of Syria because there have been calls from the Druze of Israel to intervene.
Some people say the Druze are a sect from Shia Islam, originating in the 8th century. But the Druze today don't consider themselves as Muslims. Their religion includes many different ideas - everything from Monotheism to aspects of Islam to Buddhist reincarnation and even Greek philosophy. Yet, a defining aspect of the Druze is that they revere Jethro and Moses, and even Adam, Noah and Abraham - but especially Jethro. Jethro was the father-in-law of Moses (ref. Exodus 3:1), a priest of Midian, who probably served and worshipped God, as in the same God of Adam, Noah and Abraham. Remember, even in the day of Abraham, before there was ever an Israel or a Jacob, there was one known as Melchizedek (ref. Genesis 14:18), a king and priest of Salem, who served and worshipped the true God. Because of course, at the time of Adam and Seth (ref. Genesis 4:26), and even after the flood of Noah, some individuals in the world did serve and worship God.
The Druze might be the "afflicted and poor people" that God will leave among the Jews in the promised land, to live on in the kingdom of God, because "they shall trust in the name of the LORD".
I will also leave in the midst of thee an afflicted and poor people, and they shall trust in the name of the LORD.
Zephaniah 3:12
What is remarkable about the Druze is that they marry among themselves, and they never allow outsiders to convert to their faith, to become one of them. This has had the effect of more or less preserving the lineage of the followers of Jethro.
Now, this has got me thinking about Judah - in other words, the bloodline and identity of Jews. In Revelation 12, it is prophesied that the bloodline of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, a holy bloodline that also birth the Messiah of Israel, the Son of man Jesus Christ, would exist in the last days before the day of the LORD and the beginning of the kingdom of God.
And there appeared a great wonder in heaven; a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars: And she being with child cried, travailing in birth, and pained to be delivered. And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads. And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth: and the dragon stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as soon as it was born. And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto God, and to his throne. And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days.
Revelation 12:1-6
So, it has always been the will of God that Jews - ie. descendants of the southern kingdom of Judah - would continue as a specific people and reach the last days.
Now, Romans 11:25 says, from a spiritual standpoint, "blindness in part" has happened to Israel.
For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in. And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob
Romans 11:25-26
In the day of the Son of man, Jews did not accept or even know about the Messiah because they were never meant to. The identity of the Messiah of Israel was only revealed to certain individuals whom God had chosen.
When Jesus came into the coasts of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I the Son of man am? And they said, Some say that thou art John the Baptist: some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets. He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am? And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.
Matthew 16:13-17
To be sure, that generation of Israel was "a wicked and adulterous" generation (ref. Matthew 16:4) - adulterous, as in spiritual treachery.
But also, it must be said that that generation of Israel could not comprehend the light that was Jesus Christ because they had been "blinded" in part by God himself.
And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.
John 1:5
Besides Romans 11:25, this spiritual blindness is also mentioned in Isaiah 29:10-12.
For the LORD hath poured out upon you the spirit of deep sleep, and hath closed your eyes: the prophets and your rulers, the seers hath he covered. And the vision of all is become unto you as the words of a book that is sealed, which men deliver to one that is learned, saying, Read this, I pray thee: and he saith, I cannot; for it is sealed: And the book is delivered to him that is not learned, saying, Read this, I pray thee: and he saith, I am not learned.
Isaiah 29:10-12
Even though Jews have had access to the Torah and the Tanakh, but not the New Testament, they have not been able to properly understand the scripture that they have.
It now occurs to me that this partial blindness, which continues today, has happened for two reasons.
First, it has given Gentiles - ie. non Jews - the opportunity to preach to the world about God, which has brought salvation to the Gentiles, at least to some extent.
After the Exodus, Israel was to be a light to the world, but both David and Solomon messed up. So, at the time of the Acts of the Apostles, the mantle was passed to the Gentiles.
This Gentiles thing was also meant to provoke the Jews generally to jealousy.
I say then, Have they stumbled that they should fall? God forbid: but rather through their fall salvation is come unto the Gentiles, for to provoke them to jealousy.
Romans 11:11
But it turns out, after some 2000 years, the Gentiles have also lost the plot. Actually, just one or two generations after the Holy Spirit, Christendom was usurped by demons, and so today every conceivable theology and doctrine is being preached except for the truth and the gospel. This is why, once Jesus Christ returns, the mantle will be passed back to the Jews, and the Holy Spirit must be involved once again.
Now if the fall of them be the riches of the world, and the diminishing of them the riches of the Gentiles; how much more their fulness? ... For if the casting away of them be the reconciling of the world, what shall the receiving of them be, but life from the dead?
Romans 11:12-15
So, giving Gentiles a go at it was one reason for the partial blindness of Israel.
The second and equally interesting reason is that by compelling Jews to remain Jewish, the special bloodline of Judah has been preserved all these years.
Let me explain it this way. On YouTube, there is an American evangelist who considers herself to be a so-called messianic Jew, a Jewish person that believes in Jesus Christ. She is Jewish by ethnicity and heritage but she has become a Christian, and she has even married a Christian and a Gentile. This means, her children are not Jews. Jewishness is technically a patrilineal bloodline. For her family to be Jewish, she would have had to marry a Jewish man, not a Gentile. So now, if she and her family were to go to heaven, they would have to get there as Christians. But her descendants would henceforth be Gentiles.
Imagine, if every Jewish woman were led to think this way. It would mean the diminishing and eventually the end of the bloodline that is Judah. This explains why, Jews have had to remain Jewish and not be confused by ideas such as Replacement Theology.
Judah was always meant to continue as a specific people all these years, because after the day of the LORD, a remnant of Judah is to live on and with the Holy Spirit.
And the Redeemer shall come to Zion, and unto them that turn from transgression in Jacob, saith the LORD. As for me, this is my covenant with them, saith the LORD; My spirit that is upon thee, and my words which I have put in thy mouth, shall not depart out of thy mouth, nor out of the mouth of thy seed, nor out of the mouth of thy seed's seed, saith the LORD, from henceforth and for ever.
Isaiah 59:20-21
Now, if God wants to preserve the bloodline of Judah, then naturally Satan wants to destroy it. This explains the ever increasing antisemitism and anti-Zionism of these last days. Indeed, it is a tenet of Islam that all Jews are to be killed at the time of the end. In the Bible, this is expressed as the dragon going after the woman with a crown of 12 stars.
And when the dragon saw that he was cast unto the earth, he persecuted the woman which brought forth the man child. And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent. And the serpent cast out of his mouth water as a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away of the flood.
Revelation 12:13-15
And except that the Lord had shortened those days, no flesh should be saved: but for the elect's sake, whom he hath chosen, he hath shortened the days.
Mark 13:20
To recap, blindness in part has happened to Israel not only so that Gentiles might have a go at preaching the word of God - in the case of Gentiles, preaching by interpreting the Bible. But also blindness in part has happened to Israel so that the bloodline of Judah could be preserved all this time. The continuation of Jews as a people has been necessary because a certain number of Jews are to endure until the end, and become "the holy people" of the kingdom of God.
And it shall come to pass, that he that is left in Zion, and he that remaineth in Jerusalem, shall be called holy, even every one that is written among the living in Jerusalem
Isaiah 4:3
Behold, the LORD hath proclaimed unto the end of the world, Say ye to the daughter of Zion, Behold, thy salvation cometh; behold, his reward is with him, and his work before him. And they shall call them, The holy people, The redeemed of the LORD: and thou shalt be called, Sought out, A city not forsaken.
Isaiah 62:11-12