HAS THE TRUMP CARD BEEN PLAYED?

Fishermen in the setting sun on the shores of the Sea of Galilee

I have just returned from a week's holiday in the Galilee where I and a friend were house and dog sitting for some other friends. The weather was glorious and we were able to do some exploring and hiking in the area. Once more I was impressed by the peace and beauty of the area. As we sat one evening watching the Sun set over the Sea of Galilee, I wondered aloud why it was that the Messiah Yeshua (Jesus)  did most of his teaching, healing and miracles in the Galilee and not in Jerusalem or Judah. Today I was watching a program on TV about all the Jesus 'look-alikes', the false Messiahs who were active in the region around the same time, and the commentator raised the same question. Why the Galilee? A historian gave the answer, that the Galilee of the time was much oppressed by the Romans, and there was a strong Messianic expectation as the people of the region were very pious and the book of Daniel was much studied. The book of Daniel predicted a Messianic kingdom which would begin around that time.  

As we explored the newly excavated first-century town of Magdala, from whence came Mary Magdalena, we saw evidence of the intense piety of that area. The synagogue there was large and richly decorated with mosaic floors and intricate stone carvings. The guide estimated that in today's terms it would have cost several million dollars to build. Clearly, the people were willing to invest much effort and money into their religious institutions. 

The first-century Synagogue at Magdala. 

Of great archaeological significance is the so-called Magdala stone, a large block of limestone carved to represent the Second Temple. Nothing like this has ever been found and it is thought to have served as a kind of lectern for the reading of Torah scrolls. Yeshua may well have read at this lectern as he preached in this Synagogue.  

A facsimile of the Magdala stone ( the real one is kept at the Jerusalem Museum and is not on public view)

Here are some other photos of the areas we visited and things we saw:

A beautiful mural in the new church recently built at Magdala

The kitchen of a house in the 3-4th century Jewish town of Katzrin

40,000 Eurasian Cranes arriving for the night at Agmon Lake in the Huleh Valley

Supermoon rising over Agmon Lake

Peek-a-bo!  A hyrax pup comes to check us out.
(My favorite Israeli wild animal - they are so cute and friendly)

The outer wall, synagogue and mikveh of the town of Gamla, in the Golan Heights, that was besieged and destroyed by the Romans

As you can see everywhere we went we found ancient Jewish remains, a reminder that the Galilee and the Golan were densely populated at the time of Yeshua. In many places too we found the remains of Byzantine era churches and Christian settlements.  If you ever doubt the right of Jews to live in this Land go visit the Galilee. The evidence is overwhelming.  

When I got home I heard the news of Trump's announcement of the recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital. The repercussions of this long-overdue move are yet to become clear, but it is certainly highly significant both in terms of modern politics and prophetic fulfillment. For all that it is merely the recognition of the facts on the ground. Jerusalem has been the capital of Israel since the times of King David over three thousand years ago. No matter where Jews or Israelites wandered they always longed to return to Jerusalem. Jerusalem has been destroyed and conquered 36 times but it always rises again. There are 810 references to Jerusalem in the Bible ( and NONE in the Koran, by the way), and this does not include the 150 references to Zion, an alternative name for Jerusalem.  When exiled in Babylon the psalmist wrote,

By the rivers of Babylon,

There we sat down, yea, we wept

When we remembered Zion.

 

We hung our harps

Upon the willows in the midst of it.

 

For there those who carried us away captive asked of us a song,

And those who plundered us requested mirth,

Saying, “Sing us one of the songs of Zion!”

How shall we sing the Lord’s song

In a foreign land?

If I forget you, O Jerusalem,

Let my right hand forget its skill!

 

If I do not remember you,

Let my tongue cling to the roof of my mouth—

If I do not exalt Jerusalem

Above my chief joy.

Psalm 137: 1-6

 Not only is Jerusalem central in the heart of every Jew it is also central in the heart of our God. It was in Jerusalem He chose to express his holy presence and the Bible is clear that it is from Jerusalem the Yeshua will reign over all the Earth at the end (see for example Isaiah 60). What other city could we choose as our capital?  No Jew will ever relinquish Jerusalem. 

