Section 6: Opening Prophecy, Article 12 When Yehuveh Turns Our Captivity “Then Yehuveh thy Elohim will turn thy captivity, and have compassion upon thee, and will return and gather thee from all the nations, whither Yehuveh thy Elohim hath scattered thee.” Deuteronomy 30:3.
		I
				listened attentively as an older lay-pastor spoke about studying the Scriptures each day for yourself. Known to his students as Mr. Hampton, he was a beloved math and science teacher at the small high school in a remote town in northern Wisconsin. I had a great deal of respect for him as a teacher.
	He was exceptional in his understanding of science and amazing in his ability to take complex insights and make them simple for his students. Now, in this short sermon we were privileged to have his talents turned to spiritual matters. [Truth be told, I was enjoying his sermon more than most of those presented by the regular pastor!]         “The Scriptures are simple to understand if you just pay attention to the words. Think about what you are reading and believe the words. There is really nothing in this book that won’t make sense to you.” In six various ways, Mr. Hampton made the same point. His appeals to spend time in the Word each day seemed to be reaching every one of us. I already had a personal study time, but the encouragement that morning was quite appealing.         Later in the afternoon, while both my small children were napping, I sat with the Scriptures opened to Ezekiel 1. I read words that made not the least sense to me and pondered Mr. Hampton’s statement, “The Scriptures are simple to understand if you just pay attention to the words. Think about what you are reading and believe the words. There is really nothing in this book that won’t make sense to you.” I understood why the teenagers coined the expression, “Yea, right!” “And I looked, and, behold, a whirlwind came out of the north, a great cloud, and a fire infolding itself, and a brightness was about it, and out of the midst thereof as the colour of amber, out of the midst of the fire.” That sure made perfect sense to me right then! Ezekiel 1:4.         Though I’ve learned much about the Scriptures since that day, there are still many passages where I don’t find the words simple or the statements making sense, but there is much that was once senseless to me which has now become very clear. So doubtless these other things will become clear in their own time. I pray and wait.         One of the main reasons portions of the Scriptures haven’t made sense is because we’ve inherited the same dogmas that make “the Gentiles . . . come . . . from the ends of the earth, and . . . say, Surely our fathers have inherited lies, vanity, and things wherein there is no profit.” We’ve been taught doctrines and expectations which aren’t supportable when taken back “to the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.” Jeremiah 16:19; Isaiah 8:20.         The return of Israel from their captivity is one such belief. From childhood I had been taught that after their captivity Israel disappeared from the face of the earth. Being gone, pastors and teachers had to account for all the promises to Israel which were unfulfilled and would remain unfulfilled because there were no longer people to whom these words applied. Whether substituting the church for Israel or simply negating the promises, or some other mental gymnastic, the words of Scripture were so explained away that they made little or no sense.                          Gael Bataman          Originally Written:     15 November 2005 Latest Update:           14 March 2010                                                         Complete Study Guide to Article 12                          Prophecy to the Mountains of Israel        Why Disbelieve Such Clear Words?                             Yehuveh has Always Purposed Restoration        Single Condition of Returning                               Gathered from All Nations        Every One of Yehuveh’s People Gathered                         Restored to the Land Originally Given to Abraham        Again an Undivided Nation                                   Escaping the Decreed Consumption        Extending the Deliverance                                Comfort for All We’ve Lost        Forever Righteous, Forever Prosperous                               Praise and Joy When We Return        When Will this Restoration Come?                Return to Zadok Home                Continue Article 12 . . .                     Go to Section 6: Prophecy   Go to Historical Calendar     Go to Daniel 11-12   Go to Revelation   Go to Years of Returning (Darius)