125 years ago--not much peace at this Methodist peace conference

At the time of the event reported in the following article, the British Empire was involved in the Second Boer War in South Africa. U.S. President William McKinley was at the Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo, where on September 5, 1901, he spoke from the Esplanade, delivering a speech in support of reciprocity. The next day, he was greeting people at the Temple of Music on the exposition grounds when he was shot twice in the stomach by Leon Czolgosz, an anarchist. President McKinley died on September 14, and was succeeded as President by Vice President Theodore Roosevelt. The events in Buffalo were yet to occur or were unnown to those in attendance at the Methodist peace conference in London.

The following article appeared in several newspapers, including the Washington Post, September 7, 1901:

London, Sept. 6--A stormy meeting of the ecumenical Methodist conference resulted to-day from reading by the Rev. C.W. Smith of Pittsburg, Pa., of a paper on "The Influence of Methodism in the Promotion of International Peace." The five-minute rule was adopted, and the pastors made firery speeches for and against the war in South Africa. The campaign came in for a lot of criticism, and finally the chairman ruled reference to it out of order. Many Americans took part in the discussion, but none of the more prominent bishops spoke. The speeches were punctuate by frequent, noisy interruptions, and cheers and counter cheers. There was a scene of considerable disorder, and the discussion terminated without any conclusion being reached.

The Rev. George Elliott, of Detroit, saying he had often been called a little American, bitterly denounced the war.

The Rev. R.J. Cooke, of Chattanooga, defended the necessity of hostilities to vindicate a principle.

The Rev. J.M. King, of Philadelphia, said the best solution of the question was in President McKinley's sentences, uttered at Buffalo, as follows: "'The period of exclusiveness is past. The expansion of our trade and commerce is the pressing problem. Commercial wars are unprofitable. A policy of good will and friendly trade relations will prevent reprisals. Reciprocity treaties are in harmony with the spirit of the times; measures of retaliation are not.'"

The reading of President McKinley's remarks brought forth loud applause.

The Rev. E.E. Hoss, of Nashville, Tenn., said it would be impertinence for the conference to tell Great Britain what to do in South Africa.

Israeli researchers discover evidence of Roman Army's power at the time of the destruction of the Second Temple

As reported by Israel365 News, August 8, 2022 (photos in original):

On the Fast of 9th Av, the Israel Antiquities Authority presented the results of a new research project that sheds light on the power of the Roman army, and the spots of their attack on Jerusalem in the battle that led to the destruction of the Second Temple.

“The Fast of the 9th Av commemorates the day of the destruction of the Second Temple,” says Israel Antiquities Authority researcher Kfir Arbiv. “The Temple was destroyed in 70 CE, after a four-month siege and an intensive battle led by the Roman general Titus in order to conquer the city and suppress the revolt initiated by the Jews four years earlier. The Romans had a well-trained massive army, equipped with the best military innovations of their day. It was a ruthless war machine.”

Arbiv systematically recorded Roman military equipment retrieved in excavations in Jerusalem, many of which were found in the excavations that he directed, together with Dr. Rina Avner, in the Russian Compound, adjacent to the Jerusalem Municipality building. The Roman Arsenal exposed to date includes hundreds of different-sized ballista stones that were launched from sophisticated bolt-throwing machines to a distance of 100–400 m, small slingstones used by trained infantry, and catapult machines that launched spearheads for a distance of 150–200 m. Spears, swords and arrowheads, including heavy arrowheads that could penetrate armor.

Spearhead from the battle against the Roman army. Photograph: Clara Amit, Israel Antiquities Authority

“We know from the historical sources that the Roman army employed massive siege rams to batter the fortification walls, and siege towers that reached the height of the walls, but these have not yet been found in Jerusalem,” says Amit Reem, director of Israel Antiquities Authority Jerusalem Region.

Arbiv’s research focused on the hundreds of ballista stones, and his analysis defined different sizes and weights. Some, directed against people, were launched against the walls to prevent the Jewish rebels from emerging above the walls, and other heavier ones were launched fiercely against the walls to penetrate them.

