How The Miraculous Story Of Israel’s Restoration May Hold The Key To Our Future

© 2013 by The Miracle of Israel Foundation

Published by The Miracle of Israel FoundationPO Box 55450Phoenix, AZ 85078www.themiracleofisrael.com

Printed in the United States of America

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Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations are from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION.® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved.

Cover design by Evie Kriegbaum

ISBN-13: 978-0-9821117-4-1

Table of Contents

Introduction ................................................... 1

Chapter 1The Miracle of Survival ................................. 5

Chapter 2The Miracle of Return ................................. 19

Chapter 3The Miracle of the Rebuilding ................... 27

Chapter 4The Miracle of the Messiah ........................ 35

Epilogue ........................................................ 43

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Introduction

What is a miracle?The dictionary defines it as “an extraordinary event manifesting divine

intervention in human affairs.” In the realm of individual lives, there is a direct and personal dimension

to such divine interventions. A loved one recovering from a terminal illness, unexpected provision in a time of great need, a sudden and astonishing turn of events that defies all rational expectation. We know a miracle when it hap-pens because it reaches so far beyond mere accident or coincidence. There is simply no explanation other than Providence has reached out to rescue, restore and renew. It is in those moments that humans are confronted with the possibility that God reveals himself through miracles, to demonstrate his power, to make his will known … and to change the course of our lives.

But what if a miracle can change the course of history? What if rescue, renewal and restoration is played out on the world stage, before awestruck billions of observers? What if God shows his miraculous favor not just to one person, but rather to a whole nation, bringing them through great trib-ulation to the fulfillment of an ancient promise?

Such an astonishing event has happened only once in the long chroni-cle of mankind. It is a still-unfolding miracle so amazing that it has altered forever our understanding of how God can and does intervene in human affairs.

It is the Miracle of Israel. There is no more compelling and convincing evidence of the reality

of miracles than the existence, against all odds, of the nation of Israel. An ancient people, expelled from the Land of their fathers and scattered to the far corners of the earth—a despised and persecuted minority set upon by ruthless enemies and subjected to systematic extermination in the great-est crime against humanity ever recorded. A ragged remnant, returned to their ancestral Homeland where, surrounded by ruthless foes, they con-tinued their epic struggle for survival, winning stunning victories on the

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battlefield even as they made the desert bloom. Theirs is a dynamic and vital faith that promises nothing less than the revelation of God to his cre-ation, a faith keeping alive a People unique in history, clinging tenaciously to the truth that had been entrusted to them as the light of the world.

These are the extraordinary elements that together comprise the Mir-acle of Israel.

But it is a miracle that reaches even beyond the epic account of the Jewish People, resonating even deeper than the prophecies fulfilled by their staggering tragedies and triumphs. It is made manifest in the promise of what is yet to come as this remarkable nation realizes the true destiny God has prepared for it … and prepared it for.

The Miracle of Israel is a singular world historical landmark unlike any other. But at the same time, it is also made up of millions of small miracles, made evident in the lives of those who, knowingly and unknowingly, have played a vital role in the survival of Jewish culture and civilization. It is in the accounts of their millennial struggle to return home, and of the fierce defense of their faith in the one true God that the real story of the Miracle of Israel unfolds.

It is the story of a two-year-old boy named Moshe Holtzberg, hidden from fanatical anti-Semitic terrorists by his frail Indian nanny, during a murderous assault in the streets of Mumbai.

It is the story of thirty-three representatives of the newly formed Unit-ed Nations General Assembly, gathered in a repurposed skating rink in the New York City suburb of Flushing who would change the course of history by casting a vote in three short minutes that fulfilled a prophecy proclaimed thousands of years before.

It is the story of Gershon Salomon, a young Israeli officer, gravely wounded in a battle with overwhelming Syrian forces, who saw a brilliant light descend from heaven to drive back the invading enemy soldiers.

It is the story of a miraculous regathering of the Children of Abraham from the most remote corners of the World as promised by the prophets of Scripture and the discovery, with the help of modern genetic science, of people who may actually be descendants of the Lost Tribes of Israel.

It is the story of a growing movement of Orthodox Jews in Israel who believe that now is the time to rebuild their ancient Temple in Jerusalem, and that the appearance of such a movement may very well be a sign that we are in the time known as the “Last Days” as spoken of in ancient prophecy.

It is the story of a former Muslim terrorist, Walid Shoebat, who now loves Israel and the Jewish People because the God of Israel touched him and forever changed his life.

The Miracle of Israel is told in these and countless other accounts of ordinary men and women into whose lives God dramatically intervened to bring about his purpose and accomplish his divine plan of restoration and salvation. It is a plan spoken of in prophecy, when, in Nehemiah 1:9, God proclaimed: Even if your exiled people are at the farthest horizon, I will gather them from there and bring them to the place I have chosen as a dwell-ing for my Name.

This is the story of that promise come to pass, of a myriad of miracles made manifest and of the still-unfolding saga of a nation and a people, set apart for the purposes of God.

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Many individuals have attested to God’s faithfulness to the nation of Is-rael through their own unique stories. In fact, in every personal story, there are these overarching elements: the epic chronicle of Israel returning to her Promised Land, how Israel fulfills biblical prophecy, and the wonderful role Israel has yet to play in God’s master plan.

Four miracles make up this narrative, unparalleled in human history. The first encompasses the remarkable story of the perseverance of the

Jewish People themselves. Despite an unbroken history of prejudice, per-secution, wandering and outright extermination, the Jews have managed to survive and even thrive in a world of relentless hostility and horrific violence. No amount of determination and resolve can account for the fact that, while countless other cultures and religions have come and gone, the Jewish People have endured, right up through the founding of the modern state of Israel and beyond. There is only one explanation that fits these

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facts: the miracle of divine protection and preservation. The second miracle concerns that of the return of the Jewish People

to their Homeland. Following the conquest and fall of their ancient king-dom nearly two thousand years ago, the Jews were scattered to the farthest corners of the earth: from Africa to Asia, the Old World and the New … it was the Diaspora (dispersion) that would have meant extinction for any other tribe or nation. Yet the fact that the Jews retained their traditions and identity even while separated by vast distances is only part of the story. Following the founding of Israel in 1948, Jews from everywhere began to return to their Homeland, a territory that had changed hands countless times across forty centuries and would be assailed by sworn enemies. It was an act of reunion and return utterly unique in human history and nothing less than a miracle on a global scale.

The third miracle concerns the rekindled hope for the restoration of worship at the site of the original Jewish Temple in Jerusalem. Known as the Temple Mount, it is without question the most important piece of real estate in the world, fiercely contested by three major religions for thousands of years. So significant is this small hill in the midst of the Holy City that pundits have warned of the world-engulfing inferno that will ensue if its pos-session is ever contested. Yet such dire warnings have not deterred a group of devout Jews from believing that one day, according to the promises of God, they will once again pray and make offerings at this most sacred site. It is that enduring hope that has set the stage for yet another of the miracles of Israel.

The fourth, and perhaps most important miracle revolves around the rekindled expectation in Israel for the coming of the Messiah so frequently referred to in Jewish Scripture. Throughout the course of their long history, Jews have looked with unwavering expectation to the coming of their Deliv-erer. Many have claimed to be that figure, only to be revealed as frauds and deceivers. Still they await the arrival of their Mashiach (Messiah), an event that will signal the End of Days and the establishment of the Messianic king-dom on earth. Who is the Messiah? Where will he come from and what will be the signs that authenticate him as the truly anointed? The answer to that question will prove to be the most astounding miracle of them all.

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The Miracle of Survival

The 17th Century reign of the French monarch Louis XIV was marked by excess and extravagance. Yet, even in the decadent court of the fabled Sun King, questions of life’s meaning, the existence of God and His hand in human affairs, could be heard whispered throughout the lavish halls of the Palace of Versailles. So it was that his Royal Highness summoned the renowned French thinker Blaise Pascal to his throne room to inquire into these weighty matters.

Louis XIV had chosen well. A child prodigy, Pascal had gone on to become one of the most respected mathematicians, physicists, inventors, writers and philosophers of the era, best known for his Pensées, his volume of pithy precepts and wise sayings, good for every occasion.

On this occasion, however, the king had but one question. Could Pas-cal provide him with proof of the supernatural? He might as well have been asking the sage if there was any way to verify that miracles were real.

Known for getting straight to the point, Pascal didn’t hesitate to pro-vide the answer. “Why, the Jews, your Majesty,” he replied, “the Jews.”

Pascal was, of course, referring to the Jewish People’s surprising ability to outlast their enemies, who even then had confined them to overcrowded ghettos, excluded them from society and subjected them to death and the destruction of their way of life.

