Before looking at the prophetic evidence for Mark Twain in the Bible, it is important to note that the writings of Deuteronomy 28-29 are all about the blessings of obedience and also the curses of disobedience. The Lord told Moses about the elation as well as success the Israelites would obtain if they followed His ways.
God likewise explained the outcome of wandering from His instruction. These words were spoken to the people of Israel prior to they entering the Promised Land.
The assured blessings spoken in Deuteronomy 28:1 -14– related to obedience– dealt with the land, its abundance, as well as just how the Lord would inflict any enemy that came against the nation of Israel to fall.
The Lord additionally provided clear warning in the following 54 verses of chapter 28, against going misaligned with the covenant, stating that a number of curses would fall on the people and the land because of this.
God intended to be extremely clear concerning the Land Covenant that He was making with the Hebrew men and women. He assured a long lasting possession of the land. Nonetheless, how they got to delight in and reside in the land relied on exactly how they walked with God in His covenant manners. If they were not careful to obey His rules as well as laws …
“You shall carry much seed out to the field but gather little in, for the locust shall consume it. You shall plant vineyards and tend them, but you shall neither drink of the wine nor gather the grapes; for the worms shall eat them. You shall have olive trees throughout all your territory, but you shall not anoint yourself with the oil; for your olives shall drop off. You shall beget sons and daughters, but they shall not be yours; for they shall go into captivity. Locusts shall consume all your trees and the produce of your land.”—Deuteronomy 28:38-42
The Bible mentioned Israel would end up being a wasteland. The biblical prophecy of the curses enclosed in Deuteronomy 28 were definitely fulfilled.
The Ottoman Empire ruled the whole Middle East region in the very early 1500s. Following the Ottoman occupation in 1517 AD, Israel’s land was split up right into 4 districts. During this time period, the land was widely neglected. Gradually, deserts started to overtake the considerable woodlands and also vineyards of the land.
Those that continued to be in the area were greatly taxed and also became poverty-stricken.
The condition of the Jewish people as well as the land mirrored the curses that were captured in Deuteronomy 28.
Mark Twain, who went to the land of Israel in 1867 (referred to as Palestine at the time), explained Israel as a “… desolate country whose soil is rich enough, but is given over wholly to weeds– a silent mournful expanse … We never saw a human being on the whole route … There was hardly a tree or a shrub anywhere. Even the olive and the cactus, those fast friends of a worthless soil, had almost deserted the country.”
After reading through Mark Twain’s observation of the land, let us look at Deuteronomy 29:22 -23.
” [S] o that the coming generation of your kids that rise after you, as well as the immigrant that originates from a far land, would certainly claim, when they see the plagues of that land and also the illness which the Lord has laid on it: ‘The whole land is brimstone, salt, and burning; it is not sown, neither does it bear, neither does any kind of lawn grow there …'” (focus added).
The New International Version claims, “The entire land will certainly be a burning waste of salt and also sulfur– nothing grown, nothing sprouting, no plants growing on it …”– Deuteronomy 29:23.
You can not refute the similarities in description between the Bible passages and also Mark Twain’s report. What’s more is that, when the initial account in Deuteronomy was captured, the Promised Land was considered “flowing with milk and honey”– an abundant, fruitful land.
These 2 accounts bring us to the following chapter in Deuteronomy that reveals another revelation as well as prophecy concerning the Jewish people and also their land.
The prophetic evidence for Mark Twain in the Bible related to Israel’s land did not stop with Mark Twain’s observations– because the ultimate prophecy of complete restoration was yet to be fulfilled!
“…so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that He may send Jesus Christ, who was preached to you before, whom heaven must receive until the times of restoration of all things, which God has spoken by the mouth of all His holy prophets since the world began.”—Acts 3:19-21 (emphasis added)
The barren land started to flourish once more– just as God had promised– when the Jewish people returned and re-established the nation. This prophecy was met in 1948 with the rebirth of Israel– just over 80 years after Twain’s “desolate” study of the land!
“Now it shall come to pass, when all these things come upon you, the blessing and the curse which I have set before you, and you call them to mind among all the nations where the Lord your God drives you, and you return to the Lord your God and obey His voice, according to all that I command you today, you and your children, with all your heart and with all your soul, that the Lord your God will bring you back from captivity, and have compassion on you, and gather you again from all the nations where the Lord your God has scattered you.”—Deuteronomy 30:1-3 (emphasis added)
God’s work is all about repentance and restoration. He yearns to see His chosen nation go back to Him, and also guarantees that they will in His time. God promised that when the Jews went back to the land they would certainly prosper and multiply.
This is being fulfilled today in modern-day Israel.
Israel consistently ranks high among the globe’s economies in terms of its technological readiness, financial backing availability, as well as the quality of its research companies. The nation ranks first in accessibility of scientists and also engineers, number of start-ups per capita, and venture capital investments per capita.
Exactly how could this be? There is just one explanation: God is behind this nation. He is preparing this land and also the people for His return.
Mark Twain likely had no idea of the role he would undoubtedly play in biblical prophecy, however Believers everywhere are beginning to see the connection together with the speedy increase of Israel’s prosperity.
We have to understand that whether or not we take part in the prophetic evidence for Mark Twain in the Bible, God’s Word will certainly come to pass. The beautiful part of it all is that we can be on God’s side of prophecy and also its fulfillment. And also when we are, we are generously blessed.
Return from “Prophetic Evidence for Mark Twain in the Bible (Deuteronomy 28 & 29)” to “Prophetic Evidence for The Bible“