The ballista stones, the physical evidence of the battle that took place 2000 years ago, are visible on the floor. Photograph: Yoli Schwartz, Israel Antiquities Authority

Ballista stone balls of different dimensions. Photograph: Kfir Arbiv, Israel Antiquities Authority

According to Arbiv, “With the help of the computer, I located all the ballista exactly where they were found. I took into account the local topography and the location of the Second Temple-period city fortification walls, and I made ballistic calculations, including the launching angle, and the throwing distance of the stones. All the data was compared to the renown Jewish historian Josephus’ contemporary detailed descriptions of the battle, and the conquest and destruction of Jerusalem, in his book, ‘The History of the Jewish War against the Romans’.”

According to the research, some of the Roman army artillery machines were located in the center of the modern city of Jerusalem, in the Nahalat Hashiva area, nicknamed ‘Cats’ Square’.

The research also shows for the first time, the probable pots where the Roman army penetrated the city. The Russian Compound excavations exposed part of the Third Wall, the third line of defense that surrounded the city. An exceptionally large concentration of ballista stones was found at one point, some broken after use. It was evident that the Roman army concentrated their efforts here, and hundreds, if not thousands of ballista stones, were directed to this spot. “This is not surprising,” says Arbiv, “as whoever controls this spot, dominates the whole area and the fate of the city. This aligns with Josephus’ account that Titus commanded to penetrate the city from the northwestern side of the city wall.”

According to Eli Eskosido, Director of the Israel Antiquities Authority: “The physical evidence of the huge resources employed by the Roman army in Jerusalem, reflect the extremely harsh battles that eventually led to the destruction of the Second Temple. Notwithstanding the internal factions and the impossible odds, a small group of Jewish defenders withheld the Romans for a few moths until the tragic destruction of the city. The use of up-to-date research methods reveal more and more on the fascinating history of Jerusalem.”

100 years ago: League of Nations Council confirms British Mandate for Palestine

And it shall come to pass, when all these things are come upon thee, the blessing and the curse, which I have set before thee, and thou shalt call them to mind among all the nations, whither the LORD thy God hath driven thee,
And shalt return unto the LORD thy God, and shalt obey his voice according to all that I command thee this day, thou and thy children, with all thine heart, and with all thy soul;
That then the LORD thy God will turn thy captivity, and have compassion upon thee, and will return and gather thee from all the nations, whither the LORD thy God hath scattered thee.
If any of thine be driven out unto the outmost parts of heaven, from thence will the LORD thy God gather thee, and from thence will he fetch thee:
And the LORD thy God will bring thee into the land which thy fathers possessed, and thou shalt possess it; and he will do thee good, and multiply thee above thy fathers. Deuteronomy 30:1-5

This is a slightly different version of my post 90 years ago: League of Nations supports Zionism (July 21, 2012).

On July 24, 1922, the League of Nations Council confirmed the text of the draft of the British Mandate of Palestine; Britain formally assumed control of Palestine on September 29, 1923. As reported by the Israel Bible, July 24, 2022 (links in original):

...On April 24,1920, 51 nations, so recently divided by World War I, sent representatives to the League of Nations in Sanremo, Italy. At the San Remo Conference, they agreed to divide up the Ottoman territories, putting Israel in the hands of the British. The decision incorporated the Balfour Declaration, written during the war in 1917, which established the basis for a Jewish state in Israel. The text of this agreement was confirmed by the Council of the League of Nations on July 24, 1922.

How did this all come to be?

In 1917, while the outcome of World War One was very much in the balance, the United Kingdom’s Foreign Secretary Arthur Balfour sat down to write a letter to Lord Rothschild, a leader of the British Jewish community, for transmission to the Zionist Federation of Great Britain and Ireland. The letter was the first public expression of support for Zionism by a major political power, and was the result of rising sympathy among British evangelical Christians towards the “restoration of the Jews” to Palestine that had begun 80 years earlier.

In some ways the Balfour Declaration was the beginning of the process. It certainly was the seed from which the State of Israel grew, but it nearly became a meaningless piece of paper. When Lord Balfour put pen to paper, the British armies were stuck in Egypt and the British government had no political ability to carry out this vision.

On October 31, 1917, the remarkable charge of the Australian 4th Light Horse Brigade captured Beersheba from the German and Ottoman forces. This opened the way for the British forces to advance and capture Jerusalem six weeks later, making the Balfour Declaration relevant, and having practical implications for the Jewish people.

