The Fall and Rise of Israel, Part 4 - More World War I and Jerusalem

World War I gets its name because it was the first war that involved pretty much the whole globe.  But God used this conflict to change the face of a particular geographical area - the Middle East.  (Yeshua alluded to the concept of world war in Matthew 24 when he prophesied "kingdom against kingdom.")

Let's first look at a particular skirmish that took place in the war,  Beersheva.

Beersheva was the main stomping ground of Abraham after he had wandered through the land that God promised him.  And it was also the scene of battles and then a settlement between Abraham and Abimieech.  See Genesis 21 if you'd like to review it.

In the summer of 1917, a Christian man by the name of Edmund Allenby was chosen to replace General Archibald Murray as commander of the British forces in Egypt.  While Murray had focused on Gaza, Allenby directed his focus to Beersheva.  The battle to take Beersheva was Britain's first major victory in the Middle East. It was a breakthrough that would lead to the restoration of the Jews to the land.

Beersheva in 1917

Beersheva was regained on October 31, 1917.  The same day that the Balfour Declaration was penned.  

Another scripture that was read in synagogues around the world on the Sabbath of that same week was Genesis 21:31:  Therefore he called that place Beersheva, because the two of them swore an oath there.

Beersheva in modern times

The battle for the Holy Land pressed on, and the British engaged their air force as they set their eyes on Jerusalem.  Because of this focus on air warfare, Allenby's troops were able to prevent enemy aircraft from bombing missions.  Jerusalem was liberated and emerged from the war largely unscathed.  

Isaiah 31:5 gives a beautiful prophecy of what took place:

Like birds hovering, so the LORD of hosts

will protect Jerusalem;

he will protect and deliver it;

he will spare and rescue it.”

Was this passage read in synagogues that week?  Nope, sorry.

It was, however, in the Anglican Book of Common prayer (read daily by many British soldiers), and was appointed hundreds of years earlier to be read on the last day before Jerusalem's deliverance - December 8, 1917.

The reading in the Book of Common Prayer for next day, the day of Jerusalem's liberation on December 9, was Isaiah 33:20, which begins thusly:

Behold Zion, the city of our appointed feasts!

Your eyes will see Jerusalem

The following day, December 10, was a day of rejoicing and comfort for Jerusalem.  And the prayer for that day? Isaiah 40:1-2.
Comfort, comfort my people, says your God.
Speak tenderly to Jerusalem,
and cry to her
that her warfare is ended

In the book of Haggai, the prophet was speaking to the exiles returning from Babylon.  But is there a modern day application of this prophecy?  Could it be a near/far prophecy?

Chapter 2:18-19 says,
Consider from this day onward, from the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month. Since the day that the foundation of the Lord's temple was laid, consider:  Is the seed yet in the barn? Indeed, the vine, the fig tree, the pomegranate, and the olive tree have yielded nothing. But from this day on I will bless you.

On the Hebrew calendar, the 24th day of the ninth month occurred on December 9, 1917.  The day of Jerusalem's liberation.  It is interesting to note that the biblical day begins at sundown the previous evening.  That is the exact time when the Ottoman soldiers gave up the city and fled through its gates.  

And as the sun set on December 9, 1917, the Hebrew calendar was ushering in yet another significant day:  the first day of Hanukkah, also called the Feast of Dedication.  People all over the world were lighting their first candle of the Hanukkah menorah.  And the appointed scripture to be read on the Sabbath of Hanukkah includes Zechariah 2:12, which says, And the LORD will inherit Judah as his portion in the holy land, and will again choose Jerusalem.”

And so He did.

Modern Jerusalem

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