Jews come from Judah who was one of the twelve tribes of Israel. There were eleven other tribes who were not Jews. Israel was a descendant of Shem and therefore a Shemite. It would therefore be incorrect to apply the term "Semite" exclusively to Jews. Or to say that all Israelites are Jews, even though all Jews are Israelites. Furthermore, Ashkenazim Jews are predominantly round-headed while the Sephardim Jews are largely long-headed. There is good reason for believing that Sephardic Jews are the true hereditary descendants of Abraham.

Jerusalem BESEIGED and TAKEN

About 1,500 years before it came to pass, Moses prophesied the siege of Jerusalem in A.D. 70 that brought to an end the Jewish Nation. He declared: "The Lord shall bring a nation against thee from far, from the END OF THE EARTH, as swift as the EAGLE flieth; a nation whose tongue thou shalt NOT UNDERSTAND... and he shall besiege thee in all thy gates until thy high and fenced walls come down wherein thou trustedst ... And you shall eat the fruit of your womb, the flesh of your sons and daughters, whom the LORD your God has given you, in the siege and in the distress with which your enemies shall distress you" (Deuteronomy 28:49-53). Rome did not appear prominently on the stage of world history until at least 1,200 years after Moses proclaimed these words, but the standard of the Roman legions was a flying EAGLE; they came from ALL PARTS OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE (the utmost confines of the then known world), they spoke a language unknown to the Jews. There is no language more foreign to the structure and idiom of Hebrew than LATIN.

This nation, so clearly identified in the prophecy, marched against the Jews in A.D. 70, besieged and ultimately destroyed the city, and took the people into captivity. Instructions were issued by the Roman Commander, Titus, that the wonderful Temple was to be PRESERVED, but in the heat and fury of battle, the legions ignored his command, and both city and temple were OVERTHROWN. This fulfilled a similar prophecy predicted by Jesus concerning the overthrow of the city and temple (Luke 21:24). He declared concerning the latter: "There shall not be left one stone upon another that shall not be THROWN DOWN " (Luke 21:6).

Jews SCATTERED, PERSECUTED and INSULTED for Almost 2000 Years -- Diaspora-- "His Blood Be On Us, and On Our Children" (Matt. 27:25)

Moses prophesied plainly that Israel would disobey God's commands, and as a result: "The Lord shall scatter thee among all people, from one end of the earth even unto the other, and there you shall serve other gods of wood and stone, which neither you nor your fathers have known. And among these nations you shall find no respite, and there shall be no resting place for the sole of your foot, but the LORD will give you there a trembling heart and failing eyes and a languishing soul. Your life shall hang in doubt before you. Night and day you shall be in dread and have no assurance of your life. In the morning you shall say, 'If only it were evening!' and at evening you shall say, 'If only it were morning!' because of the dread that your heart shall feel, and the sights that your eyes shall see" (Deuteronomy 28:64-66). In Deuteronomy 28, 29, and 30, the whole history of Israel, from the time they entered the Land of Promise until the return of Christ is depicted. It includes their captivities, their scattering among the Gentiles, and even the very feelings of hatred that other people would have toward them. He then added: "Among these nations shalt thou find no ease, neither shall the soul of thy foot have rest; but the Lord shall give thee there a trembling heart, and failing of eyes, and sorrow of mind; and thy life shall hang in doubt before thee; and thou shalt fear day and night, and shalt have none assurance of thy life" (Deuteronomy 28:65-66). Why? Because they turned their backs on God.

"I will cause them (Judah -- Jer. 14:19) to be removed into all kingdoms of the earth" (Jer. 15:4). "I will scatter them (Judah -- 9:11) also among the heathen ... and I will send a sword after them" (Jer. 9:16). "And I will persecute them with the sword, with the famine, and with the pestilence, and will deliver them to be removed to all the kingdoms of the earth, to be a curse, and an astonishment, and an hissing, and a reproach, among all the nations to which I have driven them" (Jer.29:18). They are "the dispersed of Judah" (Isa.11:12). "They shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive into all nations; and Jerusalem shall be trodden down by the gentiles, until the times of the gentiles be fulfilled" (Luke 21:24). "Though I make a full end of all nations, whither I have scattered thee, yet will I not make a full end of thee; but I will correct thee in measure, and not leave thee, altogether unpunished" (Jeremiah 30:11). See also Matt. 27:25; 1 Th. 2:14-16; Isa. 65:15; Deut. 28:37,65; Ez.5:12-17; 36:16-19). The words "byword" in Deut. 28:37 and "taunt" in Jer. 24:9 are both a translation of the same Hebrew word "sheninah" and we find Jews called "sheeni" as an insult. This is where the word "shenanigans" meaning "mischief" came from. People say "I got Jewed" when they pay too much.

After the Battle of Carchemish and the accession of Nebuchadnezzar in 604 B.C., Nebuchadnezzar's Babylonian army took Jehoiakim captive in 604 B.C. In 586 the temple was destroyed and Zedekiah was taken captive. Then came Persian Haman in 362 B.C., Syrian Antiochus Epiphanes in 167 B.C., the Roman Titus in 69 A.D. and the Bar Kochba Revolt in 133 A.D. Justinian closed all synagogues in 535 A.D.; there were forced conversions in the Byzantine Empire in 722 A.D. The First Crusade of Pope Urban II massacred Jews in 1096 A.D. The Second Crusade of Pope Eugene III occurred in 1147 A.D. The Third Crusade against Jews occurred in 1190 A.D. Jews were continuously falsely accused of desecrating the host beginning in 1243 A.D. Jews were blamed for the Black Death in 1349 A.D. In 1485 A.D. came the Spanish Inquisition; Poland Massacred Jews in 1648 A.D.; 1905 A.D. began Russian pogroms against Jews and lastly the Nazi Holocaust of 1933-1945 A.D. But the "times of the Gentiles" ended in 1917 -- 2520 lunar years after 604 B.C. -- when Jews began returning to Palestine. In 1935 -- 2520 lunar years after 586 B.C. -- many German Jews began emigrating to Palestine. In 1948 -- 2520 solar years after 536 B.C.when most Jews refused to return-- Israel became a state May 14th. (That is 2520 x 360 / 365.25 = 2483.8. Then 536.4 - 2483.8 = 1947.4 +1 = 1948.4). But God says, "I am very sore displeased with the nations ... for I was but a little displeased with my people, but the nations afflicted them far beyond my intentions" (Zech. 1:15, Tay). "He will avenge the blood of his servants" (Deut. 32:43).