But behind his quick-witted response, Pascal was getting at an even deeper truth. Simply put, the Jews occupied a special place in the family of man. The mere fact of their survival attested to the singular role they played in human history.

It was a sentiment echoed four centuries later in an entirely different circumstance, for an entirely different reason. On a hot and humid night in November 2008, a ten-member commando team made up of Islamic ter-

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rorists trained and equipped by elements of the Pakistan military, fanned out into the crowded streets of Mumbai, India on a lethal mission. Their carefully coordinated attacks targeted such high profile locations as the Taj Mahal and Oberoi Trident Hotels, plush establishments for wealthy Euro-pean businessmen, diplomats and politicians on assignment in India.

Yet the assault, which would ultimately claim one-hundred-seventy lives, was not merely launched against centers of Western political and economic influence. One of the bloodiest onslaughts was on the Nariman House, a Chabad Lubavitch Jewish Center in one of the city’s sprawling slums. There, gunmen murdered Rabbi Gavriel Holtzberg and his wife Rivkah, who was six months pregnant at the time, along with several oth-ers, some of whom they tortured before summarily executing. The terror-ists were, in fact, single-mindedly intent on killing every Jew they could find at Nariman House and, with one exception, they succeeded. In the midst of the bloodbath, the Holtzberg’s family nanny, a frail Indian wom-an, had snatched up the rabbi’s two-year-old son Moshe and hidden him until they could escape the carnage.

Subsequently, Indian intelligence would provide a revealing motive for the fanatical determination of the terrorist attack on Nariman House. In an intercepted radio communication, one of the leaders of the Mumbai mas-sacre exhorted the gunman, “The lives of Jews are worth 50 times those of non-Jews.”

In a twisted and perverted version of Pascal’s pronouncement, the ter-rorist ringleader had also underscored the special significance of the Jew-ish People. While the French philosopher had pointed to the survival of Jews as proof of God’s reality, the Mumbai murderers had placed a fifty-to-one bounty on the hated head of every Jew. Whether for the purpose of extolling or exterminating, these two examples point out a truth that both their friends and enemies acknowledge: there is a unique significance to the Jewish People.

The horrendous events at the Nariman House also served to point up another undeniable truth about these set-apart People. It is perhaps Moshe Holtzberg’s grandfather, also a rabbi, who said it best when he stated in an

interview that it was “a divine wish” that saved his grandson that night. Paradoxically, it is in their long, tragic history of persecution that the Jews continue to find unshakable evidence of God’s providence.

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Jewish belief in the faithfulness of God—a belief that God has tested in the Jewish People as he has tested in no other people in history—is one of the key characteristics that has defined them from the moment that Abra-ham received the promise of becoming “the father of a great nation.”

And, from virtually that same moment, the forces of hatred and big-otry set against the Jews did everything in their power to derail that prom-ise. From the Egyptian Pharaoh to the Roman Emperors; from Stalin to Hitler, to today’s Islamofascists, the Jews have been confronted by many of history’s most heinous villains. Tens of millions have perished for no reason other than their heritage and bloodline. Most think of ancient and medieval times as epochs of brutality and barbarism and, indeed, the Jews suffered terribly across those dark centuries. Thousands upon thousands were slaughtered in merciless pogroms, driven wholesale from nations where they had settled, or forced to convert on pain of death. But the in-escapable truth is that the modern era has brought the most determined effort to wipe the descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob from the face of the earth.

The Nazi murder machine killed Jews on an industrial scale and, be-fore the Second World War brought down the Third Reich, over six million victims had been slaughtered and slain with unspeakable savagery. The Holocaust might well have been enough to eradicate any other persecuted minority from existence, yet in one more seeming paradox so typical of their character, the genocide of European Jewry became the impetus for one of the most remarkable rebirths ever recorded. The fervent promise of “Never Again,” became a rallying cry for a People determined to reclaim their history and their heritage and ensure their survival.

In 1945, with the final defeat of Germany and the Axis powers, mil-lions of war refugees were cut adrift in the ruins of a ravaged Europe. The

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common term for them was “Displaced Persons,” but the phrase took on a special pathos and poignancy when it came to the Jewish survivors of the greatest war in the annals of mankind. While others, as best they could, might pick up the tattered shreds of their lives, there was little left standing to which the Jews could return. Their homes and villages had been burnt to the ground; their property taken; their friends and family vanished forever into the ovens of the concentration camps. For the Jewish People, there was no choice but to make a fresh start and find a new beginning. A People displaced for almost two thousand years were faced with the necessity of creating, by their own resolve, courage and ingenuity, a safe and secure place to call their own.

That place had a name, reverently whispered wherever Jews gathered to lay plans for their uncertain future. That name was: Israel. The dream of a return to the Land of their forefathers, bestowed by God on Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, was hardly a new notion in the days following the sur-render of Germany. The Zionist movement, calling for a return to the his-toric Jewish Homeland and a revival of the ancient Hebrew language, had been active elements in Jewish social and political life for decades. Men like Theodore Herzl and Chaim Weizman had been champions of the Zionist ideal as far back as the late 19th Century.

It was in 1917 that the British, with a globe-spanning empire that en-compassed the borders of historic Israel, ignited fresh hope in the hearts of Zionists worldwide. Although the Land of Israel had since become swal-lowed up in the artificial nation of Palestine, London let it be known that the British government tacitly supported the founding of a new Jewish na-tion. That support became explicit with the famous Balfour Declaration, which stated in part, “His Majesty’s Government views with favor the estab-lishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish People, and will use their best endeavors to facilitate the achievement of the object.”

It turned out to be an empty promise. Twenty-two years later, in 1939, the British, with the infamous MacDonald Paper, had completely reversed course. “His Majesty’s Government,” the paper read, “now declares unequiv-ocally that it is not part of their policy that Palestine should become a Jewish

State.” The reason was a simple and cynical example of global political ex-pediency. Fearful of the coming war with Germany, England backed away from its support of a Jewish Homeland in hopes of winning the oil-rich Arab nations to the Allied side. Despite outraged opposition by such lead-ers as Winston Churchill and David Lloyd George, who denounced it as “perfidy against the Jews,” The McDonald Paper became official policy of the British government. The dream of a Jewish national homeland was, to all intents and purposes, dead.

By the end of World War II, that dream seemed to recede even further. Bled white by its struggle against Germany and the Axis Powers, Britain was in no position to again take up the cause of an independent Jewish State in the Middle East. Still intent on placating the Arab oil states, it tried its best to turn back the flood of Jewish refugees who, having survived Nazi death camps throughout Europe, were pouring into what was then Pales-tine in the hope of starting a new life. These particular Displaced Persons were, it seems, unwilling to wait for British permission to reclaim their nation. They needed a place to live in safety where they could rebuild their shattered lives. The facts on the ground outran the concerns of diplomats and politicians. The Jews had taken their destiny into their own hands.

But it would not be easy. Newly arrived emigrants were turned back in droves at the harbors and border crossings of the contested territory. Some had survived Nazi death camps, only to be sent to internment centers on Cyprus where they died without ever realizing their lifelong dream of a return to the Promised Land. Those who made it past the gauntlet would find themselves battling not just the British authorities intent on keeping them out, but the Arabs who resisted this influx of stateless refugees with violence and intimidation. The struggle for this hotly disputed Land was quickly becoming a very modern crisis with international implications. The major world powers dreaded a widespread war if the Jews were finally allowed to return to the region. U.S. policy makers estimated that 300,000 American troops would be required to maintain peace in the Middle East if the Palestinian Arabs and their surrounding Egyptian, Jordanian and Syr-ian allies joined forces against the Jewish settlers, who, with great courage

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and ingenuity, continued to find ways back to their Homeland. But the right of the Jews to their own nation, given added impetus by

world sympathy for the horrific losses they had suffered in the Holocaust, could simply not be denied, regardless of the risk to world peace it seemed to pose. As a result, in May of 1947, the newly-formed United Nations cre-ated a special committee to seek a solution for the future partition plan of Palestine. Presented in August of that year, the committee report called for the creation of two states—one Jewish and one Arab, with Jerusalem to be governed under an international mandate.

Three months later the United Nations General Assembly convened to consider the proposal. Because the fledgling international organization as yet had no permanent headquarters, delegates met in the most unlikely of venues: a hastily renovated skating rink in the town of Flushing, New York, less than a mile from Shea Stadium. As renowned French author and humanitarian Dominique LaPierre would subsequently marvel, “It is hard to imagine that the fate of a nation, and perhaps the fate of mankind, would be decided in a converted skating rink in a city called Flushing.”

