---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We have witnessed in the 20th century a…"
description: "\"“We have witnessed in the 20th century a tremendous phenomenon: the birth of the modern State of Israel. ...God is at work with His ancient chosen eart..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/312/j-otis-yoder-85763_20th-century_we-have-witnessed-in-the-20th-century-a_864318.jpg"
---

#  We have witnessed in the 20th century a tremendous…

![“We have witnessed in the 20th century a tremendous phenomenon: the birth of the modern State of Israel. ...God is at work with His ancient chosen earthly people. We ought to pay attention to what is going on for behind the movement of nations is the hand of God.” quote by J. Otis Yoder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/312/j-otis-yoder-85763_20th-century_we-have-witnessed-in-the-20th-century-a_864318.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/312/j-otis-yoder-85763_20th-century_we-have-witnessed-in-the-20th-century-a_864318.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/312/j-otis-yoder-85763_20th-century_we-have-witnessed-in-the-20th-century-a_864318.jpg)

> ““We have witnessed in the 20th century a tremendous phenomenon: the birth of the modern State of Israel. ...God is at work with His ancient chosen earthly people. We ought to pay attention to what is going on for behind the movement of nations is the hand of God.””

[J. Otis Yoder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-otis-yoder/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Divine guidance is seen in the formation of Israel; history is viewed as God's plan for a chosen people.

**In simple terms:** God guides nations, especially Israel.

Key Takeaway

Recognize spiritual dimensions in world events.

Themes

history faith geopolitics

Mood

contemplative inquisitive

Type

theological historical

When to use this quote

- political analysis
- religious study
- personal belief

Key Concepts

divine providence national identity

Questions to Reflect On

- What evidence supports divine involvement?
- How does this view affect political decisions?

A Different Perspective

Attributing events to divine will can overlook human agency.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[20th century](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/20th-century/) [God](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/god/) [God Is At Work](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/god-is-at-work/) [Hand God](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hand-god-298166/) [Hand Of God](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hand-of-god/) [Israel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/israel/) [Israel God](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/israel-god-480862/) [Movement Nations](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/movement-nations-885558/) [Nations](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nations/) [Nations Hand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nations-hand-885557/) [Pay attention](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pay-attention/) [State Israel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/state-israel-267131/) [Statehood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/statehood-177274/)

## Related quotes

> [May God bless the state of Israel and may God bless the United States of America.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-netanyahu/may-god-bless-the-state-of-israel-and-may-god-bless-the-united-states/)

[Benjamin Netanyahu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-netanyahu/)

> [Already at the time of Israel's birth, Ben-Gurion extended his hand in peace to the Arab nations. His hand was rejected, but it remains…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ehud-olmert/already-at-the-time-of-israel-s-birth-ben-gurion-extended-his-hand-in/)

[Ehud Olmert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ehud-olmert/)

> [“If the Bahreini royal family can have an embassy, a state, and a seat at the UN, why should the twenty-five million Kurds not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/if-the-bahreini-royal-family-can-have-an-embassy-a-state-and-a-seat/)

[Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/)

> [“In the ideal state, laws are few and simple. In the corrupt state, they are many and confused.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-adam-snyder/in-the-ideal-state-laws-are-few-and-simple-in-the-corrupt-state-they/)

[J.Adam Snyder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-adam-snyder/)

> [“God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, forget not their son who calls upon them now. You well know, You, source of all memory, that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elie-wiesel/god-of-abraham-isaac-and-jacob-forget-not-their-son-who-calls-upon/)

[Elie Wiesel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elie-wiesel/)

> [There is a spiritual Israel and a natural Israel. God is committed to both. Neither replaces the other.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-wilkerson/there-is-a-spiritual-israel-and-a-natural-israel-god-is-committed-to/)

[David Wilkerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-wilkerson/)

> [ “J. C. Ryle\[69\] (1816-1900) wrote the following: “For many centuries there has prevailed in the Churches of Christ a strange, and to my mind,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dalton-lifsey/j-c-ryle-69-1816-1900-wrote-the-following-for-many-centuries-there/)

