Intro: The Jerusalem Question - Middle East Peace, Or War?

Copyright 1994 - 2008 Endtime Prophecy Net

Last Updated : July 23, 2006

It is a known fact that for many decades now, the Arabs have
wanted to divide Jerusalem, and Israel in general, in order
that the Palestinians, the modern descendants of the ancient
Philistines, might have a legitimate homeland, as well as a
capital city. It is also a known fact that in recent years,
it has been the Jews, (or Israelis if you prefer), who have
refused this kind of arrangement, stating that Jerusalem is
their eternal and undivided city which was given to them by
God. This continues to be their staunch position to this
very day; and as I note in such articles as 'Oh Israel, Why
Will Ye Die?', 'The Triumphant Touchdown Of Jesus Christ'
and 'Yasser Arafat's Ultimatum', it is my view, based upon
my understanding of the Scriptures, that this adamancy on
the part of the Jews will ultimately result in full-scale
war. Consider the following verse written over two thousand
years ago in the Old Testament:

"For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle;
and the city shall be taken, and the houses rifled, and the
women ravished; and half of the city shall go forth into
captivity, and the residue of the people shall not be cut
off from the city." Zechariah 14:2, KJV

As I explain in the aforementioned articles, and as daily
news reports clearly attest, when this war occurs, it is
undoubtedly East Jerusalem which will be forcibly taken by
the Arabs in the not-too-distant future. The Jews have had
control of East Jerusalem since the 1967 Six-Day War, when
they took it from the Jordanians, who themselves are about
ninety per cent Palestinian by heritage. Now, unless the
Jews begin to show more flexibility in the current peace
negotiations, they will lose it again through another war.

Surprisingly, had the politics of men prevailed, instead of
the Will of God, the current explosive situation in the
Middle East could have been neutralized many years ago.
According to the 1947 United Nations partition plan, also
known as Resolution 181, Jerusalem would have been made an
international city, belonging to neither Jews or Arabs, and
the Palestinians would have been given more land than they
currently possess; however, because they didn't like the
deal they were getting at the time, they decided to go to
war instead. It was the next year that the Zionist Congress,
with the cautious support of some Western leaders, declared
Israel a state, right when the British mandate was coming to
its conclusion. Again, these details are further explained
in the aforementioned articles.

So here we stand, over fifty years later, and the ancient,
city of Jerusalem once again faces the distinct possibility
of being divided. As I state in my articles, the only real
question which remains in my mind, is whether a fragile US-
brokered, (or possibly UN-brokered), accord will usher in a
false, temporary period of peace, inevitably to be followed
by war, or whether war will occur first, to be halted by a
short-lived peace treaty of several years, known to Bible
students as the seven-year Holy Covenant, (although it will
be broken after only three and a half years), during which
time the ancient Temple will be reconstructed, and daily
sacrifices re-instituted. Either way, we know that there
will be a final Arab invasion, which will result in the
desecration of the Temple, and the Beast setting up his own
headquarters in Jerusalem, which will mark the beginning of
the long-awaited Great Tribulation.

Regardless of how the division of Jerusalem occurs, we
should not overlook the fact that there are some strong
indications which point to the possibility that the actual
administration of the city may fall upon the shoulders of
the Roman Catholic Church, which has for centuries had a
keen interest in controlling Jerusalem. Let us not forget
the so-called 'Christian Crusades' of centuries past. In
fact, as you begin to read the news reports contained in
this section, you will see that the Roman Catholic Church,
as well as several other denominations, have already clearly
stated in writing, that East Jerusalem should be given to
the Palestinians.

As this volatile situation surrounding Jerusalem continues
to play out, we need to remember that this is yet another
prophecy being fulfilled before our very eyes; which is
further evidence that God's Word is not only inspired and
real, but that it should be trusted. Only two chapters
before describing the invasion of Jerusalem, the Prophet
Zechariah also wrote:

"And in that day will I make Jerusalem a burdensome stone
for all people: all that burden themselves with it shall be
cut in pieces, though all the people of the earth be
gathered together against it." Zechariah 12:3, KJV

I find it interesting that the Prophet tells us that the
adamancy of the Jews, will result in Jerusalem becoming a
burdensome stone to the nations, and that those nations and
people will be cut into pieces. If you look up this word
'adamant' in a dictionary, it states that it is a legendary
stone believed to be impenetrable. It is derived from the
Latin and Greek 'adamas', which means hard metal or diamond;
and a diamond can most certainly cut through many other
softer materials. It seems to me then, that despite the best
efforts of politicians, whether it be President Clinton, the
United Nations, or anyone else, their negotiations will all
fail, and war will eventually come to the Middle East,
because God is going to use it to judge the nations at the
great Battle of Armageddon!