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Has G-d Forsaken Israel? Print E-mail
Written by Victoria Radin   

“…knowing this first: that scoffers will come in the last days, walking according to their own lusts, and saying, ‘Where is the promise of His coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation.’” (2 Peter 3:3,4)

During the days of Isaiah, the L-rd told him that in addition to their physical exile from the Land, because of Israel’s rebellion, they would be in spiritual exile as well; He was going to dull their hearing and close their eyes. Isaiah asked “L-rd, [for] how long?” The L-rd’s answer assured Isaiah that Israel’s exile would end but only after a long period of time.

“And He answered: ‘Until the cities are laid waste and without inhabitant, the houses are without a man, the land is utterly desolate, the L-rd has removed men far away, and the forsaken places are many in the midst of the land.’” (Isaiah 6:11-12)

History records that prior to the return of the Jews to Israel, the area re-named Palestine by Israel’s enemies was desolate and cursed as G-d proclaimed it would be[1] in the above scripture. Mark Twain and others traveled to Israel during the 19th century confirming the accuracy of this scripture. But, a Swiss clergyman, Felix Bovet traveling in the Holy Land during the 1860’s said it best, in testifying of its desolation:

The Christians who conquered the Holy Land did not know how to preserve it… The Arabs who took it from them lost it to the Ottomans, who still rule it, officially. They turned it into a wilderness where they do not dare step without fear. The Arabs themselves, who are its inhabitants, cannot be considered but temporary residents. They pitched their tents in its grazing fields or built their places of refuge in its ruined cities. They created nothing in it. Since they were strangers to the land, they never became its masters. The desert wind that brought them hither could one day carry them away without their leaving behind them any sign of their passage through it. G-d delivered Palestine into the hands of many peoples. But He did not allow any of them to set down roots in it. No doubt, [H] e is saving it for His people Israel.

In the course of the 19th century during which Bovet, Mark Twain and others visited the Holy Land, the 20,000-plus new immigrants to Israel (renamed Palestine) were greeted by this discouraging sight––a barren wasteland, blighted by swamps and disease.

 It was about this time, the L-rd began to raise up men who would, perhaps unknowingly, begin the process of making the re-birth of the Nation of Israel a reality. First, he chose a man who would revive the ancient Hebrew language. Eliezer Ben Yehuda was a European Jew who, in the late 1800's, immigrated to Israel to raise his family. For almost 2000 years, Hebrew was not a spoken language. Yet, Ben Yehuda developed a modern day Hebrew language and persistently sought to have it used in the home, in the schools, and in everyday usage in the Land, even vowing to speak only Hebrew to others until it finally became a reality.

Then, in 1897, the L-rd inspired Theodor Herzl, an Austro-Hungarian journalist, political activist, and writer to convene the First Zionist Congress, seeking to establish a homeland in the former Israel for all displaced or persecuted European Jews. He is credited as being the father of this great movement known as political Zionism, which would end Israel’s physical exile. Herzl proclaimed that within fifty years there would be a Jewish nation. He died before he could see the establishment of Israel in 1948, exactly fifty years later.

The progression from exile to the restoration was a long one. Following the Reformation of the 16th Century, many Christians rose up in defense of the Jews who were being persecuted throughout Europe. A noted Rabbi Emden wrote in 1757 the following.

“For if it had not been for the Christians, our remnant would surely have been destroyed, and Israel’s hope would have been extinguished amidst the Gentiles, who hate us because of our faith…But G-d, our L-rd, has caused the Christian wise men to arise, who protect us in every generation.”

The list of Christian “wise men” is long. All are considered Christian Zionist heroes. Some of the names may be familiar and others no so: Count Nikolaus von Zinzendorf, a German religious and social reformer and bishop of the Moravian Church; Rev. William Hechler who helped and encouraged Theodor Herzl; L-rd Arthur James Balfour who wrote the declaration giving the former land of Israel to the Jews; President Harry S. Truman, who cast the deciding vote in the UN to give Israel the land known as Palestine. These and countless others were just ordinary citizens in the world who understood G-d’s plan to re-establish Israel before His return.

Although the L-rd told the prophet Micah that He was ‘giving up’ the children of Israel, He also gave him the specific time that He would restore them to the Land and to Himself.

