...Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled.(Luke 21:24 b)
In my
last article I observed that the events of the past week may well lead to the complete fulfillment of several end time prophecies.
I refer to the shoot out on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem, Israel's holiest site.
*Three 'Palestinian' terrorists murdered two Druze policemen on the platform [,which is the former site of both Jewish temples.
- The Jerusalem police department , no longer willing to allow the Holy Temple site to be a refuge for terrorists, took control of the site, for the first time in 2000 years.
- A large metal detector was erected at the entrance as an allowance for Arabs who want to pray there.
- Predictably Arab boycotts, riots, shootings and vandalism have broken out in response, but the Jews have held their ground so far; all visitors to the Temple Mt will be screened by metal detectors, (This has been the case thus far for all but Muslims).
- Israel has seized control of the Temple Mount from the custodianship of Jordanian Waqf.
- (Evidently by the time of the writing of this article, Jewish authorities have taken down the Metal detectors at the gates ad installed sluices for Muslim worshippers to pass through, to make it easier to spot any one with a package or bulk, to be pulled out of line and inspected with hand held metal detectors.)
Jesus said that Jerusalem would always be "trodden underfoot of the gentiles", a technical, ritualistic term, which means she would be ceremonially defiled. This could only refer to what lies at the heart of Jerusalem, the holiest place to all of Judea, the place which was sanctified for the location of the first and second temples. This situation would continue until the fulfillment of the "Time of the Gentiles".
This is why Moshe Dayan turned the Temple Mount over to the custody of Jordanian Waqf immediately after Jewish Paratroopers seized the city of Jerusalem and famously wept at the "Wailing wall" the section of retaining wall of Both Temples.
HE no doubt didn't know why he was doing it, he had his own orders from the Golda Meir Government, which was largely secular and even atheistic. From his perspective, it was reasonable to appease the Muslims, and not rile their sensibilities by driving the Waqf off of the site.
But the real Spiritual reason had to do with the timing of God. Evidently ,June 1967 was not the time of the fulfillment of the "times of the Gentiles". I do believe that time is drawing very near and these recent events have served as a portent of that.
What exactly did Jesus mean by the expression, " the Times of the Gentiles"?
The expression refers to the situation Judah found itself in, from the time of the Babylonian captivity. Judah and the remnant of Israel would lose their national sovereignity as a result of her repeated and unrepentant sin.
One Gentile power after another would rule over her, as Daniel saw in his interpretation of Nebuchadnezzar's dream in Daniel 2. Until the very time of the end, the Jews would be ruled and supervised by Babylon, Persia, Greece, and Rome (the Roman phase would come in several long phases, the two Legs ,Feet, iron mixed with clay, and finally ten toes.
Romans, Arabs, Crusaders, Ottomans, and fairly recently British, then the U.N. and America, have all had their turn at ruling or supervising over Israel, and the Jewish remnant.
Jerusalem has and will become a tremendous controversy, a literal "burdensome stone" and "Cup of trembling" to the Gentiles,(Nations of the world), the Kings of the earth shall deliberate over her, as if she is theirs to divide and distribute. The UN has split Jerusalem in two, and spend a good deal of time deliberating over the status of Jerusalem.
Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised in the city of our God, in the mountain of his holiness. Beautiful for situation, the joy of the whole earth, is mount Zion, on the sides of the north, the city of the great King. God is known in her palaces for a refuge.
For, lo, the kings were assembled, they passed by together.They saw it, and so they marvelled; they were troubled, and hasted away.Fear took hold upon them there, and pain, as of a woman in travail. (Psalm 48:1-6)
One day soon this will come to an end.
Paul, like Jesus before him, referred to the 'fulness of the gentiles', yet to come in. Evidently there is a set number of Gentiles slated to be saved,
For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in. And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob: For this is my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins.(Romans 11:24-27)
When you see Jewish Sovereignity over her most Holy site, know for sure that the time of the gentiles is coming to its conclusion and that the new order of Messiah is drawing nigh.
No comments:
Post a Comment