The Fall and Rise of Israel, Part 9 - Jerusalem the Capital, The Trump Sounds, The Numbers Speak

Now that Jerusalem had been restored to the Jewish people, it would become the focal point of global controversy.

The years following 1967 saw the return of more Jews than ever to the land.  

And remember, the enemy of our souls knows his time is short.  And he knows that the return of Jerusalem to the Jews, along with more Jews flooding to the land, is a smoking gun of biblical prophecy.  So biblically speaking, there is absolutely no surprise that he would freak out and stir up the hearts of the world against Jerusalem.

Israel declared its capital to be Jerusalem in 1967.  But they were the only ones making this declaration... the rest of the world refused to recognize it.  Not only did the world refuse to recognize it, but the nations of the world would gather together again and again (via the United Nations) to condemn the return and to declare it illegal.

To date, the UN has issued more condemnations against Israel than they had ever issued against all the nations of the world, combined.  For example, look at this chart, which outlines the condemnations by the UNHRC (United Nations "Human Rights Council") during the years of 2006 to 2015:

Israel 62, North Korea 8??
Who are they kidding?

In spite of all this, something incredible happened, on the jubilee that followed 1967, which had followed the jubilee of 1917.

Let's look at the progression.

On June 5, 1917, the British War Cabinet decided that General Allenby should be appointed as Commander-in-Chief of the British forces in Egypt.  That appointment set in motion the liberation of Jerusalem from the Ottomans and the Balfour Declaration.  

On June 5, 1967, the Six Day War began, which set in motion the liberation of Jerusalem from Jordanian control, restoring control to the Jews for the first time in 2000 years.

On June 5, 2017, the US senate initiated Jerusalem's fiftieth year with this declaration:

Resolved that the Senate recognizes the 50th anniversary of the reunification of Jerusalem... reaffirms the Jerusalem Embassy Act... as United States law, and calls upon the President and all United States officials to abide by its provisions.   

What is this Jerusalem Embassy Act referred to by the Senate?  It was a declaration by congress in November of 1995, calling on the US President to declare Jerusalem the capital of Israel and move the embassy to Jerusalem.  You can read it here if you'd like.

The act has a built-in waiver, which allows the president to temporarily postpone the move on grounds of “national security,” and has been repeatedly invoked by successive US presidents, from Bill Clinton to George W. Bush and Barack Obama, meaning the law has never taken effect.

After he was elected, Trump signed the waiver as well.  I was disappointed, as during his campaign he had promised to move the embassy to Jerusalem.

But in hindsight, I see that God's timing is perfect.  On December 6, 2017, Donald Trump officially recognized Jerusalem as the capitol of Israel, and announced plans to move the embassy to Jerusalem.  This pronouncement took place one hundred years after Jerusalem was liberated from the Ottomans, in the very same week.

You can read Trump's declaration in its entirety here.  But for me, this is the highlight of his speech:

"However, through all of these years, presidents representing the United States have declined to officially recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. In fact, we have declined to acknowledge any Israeli capital at all.

But today, we finally acknowledge the obvious: that Jerusalem is Israel’s capital. This is nothing more, or less, than a recognition of reality. It is also the right thing to do. It’s something that has to be done."

Preparations began immediately.  The embassy move to Jerusalem was completed on May 14, 2018.  Its televised inauguration took place seventy years to the day that Israel became a nation, and seventy years to the day that Israel had been recognized as a legitimate nation by a world leader:  Harry Truman.

People had predicted World War 3 if the declaration and subsequnt embassy move were to take place.  But WW3 didn't happen.

This photo ran in the Jerusalem Post...
and it may or may not have been photoshopped.
While there was no World War 3,
the Arabs were not happy with the move. 
I've met this camel guy.
I can't imagine that he was thrilled.

The embassy moved to an area in Jerusalem known as Arnona, which is located right on the imaginary green armistice line of 1948. There is a fascinating back story to this area, and you can click here to read it. Trust me, it's a worthwhile bunny trail.

In post 6, I made a comparison to Truman and Cyrus. Can we now throw another guy into the mix?

During Truman's presidency, a little boy was born on June 14, 1946.  Seventy years later, this little boy would be elected president of the United States.  And just as Truman sounded the trumpet of Israel's statehood, this US president sounded the trumpet of Jerusalem's restoration.  It is interesting that their names both start with tru.  Even the man's name reflected his mission... Trump.  And the meaning of the name Donald?  World leader.

Listen to this speech by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the opening of the US Embassy Jerusalem on May 14, 2018:

Exactly 70 years ago today, President Truman became the first world leader to recognize the newborn Jewish state.  Last December, President Trump became the first world leader to recognize Jerusalem as our capital.  And today, the United States of America is opening its embassy right here in Jerusalem.

This pattern of 70 years heralds back to King Cyrus, who made his declaration for the return of the Jews to the Holy Land after seventy years of exile in Babylon.

Do you suppose that there would be a relevant scripture reading from the Torah portion for the week of May 14, 2018?

You'd suppose right. 

Part of the reading that week included Leviticus 25:9-10, which says this:
...you shall sound the trumpet throughout all your land. And you shall consecrate the fiftieth year, and proclaim liberty throughout the land to all its inhabitants. It shall be a jubilee for you, when each of you shall return to his property and each of you shall return to his clan.

The fall of Jerusalem began with a Roman invasion in 67 AD.  Counting 36 jubilee cycles of 50 years each from that year, we are taken to 1867, the year the restoration kicked off with the work of Mark Twain and Charles Warren.  Each subsequent jubilee had restoration significance:

1917 - Jerusalem liberated from the Ottomans during World War 1

1967 - Jerusalem reunified and given back to Jewish Control

2017 - Jerusalem declared by a world leader to be Israel's capital

Thirty-nine jubilee cycles.  Hmm.  It makes me wonder if any kind of big event will take place upon the completion of the 40th jubilee in 2067.  This is not a prophecy or a prediction... it's just me wondering, because forty is also a big number in the scriptures.  It generally signifies a time of testing.

Through all these number patterns, God has woven a beautiful pattern of Israel's restoration.  No mortal man could possibly come up with all these coincidences.  It's all very cool and interesting, but the question remains... why?  Why is Israel back in her land?  Why is Jerusalem back under Israel's control?

One more post! You can click here to read it.