“Therefore He shall give them up, until the time that she who is in labor has given birth; then the remnant of His brethren shall return to the children of Israel.” (Micah 5:3)

The “birth” of which Micah spoke pointed to the ‘birth’ of the Nation of Israel (Isaiah 66:8-11).

“Who has heard such a thing? Who has seen such things? Shall the earth be made to give birth in one day? Or shall a nation be born at once? For as soon as Zion was in labor, she gave birth to her children.” (Isaiah 66:8)

Once the Nation of Israel was re-born, “her children” began to return to the Land in great numbers although the surrounding Arab nations sought to make Israel a stillborn. Nevertheless, the L-rd, who brought Israel to the time of birth, fought on behalf of this tiny newborn nation.

"'Shall I bring to the time of birth, and not cause delivery?’ says the L-rd. ‘Shall I who cause delivery shut up the womb?’ says your G-d.” (Isaiah 66:9)

The attacking armies took much of the land that was promised to Israel as part of the Balfour Declaration of 1917 and the San Remo Conference of 1920. As a result, Jerusalem, the life-blood of the Jewish people, was in the hands of Jordan. It was the L-rd’s intention, though, to reclaim Jerusalem. Therefore, when Egypt sought to invade Israel in 1967 along with five other nations, the L-rd intervened once again on behalf of Israel, making the Nation invincible. Jerusalem was, at last, in the hands of the Jewish people.

“The plaza before the Western Wall became a mass of exalted emotional people twenty-four hours a day. Throughout the land a song was heard, a song that had been presented at a festival only a few days before the war’s outbreak. It was called “Jerusalem of Gold”…for the moment no joy had ever been like it.” [2]

From Isaiah, the L-rd’s words ring out.

“Rejoice with Jerusalem, and be glad with her, all you who love her; Rejoice for joy with her, all you who mourn for her; That you may feed and be satisfied with the consolation of her bosom, that you may drink deeply and be delighted with the abundance of her glory.” (Isaiah 66:10, 11)

There is yet one piece of the restoration puzzle yet to be completed: the Temple. The Levites of the first century believed that Israel's redemption hinged on the rebuilding of the Temple.[3] The recounting of King Hezekiah’s actions when he became king serves to reveal the importance to Israel of the Temple. The service of the house of the L-rd was restored after having been closed during his father, King Ahaz’s reign. Jeremy Thomas of Testimony Magazine describes the beginning of Hezekiah’s reign.

“Hezekiah was a purposeful man; he reopened the doors of the temple at the very beginning of his reign (2 Chron. 29:3), perhaps even on the day of his accession (v. 17), and cleansing the L-rd’s house in fact proved to be only a precursor to unprecedented Passover celebrations. Such action would have been inconceivable during the reign of Hezekiah’s father, the idolatrous King Ahaz, who had burnt his own son (Hezekiah’s brother) as an offering to pagan gods, and reorganised temple furnishings to accommodate Syrian religious rites within Judah’s. Eventually he gave up even this compromise, closing down the temple for the rest of his reign (28:24).” [4]

“So the service of the house of the L-rd was set in order. Then Hezekiah and all the people rejoiced that G-d had prepared the people, since the events took place so suddenly.” (2 Chronicles 29:35b-36)

This scripture emphasizes that the people were prepared and the restoration of the Temple took place suddenly. This assuredly was a foreshadowing of what the Temple Institute in Jerusalem has been doing in its preparation of all the necessary items for the Temple service today. In order to prepare the Temple garments for instance, G-d miraculously brought back the source of the ancient dyes that had disappeared from Israel.

  • The Chilazon, a sea creature that disappeared from the Mediterranean waters almost 2000 years ago secretes a lavender/blue liquid used to produce the dye for the garments of the high priest. It has once again appeared, allowing the garments to be prepared for Temple service.
  • The ‘Shani’ referred to in the Bible has been found, as well. The coccid (scale insect) was used to produce the scarlet/orange dye (symbolizing fire) during the Temple period. It was used in the Temple for the curtain over the Ark and for the High Priest’s clothing.

The priests have been identified[5] and prepared for service and a red heifer is ready to sacrifice for the cleansing water necessary to cleanse the Temple. The Temple Doors have even been constructed so that the Temple can be built ‘suddenly’. They only await the order to go ahead.