Whether or not the envoys who gathered on that frigid morning of November 29, 1947, knew that the fate of mankind hung on their deci-sion, it was clear from the outset that their choice would be an exceedingly difficult one to make. When they took up Resolution 181, calling for the partition of Palestine into “independent Arab and Jewish States, not later than October 1, 1948,” there was immediate and fierce opposition to the proposal among the fifty-six member states, particularly those nations that comprised the Arab League. After intense negotiations, later described by President Harry Truman as “pressure movements around the United Na-tions unlike anything that had been seen before,” the vote was finally held on November 29, 1947. The final tally was 33 nations in favor, 13 opposed, and 10 abstentions. Among those casting affirmative votes were such far-flung countries as Australia, Bolivia, Costa Rica, Denmark, France, Gua-temala, Iceland, Liberia, New Zealand, Peru, Sweden, Uruguay, Venezuela and the U.S.A. Not all who cast a vote in favor of Resolution 181 did so for altruistic reasons. Because so many of the Zionist leaders were socialists

from communist Russia, the Soviet Union hoped that a yes vote would help to create a satellite outpost for them in the Middle East.

It was an unlikely alliance—one that, in such tumultuous and decisive times was itself nothing short of miraculous. But the miracles didn’t stop there. The entire balloting process had taken all of three minutes, one-hun-dred-eighty seconds to establish a Jewish State for the first time in nearly two-thousand years. Many of those, on hearing the momentous news, were reminded of the words written by the Jewish prophet Isaiah, who asked the prophetic question, Can a country be born in a day or a nation be brought forth in a moment? Yet no sooner is Zion in labor than she gives birth to her children (Isaiah 66:8). For those observers, the United Nations’ vote on Resolution 181, establishing a Homeland in Palestine for the Jewish Peo-ple, provided a resounding affirmative answer to the prophet’s question.

News of the outcome of the UN vote in that cavernous skating rink electrified the Jews living in Palestine and spread like wildfire around the world. Aaron Shavit, later to become a decorated war hero in the Israeli Defense Force (IDF), was only a child on that fateful day. Yet his memories remain vivid. “We were told to listen to the radio,” he recounts, “but in that time we did not have a lot of radios. So we went to the house of my grand-father, who was very rich and he had in his living room a huge radio with a loud speaker that you could hear for meters. We were all sitting, listening to the vote, and you could cut the tension with a knife. There was a time when we did not think we would get a ‘yes’ for the whole idea.”

Trepidation turned to joyous celebration when the astounding tally was finally announced. Rina Schenfeld had emigrated from Poland along with her father, an ardent Zionist, and her mother, who expressed doubts about the prospects of “moving to the desert.” But any qualms were soon swept away in the flood of jubilation following the UN vote. “We went into the streets, and we danced,” Rina recalls. “Even my parents danced. All my neighbors danced and there was screaming and crying and hugging each other. It was very joyful. There was so much joy in the air.”

But there were other, less euphoric, responses as well, grim forebod-ing of the dangers faced by the infant nation. David Ben-Gurion, soon to

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become the first Prime Minister of Israel, was awakened by his wife that morning. “David!” she exclaimed exuberantly. “Wake up! The partition of Palestine has been voted for!” Yet, for all the promise the future held, he saw no reason to rejoice. “I knew this meant war,” he would later reveal.

Ben-Gurion’s misgivings were well founded. Immediately after the passage of Resolution 181, the Arab League and other Muslim nations denounced it. It was later revealed that this coalition had already begun discussing military action to prevent the partition from being carried out. Azzan Pasha, the General Secretary of the Arab League, did not mince words, predicting what he termed a “war of elimination.”

Events moved with lightning speed. With the United Nations’ deci-sion, the British announced that they would at last be leaving the territory that had been under their control since World War I. The date of depar-ture was set for May 14, 1948, and when that day dawned, a little-noticed incident occurred that had tremendous symbolic significance. As the last column of British soldiers wound their way down the twisted streets of Jerusalem, Rabbi Mordechai Weingarten heard a knock on the door of his house, deep in the Old City. When he opened it he found a Major in His Majesty’s Armed Services, holding out to him what looked like a bar of rusted iron nearly a foot long. It was the key to the Zion Gate, one of the most ancient entrances to the Holy City. It was as if the old rabbi had been entrusted with the key to the newly-minted kingdom of Israel.

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For all the threats and dangers that loomed over this forthcoming na-tion, the Jewish People would not be deterred from celebrating and giving thanks to God for the miracle that had stunned the world. Of course they realized that enemies, breathing fire and calling for their utter destruc-tion, surrounded them and their reclaimed Homeland. But the fact that, against extraordinary odds, God’s promise had actually been fulfilled gave them a renewed sense of hope and a steely determination to protect and defend what had been restored to them. Mark Regev, an Israeli govern-ment spokesman, perhaps said it best when, years later, he would observe,

“The Jewish People have a very special and unique connection to this Land. Where does the word Jew come from? It comes from the word Judea, and that is where we are now. The Jewish People have always considered this Land to be both the Holy Land and the Home Land.”

But that conviction came with the realization that they would have to defend, with their lives if necessary, what they had only just regained. Even as the last British boot stepped onto the last troop transport, Israel had already declared her independence. Publicly announced that very day, the final wording of the document was hammered out a scant hour before the ceremony, held in front of a small crowd in Tel Aviv. At four o’clock in the afternoon on May 14, David Ben-Gurion announced, “I shall now read to you the scroll of the Establishment of the State.” The crowd stood in som-ber silence when he came to a passage that encapsulated his People’s age-old dream, “Exiled from Palestine,” he intoned, “our People have remained faithful to it over all the centuries and all the countries of dispersal. We have always hoped to restore our national freedom. We declare the estab-lishment of a Jewish State in Israel, the State of Israel.” The entire ceremony took just over fifteen minutes, concluding with a recitation of the ancient shehecheyanu blessing. Translated as “He who has given us life,” the prayer is recited on special occasions, especially those which celebrate new and unusual experiences. The brief event concluded with the newly-formed Is-raeli Philharmonic Orchestra playing Hatikvah, which means “The Hope,” and would become the national anthem of Israel. Ben-Gurion dismissed the crowd with the ringing pronouncement, “The State of Israel is estab-lished!”

Stirring words, but the continued existence of the fledgling state was anything but certain. A tiny nation, barely the size of the state of New Jer-sey, Israel was largely desolate and barren, with scant prospects for eco-nomic development and powerful foes on every border.

As if to underscore the new nation’s precarious position, the day after independence was declared, the Arab League issued a statement announc-ing that they were sending troops into Israel “to restore law and order and to prevent disturbances.” Forces from Egypt, Jordan, Iraq, Syria, and Leba-

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non joined “volunteers” from several other countries. A military commit-tee had pulled together this strike force of Arabs, finalizing plans for the immediate invasion of Israel, with Arabs inside the territory poised to rise against the newly formed state at the first opportunity. Even as this multi-national army poured across the borders, foreign observers were predict-ing that Israel would not survive more than a few days.

The inescapable reality was that Israel was ill prepared to fight this war even then unfolding. But, although various nations offered to mediate a compromise, there was no turning back.

It was time for another miracle. Biblical accounts frequently cite a favorite tactic employed by God in

ancient times to protect Israel when her enemies threatened with over-whelming numbers. With supernatural intervention, he would sow confu-sion in the ranks of the foe. What worked then would work again, espe-cially considering that the leaders of the invading forces were often at odds over the spoils of the war they had started.

Both King Abdullah I of Jordan and King Farouk of Egypt each want-ed to be seen by the world as the unyielding guardian and protector of the Palestinian Arabs. Behind such high-flown rhetoric, however, lay the true motive for their aggression: control of the contested Land. As a result, Abdullah sent elements of his forces to seize control of the prized objec-tive of Jerusalem. With that preemptive move, despite agreements with his Arab allies, the monarch neglected to allot troops for the fight against the ragtag Israeli forces in other sectors of the country.

Such competing goals and cross purposes were compounded by poor communication and inadequate coordination among the disparate Arab forces. The ensuing turmoil was to inadvertently provide an important strategic and tactical advantage to the tiny Israeli army in the early days of the war.

While chaos and confusion among the invaders gave the defenders of Israel a decided edge, they could not entirely compensate for the over-whelming advantage in men and arms held by the Arab forces. Aside from being greatly outnumbered, they fought, for the most part, with substan-

dard and antiquated weaponry, much of it left behind after the British oc-cupation. For a time, the entire Israeli Air Force (IAF) consisted of a single-seat Cessna prop plane, from which the pilot dropped hand grenades on enemy positions.

