Addition thought on Mark Twain and the Jews

This would also make me think that prosperity could be a hardening

Remove far from me falsehood and lying; give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with the food that is needful for me, lest I be full and deny you and say, “Who is the LORD?” or lest I be poor and steal and profane the name of my God.  (Proverbs 30:8-9 ESV)

God also promises prosperity so it does make it confusing.  The case is made that wealth and prosperity is not always a sign of God's blessing.  When his people (the TRUE sons of Abraham) are blessed that is something different.  When physical blessings are added to existing spiritual blessing, that is fulfillment of God's promise.  That is what I don't see in the Jews as a whole.

Mark Twain, Jews, and the "End Times"

On the radio today, I heard this quoted:

”...If statistics are right, the Jews constitute but one percent of the human race. It suggests a nebulous dim puff of stardust lost in the blaze of the Milky way. properly, the Jew ought hardly to be heard of, but he is heard of, has always been heard of. He is as prominent on the planet as any other people, and his commercial importance is extravagantly out of proportion to the smallness of his bulk. His contributions to the world’s list of great names in literature, science, art, music, finance, medicine, and abstruse learning are also away out of proportion to the weakness of his numbers. He has made a marvelous fight in this world, in all the ages; and had done it with his hands tied behind him. He could be vain of himself, and be excused for it.

The preacher in question was going through Revelations (which is actually The Revelation) and pointing out five reason why we were living in the end times:

1. God always keeps his promises...I didn't get it either
2. God has blessed the Jews and quoted the above statement which is by Mark Twain who considered himself unbiased since "It is my hope that both the Christians and the Jews will be damned."
3. Then I had to go inside

So is that God's blessing on the Jews?  Seems an odd blessing to give them that and then send them to hell without Christ.  If all this "blessing" has not led them to Christ then it is part of the partial hardening.   After all

And Jesus said to his disciples, “Truly, I say to you, only with difficulty will a rich person enter the kingdom of heaven. Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.” 

(Matthew 19:23-24 ESV)