Land Desolate

"And I myself will devastate the land, so that your enemies who settle in it shall be appalled at it. And I will scatter you among the nations, and I will unsheathe the sword after you, and your land shall be a desolation, and your cities shall be a waste. Then shall the land enjoy its Sabbaths as long as it lies desolate, while you are in your enemies' land; then the land shall rest, and enjoy its Sabbaths. As long as it lies desolate it shall have rest ..." (Leviticus 26:32-35)

The land, commonly known as Palestine after the scattering of the Jews, was ruled over by a succession of foreign powers. The Ottoman Turks, who ruled this area from the year 1516 to 1917, regarded it as part of Southern Syria. Ezekiel 35 and 36 tell us that those who have trodden down Palestine and Jerusalem are Edom or Esau. We know that the Turks are the ones who for 400 years have trodeden down Jerusalem and Palestine. For centuries, as the prophecy said, the land was desolate, under populated and economically stagnant. This is what one famous traveler said of the land when he visited it:

"... a desolate country whose soil is rich enough, but is given over wholly to weeds - a silent mournful expanse… A desolation is here that not even imagination can grace with the pomp of life and action… We never saw a human being on the whole route… There was hardly a tree or a shrub anywhere. Even the olive and the cactus, those fast friends of a worthless soil, had almost deserted the country" (Mark Twain, The Innocents Abroad, or The New Pilgrim's Progress [1869]).

REGATHERED

Moses prophesied, "The Lord will turn thy captivity, and have compassion upon thee, and will return and gather thee from all the nations whither he hath scattered thee" (Deuteronomy 30:3). "He that scattered Israel will regather him" (Jer. 31:10). Zecharia 10:10 says, "I will bring them again out of Egypt and gather them from Assyria." "I will ...gather them from the countries, and will bring them to their own land" (Ez. 34:11-13). "Thus says the Lord GOD: I will gather you from the peoples and assemble you out of the countries where you have been scattered, and I will give you the land of Israel" (Ez. 11:17). "I will bring thy seed from the east, and gather thee from the west; I will say to the north, Give up; and to the south , Keep not back" (Isa. 43:5-6). "I will take you from among the heathen, and gather you out of all countries, and will bring you into your own land" (Ez. 36:24; Isa. 11:11-12; Jer. 23:7-8; Ez. 37:21; Ez. 34:25-27)

"I will gather them out of all countries, whither I have driven them in Mine anger, and in My fury, and in great wrath; and I will bring them again unto this place, and I will cause them to dwell safely ... yea ... I will plant them in this land assuredly with My whole heart and with My whole soul" (Jeremiah 32:37-41). "Then fear not, O Jacob my servant, declares the LORD, nor be dismayed, O Israel; for behold, I will save you from far away, and your offspring from the land of their captivity. Jacob shall return and have quiet and ease, and none shall make him afraid. For I am with you to save you, declares the LORD; I will make a full end of all the nations among whom I scattered you, but of you I will not make a full end" (Jeremiah 30:10-11).

"I will bring them out from the people, and gather them from the countries, and will bring them to their own land, and feed them upon the mountains of Israel"- (Ezekiel 34:13). "it shall be in the latter days" (Ezekiel 38:8,12,16). "I will restore the captivity of My people Israel, and they will rebuild the ruined cities and live in them, they will also plant vineyards and drink their wine, and make gardens and eat their fruit. I will also plant them on their land, and they will not again be rooted out from their land which I have given them, said the Lord your God" (Amos 9:14-15).

After 2000 years of dispersion, Israel is again a nation. The Zionist Movement caused Jews in Israel to increase in numbers from 25,000 in 1880 to 713,000 in 1948 to 2,500,000 in 1967 chiefly through immigration from 100 countries. In 1995 the population was 5,480,400. Israel is the only nation with immigration open to the old, infirm, halt, blind and maim (Jer. 31:8). Students of prophecy realize that this return of the nation is the prelude to the return of Christ, who is destined to reign from Jerusalem over a regenerated Israel, cleansed from their previous unbelief and hardness of heart (Joel 3:16-17; Ezek. 36:22-29).

In 1917, after the British army freed Jerusalem from Turkish control, the British government issued a declaration concerning the Jews:

"His Majesty's Government view with favour the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people, and will use their best endeavours to facilitate the achievement of this object, it being clearly understood that nothing shall be done which may prejudice the civil and religious rights of existing non-Jewish communities in Palestine, or the rights and political status enjoyed by Jews in any other country." (The Balfour Declaration, November 2, 1917).

Also at this time the area of Palestine was made a League of Nations Mandate and put under British control. But in 1922 the British government divided the land of the Mandate into two administrative districts and gave the area to the east of the river Jordan (what became known as Transjordan) to a Hashemite ruler named Abdullah. This is now the area known as the nation of Jordan.

The Second World War also helped with the reestablishment of the nation of Israel. Following the dreadful events of the Holocaust the United Nations deemed it necessary to speed up the process and in 1947 they voted to further divided Palestine by a 2/3 majority into a Jewish and Arab state. Although 75% of the land allotted to the Jews was desert they were desperate to return to their homeland after suffering so much in Europe and accepted the offer. But the Arab states of Egypt, Iraq, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Syria, and Yemen voted against the resolution. This was the beginning of the conflict between the Arabs and Jews that still continues this day. And this conflict is further testimony to the miracle of the modern day nation of Israel.



The prophecy said, "Shall a nation be born at once? For as soon as Zion travailed, she brought forth her children" (Isa 66:8). The prophecy was fulfilled May 14, 1948. On Nov. 29, 1947, the General Assembly of the U.N. approved a resolution calling for the establishment of a Jewish state in Palestine. On the morning of May 14, 1948 (the last day of the British mandate), a meeting of the People’s Council took place in Israel to decide on the name and finalize the declaration. At precisely 4 PM, the proclamation ceremony began at the Tel Aviv museum. The 979 Hebrew words of the Scroll of Independence were read. All stood, and the scroll was adopted. The notorious White Paper, issued by the British in 1930 restricting Jewish immigration, was declared null and void. The People’s Council signed the proclamation. David Ben-Gurion rapped his gavel, declaring, “The State of Israel is established. This meeting is ended.” In one day, at once, as predicted—Israel was reborn. President Truman was swift in announcing U.S. recognition of Israel. The following morning, Israel was under attack by the Egyptian, Syrian, Lebanese, Jordanian, and Iraqi forces.

