By Malcolm Hedding
Forty years ago in June, Jerusalem, as a consequence of the now
famous Six Day War, was finally united again after nineteen long years of partition. No one will ever forget the jubilant scenes
as the Israelis swept through the Old City and gathered with awe and wonder at
the Western Wall. Israel's remarkable victory in the teeth of overwhelming odds
must and should be seen as nothing less than the intervention of God. It was
amazing!
But the real significance of June ‘67 war and the reunification of Jerusalem is the expression it gives to several important biblical truths. The first of these being a sign of the end of "the times of the gentiles." In Luke 21:24 Jesus predicted the destruction of Jerusalem, the Temple and the worldwide dispersion of the Jewish people. All this came to pass in A.D. 70. Jesus then went on to say that these tragic events would be reversed when the Jews finally return to their ancient homeland and capital: Jerusalem. This unique, unprecedented event, would herald the end of "the times of the gentiles." This term should not be confused with the biblical term "the fullness of the gentiles" found in Romans 11, which refers to the full number of gentiles who will be redeemed. The "times of the gentiles" refers to the period of gentile domination over the land of Israel and the Jewish people.
The return of the Jewish people to Jerusalem in 1967 is thus a biblical milestone indicating that, increasingly, the divine focus will be upon Israel and in particular Jerusalem itself. We can, therefore, expect this city to become a greater object of world attention in the days to come. In fact this is already the case and the same Bible that predicted the return of the Jewish people to the Old City also states that this event itself will arouse the anger of the gentile nations who will seek to disinvest Israel of it. (Zechariah 12). This too we are seeing today!
Secondly: the reunification of Jerusalem in 1967 teaches a lesson that one generation after the next prefers to forget. That is; the Lord of history and of the affairs of men remains the God of the Bible. While man, in his arrogant halls of governance, seeks more and more to exclude God from the affairs of State, the God of the Bible confounds him by demonstrating His sovereignty over the nations. The second Psalm has been around for three thousand years. It not only asserts God's sovereignty over the nations but also affirms a glorious future for Jerusalem. This future envisages a Jewish presence and Messiah in the city.
Thirdly: the return of the Jews to the ancient city of Jerusalem is a warning. This warning is to the nations. While the Jews, like any other nation, have paid the price for their sin and rebellion against God, He has not forgotten them. He has returned them to Zion and those who contest this put themselves in conflict with the God of Heaven. History is littered with the debris of nations who once stood tall, proud and strong but sought to destroy the Jewish people and disinvest them of their divine bequest.
Today we hear similar voices like a great tumult, calling for the removal of the Jews from their homeland and capital. Their arguments are bold, arrogant and sometimes even plausible but they will fail not because we say so but because God says so!! They ignore the scriptures to their peril.
Finally: Israel's return to the undivided eternal city of Jerusalem forty years ago means that today, times of transition are upon us. In the Bible forty always indicates times of change. Moses' life was marked by three periods of forty years: as a prince of Egypt, a shepherd of Midian, and a prophet of God. David ruled for forty years, so did Solomon. Jesus spent forty days in the wilderness in preparation for his public ministry.
We cannot say what times are upon us now as we approach forty years of restored Jewish presence and control over the Holy City but we can strongly affirm, as Jesus did, that these are Messianic times. As Shlomo Goren, the Chief Rabbi of Israel, blew a shofar at the Western Wall in 1967, he declared that Messianic times had arrived. He was right and no matter how these days unfold we know that in times of transition God is always present and working. No wonder scripture calls upon us to pray for the peace of Jerusalem!
But the real significance of June ‘67 war and the reunification of Jerusalem is the expression it gives to several important biblical truths. The first of these being a sign of the end of "the times of the gentiles." In Luke 21:24 Jesus predicted the destruction of Jerusalem, the Temple and the worldwide dispersion of the Jewish people. All this came to pass in A.D. 70. Jesus then went on to say that these tragic events would be reversed when the Jews finally return to their ancient homeland and capital: Jerusalem. This unique, unprecedented event, would herald the end of "the times of the gentiles." This term should not be confused with the biblical term "the fullness of the gentiles" found in Romans 11, which refers to the full number of gentiles who will be redeemed. The "times of the gentiles" refers to the period of gentile domination over the land of Israel and the Jewish people.
The return of the Jewish people to Jerusalem in 1967 is thus a biblical milestone indicating that, increasingly, the divine focus will be upon Israel and in particular Jerusalem itself. We can, therefore, expect this city to become a greater object of world attention in the days to come. In fact this is already the case and the same Bible that predicted the return of the Jewish people to the Old City also states that this event itself will arouse the anger of the gentile nations who will seek to disinvest Israel of it. (Zechariah 12). This too we are seeing today!
Secondly: the reunification of Jerusalem in 1967 teaches a lesson that one generation after the next prefers to forget. That is; the Lord of history and of the affairs of men remains the God of the Bible. While man, in his arrogant halls of governance, seeks more and more to exclude God from the affairs of State, the God of the Bible confounds him by demonstrating His sovereignty over the nations. The second Psalm has been around for three thousand years. It not only asserts God's sovereignty over the nations but also affirms a glorious future for Jerusalem. This future envisages a Jewish presence and Messiah in the city.
Thirdly: the return of the Jews to the ancient city of Jerusalem is a warning. This warning is to the nations. While the Jews, like any other nation, have paid the price for their sin and rebellion against God, He has not forgotten them. He has returned them to Zion and those who contest this put themselves in conflict with the God of Heaven. History is littered with the debris of nations who once stood tall, proud and strong but sought to destroy the Jewish people and disinvest them of their divine bequest.
Today we hear similar voices like a great tumult, calling for the removal of the Jews from their homeland and capital. Their arguments are bold, arrogant and sometimes even plausible but they will fail not because we say so but because God says so!! They ignore the scriptures to their peril.
Finally: Israel's return to the undivided eternal city of Jerusalem forty years ago means that today, times of transition are upon us. In the Bible forty always indicates times of change. Moses' life was marked by three periods of forty years: as a prince of Egypt, a shepherd of Midian, and a prophet of God. David ruled for forty years, so did Solomon. Jesus spent forty days in the wilderness in preparation for his public ministry.
We cannot say what times are upon us now as we approach forty years of restored Jewish presence and control over the Holy City but we can strongly affirm, as Jesus did, that these are Messianic times. As Shlomo Goren, the Chief Rabbi of Israel, blew a shofar at the Western Wall in 1967, he declared that Messianic times had arrived. He was right and no matter how these days unfold we know that in times of transition God is always present and working. No wonder scripture calls upon us to pray for the peace of Jerusalem!
Source: http://www.icej.org/
