Jerusalem, Allenby, Trump, and Time of the Gentiles – 8 Dec 2017

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At the beginning of this year, in the aftermath of President Donald Trump’s election victory, and his campaign promise to move the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem in recognition of it being the capital city of the State of Israel, I wrote the following: 

It is interesting that the location of where the current consulate is now, in the Arnona neighborhood, is considered “West” Jerusalem, not East Jerusalem. So, we are still not talking about the Biblical boundaries of the city, or of that which is publicly spoken about to part of some possible future Palestinian state, with half of Jerusalem as its capital. So, it is clear that the issue here is not simply political.
I, for one, would at least like the U.S. — and other nations, too, for that matter — to recognize Jerusalem as being in Israel, and even her capital. If, for pragmatic reasons they choose not to locate their embassies and personnel there, I can accept that. No question that moving BACK to Jerusalem — since all the nations moved out around 1980 — will fire up a storm. The Scriptures do say that all nations will come against Jerusalem, so something must occur to rile them up to that extent.
Christians who believe God that Jerusalem is the City of the Great King, from which Jesus will reign after His return, should acknowledge Jerusalem as being in Israel, and her capital, whether embassies are located there or not.

Yesterday, the President declared in a rather historic statement that he (representing the United States of America) is officially recognizing that Jerusalem is Israel’s capital.  He did not refer to the whole of the city, nor did he mention east Jerusalem or west Jerusalem.  If it weren’t for all of the religious and political connotations associated with the city chosen by YHVH God to be His holy city, referring to Jerusalem would be understood in the simplest sense:  the whole of the city.  (As mentioned in my quote above, the Biblical Jerusalem is the Old City, located in today’s “East Jerusalem”).

The timing of the announcement is also of interest, even if unintended:  this next Monday, Dec. 11, is the 100th anniversary of British General Edmund Allenby walking into the Old City through Jaffa Gate, following the surrender of the city by the Ottoman Turks two days earlier.  The victory in Beer Sheva had opened up the entire land of Turkish-ruled Palestine to be captured by the Allied forces in WW1, and of the public proclamation of the Balfour Declaration, which began the legal process in the international community to promote the reestablish the Jewish homeland in Palestine, or the Land of Israel.

The Lord Jesus Christ/Yeshua the Mesiah in the New Testament mentions prophetically and eschatologically that Jerusalem would be trampled underfoot by the Gentiles until the time of the Gentiles comes to an end. (Lk 21:24; Rev 11:2)   This takes us through the time of great tribulation and the antichrist.  Although some Bible teachers with an interest in prophecy teach that the “time of the Gentiles” ended in 1967 with the capture by Israel of Jerusalem from Jordan in the Six-Day War, it should be clear now — 50 years later — that this is simply not so.  Maybe then it could have been thought so, but ever since then the nations and the Arabs have refused to accept Israel’s sovereignty over it’s own historic capital (since the time of King David!).  Even now, with Trump’s announcement, the Gentiles — France, the U.K., Germany, the UN, the jihadi Arabs, the Vatican, even disaffected Jews — are largely refusing to accept and to agree that any part of Jerusalem is Israel’s capital, or that the Jewish people have any continuing interest or claims there, including to the most holy site — the Temple Mount.

The prophetic Word of God continues to be fulfilled right in front of our eyes in this generation.  May the one, true God have mercy and open the eyes and soften the hearts of many, and strengthen the hearts of those who believe and gain hope.

1 COMMENT

  1. Amen Howard…..The Lord Almighty has all things in His hand, and will see it through. We are merely wayfaring strangers, given a task for a season……yet have the privilege of knowing Him intimately!
    Shalom!

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