No, Albert Einstein was not a Bible teacher but he was used of God in a most interesting way in the establishment of the new fledgling nation of Israel.
He was born on March 14, 1879 at Ulm, Germany, part of the area of Swabia in Bavaria. His family was not orthodox in their Jewish faith. They were assimilated Jews who wanted to be absorbed into the German culture. They read their Bibles but too, they read all of the German philosophers and were more impressed by them than the Word of God.
Einstein was not brilliant as a young student but he was precocious, focused, and fell in love with theoretical physics. In the early part of the twentieth century he formulated the theory of relativity that changed how scientists looked at the universe. This made him famous. He was offered many opportunities to teach in European universities, which he did, from Switzerland to France.
The Holy Land became a protectorate of England following World War I. Slowly, the Jews were coming to Palestine in order to ultimately establish a Jewish state. A famous Jewish chemist, Chiam Weizmann, asked Einstein in the early 1920s to make an extended trip to the U.S. in order to appeal for funds for the new state, plus an endowment for the newly established Hebrew University in Jerusalem.
Einstein was greatly moved by the need to establish a homeland for the Jewish people. Zionism touched him greatly. Einstein’s scientific fame would play a part in the contributions made by wealthy Jews in America.
But there was something else.
The American public was greatly enthusiastic for the establishment of a new state of Israel—both the Jewish community but also many, many in the churches. It was at this time that dispensationalism was on the rise. The Scofield Reference Bible (first published in 1910) had spread like wild fire among so many Christian laymen. And of course the central message was the restoration of the Jews to their homeland and the coming of Christ to reign and rule in Jerusalem! The timing of the arrival of Einstein and the thinking of so many believers was not coincidental. God was in this!
Einstein died an agnostic and one who never came to Christ as his Savior. However he made some interesting statements. He feared that a dead scientific philosophy would hinder morality that was fostered by the Bible and found in Judaism and Christianity. He often spoke of God being behind nature. Some think he simply was referring to God as nature’s inanimate force, but it is very possible, lurking in the recesses of his mind, he meant a true God, as mentioned in the Bible! This may never be known for certain and only eternity will tell the full story.
He was born on March 14, 1879 at Ulm, Germany, part of the area of Swabia in Bavaria. His family was not orthodox in their Jewish faith. They were assimilated Jews who wanted to be absorbed into the German culture. They read their Bibles but too, they read all of the German philosophers and were more impressed by them than the Word of God.
Einstein was not brilliant as a young student but he was precocious, focused, and fell in love with theoretical physics. In the early part of the twentieth century he formulated the theory of relativity that changed how scientists looked at the universe. This made him famous. He was offered many opportunities to teach in European universities, which he did, from Switzerland to France.
The Holy Land became a protectorate of England following World War I. Slowly, the Jews were coming to Palestine in order to ultimately establish a Jewish state. A famous Jewish chemist, Chiam Weizmann, asked Einstein in the early 1920s to make an extended trip to the U.S. in order to appeal for funds for the new state, plus an endowment for the newly established Hebrew University in Jerusalem.
Einstein was greatly moved by the need to establish a homeland for the Jewish people. Zionism touched him greatly. Einstein’s scientific fame would play a part in the contributions made by wealthy Jews in America.
But there was something else.
The American public was greatly enthusiastic for the establishment of a new state of Israel—both the Jewish community but also many, many in the churches. It was at this time that dispensationalism was on the rise. The Scofield Reference Bible (first published in 1910) had spread like wild fire among so many Christian laymen. And of course the central message was the restoration of the Jews to their homeland and the coming of Christ to reign and rule in Jerusalem! The timing of the arrival of Einstein and the thinking of so many believers was not coincidental. God was in this!
Einstein died an agnostic and one who never came to Christ as his Savior. However he made some interesting statements. He feared that a dead scientific philosophy would hinder morality that was fostered by the Bible and found in Judaism and Christianity. He often spoke of God being behind nature. Some think he simply was referring to God as nature’s inanimate force, but it is very possible, lurking in the recesses of his mind, he meant a true God, as mentioned in the Bible! This may never be known for certain and only eternity will tell the full story.