This all is occurring as we have entered into the final tetrad[6] of Blood Moons. It is most interesting that the re-birth of the Nation of Israel occurred just before a tetrad of Blood Moons (1949/1950). The re-taking of the city of Jerusalem occurred during the midst of a tetrad of Blood Moons (1967/1968). It is most probable that the rebuilding of the Temple will occur just after this final tetrad of Blood Moons (2014/2105), the last of which will be seen on the Festival of Sukkot, 2015 and will not occur again for hundreds of years. In addition, a Solar eclpse occurred over Norway on March 20, 2015 and another will occur over the United States on August 21, 2017.

“The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the coming of the great and awesome day of the L-rd.” (Joel 2:31)

Over centuries, Jewish rabbis have made stunning predictions concerning the end of days. One very clear word from Rabbi Judah ben Samuel (1140-1217) came to pass exactly 300 years after his death.

“When the Ottomans (Turks)… conquer Jerusalem they will rule over Jerusalem for eight jubilees. Afterwards Jerusalem will become no-man’s land for one jubilee, and then in the ninth jubilee it will once again come back into the possession of the Jewish nation – which would signify the beginning of the Messianic end time.”[7] –Rabbi Judah ben Samuel

The Ottoman Turks conquered Jerusalem in 1517, ruled for 400 years (8 jubilees) and then were defeated in 1917 by the Allies in WWI. The land was then held in a British mandate for 50 years (1 jubilee), being ‘owned’ by no one, even being dubbed “no man’s land”. Then, in 1967 (the 9th jubilee) Jerusalem was restored to the Nation of Israel. The 10th jubilee will occur on Yom Kippur in the year 2017. Thus, according to Rabbi Judah ben Samuel, the Messianic end time began when Jerusalem was restored to the Nation of Israel in 1967.

Connecting these events to the Jubilee year has a two-fold message; all land sold between one Jubilee year and another reverts to its original owners and all indentured persons are released. Both signify that all the land that G-d promised by covenant with Abraham (Gen. 17), Isaac (Gen. 26), and Jacob (Gen. 35) will be restored at that time and the people of Israel will be free from captivity (exile) in foreign lands. All Jews will be removed from foreign lands although not all will reach the shores of Israel.

“I will bring you from the nations and gather you from the countries where you have been scattered… I will bring you into the wilderness of the nations and there, face to face; I will execute judgment upon you… I will purge you of those who revolt and rebel against me. Although I will bring them out of the land where they are living, yet they will not enter the land of Israel….” (Ezekiel 20:34-38)

Even Christians have had visions of the end, leading us to the current days:

“In 1139, then Archbishop Malachy went to Rome from Ireland to give an account of his affairs. While there he received a strange vision about the future that included the name of every pope, 112 in all from his time, who would rule until the end of time.” ––Irish Central Staff Writers

The current pope, Pope Francis is the 112th pope according to this prophecy.

The year 2017 marks 70 years since the UN bequeathed the British Mandate of Palestine to Israel. The number seventy is significant in biblical numerology. When speaking of time, the number 70 points to an ‘evolutionary cycle’ being completed according to the ancient Augustine. For instance, the Bible speaks of 70 years as the duration of a king (Isaiah 23:15) and the Israelites were 70 years in Babylonian captivity. Millions of Jews were also held captive in Russia for 70 years (1917-1987) following the Bolshevik Revolution after which most immigrated to Israel. In 2017 the Land of Israel will have been in Jewish ‘possession’ for 70 years, thus moving Israel into a new ‘evolutionary cycle’.

As we look at the events of prophetic significance unfolding daily, we can say with certainty that G-d has not forsaken Israel. In fact, the time to pray for G-d’s favor on Israel is now.

“You will arise and have mercy on Zion; for the time to favor her, yes, the set time, has come.” (Psalm 102:13)

 

 



[1] Also see Leviticus 26:32, 33, 42, 44

[2] Jerusalem, Leon Uris, Doubleday & Company, Inc., Garden City, NY, 1981, p 288

[3] See article “Prophetic Signs for the Last Generation

[4] The Prayers of Hezekiah, Jeremy Thomas, http://www.testimony-magazine.org/back/may2003/thomas.pdf

[5] The have discovered a DNA marker exists for the priests, the descendants of Aaron.

[6] A series of four total lunar eclipses, each falling on a biblical Feast Day

 
 
 
 
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