Throughout the most recent Presidential race in the U.S., Donald Trump repeatedly said that if elected President he will move the U.S. Embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.  This makes total sense from a political standpoint, as there are many Americans and Israelis who agree with this decision, but it makes even more sense from a logical standpoint, because of the 195 nations where the U.S. has an embassy, only in Israel is our embassy not located in that nation’s capital.

One of the most enthusiastic supporters of this announcement was the Israeli Prime Minister himself, Benjamin Netanyahu.  The truth is, Jerusalem has always been the sacred capital of Israel from ancient times until their reestablishment in 1948.  At that time, Jordan claimed ownership of East Jerusalem, but less than 20 years later, in what became known as the 6-Day War in 1967, a war in which the Arab nations were poised to attack and destroy them, Israel captured East Jerusalem, the West Bank and all of the Sinai Peninsula.  From this point forward, Jerusalem became Israel’s national capital.

So, why did the U.S. allow our embassy to remain in Tel Aviv instead of immediately relocating it to Jerusalem?  Most people would argue that any move of our embassy to Jerusalem would have been provocative and added fuel to the already tense Israeli-Palestinian feud, only hindering any potential peace agreement.  Others would argue that the entire Arab world would become outraged because they too claim Jerusalem as their holy city.  And while each of these facts can be argued successfully, the real answer can be found in scripture and was prophesied over 2,500 years ago.

In an earlier blog post, I described how Israel and Iran are aligning to fulfill a Biblical prophecy of ending their antagonistic relationship and becoming allies, partners and friends, beginning in 2018 (story here).  In that post, I cited a verse in Zechariah which foretells of a specific period of time that Israel is to suffer:

Zech. 1:12–“Then the angel of the Yahweh answered and said, O Yahweh of hosts, how long wilt thou not have mercy on Jerusalem and on the cities of Judah, against which thou hast had indignation these THREESCORE AND TEN YEARS?”

After WWII, the United Nations passed resolution 181 in November 1947, granting  Jews throughout the world the right to return to their ancestral homeland in Israel.  Thus, on May 14, 1948, the Jews drafted their Declaration Of Independence and returned to Israel, fighting vigorously to defend it for over 69 years.  Zechariah prophesied that Israel would have to endure persecution for 70 years–threescore and ten years–once their sovereign nation had been reestablished.  But, a closer look at this verse explains the truth about the city of Jerusalem itself.

Zechariah didn’t just identify Israel, or Judah, above.  He specifically wrote about the city of Jerusalem.  “Judah” is another expression for the nation of Israel, sometimes called Judea and Samaria.  In 1948, when Israel became a nation once again, its entire country would be put to the test for 70 years, but JERUSALEM in particular was singled out for this temporary time of indignation.  Zechariah describes this holy city after the 70 years of indignation are finally over:

Zech. 1:16–“Therefore thus saith Yahweh; I am returned to Jerusalem with mercies: my house [the  Temple] shall be built in it, saith Yahweh of hosts, and a line shall be stretched forth upon Jerusalem.  ¹⁷ Cry yet, saying, Thus saith Yahweh of hosts; My cities through prosperity shall yet be spread abroad; and Yahweh shall yet comfort Zion [Israel], and shall yet choose Jerusalem.”

The reason that the 70 years of indignation will finally cease is because Yahweh will restrain Satan, who had been the evil influence upon Israel ever since her return.

Zech 3:2–“And Yahweh said unto Satan, Yahweh rebuke thee, O Satan; even Yahweh that hath chosen Jerusalem rebuke thee: is not this a brand plucked out of the fire?”

When Satan’s power to wreak havoc upon Israel is taken away, several things will occur within a short period of time.  The 3rd Temple will be constructed upon the Mount of Olives.  This event will inspire nations throughout the world to begin investing in Israel’s economy and soon, she will finally be able to focus much more of her resources on economic growth instead of national defense.

Isa. 2:2–“And it shall come to pass in the last days [our generation], that the mountain of the Lord‘s house [Temple] shall be established in the top of the mountains [Mount of Olives], and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it.  ³ And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of Yahweh, to the house of the Elohim of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of Yahweh from Jerusalem.  ⁴ And he shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people: and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.”

In this brief passage in Isaiah, it’s clear that the Temple’s purpose will not solely be for spiritual purposes.  From this location, the LAW will be taught and it will be where legal matters WILL BE JUDGED.  The city of Jerusalem will be the location of a modern “world court” where international disputes will be judged.  This makes Jerusalem even more important than just a religious center.