Christ's kingdom will extend beyond Israel, however, to incorporate all nations (Jer. 3:17; Zech. 14:17), so that "many people and strong nations shall come to seek the Lord in Jerusalem" (Zech. 8:22). "Peace and goodwill among men" will then replace hatred and war, for he shall cause "righteousness and praise to spring up before all nations" (Isa. 61:11).

Jews Take Possession of JERUSALEM

When the U.N. declared in 1947 that there would be a Jewish State, it also decreed that Jerusalem should be an international city, belonging to neither Jews nor Arabs. Instead, Jordan annexed Jerusalem, and occupied it until 1967. Then, in the dying moments of the Six Day War, when Egypt had been defeated, Jordan suddenly decided to invade Israel. The Israelis pleaded with Jordan not to do so, but Jordan persisted. They declared war on Israel, and were decisively defeated in a few hours. Through that victory, the Jewish people found themselves in control of the West Bank and the city of Jerusalem after two thousands years of dispersion.

Christ's actually predicted that the Jewish people would REGAIN THAT CITY IN THE LATTER DAYS: "They (the Jews) shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive into all nations; and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles UNTIL the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled" (Luke 21:24). The word "UNTIL" marks the termination of time during which that city would be under Gentile domination. In fact, Christ was quoting Daniel 8:13-14, which also gives 2300 days or years for the "treading down" of the holy city. Jerusalem fell to the Jewish people exactly 2300 years from the time of the initial prophecy of Daniel 8, which was the attack of Alexander the Great against Persia in 333 B.C. (cp. vv. 21-22). From B.C. 333 to 1967 is exactly 2300 years.

Furthermore, the Lord Jesus Christ spoke of economic and political distress among all nations. He spoke of "distress of nations with perplexity" (Luke 21:25), and of "men's hearts failing them for fear" through prevailing conditions (v. 26), and then of the Second Coming: "They shall see the Son of Man coming ... with power and great glory" (v. 27).

This very sequence has been amazingly fulfilled. Following the defeat of Arab powers, and the occupation by Jews of Jerusalem, and the West Bank, the economic and political conditions of nations have sharply deteriorated. The nations are faced with perplexing problems they cannot solve; preparations for war with weapons of such destructive might are creating fear in the hearts of thinking people. How have these conditions developed? Through the effect of the Six Day War and the Israeli occupation of Jerusalem. For having failed in war, the Arabs had recourse to economic pressures, including oil. Their objectives was to cause other powers to exert pressure on Israel, and to destroy the nation economically. Their policy has resulted in the inflationary spiral and its associated problems that has affected all nations.

LEND MONEY

"Judah, thou art he whom thy brethren shall praise: thy hand shall be in the neck of thine enemies" (Gen.49:8). "Thou shalt lend unto many nations, but thou shalt not borrow" (Deut.15:6). "But thou shalt remember the Lord thy God: for it is he that giveth thee power to get wealth" (Deut.8:18). In your seed shall all nations be blessed" (Gen.18:18).

Moneylending was perhaps the most important contribution by the Jews to medieval Europe. They were not allowed in any other profession due to persecution. But lending money was forbidden to Christians since it was considered "usury." The Jews therefore became indispensable. Kuhn, Loeb, Goldman, Sachs and Seligman are famous investment and banking names. But foremost among them were the Rothschilds. Kings and rulers came to the Rothschilds for money. Fifty banking houses in New York City are controlled by Jews. After centuries of having their wealth confiscated wrongly by the nations, they took back the wealth of the nations through interest.

KEEP the LAW

"Judah is my lawgiver" (Ps.60:7; 108:8). "Ephraim compasseth me about with lies, and the house of Israel with deceit, but Judah yet ruleth with God, and is faithful with the saints" (Hos. 11:12). "He showeth his word unto Jacob, his statutes and his judgments unto Israel. He hath not dealt so with any nation; and as for his judgments, they (other nations) have not known them" (Ps.147:19-20).

"This people have I formed for myself; they shall show forth my praise" (Isa.43:21). "Ye are my witnesses, saith the Eternal, that I am God" (Isa. 43:12). "My words which I have put in thy mouth, shall not depart out of thy mouth, nor out of the mouth of thy seed, nor out of the mouth of thy seed's seed, saith the Eternal, from henceforth and forever" (Isa.59:21). "If ye will obey my voice ... ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests and an holy nation" (Ex.19:5-6). Many Jews are faithful to the Old Testament law. Most Christians assume that Jesus abolished the law. But Jesus was a Jew himself (John 4:9; Heb. 7:14; Rev. 5:5) and said, "Think not that I am come to destroy the law" (Matt. 5:17). The Jews faithfully preserved the scriptures and obey them as Jesus illustrated in his parable of two sons (Luke 15:29). "Salvation is of the Jews" (John 4:22).

HELPFUL to Mankind

God told Abraham that "Thou shalt be a blessing" (Gen. 12:2). " All the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him" (Gen.18:18). In thee and in thy seed shall all families of the earth be blessed" (Gen.28:14). "And the remnant of Jacob shall be in the midst of many people like dew from the Eternal, like the showers upon the grass" (Micah 5:7). "They shall show forth my praise" (Isa. 43:21). "As ye were a curse among the nations, O house of Israel! so will I save you, and ye shall be a blessing" (Zechariah 8:13). One in 500 people is Jewish. One in four Nobel Laureates is Jewish.

Christopher Columbus, the discoverer of America, had Jewish blood in his veins. Spinoza of Amsterdam, descended from Portuguese Jews, was a philosopher of vast intellect. Moses Mendelssohn translated the Old Testament into German. His grandson was the great Jewish musician and composer. Benjamin Disraeli, leader of the conservative party in England, was a Jew. Earl Reading, Lord Chief Justice of England and Viceroy of India, was a Jew. Sigmund Freud, the father of psychoanalysis, was a Jew. Siegfreid Marcus, a Jew, built the first internal combustion automobile, which is preserved in the Industrial Museum of Vienna. Ludwig Taube, who discovered the use of digitalis in heart disease, was a Jew. Bernard Baruch the American financier; Irving Berlin, the American composer and Jack Benny the comedian were all Jews. The British ran short of minerals to manufacture high explosives in World War One. Dr. Chaim Weizmann offered his discovery of synthetic acetone as a substitute. He asked for a homeland for the Jews in return. Some people think this Jewish chemist thereby won the war for the allies. Americans were aided in World War Two by the Jewish mathematician Albert Einstein who discovered that E =m(c)2 which was the formula that made the atom bomb possible.

