Israel - A Modern Miracle Part 1

by Joseph Hunting

THE PROPHECY CONCERNING THE ANCIENT HIGH PLACES (Ezekiel 36:1-2)

"Also, thou son of man, prophesy unto the mountains of Israel, and say, Ye mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Lord; Thus saith the Lord God; Because the enemy hath said against you, Aha, even the ancient high places are ours in possession ..."

One of the most amazing features about the boundaries of the new State of Israel is that nearly all the ancient holy and high places are in enemy possession. These include Mount Hebron, Mount Moriah, Mount Gerizim, the Mount of Olives and Bethlehem. Even the Old City of Jerusalem with its many sacred places such as the Wailing Wall and the Temple Site is in enemy possession, so that Ezekiel's prophecy, written approximately 2,600 years before the rebirth of the state of Israel on May 14^th 1948, accurately foretells the situation that pertains to "the ancient high places" today.

THE PROPHECY AGAINST "THE RESIDUE OF THE NATIONS, AND ALL IDUMEA"

"Thus saith the Lord God, surely in the fire of My jealousy have I spoken against the residue of the nations, and against all Idumea which have appointed My land into their possession with the joy of all their hearts, with spiteful minds to cast it out for a prey." (verse 5)

The important issue in this prophecy is that "the residue of the nations, and all Idumea appointed My land into their possession".

This land called Israel belongs to Christ, plus the territory that has been annexed by the State of Jordan that was originally portion of the territory promised to Abraham and his Seed. (For further details on this point see "The Watchman's Page", February 1965 "Vineyard")

Verse four spotlights the location of the "residue of the nations THAT ARE AROUND ABOUT" , i.e. around about the present borders of Israel. Let us have a look at Israel's neighbours and see how perfectly they fit into today's picture according to the prophecy -- Saudi Arabia and Jordan (these two nations comprise "ALL IDUMEA" of the prophecy Egypt, Iraq, Iran, Syria and Lebanon.

One glance at the 490 mile border that separates Israel from the bitterly hostile Arab states reveals the amazing accuracy of Ezekiel's prophecy. How truly the prophecy "They divided My land" has been fulfilled by the location of the borders of Israel by the U.N. when compared with the land promised to Abraham and his Seed.

The shaded portion west of the Jordan is "the land that the residue of the nations and all Idumea appointed into their possession."

Note that the shaded portion cuts through Jerusalem, which today is a divided city, again fulfilling prophecy "Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled". (Luke 21:24) No Jew may set foot in that part of the city which is rightfully his "until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled". Should war flare up between Israel and the Arabs, Israel would most certainly move with lightning speed to reclaim her ancient territory to the river Jordan, thus placing Tel Aviv outside the range of Arab guns. If such should occur, the Old City of Jerusalem would again revert back to the state of Israel.

THE PROPHECY CONCERNING ISRAEL'S REAFFORESTATION PROGRAMME

"Prophecy therefore concerning the land of Israel, and say unto the mountains, and to the hills, and to the rivers, and to the valleys. Thus saith the Lord God, Behold, I have spoken in My jealousy, and in My fury, because ye have borne the shame of the nations, ... but ye, O mountains of Israel, ye shall shoot forth your branches, and yield your fruit to My people of Israel, for they are at hand to come." (Ezekiel 36:6-7)

For eighteen centuries the land of Israel was closed to the Jewish people, thus fulfilling the prophecy of Moses, "And the Lord shall scatter thee among all people, from the one end of the earth, even unto the other, ... And among these nations thou shalt find no ease, neither shall the sole of thy foot have rest." (Deuteronomy 28:64-65)

During this time, the once beautifully-wooded hills of Galilee and Judea became denuded of trees and pitifully eroded through neglect. The fertile Valley of Jezreel became a filthy malaria-infested waste, and the rich pasture lands of the Negev became a desert with only the ruins of places like Avdat to testify to the fact that ancient civilizations once flourished there.

One can truly marvel at the tremendous change that has taken place in Israel over the past 25 years. Tens of millions of trees have been planted, and whole forests have sprung up where previously desolation and barreness reigned supreme for centuries. Within the next two years Israel hopes to complete the target for the planting of two hundred million trees!

Not only are "the mountains of Israel shooting forth their branches" but the land of Israel is also "yielding fruit to My people of Israel" , and exporting the surplus to a fruit-hungry Europe. The yearly export of oranges to Europe exceeds 10,000,000 cases annually, and recently thousands of tons of bananas and tomatoes have found their way to the fruit stalls of London, Paris and numerous other continental cities.

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