{"id":26865,"date":"2023-06-08T15:27:48","date_gmt":"2023-06-08T22:27:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/gospel-express\/2023-messengers-copy\/"},"modified":"2023-06-08T16:44:34","modified_gmt":"2023-06-08T23:44:34","slug":"2023-1967","status":"publish","type":"portfolio","link":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/gospel-express\/2023-1967\/","title":{"rendered":"The Miraculous Restoration Of Jerusalem In 1967"},"content":{"rendered":"

ONE FOR ISRAEL<\/p>\n

Jesus said,\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cJerusalem will be trampled underfoot by the Gentiles, <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.\u201d<\/em>\u00a0(Luke 21:24)<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

A time was coming, he tells us, when the city would once again be in the hands of the Jewish people. I doubt those listening to him at the time could have possibly imagined how many years would pass before this prophecy came true.<\/p>\n

For the first time in over two millennia, since before the Roman conquest, Israel regained control of Jerusalem in 1967. As controversial as the Six-Day War still is with all the subsequent fallout, the sheer number of \u201ccoincidences\u201d that happened show that these events have God\u2019s fingerprints all over them.\u00a0Many miracles were reported over the duration of those six days which led to a highly improbable victory (a repeating theme in the history of both modern and ancient Israel). Yeshua\u2019s words were coming to pass.<\/p>\n

In the weeks leading up to the war, Israelis were growing increasingly concerned as Egypt, Jordan and Syria formed a military alliance, and began moving aircraft into position for attack. The Israelis knew that they were vastly outnumbered compared to the combined forces of Iraq and the allied Arab neighbours both in forces and equipment. So many Israeli deaths were expected that all of the public parks in Jerusalem were designated as cemeteries by the rabbis in advance.<\/p>\n

A grim joke was circulating among Israelis; <\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cThe last one to leave, please turn out the lights!\u201d <\/strong><\/p>\n

They were anticipating another genocide of devastating proportions.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Some who had put their faith in Israel\u2019s Defence Forces\u00a0as their \u201cMessiah\u201d understood that all things considered, they were not going to win this war. The odds were stacked far too highly against them. However, what actually happened caused many Israeli atheists to doubt their own atheism.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

MISCOMMUNICATION, MISHAPS AND MIRACLES<\/strong><\/p>\n

Having only a quarter of the air force of their opponents, early on the 6th June, Israel sent 200 planes towards Egyptian airbases in order to reduce their great advantage. Despite efforts to fly low enough to avoid detection by radar, the planes were spotted by the Jordanians, but the coding frequencies had changed just the day before, and so the message never got through. The attack was a complete surprise. Israel was able to take out half the Egyptian air force, and gain a chance at survival.<\/p>\n

From inexplicable paralysis coming upon troops of Egyptian soldiers to peculiar unexploding bombs landing and perching on piles of Israeli munitions, accounts of miracles of those six days are many and varied. Scores of such stories\u00a0have been catalogued in the documentary series, \u201cAgainst All Odds, Israel Survives\u201d.\u00a0Michael Greenspan, a seasoned journalist, presents eyewitness accounts and commentary by high-ranking government officials, generals, soldiers, historians and foreign leaders telling the remarkable stories of Israel\u2019s miraculous\u00a0victories.<\/p>\n

In one episode, an Israeli who was fighting for Jerusalem later became friends with one of the Arabs he had been fighting against. He had always wondered why, when there were only 9 Israeli soldiers with a few bullets left between them, the hundreds of Jordanian soldiers didn\u2019t take the opportunity to finish them off ? They just dropped their weapons and ran away, shouting \u201cIbrahim! Ibrahim!\u201d He asked his friend what happened that day. Apparently, as the Israeli soldiers were wishing one another luck and saying their final goodbyes, the Arabs before them suddenly saw a vision of Father Abraham behind them, telling them in Arabic to drop their weapons and surrender to the Israeli soldiers! They were so terrified by the apparition that they ran off, shouting the name of the prophet.[1]<\/p>\n

After reporting in detail on the remarkable events of the short war,<\/strong><\/p>\n

the military correspondent for Haaretz newspaper in the analysis of events concluded that, <\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cEven a non-religious person must admit this war was fought with help from heaven.\u201d [2]<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

GOD\u2019S HAND AT WORK<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cThe Six Day War was a huge moment of seeing God\u2019s Hand intervene on behalf of the Jewish People,\u201d explains Joel Rosenberg. \u201cThat\u2019s what was so extraordinary, that you had this moment where Arab\/Islamic leaders were saying we\u2019re going to throw the Jews into the sea and it looked like another holocaust was immanent. Suddenly, in six days, the Jewish people defended themselves, destroyed their enemies, tripled their land; recaptured control of Jerusalem for the first time in 2,000 years and on the seventh day they rested.\u201d[3]<\/p>\n

Moreover, these deeply significant\u00a0events in\u00a0Jerusalem\u00a0seem to have been a catalyst\u00a0in the spiritual realm, as\u00a0many revivals and movements broke out in 1967. The Jesus Movement saw approximately one million people come to faith as it swept the United States of America, many of whom were Jewish. It was one of the biggest waves of Jewish people coming to faith that the world had ever seen, and many of them moved to Israel helping to pioneer ministries and congregations, many of which are still here today. Similarly, there was a huge renewal movement in the English church at that time, and among some Catholics too, where dry, dusty religion was brought back to life. And perhaps it is just a coincidence, but all just happened to be in a year that comes around only twice in a century \u2013 the year\u00a0of Jubilee.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd you shall consecrate the fiftieth year, <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

and proclaim liberty throughout the land to all its inhabitants. It shall be a jubilee for you,<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

when each of you shall return to his property and each of you shall return to his clan.\u201d Lev 25:10<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen the\u00a0Lord\u00a0restored the fortunes of Zion,<\/em><\/strong>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0we were like those who dream.<\/em><\/strong>
\nThen our mouth was filled with laughter,<\/em><\/strong>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0and our tongue with shouts of joy;<\/em><\/strong>
\nthen they said among the nations,<\/em><\/strong>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u201cThe\u00a0Lord\u00a0has done great things for them.\u201d<\/em><\/strong>
\nThe\u00a0Lord\u00a0has done great things for us;<\/em><\/strong>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0we are glad.\u201d\u00a0(Psalm 126:1-3)<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

[1]\u00a0Bill McKay: Against All Odds (July 31, 2011)
\n[2]\u00a0HaTekufa HaGedola, Rabbi Menachem Kasher, Chap. Sichu B\u2019chol Niflaotav, p. 445, 5761 edition
\n[3] CBN:\u00a0Israel\u2019s 1967 Miracle<\/em>, Chris Mitchell,\u00a0June 05, 2007<\/p>\n<\/div><\/section><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"featured_media":26868,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","tags":[],"portfolio_entries":[29],"class_list":["post-26865","portfolio","type-portfolio","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","portfolio_entries-29"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/portfolio\/26865","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/portfolio"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/portfolio"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=26865"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/portfolio\/26865\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":26874,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/portfolio\/26865\/revisions\/26874"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/26868"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=26865"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=26865"},{"taxonomy":"portfolio_entries","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/portfolio_entries?post=26865"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}