IRRIGATE Deserts

Israel was to colonize the "waste places" of the earth (Deut. 32:7-9, 29; Isa. 58:12) and restore ancient places (Isa. 58:12; 61:4). Isaiah 49:8 says Israel would "inherit desolate heritages." Numbers 24:7 says Israel will "pour the water out of his buckets." Isaiah 35:1 says "the wilderness ... shall be glad ... and the desert shall rejoice, and blossom like the rose" and Ezekiel 36:34 says, "the desolate land shall be tilled." Israel "fills the world with fruit" (Isa.27:6) by making the land productive. Isaiah 41:18-19 says, "I will open rivers in high places, and fountains in the midst of valleys; I will make the wilderness a pool of water, and the dry land springs of water."

The Yarkon-Negev water pipeline from the Sea of Galilee aids farming in the northern Negev. The Negev Desert is blossoming. Water coming to Beersheba has made it a thriving metropolis of 152,600 people (1995). Production of citrus fruit in 1995 was 942,300 tons. The Dead Sea is 25% mineral salts. It contains enough potash to supply the world for 1000 years. Jewish farmers receive valuable nitrates evaporated in pans from Dead Sea water to fertilize their fields.
Israel's Potash production in 1995 was 2,214,000 tons.

A STRONG MILITARY

"Judah ... thy hand shall be in the neck of thine enemies ... Judah is a lion's whelp: from the prey, my son, thou art gone up" (Gen. 49:8-9). Israel "shall eat up the nations his enemies, and shall break their bones" (Num.24:8-9). "All the people of the earth shall see that thou art called by the name of the Eternal,and they shall be afraid of thee" (Deut.28:10). "He increased his people Israel greatly, and made them stronger than their enemies" (Ps. 105:24). "They that strive with thee shall perish ... they that war against thee shall be as nothing" (Isa.41:12). "The nations shall see and be confounded at all their (Judah's) might" (Micah 7:16). "No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper, and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Eternal" (Isa.54:17). "And five of you shall chase an hundred, and an hundred of you shall put ten thousand to flight" (Lev.26:8). "I will make all thine enemies turn their backs unto thee" (Ex.23:27).

In May of 1948 the new state of Israel was finally declared but this was only the catalyst for an Arab invasion. They attacked Israel from all sides. On the day that Israel declared its independence, the Arab League Secretary, General Azzam Pasha declared "jihad", a holy war. He said, "This will be a war of extermination and a momentous massacre which will be spoken of like the Mongolian massacres and the Crusades". The Mufti of Jerusalem, Haj Amin Al Husseini stated, "I declare a holy war, my Moslem brothers! Murder the Jews! Murder them all!" The armies of Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Egypt and Iraq invaded the tiny new country with the declared intent of destroying it.

During the war For Israel's independence, many Jewish villages were destroyed, synagogues and cemeteries desecrated, and fields and buildings burned. The Jewish quarter of the Old City of Jerusalem was besieged, and kept without food or water, and eventually the Jordanians expelled the Jews from the Old City. The Jordanians took over East Jerusalem and a large portion of land on the west bank of the Jordan River, thereby narrowing Israel to approximately nine miles at its narrowest point. Egyptian troops overran the Gaza strip in the west as well as the southern outskirts of Jerusalem. But despite tremendous losses, the new Jewish State survived.

In 1949 the new state of Israel signed armistice agreements with several Arab states, including Jordan which annexed the area of Judea and Samaria, now known as the West Bank. From there they were to launch many attacks against the very vulnerable Jewish people. Also, having lost in battle what they could have had in the peace envisioned by the 1947 Partition Plan, Palestinian Arab terrorist groups, called "Fedayeen", began systematic raids against the Israeli civilian population. 1,300 Israelis were killed and wounded by Arab terrorists between 1949 and 1956. The "Fedayeen" operated from bases located in and controlled by Egypt, Lebanon and Jordan.

During the early months of 1966, it became clear that Israel's neighbors were escalating activities against her. More and more Israeli civilians were killed in the Syrian and Jordanian borders. The Syrians, from atop the Golan Heights, shelled Israeli towns indiscriminately. On May 15, 1967, Egyptian forces moved into the Sinai. On May 18, Egypt expelled the UN Peacekeeping forces from Israel's borders. On the 22nd, the Egyptians closed the Straits of Tiran to Israeli shipping. On the 25th, encouraged by Egypt - Syria, Jordan, Iraq and Saudi Arabia moved their troops to Israel's borders. Two days later, on the 26th of May, President Nasser of Egypt declared, "Our basic goal is the destruction of Israel. The Arab people want to fight... The mining of Sharm El Sheik is a confrontation with Israel". Pacts were signed by Egypt with Jordan and Iraq on May 30th and June 4th, thereby completing the encirclement of Israel. On June 5th, Israel decided to launch a pre-emptive attack on Egypt. Israel issued an appeal to Jordan to stay out of the war. Jordan refused and opened a heavy artillery barrage on both west Jerusalem and the Tel-Aviv area that forced Israel to counterattack. By June 8th the Israel Defence Forces defeated the Jordanian forces and captured the whole of the West Bank. On the morning of June 9th, Israel attacked the Syrians on the Golan Heights. From these heights, Syria had shelled and destroyed 205 houses, 175 acres of orchards and 75 acres of grain. In just six days, despite having been attacked from all sides and facing overwhelming odds against them, Israel had captured the entire Sinai Peninsula, the Gaza strip, the West Bank, and the Golan Heights. Terrorist raids from Egypt ended and other raids, from Jordan and Syria, greatly diminished.