[Dalton Lifsey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dalton-lifsey/)

> [“Strange, how the name Israel, God's own chosen nation, who don't believe Jesus to be the Messiah, sounds almost the same as saying "is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-liccione/strange-how-the-name-israel-god-s-own-chosen-nation-who-don-t-believe/)

[Anthony Liccione](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-liccione/)

> [“Chapter 14 shows how America’s pressure on Israel to do something God said not to do, give up its God-given land, will result in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-price/chapter-14-shows-how-america-s-pressure-on-israel-to-do-something-god/)

[John Price](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-price/)

> [“The nation of Israel was not the ‘Body of Christ,’ even though the Body of Christ is indeed the true ‘Israel of God.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-g-reisinger/the-nation-of-israel-was-not-the-body-of-christ-even-though-the-body/)

[John G. Reisinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-g-reisinger/)

> [The God of Israel is sometimes a God who hides Himself, but never a God who absents Himself; sometimes in the dark, but never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-henry/the-god-of-israel-is-sometimes-a-god-who-hides-himself-but-never-a/)

[Matthew Henry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-henry/)

> [It is not that God's help and presence must still be proved in our life; rather God's presence and help have been demonstrated for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dietrich-bonhoeffer/it-is-not-that-god-s-help-and-presence-must-still-be-proved-in-our/)

[Dietrich Bonhoeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dietrich-bonhoeffer/)

> [It is a sin against God not to pray for the Israel of God, especially for those of them that are under our charge.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-henry/it-is-a-sin-against-god-not-to-pray-for-the-israel-of-god-especially/)

[Matthew Henry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-henry/)

> [“As we have seen from scripture, once Israel is at peace, Russia, Iran and their Muslim allies, will try to wipe out Israel, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-price/as-we-have-seen-from-scripture-once-israel-is-at-peace-russia-iran/)

[John Price](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-price/)

> [In the name of Israel's God, if every man would do right, and when he has done what he knows is right, then stops…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brigham-young/in-the-name-of-israel-s-god-if-every-man-would-do-right-and-when-he/)

[Brigham Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brigham-young/)

## More by J. Otis Yoder

> [“True Christianity cuts across all other religions and creates its own culture.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-otis-yoder/true-christianity-cuts-across-all-other-religions-and-creates-its-own/)

[J. Otis Yoder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-otis-yoder/)

> [“From Adam's day until now men everywhere have tried to find their own way to meet God's standard of holiness. Has anyone been successful?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-otis-yoder/from-adam-s-day-until-now-men-everywhere-have-tried-to-find-their-own/)

[J. Otis Yoder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-otis-yoder/)

[Explore all 3 J. Otis Yoder quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-otis-yoder/)

## More 20th century quotes

> [I think the inhabitants of the past are fighting hard to keep the rents they acquired in the 20th century.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-bennet/i-think-the-inhabitants-of-the-past-are-fighting-hard-to-keep-the/)

[Michael Bennet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-bennet/)

> [Corporate America is a 20th-century dinosaur, trembling on the edge of extinction, and the only way for you to have a genuinely secure future…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-kiyosaki/corporate-america-is-a-20th-century-dinosaur-trembling-on-the-edge-of/)

[Robert Kiyosaki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-kiyosaki/)

> [America thrived in the 20th century because we made high school free. We sent a generation to college. We cultivated the most educated workforce…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/america-thrived-in-the-20th-century-because-we-made-high-school-free/)

[Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/)

> [The 20th century has been marked by cynicism, selfishness, greed, and the desire to please, all without changing the status quo. In the 21st…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scar-arias/the-20th-century-has-been-marked-by-cynicism-selfishness-greed-and/)

[Óscar Arias](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scar-arias/)

> [I've studied the lives of the 20th century's great businessmen and concluded self-confidence was instrumental in all their success.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-spanos/i-ve-studied-the-lives-of-the-20th-century-s-great-businessmen-and/)

