Significant Anniversary

[Bakershalfdozen]

http://www.thoenebooks.com/blog.asp

by Brock and Bodie Thoene ?Who has heard such a thing? Who has seen such things? Shall a land be born in one day? Shall a nation be brought forth in one moment? For as soon as Zion was in labor she brought forth her children!? (Isaiah 66:8) Part One of our novel, Gates of Zion, begins on November 29, 1947. It is 60 years ago today that the United Nations voted to partition the British Mandate of Palestine?.which Britain had governed since the end of World War I?into two sovereign nations; one Jewish and the other Arab. ?I know that God promised all of Israel to the children of Israel. I do not know what borders he set. I believe they are wider than the ones proposed. If God will keep His promise in His own time, our business as poor humans who live in a difficult age is to save as much as we can of the remnants of Israel?? David Ben-Gurion, first Prime Minister of Israel The Jews accepted the U.N. Partition plan?the Arabs did not. After 2000 years of non-existence, a Jewish state sprang into being. Nothing like it has ever happened in the history of the world, neither before nor since. No nation has ever gone out of existence for such a span of time and then been re-created. A national homeland for the Jews?a place of refuge from the almost universal persecution?the place of escape which, if it had existed in 1937 instead of 10 years too late, might have prevented the Holocaust. But the counting of votes?the stroke of a pen?were not enough to cause Israel to exist anew. This month?s anniversary marks the beginning of a period of extraordinary violence and bloodshed. The new country was launched amid countless sacrifices and nurtured by thousands of miracles, great and small. November 29, 1947, is not just of historical interest but also has present-day significance: It marked the beginning of a six-decade-long conflict that continues even today. The years have been highlighted by astonishing victories for the outnumbered and outgunned state of Israel, but also by almost unrelenting struggle. Through it all the radical factions among the Muslims have never given up their original rallying cries: ?Drive the Jews into the sea!? and ?Finish what Hitler began!? A couple historical reminders--- There never was a ?nation? of Palestine. In crushing the Jewish rebellions of 70AD and 135AD the Romans destroyed the nation. Emperor Hadrian attempted to blot out the memory of Jerusalem by re-naming it Aelia Capitolina and dedicating a temple to Jupiter on the site. The region was also renamed ?Syria Palestina;? drawn from the ancient Philistines. This is the term that gave rise to ?Palestine? and ?Palestinians.? Over subsequent centuries, the region was ruled by Romans, Moslems, Crusaders (briefly), Ottoman Turks and the British. No Jewish state existed?no ?Palestinian? state existed?not until 1948. After ferocious fighting, a stalemate resulted. Jerusalem was a divided city, the Old City ruled by Jordan, as was what is now called ?the West Bank.? This raises the next question: Why was no move made on the part of Israel?s Arab neighbors?Syria, Trans-Jordan, Egypt?to create the UN-voted Palestinian nation? Arabs who had been living in the British Mandate who were displaced by the war became refugees in the Arab countries around them. Arab tribal leaders who opted to remain within the borders of Israel were often targeted for assassination?.not by Israel but by Muslim radicals. For nineteen years (until the Six Day War of 1967) what had been planned as a Palestinian state was instead occupied by Jordan. During all those years no one ever heard the phrase ?Occupied Territories? as has been applied by the enemies of Israel to land captured by Israel in a war of survival. So where are we today? Christians believe the rebirth of Israel is an extremely important prophetic development; one which will ultimately lead to the final earthly conflict and the literal return of Jesus Christ to earth. Even those who do not share this belief recognize that Israel is a bulwark against Islamic terrorism in the Middle East. And lest you be drawn into the nonsense that Israel?s existence is the cause of Muslim violence, review the statements of the leaders of Iran and of Osama bin Laden from many years ago. They and others like them advocate the forcible establishment of an Islamic state throughout the world?beginning with the recreation of an Islamic Empire stretching again from India through the Middle East across North Africa and into Europe. Israel is a God-ordained roadblock to their plans. So on this anniversary that begins a year-long commemoration of Jewish heroism and heavenly intervention, pray for the peace of Jerusalem?.but support no peace plan which sacrifices the security of Jewish lives for an illusory tranquility. Remember what Yahweh says: ?Thus says the Lord of Hosts: I am jealous for Zion with great jealousy, and I am jealous for her with great wrath. Thus says the Lord: I have returned to Zion and will dwell in the midst of Jerusalem, and Jerusalem shall be called the faithful city, and the mountain of the Lord of Hosts, the Holy Mountain?.I will save my people from the east country and from the west country, and I will bring them to dwell in the midst of Jerusalem. And they shall be my people, and I shall be their God, in faithfulness and righteousness.? (Zechariah 8:2, 3 and 7,8) AND ?The sons of those who afflicted you shall come bending low to you, and all who despised you shall bow down at your feet; they shall call you the City of the Lord, the Zion of the Holy One of Israel.? (Isaiah 60:14) AMEN! Baruch atem b?Shem Yeshua, Brock and Bodie

November 29, 2007 --- A SIGNIFICANT ANNIVERSARY

[HappyChristian]

50 years! Such turbulence for the nation during 50 short years.

[Bakershalfdozen]

60 years.

[HappyChristian]

60 years.

Oops - You're right!

[pneu-engine]

Probably because of my Jewish (Semitic) heritage I have a great affinity for the Nation of Israel. Not only that, but now as a born-again believer that affinity is greatly intensified.

We can look all down thru the aeons of time and see that any nation that blessed Israel God blessed, and any nation that cursed, or did harm to Israel God cursed. Right off the top of my head I see the following examples of that principle:::::::::.

***When Balak, the son of Zippor asked Balaam to curse the Israelites ( Numbers 22), at first Balaam said he would only say what the LORD put into his mouth to say. However, even though only blessings came out of his mouth, apparently greed got the best of him and he told Balak how Israel could be cursed. "Just get your pretty daughters to marry the Hebrew men", he said. <<<--- my paraphrase. That was an abomination. Later on when God severely cursed and judged Moab it wasn't only Balak that got killed. Balaam was also there dwelling in luxury, and he reaped the judgement and curse of God as well.

***When Pharoah of Egypt chased the Israelites to the Red Sea they quickly experienced the curse of God as they drowned. Egypt has never been a world power since.

***When Great Britain did that terrible deed of separating the land that rightfully belonged to israel and gave some to the Arabs, she (G.B.) was the never the same world power as she once was. It used to be said that the sun never sets on the British Empire.

***It was in 1948 that Harry S. Truman made the statement to the newly formed Nation of Israel that on the behalf of the American People, he recognizes Israel as a nation. God blessed him abundantly and Harry S. Truman won the presidency against Dewey.

***Today the high-powered leaders of Iran want to bomb Israel off the face of the earth. They will meet with God's judgement just as sure as the sun coming up in the morning.

***Depending who gets in the presidency in '08 (Queen Hillary??????? ) we as Americans will be either blessed or cursed by God accordingly as we treat Israel.

[pneu-engine]

In our library we have both series sets of the Zion Chronicles and the Zion Covenant.

they are exceptionally good reading. :Green :Green :Green