But what they lacked in armaments and ordnance, they more than made up for in bravery and sheer fighting spirit. In many cases, recounts Sammy Hellman, a veteran of the both the 1967 and 1973 wars, the defend-ers of Israel were “survivors of the Holocaust and concentrations camps with numbers tattooed on their arms. They had no common language; no military experience … they were the ones that fought to liberate this new country.”

As the war escalated, so too, did the miracles. Many who fought and experienced these miracles cite the biblical passage, He who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep (Psalm 121:4), and for good reason. In the War of Independence in 1948, the men and women fighting for the survival of their Homeland experienced direct supernatural intervention that saved their lives and turned the tide of battle.

The story told by a young Israeli officer named Gershon Salomon is typical of such accounts. Leading a force of one-hundred-fifty men up the Golan Heights against a force of several thousand Syrian soldiers, he was separated from his command, seriously wounded when a tank ran over him and left him paralyzed. Lying in a field, unable to move in the dark-ness, he watched helplessly as a Syrian unit directly approached his posi-tion. It was at that crucial moment, as he would later recount, that “I saw a light coming from Heaven covering all the area where I laid. I could hear God speaking to my heart, ‘Gershon, you will see the miracle that I will perform.’” The next thing he knew, the Syrian unit had inexplicably turned on its heels and retreated hastily back into the mountains.

Two months later, while in a hospital recovering from his wounds, Sa-lomon heard a United Nations official relate a breathtaking tale about a Syr-ian unit claiming they had been terrified into retreat when they saw angels protecting an Israeli officer lying on the battlefield. Salomon confirmed the story to a doctor, who, awed by this sovereign act of God, took out a Bible

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and read aloud from the book of Zechariah 14:3. Then the LORD will go out and fight against those nations, as he fights on a day of battle.

The fact was that the day was turning, slowly but inexorably, in favor of the Israelis, whose small, beleaguered units succeeded time after time in repelling the much larger and better equipped enemy armies. Mean-while, the ranks of the Israeli Defense Force began to swell as Jews world-wide rushed to join the desperate struggle for survival. Better weapons and equipment were also provided with funds eagerly given by supporters of the infant nation. The single-plane Israeli Air Force soon grew to nine and then to twenty-five fighter aircraft, which proved crucial in equalizing the balance of power.

Ever more fearful of the conflict spreading throughout the strategi-cally sensitive region, world leaders repeatedly attempted to broker truces and ceasefires, with each attempt repeatedly yielding more bloodshed. For nearly ten months the fighting raged, slowly giving way to a stalemate. While unable to dislodge the Jordanians from the mountains surround-ing Jerusalem, Israeli troops had nevertheless achieved major victories by turning back both the Egyptian and Syrian armies. By early 1949 those triumphs had forced Israel’s enemies to the negotiating table and a series of armistice agreements were eventually signed with each of the Arab combat-ants. With the absence of a formal peace treaty, the war would not officially end for decades, but hostilities dwindled and an uneasy peace prevailed.

In the aftermath, the map of the Middle East had been irrevocably changed. At the war’s conclusion, Israel controlled more territory than she had been assigned under the original partition plan. For all intents and purposes, Israel had resoundingly prevailed in its struggle for indepen-dence.

It was an outcome that few, if any, had foreseen at the outbreak of hos-tilities. Against impossible odds, this tiny, fledgling nation had overcome vastly superior forces determined to suffocate the infant state in its cradle. The cost had been steep. More than six thousand Israelis, about one per-cent of the total population of the country at the time, had perished. At least a third of them were civilians, and there were few, if any, who could

not count a family member or close friend killed or injured during the fighting.

Yet, there was no mistaking that a military miracle had occurred. At the same time, a clear message had been sent to her neighboring enemies seeking her demise: here was a People who would defend their Homeland to the last man, woman and child. And they were here to stay.

It is hardly surprising, given the historic struggle of the Jewish People to survive, that there were those who did not heed the message. The hatred of Israel’s enemies did not diminish in the aftermath of the war. Rather, it intensified. Twice more, in 1956 and 1967, war was visited on Israel. Then, in 1973, catastrophe nearly overcame the tiny nation. A well-coordinated surprise attack launched by Egyptian and Syrian forces on Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, and holiest day of the Jewish religious calendar, initial-ly achieved stunning success. Caught unaware, Israeli forces were thrown back in both the Sinai and the Golan Heights, and for a time, the fate of the young Jewish State hung in precarious balance.

It was then that the Israeli Defense Force rallied once again in the face of overwhelming odds. Their devastating counterattacks and air campaigns were so successful that by the time a ceasefire took hold after nineteen days Israeli forces were within twenty-five miles of Damascus and sixty-five miles of Cairo, with the entire Egyptian Third Army encircled in a lightning raid across the Suez Canal. Flabbergasted by the outcome, many military experts expressed the conviction that, once again, Israel’s survival was nothing short of a miracle.

One such miracle was in a strategic blunder the Arabs had committed in planning the war. They assumed that, given the holiness of Yom Kippur and the command to fast, pray and do no work, the Israelis would not fight. But when the invasion came, the reserve soldiers (most of whom were in synagogues worshipping) were easily gathered together and taken straight to the front. Had the attack come at any other time, for example on Shavuot (The Feast of Weeks) when families traditionally go on picnics and are scat-tered far and wide, the response would have been much slower.

Israel’s victory in the Yom Kippur War would in time result in incre-

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mental changes between Israel and her enemies, particularly Egypt. The two nations eventually signed the Camp David Peace Accords, officially ending hostilities that had begun almost thirty years earlier. For a time, the Jewish goal of peaceful coexistence with her neighbors seemed almost within reach.

But the Middle East is a treacherous and dangerous neighborhood. As a result of the Iranian Revolution (and Iran’s more recent threat to use nuclear weapons against Israel as soon as they can be developed, as well as the most recent vitriolic rhetoric of the Arab Spring), Israel has experi-enced renewed calls for her extermination by her enemies. It is clear that Israel’s foes will never rest until Israel is ultimately pushed into the sea. Yet Israel has not only survived, it has thrived. It is all the more miraculous to consider that, under such constant threats to her very existence, Israel has become a prosperous economic powerhouse in both the region and throughout the world. Beginning with the kibbutzim movement inaugu-rated shortly after its formation, Israel has demonstrated an extraordinary ingenuity, enterprise and spirit of cooperation among its People.

Not only did it make the desert flourish with extensive irrigation proj-ects and a booming agricultural infrastructure, it has also created cutting edge industrial, manufacturing and high-tech sectors that are still the envy of the developed world. Israel has also extended an open invitation to enjoy its natural and historic splendors with an active and extensive tourist trade. There is no question that, during the short span of its existence, Israel has taken its place among the family of nations and become a beacon of liberty, justice and democracy in a part of the world where those virtues are in short supply.

But Israel has also become a beacon of another sort, calling to herself her sons and daughters, long scattered to the farthest corners of the earth. It is this magnetic pull, drawing the Jewish People back to their Homeland that comprises the next chapter of the Miracle of Israel.

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The Miracle of Return

“Next year in Jerusalem!” It is a cry heard around Passover tables from time immemorial, as much a part of Jewish tradition as a mezzuzah on the door frame, the lighting of candles at Chanukah or the whirling circle of a festive horah. A heartfelt proclamation of Jews around the world, it articulates the hope of countless generations who longed for the day that Israel and Jerusalem would one day be restored to them. That same hope was voiced by the prophet Isaiah when he wrote: “Do not be afraid, for I am with you; I will bring your children from the east and gather you from the west. I will say to the north, ‘Give them up!’ and to the south, ‘Do not hold them back.’ Bring my sons from afar and my daughters from the ends of the earth—everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made” (Isaiah 43:5-7).

The Jewish Diaspora (dispersion) had its origins in the sixth century BC with the Babylonian conquest of the ancient Kingdom of Judea, the destruction of the First Temple, and the exile of the vast majority of the population. While most were deported to Babylon, another wave of Jews fled to Egypt, where they settled in the Nile delta. A third remnant clung as best they could to their Judean Homeland. But no matter where they were, the displaced Jews stubbornly clung to their religion, identity, and social customs.

Five centuries later, Judaea had become a protectorate of Rome. The Jews who had remained there and those who had returned after 70 years of exile in Babylon revolted against their Roman masters in 66 AD. It was a war that culminated in the destruction of Jerusalem and the Second Tem-ple four years later. In 132 AD, the Jews rebelled yet again in what was known as the bar Kochba revolt. The Roman Army crushed the Jewish forces and Jerusalem was turned into the pagan city of Aelia Capitolina where Jews were forbidden to live in perpetuity.