[Alex Spanos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-spanos/)

> [Universal literacy was a 20th-century goal. Before then, reading and writing were skills largely confined to a small, highly educated class of professional people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-mackay/universal-literacy-was-a-20th-century-goal-before-then-reading-and/)

[Hugh Mackay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-mackay/)

> [The great wars of the 20th Century made it into the worst Century ever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-ambrose/the-great-wars-of-the-20th-century-made-it-into-the-worst-century-ever/)

[Stephen Ambrose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-ambrose/)

> [That is very different from how it used to be in the 20th century. Media was very one way. There's a small little industry.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-gordon-levitt/that-is-very-different-from-how-it-used-to-be-in-the-20th-century/)

[Joseph Gordon-Levitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-gordon-levitt/)

> [If you look back on the history of the 20th century, the 19th century or even to the ancien régime of the 18th, you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zygmunt-bauman/if-you-look-back-on-the-history-of-the-20th-century-the-19th-century/)

[Zygmunt Bauman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zygmunt-bauman/)

> [Up to the 20th century, we can say that this whole period was an Earth epoch, 'Earth' meaning the riches of the earth, simple…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lech-walesa/up-to-the-20th-century-we-can-say-that-this-whole-period-was-an-earth/)

[Lech Walesa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lech-walesa/)

> [I think this century more than any other really has seen the phenomenon of people being uprooted in such numbers, such a degree. They…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elie-wiesel/i-think-this-century-more-than-any-other-really-has-seen-the/)

[Elie Wiesel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elie-wiesel/)

> [If you look at that incredible burst of fantastic characters that emerged in the late 19th century/early 20th century, you can see so many…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-moore/if-you-look-at-that-incredible-burst-of-fantastic-characters-that/)

[Alan Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-moore/)

> [Cruel and paradoxical though it undoubtedly is, the record shows that yje most succesful 20th century monarchs have been those who were not actually…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-cannadine/cruel-and-paradoxical-though-it-undoubtedly-is-the-record-shows-that/)

[David Cannadine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-cannadine/)

> [An interesting thing about New Zealand, you know, literature is that it really didn't begin in any real sense until the 20th century.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eleanor-catton/an-interesting-thing-about-new-zealand-you-know-literature-is-that-it/)

[Eleanor Catton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eleanor-catton/)

> [The Warmth of Other Suns is a sweeping and yet deeply personal tale of America's hidden 20th century history - the long and difficult…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-brokaw/the-warmth-of-other-suns-is-a-sweeping-and-yet-deeply-personal-tale/)

[Tom Brokaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-brokaw/)

[Browse all 672 20th century quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/20th-century/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“We have witnessed in the 20th century a tremendous phenomenon: the birth of the modern State of Israel. ...God is at work with His ancient chosen earthly people. We ought to pay attention to what is going on for behind the movement of nations is the hand of God.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "J. Otis Yoder"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-otis-yoder/we-have-witnessed-in-the-20th-century-a-tremendous-phenomenon-the/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "20th century"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-otis-yoder/we-have-witnessed-in-the-20th-century-a-tremendous-phenomenon-the/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/312/j-otis-yoder-85763_20th-century_we-have-witnessed-in-the-20th-century-a_864318.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/312/j-otis-yoder-85763_20th-century_we-have-witnessed-in-the-20th-century-a_864318.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/312/j-otis-yoder-85763_20th-century_we-have-witnessed-in-the-20th-century-a_864318.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“We have witnessed in the 20th century a tremendous phenomenon: the birth of the modern State of Israel…” — J. Otis Yoder",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "J. Otis Yoder",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-otis-yoder/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“We have witnessed in the 20th...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-otis-yoder/we-have-witnessed-in-the-20th-century-a-tremendous-phenomenon-the/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-otis-yoder/we-have-witnessed-in-the-20th-century-a-tremendous-phenomenon-the/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