On October 6, 1973 - Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar - Egypt and Syria opened a coordinated surprise attack against Israel. The equivalent of the total forces of NATO in Europe of recent times were mobilized on Israel's borders. On the Golan Heights approximately 180 Israeli tanks faced an onslaught of 1,400 Syrian tanks. Along the Suez Canal, fewer than 500 Israeli defenders were attacked by 80,000 Egyptians. At least nine Arab states, including four non-Middle Eastern nations, actively aided the Egyptian-Syrian war effort. A few months before the Yom Kippur War Iraq transferred a squadron of Hunter jets to Egypt. During the war, an Iraqi division of some 18,000 men and several hundred tanks was deployed in the central Golan and participated in the October 16 attack against Israeli positions. Iraqi MiGs began operating over the Golan Heights as early as October 8, the third day of the war. Besides serving as financial underwriters, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait committed men to battle. A Saudi brigade of approximately 3,000 troops was dispatched to Syria, where it participated in fighting along the approaches to Damascus. Also, violating Paris's ban on the transfer of French-made weapons, Libya sent Mirage fighters to Egypt (from 1971-­1973, President Muammar Qaddafi gave Cairo more than $1 billion in aid to rearm Egypt and to pay the Soviets for weapons delivered). Other North African countries responded to Arab and Soviet calls to aid the front-line states. Algeria sent three aircraft squadrons of fighters and bombers, an armored brigade and 150 tanks. Approximately 1,000-2,000 Tunisian soldiers were positioned in the Nile Delta. Sudan stationed 3,500 troops in southern Egypt, and Morocco sent three brigades to the front lines, including 2,500 men to Syria. Syrian air defense forces used Lebanese radar units. Lebanon also allowed Palestinian terrorists to shell Israeli civilian settlements from its territory. Palestinians fought on the Southern Front with the Egyptians and Kuwaitis. Thrown onto the defensive during the first two days of fighting, Israel mobilized its reserves and eventually repulsed the invaders and carried the war deep into Syria and Egypt. The Arab states were swiftly re-supplied by sea and air from the Soviet Union, which rejected U.S. efforts to work toward an immediate cease-fire. As a result, the United States belatedly began its own airlift to Israel. Two weeks later, Egypt was saved from a disastrous defeat by the UN Security Council, which had failed to act while the tide was in the Arabs' favor. Israel once more, against huge odds, defeated the Arabs armies. In fact during the war of 1973 it just so happened that the President of the United States, Richard Nixon, was up to his neck in the Watergate scandal and had handed over all foreign affairs decisions to Henry Kissinger who just happens to be Jewish. Through his efforts the United States were able to make the biggest arms airlift in history to aid the Jews against their Arab invaders.

Once again, let's review:

In the First Palestinian War (1947-1949), Israel fought against Jordan, Iraq, Lebanon and Syria and won about 1,930 square miles. In the Suez- Sinai War on October 29, 1956, Israeli forces reached the eastern bank of the Suez Canal in about 100 hours seizing the Gaza Strip and nearly all the Sinai Peninsula. The UN forced a withdrawal.

The Six-Day War began on June 4, 1967. On the morning of June 5, Jordanian radar detected Israeli air force taking off. They sent a red alert to Cairo, but the decoding officer used the wrong day's code and failed to discipher the vital information. The Israeli air force obliterated the Egyptian air force on the ground (Ps. 118:23). With 50,000 troops in sixty-one hours, Israel put to rout Nasser's 80,000 Egyptian troops and 900 tanks, pursuing them to the Suez Canal, inflicting 20,000 casualties (cf. Isa. 19:16-17). Egypt lost 197 planes, 600 tanks destroyed, 100 tanks captured. Egypt also lost her Sinai oil fields, which had supplied nearly 80% of her oil requirements. Egypt lost revenue from canal shipping since -- with Israel occupying the east bank -- no ship would pass through the canal until Israel permitted it. Israel's losses were 26 planes, 61 tanks, 275 dead, and 800 wounded. Israeli tanks and infantry also scaled the Golan Heights where artillery fire had harrassed Jewish settlements for years. They not only destroyed the gun emplacements but also pushed the Syrian forces back twenty-two miles to within thirty miles of Damascus. Israeli troops occupied the old city of Jerusalem with a loss of only 189 killed. They also occupied the west bank of the Jordan. Jordan's casualties in the war were 8,000 killed and wounded. Another 203 Arab planes were destroyed on these fronts.

Egypt and Syria attacked Israel on October 6, 1973 -- Yom Kippur. Golda Meir phoned Richard Nixon and asked for tanks and planes and ammunition, explaining the dire situation. Nixon followed his mother's advice, who had told him one day he would be in a position to help the Jews and that he should fully help them. Nixon gave her all she asked for. Israel seized a bridgehead on the west bank of the Suez and drove a foothold a few miles west of Damascus. After 18 days of fighting, the Arabs lost about 2,000 tanks and more than 500 planes. The Israelis lost 804 tanks and 114 planes. There have been Arab and Jewish eye-witness reports of angels on several occasions who intervened in these wars to protect Jews. The Jews don't possess great wealth or a large population; their nation is not isolated geographically; they don't have a large fleet of ships; a sacred stone; a royal throne in Palestine; nor are they blind to their identity, etcetera, because they are not the Kingdom of Israel. Remember that the birthright is Joseph's (1 Chr. 5:1) and the scepter is Judah's (Gen.49:10). Nevertheless, with British and American help, the prophecies relating to the tribe of Judah have been fulfilled.



"In that day I will make the governors of Judah like an hearth of fire among the wood, and like a torch of fire in a sheaf; and they shall devour all the peoples round about on the right hand and on the left" (Zech. 12:6). "And they shall no more be pulled up out of their land" (Amos 9:15). "If it had not been the Lord who was on our side, when men rose up against us; Then they had swallowed us up quick, when their wrath was kindled against us ... Blessed be the Lord, who hath not given us as a prey to their teeth" (Ps. 124:2-6).

REJECT Messiah

Just as Joseph was hated and rejected by his brothers (Gen. 37:4), so Jesus was "despised and rejected of men" (Isa. 53:3; John 15:25). "He came unto his own, and his own received him not" (John 1:11). "He hath blinded their eyes, and hardened their heart" (John 12:40). "Blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles be come in" (Rom. 11:25) "Until this day remaineth the same veil untaken away in the reading of the old testamant; which veil is done away in Christ" (2 Cor. 3:14). "Lord, who hath believed our report?" (Isa. 53:1)."The kingdom of God shall be taken from you (Jews), and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits of righteousness" (Matt. 21:43). "It is given unto you (my disciples) to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but unto them (the Jews) it is not given" (Matt. 13:11). "If I tell you (Jews) ye will not believe" (Luke 22:67). "Ye believe not because ye (Jews) are not my sheep ... My sheep (ten tribes) hear my voice, and I know them" (John 10:26).

