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"A Time to Build Up"
New building plans in Jerusalem and Judah
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Sunday, June 04, 2017
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www.bibleinthenews.com Audio & Print versions
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The book of Ecclesiastes says, "To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted; A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up.”
There was a time when Zion was to be broken down. The Lord Jesus said in Mark 13:2 in regards to the temple, "Seest thou these great buildings? there shall not be left one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down.” And so it came to pass. But the time to break down has now past. A new process has now started, a process of building. A time to build up.
Jerusalem must be rebuilt again, in a spiritual as well as physical sense. Jerusalem must be filled with people, as it is today, however it must also be built up on the Apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone. Psalm 102:16 says, ""When the LORD shall build up Zion, he shall appear in his glory." The building again of Jerusalem as a Hebrew city is bound up with the manifestation of the glory of God to the world. For this reason the watchmen of Zion have always been encouraged and enthused by news of the return of the Jews and the building again of the ancient wastes. Jeremiah 31 speaks of the time when Jerusalem will be built and never thrown down again. Verses 38 and 40 read:There was a time when Zion was to be broken down. The Lord Jesus said in Mark 13:2 in regards to the temple, "Seest thou these great buildings? there shall not be left one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down.” And so it came to pass. But the time to break down has now past. A new process has now started, a process of building. A time to build up.
"Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that the city shall be built to the LORD from the tower of Hananeel unto the gate of the corner.”
"And the whole valley of the dead bodies, and of the ashes, and all the fields unto the brook of Kidron, unto the corner of the horse gate toward the east, shall be holy unto the LORD; it shall not be plucked up, nor thrown down any more for ever."
On April 27 Arutz Sheva and YNET news reported that Israel was planning a massive building spree in Jerusalem, approving 25,000 new housing units in Jerusalem, including 15,000 in East Jerusalem in areas liberated by Israel during the 6-day war in 1967.
In Amos 9:14 the prophet says, "And I will bring again the captivity of my people of Israel, and they shall build the waste cities, and inhabit them; and they shall plant vineyards, and drink the wine thereof; they shall also make gardens, and eat the fruit of them."
Jewish construction in Gush Etzion in Judah.
"State to approve wave of construction in Judea and Samaria"
"The Civil Administration’s Higher Planning Committee is scheduled to meet next week to approve a series of building projects in Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria. Combined, the projects include plans for more than 2,600 housing units.
"If passed as expected, this would mark the first time the committee has approved housing projects in Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria since President Trump took office in January.
"The hearings will take place Tuesday and Wednesday, and will cover a number of projects which had been blocked out of political considerations, Channel 2 reported.
"The projects include housing outside of the major settlement blocs, in towns such as Kfar Tapuah in central Samaria."
Isaiah the prophet says in chapter 61:4, "And they shall build the old wastes, they shall raise up the former desolations, and they shall repair the waste cities, the desolations of many generations.”
This current wave of construction is a huge change, but there are those who consider it not enough. As reported by Arutz Sheva, Samaria Regional Council Head Yossi Dagan wrote, "1,357 housing units have been approved in all of Judea and Samaria, meaning that 1,357 housing units are intended to meet the needs of half a million residents whose construction plans have been delayed for eight years. Enough with the pretending. No more hiding. That’s a construction freeze!” Sources close to Netanyahu responded that, "There is no building freeze, On the contrary, we approved thousands of housing units in all of Judea and Samaria during the past two months. We even approved the construction of a new town, for the first time in decades.”
While the current building announcement is clearly not enough to meet the demand for Jewish families in Judah and Samaria (the West Bank areas), it will have significant effects on the future of Israel and the idea of a Palestinian Arab state in this area. It will not take much construction to put this idea in the dustbin of history. In fact the growth of these Jewish communities is already past the tipping point of no return according to many experts.
On March 25 of this year, as reported on YNET News in Israel, based on data from the Israeli interior ministry, former member of Knesset, Yaakov Katz said that the number of Israeli settlers living in the West Bank has soared by nearly one-quarter over the past five years to over 420,000 people. Yaakov Katz presented new population figures that he said put to rest the internationally backed idea of a two-state solution between Israel and the Palestinians.
The two-state solution has always been a solution to remove the Jews from the Biblical heartland of Israel. To stop Jewish control of what the Vatican considers the Holy Places. This method has now failed. The building again of Jerusalem cannot be stopped. Zechariah prophesied at the time of the rebuilding again of Jerusalem in the days of Ezra and Nehemiah. Then, just like in these days, there are many enemies who wish to stop the work of building. Zechariah says of the stone of Jerusalem:
"The burden of the word of the LORD for Israel, saith the LORD, which stretcheth forth the heavens, and layeth the foundation of the earth, and formeth the spirit of man within him. Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of trembling unto all the people round about, when they shall be in the siege both against Judah and against Jerusalem. 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.”
Ultimately the stone of Jerusalem will be the “little stone power” that strikes the image of the kingdom of men upon the feet and subdues it. This is a heavy stone, an unmovable stone and as Zechariah says, even all the nations of the earth will not be able to move it, any who tries will be grievously hurt. Of course a stone also directs us to think about building, something that in Zechariah’s time was at the forefront of his message. Zechariah encouraged them to arise and build. So the prophet’s message is that the building again of Jerusalem is unstoppable. There may be set backs, there will be struggles, there will be a time of trouble, but Jerusalem will be built and we are living in that era. "A Time to Build Up”
Thanks for listening, and please return next week as we continue to discover the Bible in the News. This has been David Billington with you at www.bibleinthenews.com
Printed: Sunday, June 04, 2017
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