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By the Middle Ages, Jews had divided into three distinct regional groups: the Ashkenazim who immigrated to Central and Eastern Europe; the Sephardim, who settled in Iberia and North Africa; and the Mizrahim who had remained in Babylon. By the modern era, Jews could be found in the farthest corners of the earth. While the largest Jewish populations settled in the United States, Russia, Ukraine, Poland, France, Canada, England, Argentina and Germany, there were, through the centuries, vital pockets of Jewish life everywhere from China to India; South Africa to Mexico; and beyond.

Since the founding of the modern State of Israel, the former Soviet Union has been responsible for more immigrants coming to the reborn nation than any other country—over a million in just the last two decades since the collapse of the Iron Curtain. It is a migration that calls to mind a passage from the book of the prophet Jeremiah: “It will be said, ‘As surely as the LORD lives, who brought the Israelites up out of the land of the north and out of all the countries where he had banished them.’ For I will restore them to the land I gave their forefathers” (Jeremiah 16:15).

Wherever they found themselves, and to the extent they were allowed, Jews became a key part of the culture and economic life of their adopted countries. Yet, most of them resisted the lure of assimilation, often in the face of persistent prejudice and persecution. Indeed, the collective longing of the Jewish People as they wandered the world was to return at last to their ancient home. It was as if God himself had placed that unquenchable desire in their hearts. Simply put, it has been a part of their DNA.

As if in recognition of that shared yearning, one of the earliest stat-utes passed in 1950 by the Israeli Parliament—the Knesset—was the Law of Return. This ordinance guaranteed the right of every Jewish Person to make aliyah (“ascent”) to Israel. In other words, to return to the Homeland and be granted full citizenship rights. The law would later be expanded to include not just those who were born Jewish (having a Jewish mother), but those with Jewish ancestry, as well as Jewish converts. A secular statute, it permits Israeli citizenship for anyone with a maternal or paternal Jewish grandparent, and was purposely patterned after the infamous Nuremburg

Law by which the Nazis labeled anyone with a Jewish grandparent as a tar-get for genocide. The Law of Return thereby insured a safe haven from any future persecution based on Jewish bloodlines. Even those who were born of a Jewish father and non-Jewish mother—while not considered Jewish under religious law (“halacha”)—were eligible to receive Israeli citizenship. The Law of Return has since become a key factor in the robust population growth of Israel, responsible for well over two and a half million new Israeli residents.

In many ways the return of the Jewish People to Israel in modern times mirrors the epic biblical saga that chronicles their struggle to claim the Land given to them by God. Abraham, the father of the Jewish People, was called “a stranger and a sojourner,” in a place where God had promised to make his descendants “more numerous than the stars in the heaven.” During their four hundred years of slavery in Egypt, God sent Moses to guide them home. When Pharaoh’s army tried to stop the Exodus, they were drowned in the Red Sea, just as, thousands of years later, another Egyptian army was destroyed in its attempt to exterminate them. The Jews wandered in the desert for forty years, just as they wandered the world for many centuries, before finally returning once again to take possession of their birthright.

The striking parallels continue. Carried into captivity to Babylon, some were eventually granted the right to return and rebuild Jerusalem. Exiled yet again by their Roman conquerors, they upheld their identity in the face of murderous persecution, clinging to the promise of God made in Deu-teronomy 30:3: The LORD your God will bring you back from captivity, and have compassion on you, and gather you again from all the nations where the LORD your God has scattered you.

Yet despite the continuity of Jewish history, the unbroken thread that runs through the millennia, many of the descendants of Israel who had been dispersed during their cruel captivity and exile were thought to have been forever lost, their fate long ago entering the realm of myth and legend.

ìììì

But it is a legend built on solid historical fact, beginning around 1000

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BCE in the “Golden Years of Israel” when the original Twelve Tribes were united under David and his son Solomon in a single kingdom. Some fifty years later, that gilded era came to an end when the kingdom was divided. Ten Tribes formed the Northern Kingdom of Israel and the two Tribes of Benjamin and Judah formed the Southern Kingdom. It was the Southern Kingdom that later became known to the world as the Jews. Subsequently the Assyrians took the ten tribes of the Northern Kingdom into captivity while the Southern Kingdom resisted the invaders only to be taken captive, in turn, by the Babylonians in 586 BCE. While a remnant of the Southern Kingdom eventually returned from Babylon to rebuild Jerusalem and the Temple, the Northern Tribes completely dropped out of the historical re-cord. Thus was born the enduring mystery of the Lost Tribes of Israel.

Other dispersions of the Jews include 70 and 132AD, the Spanish In-quisition of 1492, Jews forced to wander throughout Europe from nation to nation when they were banished from their host countries throughout the Middle Ages, the pogroms of Eastern Europe in the 19th century, and on and on it goes.

The search for the Lost Tribes has spawned a long tradition of tall tales concerning their hidden existence and future return. Since the sixth cen-tury AD, a variety of claims have been made purporting to have discovered them in modern day Turkey, Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, China, Burma, Zimbabwe, Ethiopia, Nigeria, Ghana, Uganda, Central Asia, South America and even the United States. Indeed, one theory proposes that Na-tive Americans were actually one of the Lost Tribes of Israel. While it is widely assumed that they had disappeared forever in the sands of time, many historians and Bible scholars are convinced that somewhere in the world, descendants of these Lost Tribes still exist. While man may not know for certain where they are, God most certainly does.

Miracles are not always accompanied by divine light and heavenly visi-tations. In modern times God has used the tools of science and technology to perform his wonders. Such was the case of the surprising confirmation of the continuing existence of an authentic remnant of Jews in the most unlikely of locations.

There are many places around the world where indigenous people pass from generation to generation the dim and dusty memories of exile from a promised land. Among them is a remote tribe known as the Beta Israel (House of Israel) who settled in some five hundred small villages spread over a wide territory in the central African nation of Ethiopia. The stories they tell date back to 1000 AD and are gathered in an ancient manuscript called the Kebra Nagast (Book of the Glory of the Kings). It recounts a migration that began during the time of King Solomon and the Ethiopian Queen of Sheba, often following the established trade routes that existed during that era. The fact that the Beta Israel upholds many ancient Jewish customs may give credence to their long held claim of direct descent from Solomon and Sheba. Added to that was the fact that the tribe had been known to the wider Jewish Community since the 18th century and have suffered rejection from their neighbors because they were different.

But that identity was difficult, if not impossible to conclusively prove until the late 1970s, when advances in genetic research made it possible for DNA testing of the Beta Israel. Such DNA testing has since been used to trace the Jewish ancestry of, among others, the Lemba people of Zimba-bwe and the Murano Jews who were expelled from the Iberian Peninsula during the Spanish Inquisition. Using the same method of seeking a key genetic marker known as Haplogroup J, scientists were able to provide im-portant supporting evidence of the Jewish ancestry of the Beta Israel tribe.

But that is only the beginning of the improbable sequence of events that comprise the Miracle of Return. In 1984 Ethiopia was struck by a se-vere famine, forcing thousands of the Beta Israel to flee to refugee camps in neighboring Sudan. It is estimated as many as 4,000 died during the trek. Sensing an historic opportunity to come to the aid of their kinsmen and make good on the guarantees enshrined in the Law of Return, Israeli authorities launched Operation Moses (Mitzvah Moshe) to evacuate the people of the Beta Israel and bring them directly to the Homeland.

Spearheaded by the Israeli Defense Force, with the active cooperation of the C.I.A., Operation Moses was a highly risky undertaking. A largely Muslim nation, Sudan was firmly aligned with Israel’s Arab adversaries,

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who would do anything in their power to halt this modern day exodus. Despite the fact that the covert evacuation was kept top secret, the news eventually leaked and Arab countries pressured Sudan to stop the airlift. While over 8,000 Beta Israel were flown to their new home, many more had to be left behind until a subsequent U.S.-led effort, dubbed Opera-tion Joshua, was able to bring some of the remaining Beta Israel to safety. Meanwhile, hundreds of “orphans of circumstance,” children separated from their families still in Africa, were stranded in Israel, until five years later, when the determined Israelis launched Operation Solomon, airlifting an additional 14,000 remaining Ethiopian Jews to their ancient Homeland.

The awe-inspiring efforts embodied by Operation Moses and Solomon made the dream of return a reality for tens of thousands of exiled Jews. But the miracle did not stop there. Israeli researchers redoubled their efforts to find genetic links between the Lost Tribes and a variety of indigenous groups across the planet. Their research has led them to several utterly un-expected conclusions.

