Modern history of the nations and Israel in a nutshell

Much is being said and written these days about the UNESCO decision to disconnect the temple mount from its 4.000 year old Jewish history (starting with Abraham's willingness to sacrifice his son of promise, Isaak, on mount Moriah, which is the temple mount). I want to add my part to the discussion – but from a somewhat different, primarily biblical perspective.

Modern history of the nations and Israel in a nutshell

If we look back, let us say over the past 120 years, we can discern a certain development.  To put it in fairly simple terms, it looks like this:

• 120 years ago, it began with Zionism: do the Jewish people have a moral, historical, legal and spiritual right to return to their (at that time mostly desolate and uninhabited) ancient homeland, which they had inhabited for about 1.500 years, as the Bible foresees?
• 100 years ago, after World War I, the League of Nations answered this question affirmatively and gave the UK the mandate to establish a Jewish homeland in their historical / Biblical land. Almost immediately there was a radical negative reaction in the Moslem world against this decision which has been growing ever since.
• Almost 70 years ago, after the Shoah, with the UN vote of November 29, 1947, the promise of Lord Balfour and the consequent decision of the League of Nations became a political reality, though militarily contested by seven Arab armies one day after the re-establishment of the Jewish state of Israel. Israel’s battle for survival began on the very day of its re-birth.
• Almost 50 years ago, with the victory of yet another defensive war, the 6-day-war, Jerusalem was reunited under mostly Jewish sovereignty. The battle for the status of Jerusalem went into a next stage. A mass-exodus of national embassies, moving away from Jerusalem to Tel Aviv, was one of the sad consequences.
• For the last 50 years, Nathan Sharansky's 3D plumb line was the point of decision and division for many nations: Who contributed to the demonization, de-legitimation and double standard talk and policy? And who did not?
• And today – 2016/17 – almost exactly 50 years after the reunification of Jewish Jerusalem – we witness the next phase of escalation of a UN-body, moving against the Jewish state of Israel: The dis-attachment of the temple mount from Jewish history, faith and prophecy.

Moving towards the climax

If we look at the past 120 years with a biblical understanding of history – including redemptive history – we can see clearly that things are moving toward a climax. More precisely, toward the final end-time battle for Zion – for the temple mount.

Jewish prophets, including Jesus himself, the ultimate prophet , have spoken about this “day of the Lord”, which in New Testament language refers to the “day of the return of the Lord”. It is mentioned most prominently in Joel 3, Zachariah 12 and 14 and Matthew 25,31ff. The final battle for Jerusalem is the final battle right before the return of Messiah. And the temple mount is again – as it was in the time of Nebuchadnezzar, the times of the Maccabees and the times of the Romans in 70AD / 135 AD – at the center of it. Things are moving rapidly in this direction.

How shall we pray?

First of all, let us continue to pray for Jerusalem, the united, Jewish capital of Israel. Let us continue to pray – as watchman on the walls of Jerusalem – for the fulfillment of ALL Biblical promises to Jerusalem according to Isaiah 62, 1-7.

But in addition to that let us pray for our respective nations as well. Many nations, on the diplomatic side as well as on the church side, have another opportunity for making a decision according to Genesis 12,3: Either “blessing” Israel by honoring it’s historical, religious and legal connections to the temple mount – or “cursing” Israel by buying into the manipulative and distorted narrative of the UNESCO, which is driven by the radical Islamic agenda. Please pray that your government leaders, your diplomats, your church leaders and those who influence the public debate in your nation will move away from the lies and manipulation and toward historical truthfulness and integrity. And pray that they will have the courage to stand for it publicly.