The Talmud blasphemes our Lord and Savior with the lie that “‘Yashu’ (derogatory for ‘Jesus’) is in Hell being boiled in hot excrement.” (Gittin 57a) [’Yashu’ is an acronym for the Jewish curse, ‘May his (Jesus) name be wiped out forevermore.’] and another lie that "Yashu (Jesus) was sexually immoral and worshipped a brick.” (Sanhedrin 107b) and another lie that “Yashu (Jesus) was cut off from the Jewish people for his wickedness and refused to repent.” (Sotah 47a) and another lie that “Miriam the hairdresser had sex with many men” (Shabbath 104b, Hebrew Edition only) and another lie that “She who was the descendant of princes and governors (the virgin Mary) played the harlot with carpenters.” (Sanhedrin 106a). Our Lord and Savior is falsely called a "fool" (Shab. 104b) and "Illegitimate" (Kallah 1b ;18b). Jews cried out "His blood be upon us and on our children" (Matt.27:25). As evil as that act was, we must realize that only several hundred people (at best) could fit inside Pilate's praetorium and less than that wrote the Talmud. Would it be fair to say that the United States was pro-homosexual because 30,000 homosexuals marched in Washington D.C.? What about the 200 million other Americans? John 7:31 says that many of the multitude (of Jews) believed in Him" (NAS). Many of the (Jewish) rulers also believed in him (John 12:42-43). The whole world is responsible for the death of Messiah (1 John 2:2) -- not just the Jews.

Our Lord will soon return to claim his rightful position as King (Matt. 19:28; Luke 1:32-33). From Jerusalem he will extend his power worldwide, bringing all mankind under his authority (Isaiah 60:12; Rom. 11:26). Jerusalem will become the world capital (Isa. 24:23); it will be reconstituted the "throne of the Lord" (Jer. 3:17), and "the city of the great King" (Matt. 5:35).

MISLED by TALMUDIC Judaism

Solomon fell into idolatry later in life and so the six-pointed star was the "Seal of Solomon" -- not the Mogen David or "Star of David." It is a hexagram symbol of witchcraft used to put a hex on someone. It is an occult symbol that Solomon adopted after his apostasy. A circle was placed around it to cast a spell. "But ye have borne ... the STAR of your god, which ye made to yourselves" (Amos 5:26; Acts 7:43). Today the "Star of David" is on the flag of Israel and on many products from Israel. It has the number 666 built into it since each angle of each triangle is 60 degrees. There are six points. There are six right sides, six left sides and six bases. Six triangles. Furthermore, the Jewish Kabbalah teaches reincarnation, amulets, talismans and pantheism. Jerusalem, just like Rome, is a city built on seven hills (Rev. 17:9) (1. Gareb 2. Goath 3. Acra 4. Bezetha 5. Moriah 6. Ophel and 7. Zion). As such, Jerusalem also qualifies as "Mystery Babylon" (17:5) and has been guilty of murdering Christians (17:6). Even today the B'nai B'rith and Anti-Defamation League try to pass "hate laws" against Christians who merely teach the New Testament scriptures. They say the New Testament is heretical and should be burned (Shabbath 116a). Many Jews are secular and do not follow the Talmud. Other Jews are very religious such as Karaites, but reject the Talmud as having no authority. Talmudic Judaism is only followed by some Jews today.

These Talmudic Jews look on Christians as gentiles and "The gentiles are not humans. They are beasts" (Baba Mezia 114b). “All children of the ‘goyim’ (Gentiles) are animals.” (Yebamoth 98a). “Girls born of the ‘goyim’ are in a state of ‘niddah’ (menstrual uncleanness!) from birth.” (Abodah Zarah 36b). "Those who do good to Christians never rise from the dead" (Zohar 1, 25b). "Never praise Christians, lest it be believed true" (Abodah Zarah 20a). "Even the kindness of gentiles toward Jews is sin" (BT Bava Bathra 10b). It is forbidden to sell religious works to Christians (Abodah Zarah 14b). "A non-Jew who studies Torah (oral law -- Talmud) is liable for execution" (BT SanHedrin). Why? Because then the gentile (Christian) would know the Talmud permits Jews to sin against non-Jews. "If the goyim knew what we teach about them, they would kill us openly" (Libbre David 37).

Notice how LYING is allowed: "Jews may use lies to circumvent a gentile" (Baba Kamma 113a). "Jews must always try to deceive Christians" (Zohar 1, 160a). ADULTERY and RAPE: "A Jew may violate but not marry a non-Jewish girl" (Gad. Shas. 2:2). "A Jew may do to a non-Jewess what he can do. He may treat her as he treats a piece of meat" (Hadarine 20B; Shulchan Aruch, Choszen Hamiszpat 348). "The penalty for adultery does not include sex with a minor, the wife of a minor, or the wife of a heathen" (Sanhedrin 52b). "With the designated bondmaid one is guilty only in the case of natural connection, but not in the case of perverse connection" (Kerithoth 11a). MURDER: "If one binds his neighbor and he dies of starvation, he is not liable to execution" (Sanhedrin 77a). "If a gentile kills a Jew, the gentile is to be killed. But if a Jew kills a gentile, the Jew is to go free" (BT Sanhedrin 57a). "Even the best of goyim (gentiles) should all be killed" (Soferim 15). “If a ‘goy’ (Gentile) hits a Jew he must be killed.” (Sanhedrin 58b) STEALING: "A Jew need not pay a gentile the wages owed him for work" (Sanhedrin 57a). "Gentiles are outside the protection of the law and God has exposed their money to Israel" (Baba Kamma 37b). "Property of gentiles is like the desert; whoever among the Jews gets there first, owns it" (BT Baba Kamma 54b). "If a Jew finds an object lost by a goy (Gentile) it does not have to be returned" (Baba Mezia 24a). "What a Jew steals from a ‘goy’ he may keep.” (Sanhedrin 57a) IDOLATRY and BLASPHEMY: "Those who obey the rabbis are holy; those who disobey are wicked" (BT Yebamoth 20a). "The rival schools of Hillel and Shammai are both correct, even where they differ. When their decrees differ, both are the words of God" (BT Erubin 13b). "Those who ridicule the rabbis are fools who deserve death" (BT Baba Bathra 75a). "Christians who reject the Talmud will go to hell and be punished there for all generations" (Rosh Hashanah 17a)."The rabbis are greater than the prophets" (BT Baba Bathra 12a). "The decrees of Bet Din (rabbinic council) are not to be questioned, and have equal authority with Moses" (BT Rosh HaShanah 25a). "He who occupies himself with Scriptures gains merit that is no merit. He who occupies himself with Mishnah gains merit for which people receive a reward. He who occupies himself with Talmud -- there is no source of merit greater than this." (Shabbat 15c and Baba Metzia 33a). (This says oral rabbinic teaching supercedes God's scriptures). "The Babylonian Talmud (written by Rabbis) represents God in the flesh" (Jacob Neusner's Rabbinic Judaism). "It is more wicked to question the words of the rabbis than those of the Torah" (Mishna Sanhedrin 11:3). "My son, be more careful in the observance of the words of the scribes than in the words of the Torah (first five books of Old Testament)" (Erubin 21b). "Even if they instruct you that right is left, or left is right, you must obey them" (Midrash, Sifre Deuteronomy 154). The Midrash Pesikta Rabbati says, "A person must not say, 'I will not keep the commandment of the elders because they are not from the Torah.' The Almighty says to such a person, 'No, my son, rather all that they decree upon you observe.' As it is written, 'According to the instruction which they teach you' (Deut. 17:11). Even I (God) must obey their decree, as it is written, 'You will decree,and He will fulfill it' (Job 22:28). This is idolatry and blasphemy.