When the Balfour Declaration laid the groundwork for the division of the Land, Jerusalem was to be neither under the control of the Arabs or the Jews, but it was to be an International City under the control of the United Nations. This never happened, because immediately after the founding of the State of Israel in 1948, the surrounding Arab nations attacked Israel and captured East Jerusalem while West Jerusalem was held by the Jews. Until the 1967 War East Jerusalem was under the control of Jordan, but Israel captured East Jerusalem and reunited the city under its hegemony, whilst maintaining the 'status quo' in terms of religious sites and places of worship.  Jordan still controls the Muslim religious sites and Israel guarantees the rights of Muslims to pray on the Temple Mount and Christians to pray at their religious sites. At the same time, Jerusalem has functioned as our capital since 1948. The Knesset (the Israeli parliament), the legislature, the High Court and the headquarters of most national organizations reside in Jerusalem. Why then is it considered such a big thing that the USA has finally recognized that Jerusalem is our capital? Why is Israel the only country in the world that cannot choose its own capital? Why do other nations refuse to recognize what is after all the reality on the ground?

It seems to me there are two main reasons: deep-seated, often unconscious anti-Semitism, and fear of Islam and its control over the oil resources. There is also the fear of the repercussions of such a move - fear of destabilizing the balance of power in the Middle East and the Palestinian issue. 

Immediately after Trump's announcement Hamas called for a Third Intifada against Israel. Nothing new here - they have been calling for this for years. So far there has not been a general uprising of the Palestinians. There has been some rioting and violence, Hamas fired some rockets into Israeli territory, a security guard was seriously wounded in a terror attack today, but this all falls far short of an Intifada, or uprising.  

Of course, time will tell but I rather feel that most Palestinians know that it is they who would suffer most if they answer this call, and most just want to get on with their lives. Only a few hundred disenfranchised, easily-led hotheads are rising up. In addition, the Palestinian cause has somewhat fallen off the agenda amongst the Arab nations. They are much more worried about the situation with Iran and the spread of radical Islam. There are even reports today, still unconfirmed, that the Saudi Crown Prince, Mohammed bin Salman,  told Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian Authority President, that he must accept the new US peace plan which calls for Abu Dis (an East Jerusalem village) as the capital of the Palestinian state, keeps the majority of Israeli settlements intact, provides limited Palestinian sovereignty and precludes contiguous borders for the Palestinian areas (1). All parties are denying the verity of this report but it does indicate that behind the scenes there is a lot going on that we don't necessarily see.  As I said in my previous blog, alliances are realigning and the whole of the Middle East is in a state of flux. It may well be that this is indeed the perfect time for the USA to declare Jerusalem as Israel's capital. 

Whatever the case, and whatever the repercussions Scripture is clear that Jerusalem shall be the capital of not only Israel but the future world government under Yeshua. It is also clear that the majority of nations will not accept this and will rise up against Israel because of Jerusalem. God will fight on behalf of Israel and at that time all the remnant of Israel will be saved. All nations that fight against Israel will be destroyed.  It is time for an accounting. What will your nation do? What will you do? 

“Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of drunkenness to all the surrounding peoples, when they lay siege against Judah and Jerusalem. 3 And it shall happen in that day that I will make Jerusalem a very heavy stone for all peoples; all who would heave it away will surely be cut in pieces, though all nations of the earth are gathered against it ....

7 “The Lord will save the tents of Judah first, so that the glory of the house of David and the glory of the inhabitants of Jerusalem shall not become greater than that of Judah. 8 In that day the Lord will defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem; the one who is feeble among them in that day shall be like David, and the house of David shall be like God, like the Angel of the Lord before them. 9 It shall be in that day that I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem.

Zechariah 12: 2-9

We do not know what will happen in the next days but I do ask that you continue to pray for the peace of Jerusalem, and that God's Will will be done as it is in Heaven. Pray for the protection of Israel and that Truth will be revealed to all her inhabitants, especially those who seek her destruction. Pray that all the lies and misinformation will be replaced by Truth. 


(1) https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-5051672,00.html