Why have the Jews arguably been the most despised and hated people on earth for centuries? The answer is found in the Old Testament Book of Jeremiah that contains the recordings of one of Israel's ancient major prophets who lived during the Sixth Century B.C. Jeremiah recorded these words of an angry God who had finally had enough of Israel's chronic rebellion against Him that traced back to the time of Moses: "I will send the sword, famine and plague against them and I will make them like poor figs that are so bad they cannot be eaten. I will pursue them with the sword, famine and plague and will make them abhorrent to all the kingdoms of the earth and an object of cursing and horror, of scorn and reproach, among all the nations where I drive them." (Jeremiah 29:17-18)
Indeed, the Lord's curse against the Jews took effect almost immediately after that pronouncement. In 586 B.C., Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar invaded Jerusalem and ransacked the city, taking thousands of Jews captive. Though the Jews were allowed to return to Jerusalem 140 years later by the Persians who had succeeded the Babylonians, the Jews have continued to suffer intense persecution and hostility even since God pronounced His curse against them through Jeremiah. From Nebuchadnezzar to Seleucid King Antiochus Epiphanes (175-164 B.C.) who defiled the Temple sanctuary by sacrificing a pig on its altar to the Roman invasions of Jerusalem in 70 A.D. and 130 A.D. to Muslim persecution during the time of the Ottoman Empire to the Crusades to the Inquisitions to Hitler's Holocaust to Iran's threat to destroy Israel via nuclear weapons, the Jews have suffered God's wrath for their ancient disobedience. And with Anti-Semitism spreading like a malignancy once again throughout the world, the ancient curse seems endless.
However, biblical prophecy reveals that the curse is going to come to an end. Despite God's punishment against the Jews that has manifested worldwide, he has spared a remnant of His people throughout the centuries. In fact, He promised this through the same prophet Jeremiah: "The people who survive the sword will find favor in the desert; I will come to give rest to Israel" (Jeremiah 31:1-2) And the Lord proclaimed this: "Hear the word of the Lord, O nations; proclaim it in distant coastlands: 'He who scattered Israel will gather them and will watch over his flock like a shepherd. For the Lord will ransom Jacob and redeem them from the hand of those stronger than they. They will come and shout for joy on the heights of Zion; they will rejoice in the bounty of the Lord.'" (Jeremiah 31:10-12)
Jeremiah's prophecy began to be fulfilled in 1948 when, against seemingly incredible odds, Israel was reestablished as a sovereign nation once again after 1800 years. God fulfilled His promise to restore the Jews to their ancient homeland despite the world's attempts to prevent that from happening. And despite the numerous wars launched against Israel by her hostile Islamic neighbors, the Jewish nation has prevailed each time, proving that God favors and protects His people.
But Jeremiah's prophecy hasn't been completely fulfilled. That will happen when the Jews corporately embrace Jesus Christ as their Messiah. And that will occur when Christ returns to rescue Israel from the armies of a world government that will attempt to destroy the Jewish nation at an event called Armageddon. Then Christ will return to destroy those armies and establish his millennial kingdom on earth in Jerusalem. The prophet Zechariah (Sixth Century B.C.) wrote: "They (Jews) will look on me, the one they have pierced, and they will mourn for him as one mourns for an only child, and grieve bitterly for him as one grieves for a firstborn son." (Zechariah 12:10) When Christ returns, the Jews will recognize him by the distinctive nail marks on his hands from his crucifixion (Zechariah 13:6) and they will mourn because they will finally realize who Christ is--the Jewish Messiah rather than someone their spiritually blind ancestors rejected. And then the ancient curse will finally be over.
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