Among the most surprising finds concerned a link between the Lost Tribes and the Pashtuns of Afghanistan, Pakistan and India. Historical evidence has long suggested a connection, and leading Israeli anthropolo-gists believe that, of all the many groups in the world who claim a connec-tion to the ten Lost Tribes, the Pashtuns have the most compelling case. Some Pashtuns speak of their ancient Israelite connection and their tribal groupings have similar names, including Yusufzai, which means “Sons of Joseph.” Some enduring Pashtun customs include lighting candles on the Sabbath, refraining from eating certain foods, and using a canopy during a wedding ceremony. Pashtun scholar Navras Aafreedi remarks, “My people are the only ones in the world whose probable descent from the Lost Tribes of Israel finds mention in a number of texts from the tenth century to the present day, written by Jewish, Christian and Muslim scholars alike.”

Whatever their point of departure, the mysterious urge of the Jews to re-turn to the Land of their forefathers remains unchanging. It is a deep longing that cannot be explained by any amount of scientific inquiry. It is, in every sense of the word, a miracle—the evidence that God is at work in the hearts

of his People to fulfill the promises he made thousands of years ago. In the words of one observer, “The Land is the magnet that will gather

all twelve tribes of Israel. Without the Land there is no gathering.” The re-turn of the exiles is a miracle that is taking place today, but there is another sign yet to come and it is the movement to rebuild the Temple in Jerusalem.

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3

The Miracle of the Rebuilding

The return of the Jewish People to their Promised Land is prophetically foretold in Scripture and is interpreted by some as marking a profound turn-ing point in world history. To many scholars and theologians, this ingather-ing may be the first step in the establishment of a Messianic Age marked by world peace. According to these experts the unprecedented rebirth of Israel in 1948 and subsequent rediscovery and repatriation of scattered Jews everywhere will trigger a sequence of events culminating in the coming of the Last Days. This occurrence will appear all the more miraculous for its seeming impossibility in light of current political and religious conditions. In short, a small but rapidly growing movement believes that God is going to bring about the rebuilding of the Temple in Jerusalem.

For many modern Jews, the concept of the Temple is little more than an ancient artifact of history. But for an increasing number of Orthodox Jews and others, the Temple remains the focal point of Jewish worship as it was in the time of Solomon. The reason is simple: the Bible stresses the need for a sacrifice for sin. The Temple was set aside for those sacrifices and must be rebuilt in order for them to be reinstituted. Additionally, the Temple was the center of Jewish worship and a rallying point of their faith. It was the habitation of God where they declared their devotion to him, cel-ebrated his provision, and atoned for their sins against him and each other. In short, the Temple was where Israel directly worshipped and encoun-tered their God. Given that history, it is hardly surprising that the dream of rebuilding the Temple is shared by increasing numbers of devout Jews.

From the time they departed Egypt, through their forty-year sojourn in the wilderness, to their conquest of Canaan, the Jews experienced the presence of God in their midst. That presence had always taken a palpable, tangible form. The Ark of the Covenant, a chest that contained the Ten Commandments, the budding staff of Aaron, and a sample of the manna

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ing transported to the Temple site. It is noted in 1 Kings 6:7 that in building the Temple, only blocks dressed at the quarry were used, and no hammer, chisel or any other iron tool was heard at the Temple site while it was being built. As one commentator remarked, it was fitting that the Temple to the God of Peace should be constructed in reverent silence.

The completed Temple was one of the wonders of the ancient world, with ornaments and adornments of precious metal and jewels devised by skilled craftsmen brought to Israel from far and wide. The enormous Tem-ple’s complex had been erected on high ground in the midst of Jerusalem and consisted of spacious courtyards, graceful colonnades and impressive edifices, all built in precise geometric relationship with the central Temple.

The innermost court of the Temple, known as the Holy of Holies, con-tained the Ark of the Covenant and could only be entered once yearly by the High Priest, making sacrifice for the People at the altar. The Mount it-self, known as Moriah, upon which the Temple rested, is believed to be the site where Abraham offered Isaac as a sacrifice. It is impossible to overstate the awesome holiness of the Temple and its surroundings, shrouded day and night in thick clouds of incense and teeming with worshipers, gathered to pray and make sacrifice to the God of Israel.

Given its significance to the spiritual life of ancient Israel not to men-tion the wealth of precious materials that had gone into its construction, it is hardly surprising that the Temple became the target of pillage and plun-der by Israel’s enemies. Unfortunately, in the aftermath of Solomon’s death, the Israelites were in no position to defend their priceless treasure. Israel was divided into two warring kingdoms, and because of that weakened state, invading armies quickly and easily moved in. Egyptian and Assyrian hordes made off with many of the treasures of the Temple, and when Nebu-chadnezzar conquered Jerusalem in 586 BCE, it was completely destroyed. The remaining loot was carried away to Babylon along with most of the inhabitants of the Land. There, the Jewish People remained in exile for the next 70 years.

When, in turn, the Persians conquered the Babylonian Empire, the captive Jews were granted permission from their overlords to return home

that fed them during their desert wandering, was in turn housed inside the elaborate Tabernacle that Moses had the People construct according to God’s blueprint. The priests would carry this same sacred Ark before the People as they trekked through the Sinai wasteland, and when the Israel-ites crossed the Jordan River into the Promised Land, the Ark parted the waters, just as Moses had parted the Red Sea. As is recorded in Joshua 3:17, The priests who carried the Ark of the Covenant of the LORD stood firm on dry ground in the middle of the Jordan, while all Israel passed by until the whole nation had completed the crossing on dry ground. The living presence of God, as represented by the Ark, was a miracle-working fact of life for the Children of Israel.

The Ark would find a more permanent home in the city of Shiloh dur-ing the time of the Judges, who ruled Israel after Joshua’s death. There it would remain until the Philistines captured it in battle. As recorded in 1 Samuel 4:17, The man who brought the news replied, “Israel fled before the Philistines, and the army has suffered heavy losses. Also your two sons, Hoph-ni and Phinehas, are dead, and the Ark of God has been captured.”

But what was a blessing for the Israelites had been a curse for the Phi-listines. As they paraded their prize of war through the land, their idols were cast down and terrible diseases followed in their wake. Frightened and cowed, they sent the Ark back to Israel, where it remained in Gibeah, a few miles north of Jerusalem, until David was crowned king and made Jerusalem his capital.

It was in Jerusalem that David planned to build a permanent home for the Ark of the Covenant, until God sent word through the prophet Nathan that, because of his sin, David was forbidden from constructing the sacred site.

Instead it was David’s son, Solomon, who was charged with erecting the Temple, launching a massive construction project that took seven years to complete. Thousands of laborers worked day and night according to the grand design God had passed directly to Solomon. Among the many amazing details recorded in Scripture regarding its construction was the fact that every stone had to be completely prepared in advance before be-

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the Temple to build a grand, gold encrusted mosque commemorating a mythical visit to Jerusalem by the prophet Mohammed. Centuries later, that mosque, the Dome of the Rock, still occupies the site of the Temple.

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Clearly, the looming presence of the Dome of the Rock, one of the most sacred sites of the Islamic religion, presents a virtually insurmount-able obstacle to any Jewish dream of restoring their central place of wor-ship on the Temple Mount.

But it is hardly the only impediment. As if to reassert their claim to this small piece of real estate in the heart of Jerusalem, Islamic scholars have gone to great lengths to repudiate any Jewish connection to the Temple Mount. The facts tell another story. According to respected archaeologist Dr. Randall Price, “There are strong denials by the Palestinian Authority that the Temple ever existed and that Jerusalem does not have one single stone that is Jewish. Archaeology, however, provides compelling proof that Mount Moriah is the Temple Mount. We have many documents from his-tory that discuss topographical information, location, structures, etc. Some of these documents are from Jewish sources while others are Roman. There is absolutely no doubt that this is the correct location.”

Despite such attempts to twist history and rob the Jewish People of their most holy site, there is strong Scriptural evidence to underscore the determination of those who seek to rebuild the Temple on Mount Mo-riah. When, for example, the Ottoman Turks conquered Jerusalem, they ordered the Eastern Gate, which led directly to the Temple site, bricked up and tightly sealed. The gate has been sealed ever since. Yet it is exactly that situation and its historic implications which are directly referenced by the prophet Ezekiel. At the time of the Babylonian captivity, when the gate was still open, the prophet was visited by an angelic being. In a vision, the angel showed Ezekiel the Eastern Gate of the city closed and sealed. The angel went on to proclaim, “The prince himself is the only one who may sit inside the gateway to eat in the presence of the LORD. He is to enter by way of the portico of the gateway and go out the same way” (Ezekiel 44:3).

and rebuild the Temple. This new structure, built on the ruins of the old, became known as the Second Temple. Falling far short of the glory of Solo-mon’s original Temple, it nevertheless was a tremendously important ac-complishment. The returning Jews could at last resume the worship of the God of their fathers in the sole place set apart for that purpose.

