Israel - A Modern Miracle Part 2
by Joseph Hunting
THE VALLEY OF DRY BONES
"Thus saith the Lord unto these bones; Behold, I will cause breath to enter into you, and ye shall live. And I will lay flesh upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and ye shall live and ye shall know that I am the Lord, So I prophesied as I was commanded: And as I prophesied there was a noise, and behold, a shaking, and the bones came together, bone to his bone." (Ezekiel 37:6-7)
In this great vision Ezekiel saw the whole House of Israel as a vast valley full of dry bones.
The miracle of the rebirth of Israel can be best understood by taking a step back and viewing the remarkable anniversaries associated with the overthrow, and subsequent rebuilding of Jerusalem -- the nation's divinely appointed capital.
Israel was granted possession of the Holy Land by Divine decree, and the nation's various dispersions and regatherings were also by Divine decree. Thus, it was not by chance that Jerusalem was destroyed on the 9th Av (the fifth month in the Jewish calendar) in the year 588 B.C., and again on the 9th of Av over 600 years later when the Roman armies under Titus captured the city and destroyed it in the year 70 A.D.
The 9th Av 70 A.D. marked the beginning of Israel's great dispersion among the Gentile nations that has lasted nearly 2,000 years -- almost half the total life-span of the nation.
THE STRANGE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE 3RD ANNIVERSARY OF 9TH AV IN 1914
"So I prophesied as I was commanded: And as I prophesied there was a noise, and behold a shaking, and the bones came together, bone to his bone." (Ezekiel 37:7)
The third anniversary of the 9th Av with great significance for the nation of Israel occurred in 1914 -- the 4th of August -- when nation rose against nation and kingdom against kingdom as prophesied by the Lord Jesus (Matthew 24:7). There was a great shaking as empires tottered and fell and the world was locked in the bloodiest conflict in history to that time.
Just as God used the Gentile nations to batter down the gates of Jerusalem on the 9th of Av on two previous occasions so -- on the 9th of Av in 1914 -- He commenced using a series of hammer blows by the greatest Gentile power the world had known to that time to batter down the barriers that had barred Jerusalem to Israel for nearly 2,000 years.
The prophet Haggai records that the foundation stone of the 2nd Temple was laid on the 24th day of the 9th month (Kislev) in the year 536 B.C. (Kislev corresponds to December in the Gregorian calendar)
"FROM THIS DAY WILL I BLESS YOU" (Haggai 2:18-19)
"Consider now, from this day and upward; from the four and twentieth day of the ninth month, even from the day the foundation of the Lord's Temple was laid, consider it ... from this day will I bless you."
Was it coincidence that General Allenby delivered Jerusalem from the bondage of the Ottoman Empire on December 11th 1917 the 24th day of the 9th month in the Jewish calendar -- the anniversary of the day specifically mentioned by Haggai, "from this day will I bless you." ? This date also triggered off a series of events which led, not only to the rebirth of Israel as a nation, but to modern Jerusalem becoming its capital. Surely, the 24th day of the 9th month in the Jewish calendar is a day to be remembered regarding Jerusalem for God has surely fulfilled His "from this day will I bless you" when we see the growth of the city since the 24th day of the 9th month in 1917.
Perhaps few Gentiles realize how significant this date is, yet it is observed throughout the world by countless millions each year. In the early days of Christianity the 24th day of the 9th month in the Jewish calendar was chosen by the Hebrew believers as the day to commemorate the birth of the Messiah. As the 9th month corresponds with December in the Gregorian calendar, and as the Jewish days commence at sundown, the 25th of December became the day chosen to commemorate the birth of the Messiah by the Gentile nations. Surely, the promise, "from this day will I bless you" has double significance -- not only for Jerusalem -- but for countless millions who have come to love the Saviour Whose birth is remembered on this date.
THE SIGNIFICANCE OF WORLD WAR 1 -- IN THE LIGHT OF EZEKIEL'S PROPHECY
World War 1 not only brought about the deliverance of Jerusalem, but it also provided the "great shaking" which brought "bone unto his bone".
On November 2nd 1917 Lord Balfour issued the following statement, "The British Government looks with favour on the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people." This famous document, which later became known as the Balfour Declaration, laid the foundation for the rebirth of the State of Israel 20 years later.
On July 24th 1922 the League of Nations granted to Britain the Mandate of Palestine and large numbers of Jews came from Europe, Asia, Africa and America to settle in Palestine. They drained the swamps, and built cities. They introduced modern agricultural methods to a land that had been by-passed by modern science, and the desert wastes began to "blossom as the rose" . They built a modern university in the City of David. They revived the Hebrew language as the spoken language in the Land of the Bible. Thus, as the result of the great shaking caused by the world powers locked in the titanic struggle of World War 2 "bone came to his bone" , and the State of Israel was born.
AN EXCEEDING GREAT ARMY
"Then He said unto me, prophesy unto the wind, prophesy son of man, and say unto the wind: Thus saith the Lord God: Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe upon these slain, that they may live. So I prophesied as He commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived, and stood upon their feet an exceeding great army." (Ezekiel 37:9-10)
On May 14th 1948 the British flag was lowered in Palestine and the mandate terminated. The following day Mr David Ben Gurion announced to the world the rebirth of the State of Israel, and the historic Star of David, Israel's national emblem, fluttered over Jerusalem after being in exile for nearly 2,000 years.
Immediately the State of Israel came into being on May 15th 1948 seven bitterly hostile Arab states swept across the borders of Israel confident of an outright victory. The Arab leaders boasted that they would wipe out Israel in less than three weeks.
Nine months later the same Arab states were completely defeated and were flung back over the borders of Israel. Although outnumbered by more than 80 to 1 Israel was victorious. Her victory was decisive and complete, and Ezekiel's prophecy came to pass, "they lived, and stood upon their feet an exceeding great army."