According to the Jewish Encyclopedia, article "Gentile," we read that "only Israelites are men." Therefore, "If a Gentile sue an Israelite, the verdict is for the defendant; if the Israelite is the plaintiff, he obtains full damages" (p.620). Again, the Jewish Encyclopedia, article "Min" says the writings of minim (Jewish Christians) deserve to be burned" (p.595). That is the New Testament. The same article states "It was forbidden to partake of meat, bread and wine with the min. Scrolls of the Law, tefillin, and mezuzot written by a min were burned (Git. 45b; Yet. Shab. 14b; Ab Zarah 40b; etc.). An animal slaughtered by a min was forbidden food (Hul. 13a). The relatives of the min were not permitted to observe the laws of mourning after his death but were required to assume festive garments and rejoice (Yerah De'ah 345). The testimony of the min was not admitted in evidence in Jewish courts (Shulkan Aruk Hashen Mishpot 31,22); and an Israelite who found anything belonging to one who was a min was forbidden to return it to him (see Hashen Mishpat 206 2). Yet our Lord said, "Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself" (Mark 12:31) "And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise" (Luke 6:31) and "Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy" (Matt. 5:7) and "Judge not, that ye be not judged. For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again. And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye? Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye" (Matthew 7:1-5). “Truly I say to you that the tax-gatherers and harlots will get into the kingdom of God before you" (Matt. 21:31).

But our Lord said, "Why do ye (scribes and Pharisees) also transgress the commandments of God by your tradition?" (Matt. 15:3) "Thus have ye made the commandment of God of no effect by your tradition" (15:6). For instance "You shall not go after the majority to do evil" (Ex. 23:2) is interpreted by rabbis as "incline after the majority." "It is not in heaven" (Deut. 30:12) (The law is not too difficult to understand) is interpreted by rabbis as "God has no say in interpreting scripture -- only rabbis." "You shall not boil a kid in its mother's milk" (fertility rite of Canaanites for Ishtar) is interpreted as "Don't eat, cook or benefit from meat and milk together." Rabbis teach "One may not walk four cubits with an uncovered head" (Shulcan Aruch Orach Hayyin 2:16) and "It is forbidden to pray with an uncovered head" (Shulcan Aruch Orach Hayyin 91:15). But Paul said, "a man indeed ought not to cover his head" (11:7) with a kippah or a prayer shawl. "Whatsoever thing I command you, observe to do it; thou shalt not add thereto, nor diminish from it." (Deut. 12:32; 4:2; Pr. 30:6). The correct translation of Matthew 23:2-3 according to Shem Tov's Hebrew Matthew is, "The Pharisees and sages sit upon the seat of Moses. Therefore all that HE (MOSES) says to you, diligently do, but according to THEIR reforms (takanot) and THEIR precedents (ma'asim) do not do, because they talk but they do not do (2 Kings 17:34).

Talmudic Jews accuse Christians of being false prophets who say, 'Let us go after other gods, which thou hast not known' (Deut. 13). But our Lord and Savior Yeshua the Messiah is not another god. He was the God of the Old Testament (Col. 1:10; Heb. 1; John 1; 5:37; Eph. 3:9). He accused Jews saying, "Why do ye also transgress the commandments of God by your tradition (Talmud)? ... in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men" (Talmud) (Matt. 15:3,9). "For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men" (Talmud) (Mark 7:8). "Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell?" (Matt. 23:33). If only they knew, Yeshua (Jesus) is the same One who talked with Abraham and wrestled with Jacob.

It is remarkable how Jews define an enemy as anyone who is not a "Jew" -- like them -- everything is 100% or nothing-- no gradual steps -- whether he mistreats them or not -- while Christians define an enemy as someone who mistreats them personally. We believe that when our Lord returns, Jews will recognize him as their Messiah and then come to see Jewish Christians as friends and allies that they really are.The Jewish Amoraim attributed the destruction of the Temple and Jerusalem in 70 A.D. as punishment from God for the "baseless hatred" (e.g. against Yeshua the Messiah & against Christians) that pervaded Jewish society at the time (Yoma 9b). Indeed, Talmudic "Jews ... both killed the Lord Jesus and their own prophets, and have persecuted us; and they please not God, and are contrary to all men" (1 Thess. 2:15). The Talmud promotes this "baseless hatred" even today by not having the flexibility to recognize Bible-followers, in all their variety, as the true faith.

MODERN HISTORICAL DATES FORETOLD

In 677 B.C., Esar-Haddon, son of Sennacherib, invaded Judah (2 Chr.33:11) and the remnant of Israel when they were ruled by an Assyrian governor and replaced them with Samaritans (2 Ki.17:24; Ezra 4:2). Adding the 2520 years to the date (Lev. 26:28 -- 7 x 360), we come to the fulfillment for Judah in 1844 when the Sultan of Turkey was forced by the Powers to give religious liberty to the Jews 2520 YEARS from the overthrow of Judah.

In 604 B.C., Nebuchadnezzar's Babylonian Chaldean army took tribute from Jerusalem. Jehoiakim was taken captive (cp.Jer.25:1 & Dan.1:1-2). 2520 YEARS later on November 2, 1917, the Balfour Declaration gave Jews authority for "the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people." On December 9th 1917, (during the Festival of Hanukkah which commemorates the recapture of the Temple by Judas Maccabeas) British General Allenby liberated Jerusalem from the Turks. It was the 24th day of the ninth month of the Jewish calendar. Jews lost their authority over Jerusalem for "SEVEN TIMES" punishment (Lev.26:28).

