Hi Friend,

The good earth leaves no doubt in the mind of reasonable people that there is a Creator God who exists in the 3rd Heaven. It is hard for us to imagine that such a being could be so impressed with a human that He would consider that man a "friend," but He did. The man’s name was Abram, and God loved him so much that the Apostle James said, "he was called the friend of God" (James 2:23). That’s an astounding claim!

In the course of time, God made a promise so valuable that He pledged it would be passed down to Abram’s descendants. God solemnly promised Abram, "I will make you a great nation; I will bless you and make your name great." That’s a big vow, so big that only God could bring it about. But there was more. God continued, "you shall be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you; And in you, all the families of the earth shall be blessed" (Gen. 12:2-3).

Now that last part, that "all families of the earth shall be blessed" by the descendants of Abram, is a defining promise. In one statement God has shown mankind His identity. In other words, the God of Abram’s descendants is the Creator God. The God of Israel, the nation that would come from Abram, would be a blessing to the rest of the world.

The book "The Bell Curve: Intelligence and Class Structure in American Life" by Charles Murray examines IQ levels of various ethnic groups. The facts he discovered are astounding. For example, "the proportion of Jews with IQs of 140 or higher is somewhere around six times the proportion of everyone else…." This proportion rises at still higher IQs. Murray reports a study taken in 1954 of IQs in the New York public school system that showed Jews with some 85 percent of IQs over 170 (twenty-four out of twenty-eight).

These findings are supported in the real world. Since 1880 nearly half of all the world chess champions have been of Jewish heritage. Murray reports that Jews have only three-tenths of 1 percent of the world’s population yet have contributed some 25 percent of recent notable intellectual accomplishments. They have won over 30 percent of Nobel prizes in literature, chemistry, physics, and medicine. They have won 51 percent of the Wolf Foundation prizes in Physics. In math, physics, quantum physics, nuclear science, and computer technology, no other ethnic group equals their contributions.

To a thinking person, the promises made to Abram are real. Now, here’s the irony. The Jews are the most persecuted people the world has ever known. They have made these incredible contributions despite legal restrictions, persecution, and a holocaust.

From the time that Egypt’s Pharaoh imposed a death sentence on every male child of the Israelites, through Hitler’s attempt to commit total genocide, the Jews have suffered persecution. No one knows how many children died at the hands of Pharaoh, but the massacres continued for 80 years (yes, YEARS) after the birth of Moses until he led them across the Red Sea.

How many Jews died before Queen Esther could save the rest from evil Haman? How many of Rachel’s children were murdered when Herod decreed that all Jewish children under two should be killed so he could be sure the infant Jesus was among them?

The Prophet John describes yet another persecution of the Jews that will be more severe than they have ever faced. It is when Satan is cast down from heaven and realizes he has only a short time. John writes, "Now when the dragon saw that he had been cast to the earth, he persecuted the woman who gave birth to the male Child" (Revelation 12:13).

Who was the woman who gave birth to Jesus? One could say Mary, but Mary is no longer alive to be persecuted. John’s vision begins with a description taken from Jacob’s dream in Genesis 37:9. John refers to the dream of Jacob, (whose name was changed to Israel) when he describes "the woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a garland of twelve stars" (Revelation 12:1). Jesus was a Jew so one could reason that the Jews gave birth to Jesus.

The logical extension of this verse is that the Jews, who have historically been persecuted more than any other people, will endure one more horrific persecution.

It should come as no surprise, then, that the return of Jesus Christ will be preceded by another attempt to exterminate the Jews. Nor should it be surprising that such an attempt will lead to catastrophic problems for the entire world.

In his book, "The Israel Test," author George Gilder makes a compelling argument that the existence of the civilized world depends on the continued contributions made by the descendants of Abraham. Destroy the Jews, and the world itself faces destruction. Bless the Jews, and the world will be blessed. Or have I just repeated the promise God made to Abram?

Until next time,

Jim O’Brien

October 27, 2023