The 70 years of indignation will end in 2018, but when will the Temple construction begin?  Does the Bible reveal anything about the timing of this project?  Yes, in the book of Daniel, he tells us exactly when it will begin.

Dan. 11:6–“And in the end of years they shall join themselves together; for the king’s daughter of the south shall come to the king of the north to make an agreement….” 

To understand this verse, we must first define what Daniel means by “the end of years”.  This verse appears in chapter 11 of Daniel and is a part of “The Scripture of Truth”, sometimes called “The Book of Truth” which begins in Dan. 10:21.

Dan. 10:21–“But I will shew thee that which is noted in THE SCRIPTURE OF TRUTH: and there is none that holdeth with me in these things, but Michael your prince.”

The Scripture of Truth then begins in the next verse, Dan. 11:1, and proceeds through Dan. 12:3.  That “book” of truth is specifically identifying a brief history of world empires, leading up to the events of the latter days in which each of these prophesies will be fulfilled.  Daniel was speaking these words to the Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar.  In Dan. 2:37-40, he describes these four great kingdoms as gold, silver, brass and iron.  King Nebuchadnezzar is the head of gold:

Dan. 2:37–Thou, O king, art a king of kings: for the Elohim of heaven hath given thee a kingdom, power, and strength, and glory.  ³⁸ And wheresoever the children of men dwell, the beasts of the field and the fowls of the heaven hath he given into thine hand, and hath made thee ruler over them all. THOU ART THIS HEAD OF GOLD.  ³⁹ And after thee shall arise another kingdom inferior to thee [silver], and another third kingdom of brass, which shall bear rule over all the earth.  ⁴⁰ And the fourth kingdom shall be strong as iron: forasmuch as iron breaketh in pieces and subdueth all things: and as iron that breaketh all these, shall it break in pieces and bruise.”

These kingdoms do not immediately follow the other.  There is a period of time between the decline of one and the rise of the other.  After the decline of the Babylonian Empire, the next great empire was Medo-Persia [silver]. Years later, the Greek Empire [brass] was dominant on earth.  But who is the 4th empire, defined as IRON?  This identity was kept secret from Daniel, only to be revealed to us in this final generation.

Dan. 12:8–“And I heard, but I understood not: then said I, O my Lord, what shall be the end of these things?  ⁹ And he said, Go thy way, Daniel: for the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end.”

But we DO know who this nation is and we know when these events will begin because of the very next verse:

Dan 12:10–“Many shall be purified, and made white, and tried; but the wicked shall do wickedly: and none of the wicked shall understand; but THE WISE SHALL UNDERSTAND.”

There is a “gap” of approximately 2,300 years between the 3rd great empire and the future 4th empire.  It is an empire that existed on earth long before Nebuchadnezzar‘s empire was built–the Assyrian Empire.

Ancient Assyria occupied the lands of the Babylonian Empire, so when this next great empire arrives on the world stage today, it will exist in exactly the same place where Daniel was as he was talking with Nebuchadnezzar.  [“The last shall be first and the first shall be last.”  This expression, usually pertaining to humans, can be equally understood in describing ancient empires.]  Today, we know this region of NW Iraq as the Kurdish region.  Thus far, the Kurds have not been successful in establishing their sovereignty, but they soon will.

It is from this new nation that the anti-Messiah will emerge.  And when he does, he will establish his one-world religion and one-world government over the entire earth.  This last “great empire” will dwarf all previous empires because it won’t be confined to a geographic region.  It will involve all mankind.

The “end of years”, therefore, can be pinpointed by looking at two events.  One) The nation of Israel must return to her promised land.  This occurred on May 14, 1948.  Two) The Nation of “Assyria” [“Kurdistan”?] must become a recognized nation on earth.  In order for the Temple construction to begin in Jerusalem, BOTH of these events must be in effect simultaneously.

And, just like Ezra, who came from Babylon to construct the first Temple in Jerusalem, so too “Babylon” plays a key role in introducing the 3rd Temple in the near future.

So, it’s not mere politics-as-usual when President Trump chose to insist on moving the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem.  He is the human instrument that Yahweh is using to begin setting the wheels in motion for these prophesies to be fulfilled.  Next April will mark the end of the 70 years of indignation, bringing us to a much more peaceful time in the Middle East and subsequently, the entire world.  Watch for the nation of Kurdistan to be formed afterward.

And it’s no coincidence that Israel has already begun the process of locating a red heifer….  But, that’s for another blog post.