In ancient times, empires came and went with regularity, especially in the strategically important crossroads of the Middle East. Following an invasion by the Greeks under Alexander the Great, the next conquering army to march triumphantly through the narrow streets of Jerusalem was the Seleucids, commanded by Antiochus Epiphanes IV. What followed was one of the darkest chapters in the history of the Temple, when this profane pagan emperor set up a statue of the Greek god Zeus in the Temple itself and intentionally defiled the Holy of Holies by sacrificing pigs on the altar.

The Seleucids were eventually defeated by a small band of guerilla fight-ers known as the Maccabees in one of the most celebrated chapters in Jewish history. The holiday of Chanukah celebrates this miraculous victory as well as the miracle of the small vile of oil in the Temple that burned for eight days.

The mightiest empire of the ancient world, the Romans, eventually conquered the Promised Land. They appointed a puppet ruler, Herod the Great, to reign over the restless Jewish population. Herod undertook an ambitious project to expand and update the Temple, turning it into one of the greatest wonders of the ancient world. Its massive Herodian stones, some weighing over 50 tons, can still be seen today.

But the massive structure didn’t survive a Jewish insurrection against their hated Roman masters. The revolt was crushed, and during the Siege of Jerusalem in 70AD, the lavish Temple was utterly destroyed by the Ro-man occupiers. The only remnant left standing was part of a retaining wall that has since become known as the Western, or Wailing Wall, where to this day Jews come to lament the destruction of their sacred site and pray.

The fall of the Roman Empire was followed by the Byzantines which were eventually conquered in 638AD by the Muslims, intent on spread-ing their faith by the edge of their razor sharp scimitars. As if to prove their dominance over all other faiths, they deliberately selected the site of

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Does this prophecy suggest that the gates leading to a newly rebuilt Temple will one day be opened wide? There are those who believe exactly that. It is a belief that persists despite the enormous geo-political conse-quences that such a shocking event might well trigger—including all out global war.

At first glance it is hard to understand how such a cataclysmic conflict could be ignited over one small section of a city that, in itself, has no valu-able natural resources or important military or political significance. Yet because of its paramount importance to three major world religions, Jeru-salem, and especially the Temple Mount, might well become the flashpoint of an epic battle for ultimate control.

Still, while the rebuilding of the Temple remains a provocative and con-troversial prospect, the Bible may very well foretell its eventual restoration. Consider, for example, the famously inspirational passage from the book of Isaiah, when the prophet describes a vision given to him by God: This is what Isaiah son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem: In the last days the mountain of the LORD’S temple will be established as chief among the mountains; it will be raised above the hills, and all nations will stream to it. Many peoples will come and say, “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob. He will teach us his ways, so that we may walk in his paths.” The law will go out from Zion, the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. He will judge between the nations and will settle dis-putes for many peoples. They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore (Isaiah 2:1-4).

The breathtaking sweep of this passage presents a vision of peace and prosperity that seems all but unattainable in our strife-torn world. Can our planet ever truly know a time without the scourge of war? History offers no encouragement. From the dawn of creation, men have taken up arms against each another. Will that same pattern be repeated one day in a strug-gle over control of the Temple Mount in an effort to rebuild the Temple?

Isaiah’s vision also underscores the fact that the potential conflict over the rebuilding of the Temple may, in the minds of many, be tied to a com-

ing Messianic Age. For that reason there are today a number of groups who are actively promoting the rebuilding of the Temple. Some have even begun recreating the decorations and sacred furnishings described in Scripture.

Their hope is embodied in the last, and by far the most important sign of all: The Coming of the Messiah.

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4

The Miracle of the Messiah

The figure of the Messiah is one that towers over Jewish history from the time of its origins right up to the present day. A redeemer and prophet, a messenger of God and a ruler of nations, the Messiah embodies the hope of Jews throughout the millennia that God will once again bestow favor upon his people by bringing forth the Anointed One. Indeed, the word “Messiah” comes from the Hebrew word Mashiach which literally trans-lated means “The Anointed One.”

Traditional Jewish thought, based on various texts found in the Jewish Scriptures, holds that the Messiah will be descended from the line of King David—that when he comes, he will gather the scattered Jews who remain in the nations back to their Land, and usher in an era of global peace and prosperity known as the Messianic Age.

The coming of the Messiah would be the most profound and signifi-cant event in Israel’s history, a golden age that would restore and surpass the glorious era Israel enjoyed during the reign of King David some 3,000 years ago, when Israel was the most powerful nation on earth. Devout Jews still hold to this hope and await the Messiah’s coming with eager expecta-tion.

Yet the world still suffers as the prospect for peace recedes even fur-ther in the face of continued turmoil brewing in the Middle East. A rebuilt Temple remains a dream, and the Messianic Age has yet to arrive. Given those inescapable realities, the question must be asked: is the Messiah real, or is he merely a legend? Indeed, most Jews today consider the notion of a Messiah little more than a metaphor for a Utopian society that will never come to pass.

For centuries, Messianic speculation has swirled throughout the Jewish world, as many men arose to lay claim to the title, only to have fallen short of the mark. Indeed, even among the Brooklyn, New York-based Chabad

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siah was prophesied to appear. Consider also these compelling prophecies:• Psalm22:14-18:I am poured out like water, and all my bones are

out of joint. My heart has turned to wax; it has melted within me. My mouth is dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth; you lay me in the dust of death. Dogs surround me, a pack of villains encircles me; they pierce my hands and my feet. All my bones are on display; people stare and gloat over me. They divide my clothes among them and cast lots for my garment.

• Isaiah53:5:He was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities.

• Zechariah12:10:“They will look on me, the one they have pierced.”• Isaiah53:12:He poured out his life unto death, and was numbered

with the transgressors.Still, while there are many such prophecies in the Jewish Scriptures

concerning the Messiah’s death, even more shocking are those that pro-claim his coming to life again—his resurrection.

Many ancient prophecies foretell that the Messiah would be “cut off,” only to miraculously come back to life. Isaiah 53:8 proclaims, For he was cut off from the land of the living; for the transgression of my people he was stricken. Then verse 11 adds, After he has suffered, he will see the light of life and be satisfied. Daniel writes that the “Messiah will be cut off” (Daniel 9:26), but that his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed (Daniel 7:14). Such are only a few examples of the ancient prophets alluding to the resur-rection of Israel’s Anointed One.

But what does all this say about the miracle of the Messiah?For the last two millennia, billions have claimed that there has been,

and can only be, one man in all of human history who fulfills the numerous Messianic prophecies of the Jewish Scriptures—that they are overwhelm-ingly revealed in the one that many Jewish scholars have begun to reclaim as a lost son of Israel. Arguably the most famous Jew who ever lived, his adherents say he is Israel’s Messiah—the ancient hope of the Jewish peo-ple, and also the hope of the world. He is known in Hebrew as Yeshua HaMashiach… his followers call him Jesus.

Lubavitch sect, a rabbi named Menachem Mendel Schneerson, who died in 1994, is still believed by many of his followers to have been the Messiah.

But how can such claims be either proven or disproven? To discern the truth, it is necessary to search the ancient prophets of Israel to discover what exactly was written about this mysterious figure. Scores of prophecies regarding the Messiah are found in Jewish Scripture—some shrouded in symbolism, others extremely detailed and specific. Among the most sig-nificant are the following.

• Isaiah11:1proclaimsthattheMessiahwouldarisefromthelineof David.

• Micah 5:2 declares not only that the Messiah’s origins would be“from long ago, from the days of eternity,” but that he would be born in Bethlehem.

• Isaiah35:5-6assertsthattheMessiahwouldhealtheblind,thedeaf, the lame, and the mute.• Isaiah53:3proclaimsthattheMessiahwouldbe“despisedand rejected” by his people, and held in low esteem, “though he had done no injustice and had spoken no falsehood.”Additionally, there are extraordinary historical facts that affirm the

true identity of the Messiah. A powerful example is found in Daniel 9:24-27 where the prophet proclaims that the Messiah would be put to death, but not for his own transgressions. Furthermore, Daniel wrote that the Messiah had to die nearly two thousand years ago, before the destruction of the Temple in 70 CE. His words are all the more remarkable considering the fact that the Second Temple had not yet even been rebuilt. Simply put, Daniel’s prophecy foretold the destruction of a Temple that did not exist at that time, and that the Messiah would appear, then be put to death, before that Temple would be destroyed.