A 70-year Babylonian captivity occurred from 606 to 536 B.C. (Jer. 25:11). Jews came back to the land in 536 B.C. but were not an independent nation. After a "seven times" punishment (Lev. 26:18) they became independent in 1948. In other words, 360 x 7 = 2520 prophetic years. If we multiply 2520 years x 360 days/year, we get 907,200 prophetic days. Dividing that by 365.25 days/year gives 2483 calendar years. Therefore 536 B.C. + 2483 calendar years = 1948 A.D. when the Jews became an independent nation. They were subject to other nations for "seven times" in the land of Palestine before God gave them independence. A second Roman captivity occurred in 70 A.D. (Isa. 11:11) from which they returned a second time (Amos 9:14-15), but there were Jews continuously in the land for all that time.

In 1517 Jerusalem was conquered by the Ottoman Turks.

1517 plus 400 years:

Gen. 15:13-14 says, "And he said unto Abram, Know of a surety that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs, and shall serve them; and they shall afflict them FOUR HUNDRED YEARS; And also that nation, whom they shall serve, will I judge: and afterward shall THEY COME OUT".

The Israelites came out of Egypt at the Exodus and entered the promised land anciently. In modern times, they have come out of many countries and gone into the promised land. Amazingly, after 400 years, in 1917, Jerusalem was freed from the Ottoman Turks. That is a modern fulfillment of an Old Testament prophecy that was fulfilled long ago. Do some other prophecies have a dual fulfillment? Definitely.

1517 plus 430 years:

Ex. 12:40-41 says, "Now the sojourning (in Canaan and in Egypt) of the children of Israel, who dwelt in Egypt, was FOUR HUNDRED AND THIRTY YEARS. And it came to pass at the end of the four hundred and thirty years, even the selfsame day it came to pass, that ALL THE HOSTS OF THE LORD WENT OUT from the land of Egypt." The 430 years began to be counted when Ishmael was born.

Is there a parallel in modern times? Yes. 1517 + 430 yrs = 1948. Israel became a nation in 1948, but Jerusalem was divided.

Jesus (Yeshua) said that the generation that sees the fig tree grow leaves will not all die before he returns (Matt. 24:32-34). A fig tree with leaves is Judah thriving (cp. Jer. 24) but because it produced no fruit he cursed it (Matt. 21:18-20). "Therefore say I unto you, The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof" (Matt. 21:43). Verse 45 continues, "And when the chief priests and Pharisees had heard his parables, they perceived that he spake of them." Thus, the cursing of the fig tree represented a curse on Judea. The withered fig tree was a prophecy of the coming destruction of the Jewish nation by the Roman army under Titus in AD 70. The destruction was also prophesied in another parable in Luke 13:6-9: "A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard; and he came and sought fruit thereon, and found none. Then said he unto the dresser of his vineyard, Behold, these three years I come seeking fruit on this fig tree (three years into Messiah's ministry), and find none: cut it down; why cumbereth it the ground? And he answering said unto him, Lord, let it alone this year also, till I shall dig about it, and dung it (A.D. 27 fall to 31 spring): And if it bear fruit, well: and if not, then after that thou shalt cut it down." But in the fourth year there was still no fruit, since they rejected and crucified him, and so God used the Romans to cut down the fig tree. The fall of the Jewish nation was also prophesied earlier by John the Baptist when he said, "And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees: therefore every tree which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire" (Matthew 3:10).

The Messiah was saying that the Jews becoming a nation in1948 would be an important sign of the last days, and that the generation who saw it happen would not all "pass" (Matt. 24:34) away before his Second Coming. Psalm 90:10 defines a generation as 70-80 years so 1948 +70 = 2018 and +80 = 2028 as outside boundaries. A commemorative stamp of the tenth anniversary of Israel was issued there in 1958, featuring a menorah out of which were growing branches and leaves -- but again, no fruit. Yes, how could the Jews produce spiritual fruit, when as a nation they had rejected the only source of that fruit -- the Lord Yeshua the Messiah?

1517 plus 450 years:

Acts 13:20 says, "And after that he gave unto them judges about the space of four hundred and fifty years, until Samuel the prophet." These were theocratic years.

Do modern times parallel these 450 years? Yes. 1517 + 450 yrs = 1967. The Six-Day War started on June 5, 1967. By June 7, all of Jerusalem, including the temple area, was in Israel's hands.

"I am God and there is none like me, declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet done, saying, 'My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all my purpose,'… I have spoken, and I will bring it to pass; I have purposed, and I will do it" (Isaiah 46:9-11)

In the near future, Jerusalem will become the capital of the world-wide kingdom that God will set up on the earth. In that day instead of men travelling on a pilgrimage to Mecca or Rome, they will visit Jerusalem where Yeshua will be enthroned in the rebuilt Temple.

"At that time they shall call Jerusalem the throne of the Lord; and all the nations shall be gathered unto it, to the name of the Lord, to Jerusalem: neither shall they walk any more after the imagination of their evil heart" (Jeremiah 3:17). "And it shall come to pass, that everyone that is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall even go up from year to year to worship the King, the Lord of hosts" (Zechariah 14:16). "In the last days it shall come to pass ... that many nations shall come, and say, Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob: and He will teach us of His ways, and we will walk in His paths: for the law shall go forth of Zion, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. And he shall judge among many people (solve disputes), and rebuke strong nations afar off; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks; nation shall not lift up a sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more" (Micah 4:1-3).

Jerusalem will be called "the city of truth" (Zechariah 8:3), the "city of the great King" (the Lord Yeshua - Matthew 5:35), the "habitation of justice" (Jeremiah 31:23), "the city of God" (Psalm 87:3). Instead of the Dome of the Rock, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, and other centers of superstition and falsehood, there will be the wonderful Temple, described as "the house of prayer for all nations" (Mark 11:17; Isaiah 56:6-8). In that Temple city, Christ will preside as King-priest legislating for the benefit of humanity in both material and spiritual arenas. Working with him will be Bible-followers who have sought to obey him in this life by living in accordance with his laws. They shall "live and reign with Christ a thousand years" (Revelation 5:9-10; 20:4,6).

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