Other remarkably specific prophecies about the Messiah foretell not only his death, but also go into amazing detail about the manner in which he would die. Many ancient passages contain very clear references and de-scriptions of the brutal form of capital punishment that would eventually be used by Rome in the first century CE, during the time in which the Mes-

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Yeshua in the first century retained all important aspects of their Jewish iden-tity, continuing to observe and practice the customs handed down by Moses. A careful study of the New Testament, commonly thought by Jews to be the bible of a foreign religion called Christianity, actually reveals a quintessen-tially Jewish book, the large majority written by Jewish followers of Yeshua. It reveals not the story of a Gentile Christ, but rather of a true son of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. In the beginning, believing in Yeshua, the true Jewish Messi-ah of the Bible, rather than the Christianized version passed down for almost 1,900 years, did not mean abandoning one’s Jewish identity. To the contrary, for Yeshua’s disciples, it meant believing and accepting the Jewish Messiah whom God promised to the Jewish People according to the Jewish Scriptures.

Today, modern Messianic Jews—Jews who believe that Jesus is the Messiah—hold to the same sentiment. For example, Jonathan Bernis, author of A Rabbi Looks at the Last Days and A Rabbi Looks at Jesus of Nazareth, puts it this way: “The most Jewish thing I have ever done is to embrace Yeshua as my Messiah. In fact, it is also the most important thing I have ever done, period!”

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From the foundation of the world, it was God’s intent for all human-kind to know him and walk in his blessings. In his original promise to Abraham, God declared that, through the patriarch (and, ultimately, through his descendants, the Jewish People), he would bless “all the peoples of the earth” (Genesis 12:3). Yet it is that very intent which has been twisted and subverted throughout the terrible history of Gentile persecution and prejudice against the Jewish People.

One story among many serves to encapsulate the struggle so many Jews have had when it comes to considering Jesus as the Jewish Messiah. Rabbi Yechiel Lichtenstein lived in Hungary in the nineteenth century where, like so many of his Jewish brethren, he was cruelly mistreated by those who claimed to be Christians. As a result, the learned scholar had come to hate Christian-ity and all it represented, writing, “Christ himself was the plague and curse of the Jews, the origin and promoter of our sorrows and persecutions.”

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Jesus, or Yeshua, as he was known among his Hebrew contemporaries, seems to have anticipated the controversy that would arise over his identity when he confronted his own followers, asking them point blank, “Who do you say that I am?” Since then, the debate over that question has raged. Was Yeshua of Nazareth the Messiah of Israel? Was he, as he boldly pro-claimed, the Anointed One who came to redeem the world from sin, or was he a deceiver of the masses whose followers are perpetuating the greatest fraud in history?

While the prophecies about the Messiah may appear to paint a com-pelling and convincing portrait of the rabbi from Nazareth, the most con-troversial individual who ever lived, there are many who doubt the asser-tion that Jesus was the Messiah spoken of in Jewish holy writ. Why, they wonder, if he was truly the Anointed One, did the Jewish People of that day reject him? While it is certainly true that the majority of civic and religious leaders of Israel did not accept him as the Messiah, multitudes of ordinary Jews actually did embrace both him and his message. According to some historical accounts, as many as 100,000 of his fellow citizens—men and women who regarded themselves as faithful Jews—became his followers in the immediate aftermath of his reported crucifixion and resurrection. They believed that Yeshua was the prophet that Moses said would come, and that he was sent by God to show them the way to eternal life, and to save them from their sins. But there were others who had a much different view of the role of the Messiah than that demonstrated by Yeshua. Because they were living under the tyranny of Roman rule, they were expecting the Messiah to come instead as a conquering deliverer.

It would not be the last time that the identity and message of Yeshua would be misunderstood. For centuries, the Jewish People have struggled against the picture of Yeshua, portrayed in the Christian church as Jesus Christ, a Gentile Savior who bore little resemblance to the Jewish Messiah of the Hebrew Scriptures. In short, they were presented with a Jesus who was devoid of any Jewish character.

The historical record paints a far different picture. Jewish followers of

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for many Jews grappling with their acceptance of Yeshua as the Jewish Mes-siah. For some, to accept him has meant rejection from family, friends and community leaders, and the accusation that they are turning their back on their Jewish heritage. It is this fear of ostracism that has prevented many Jewish People from even considering the validity of Yeshua as Messiah.

Yet precisely because of his indelible Jewish identity, the teachings of Yeshua may have a special relevance to his People. All of the main tenets taught by Yeshua and his disciples appear to be deeply rooted in Judaism. Sin and sacrifice, redemption, and God’s plan to restore a fallen world—all of these concepts are also found in the Torah, the Prophets, and the Writ-ings. Many claim that an essential continuity exists between the Old and New Testaments which becomes clear when one actually reads the entire Bible for himself. It is said to be one unchanging message of the God of Israel, who loves his children, and a humanity separated from that God, needing to be redeemed and restored back to relationship with himself.

The destiny of the Jewish People, and the entire human race, may very well hang on the answer to the question, “Who is the Messiah of Israel?” Could the miracle of the Messiah be revealed in the ancient Scriptures of the Jewish People? If so, what are the ramifications for all humankind? Has the Messiah already crossed the stage of human history? If so, could he be the one they call Yeshua? What if overwhelming evidence exists that not only establishes Yeshua’s identity as the Messiah, but actually reveals that he will soon return? Once again, Israel holds the key to the miraculous—perhaps this time, it is the key to the salvation of the world.

Yet, at the same time, Rabbi Lichtenstein encountered other true Chris-tians who treated him with kindness and respect, demonstrating a radiant love that shone through their words and actions. One such Christian gave the rabbi a New Testament. He promptly tossed it into a dusty corner. But his curiosity prevailed and he eventually retrieved it. When he was sure other Jews would not discover him, he began to read it.

What he found amazed him. Rabbi Lichtenstein later described the experience: “I had thought the New Testament to be impure, a source of pride, of selfishness, of hatred, and of the worst kind of violence, but as I opened it I felt myself peculiarly and wonderfully taken possession of. A sudden glory, a light flashed through my soul. I looked for thorns and found roses; I discovered pearls instead of pebbles; instead of hatred, love; instead of vengeance, forgiveness; instead of bondage, freedom; instead of pride, humility; conciliations instead of enmity; instead of death, life, salvation, resurrection, heavenly treasure…. From every line in the New Testament, from every word, the Jewish spirit streamed forth.”

The rabbi was well advanced in years when he first read the New Testa-ment. He would spend the last of his days as a dedicated follower of Yeshua. Just before he died, he penned a farewell letter to those acquaintances who had rejected him after his decision to accept Yeshua as the Messiah. It read in part, “Dear Jewish brethren, I have been young, and now I am old. I am alone, almost forsaken, because I have lifted up my voice in warning, ‘Return, O Israel, return unto the LORD thy God; for thou hast stumbled in thine iniquity. Take with you words and return unto the LORD’ (Hosea 14:1-2). I, an honored rabbi for nearly forty years, am now in my old age treated by my friends as one possessed by an evil spirit and by my enemies as an outcast. I am become the butt of mockers who point the finger at me. But while I live I will stand on my watchtower, though I may stand here alone. I will listen to the words of God, and look for the time when He will return to Zion in mercy, and Israel shall fill the world with the joyous cry: ‘Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is He that cometh in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!’”

What Rabbi Lichtenstein was expressing on his deathbed is common

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Epilogue

Any examination of the Miracle of Israel leads to one inescapable con-clusion: God has not finished working wonders through, and on behalf of, the Jewish People. Consider:

Israel’s sudden rebirth after nearly two thousand years… Her victories in numerous wars against overwhelming odds… The discovery and restoration of the Lost Tribes scattered to the far

corners of the earth… The renewed determination of many to rebuild the Temple… The rise of Messianic expectation and the longing for the promised

Messiah to come at last… Could biblical scholars be right? Could these events reveal that hu-

manity may be fast approaching an abrupt end? The claims are intrigu-ing. Perhaps somehow, as recorded in the Hebrew Scriptures, the ancient prophets did indeed glimpse the future, and these are, in fact, unmistak-able signs, heralding the soon end of the age. How, then, should all people, everywhere, respond? How will you respond?

Many Jewish prayers end with the word selah, which translated means “pause, and think.” The Miracle of Israel, if properly and prayerfully con-sidered, will cause all mankind to do just that.

Can one truly prove the existence of miracles? Perhaps one need only look to where Pascal once had gazed, “the Jews, your Majesty . . . the Jews.”

Selah.