After the war, in 1920, the Paris Peace Conference founded the League of Nations, the first worldwide intergovernmental organization whose principal mission was to maintain world peace. That same year, the seven-day San Remo Conference was held. The full text of the Balfour Declaration became an integral part of the San Remo resolution and the British Mandate for Palestine, turning the letter of intent into a legally-binding foundational document under international law.

51 nations signed the resolution. No objections were raised from the Arab world. In fact, a signed agreement between Emir Faisal, the third son of Hussein ibn Ali al-Hashimi, King of the short-lived Kingdom of Hejaz, and Chaim Weizmann, a Zionist leader, was one of two documents used by the Zionist delegation at the Paris Peace Conference to argue that the Zionist plans for Palestine had prior approval of Arabs.

Faisal, who acquiesced to a Jewish state in order to gain support for his claim on Syria, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Lebanon, and Egypt, was the sole recognized representative of the entire Arab people in 1918. No other Arab states existed at the time. Ironically, the same San Remo Conference that paved the way for Israel also paved the way for the Arab nations that sprung into existence in the region, allocating 99% of the land to form new Arab states.

It took another 27 years and a new organization named the United Nations to formally establish the Jewish state, but the foundations were laid and confirmed by the League of Nations in San Remo in 1922.

See also my posts:

100 years ago: The Balfour Declaration paves the way for fulfillment of biblical prophecy (November 2, 2017)

100 years ago: British forces capture Jerusalem (December 11, 2017)

100 years ago: The Faisal-Weizmann Agreement (January 3, 2019)

1,950 years ago: Titus sacks Jerusalem

And I will make your cities waste, and bring your sanctuaries unto desolation, and I will not smell the savour of your sweet odours.
And I will bring the land into desolation: and your enemies which dwell therein shall be astonished at it.
And I will scatter you among the heathen, and will draw out a sword after you: and your land shall be desolate, and your cities waste. Leviticus 26:31-33

And as he went out of the temple, one of his disciples saith unto him, Master, see what manner of stones and what buildings are here!
And Jesus answering said unto him, Seest thou these great buildings? there shall not be left one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down. Mark 13:1-2

On September 8, 70, the siege of Jerusalem, which had begun almost five months earlier, ended when Roman legions commanded by future Emperor Titus completed their conquest of the city, which included the capture of the Second Temple, aka Herod's Temple. The sacking of Jerusalem fulfilled the prophecies of Moses and the Lord Jesus Christ; the latter prophecy must have seemed most unlikely at the time, but it was fulfilled less than 40 years later.

The Temple has yet to be rebuilt, but it will be (see, e.g., Ezekiel 40-44, II Thessalonians 2:4). The Temple Mount Faithful and the Temple Institute have been preparing for years for the building of the Third Temple. The book Ready to Rebuild by Thomas Ice & Randall Price (1992) and the companion video, hosted by Jimmy DeYoung, are no longer recent, but are still relevant and useful sources of information on this subject. Dr. DeYoung hosted a revised version of his video in 2011:

Russian Orthodox Church commission proposes an end to priestly blessing of weapons of mass destruction

The latest in Russian Orthodox churchianity, as reported by Tom Balmforth of Reuters, February 4, 2020:

MOSCOW - Russian priests should refrain from the practice of blessing nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction that can inflict indiscriminate loss of life, according to new guidelines being discussed by the Russian Orthodox Church.

During two decades in power, President Vladimir Putin has aligned himself with the Orthodox Church, which has also developed closer ties with the ministry of defense.

Russian priests have long appeared in images sprinkling holy water on submarines, ballistic missiles, Soyuz space rockets and other pieces of hardware as part of rituals to bless them.

But some of that is set to stop if the church approves a document drawn up by an Orthodox Church commission.

“The blessing of military weapons is not reflected in the tradition of the Orthodox Church and does not correspond to the content of the Rite,” the document, on the Moscow patriarchate’s website, says.

Blessing or sanctifying weapons that can kill an “indefinite number of people” must be excluded from pastoral practice, it says.

The proposals will be discussed until June 1 and the public should also take part in the debate, the church’s Moscow branch said.

In a striking symbol of close defense-church ties in Russia, the armed forces are building their own sprawling cathedral at a military themed park outside Moscow. It is set to be one of the tallest Orthodox churches in the world.

40 years ago: Liberal American clergymen visit hostages at U.S. embassy in Tehran

50 days after Muslim terrorists had invaded the U.S. embassy in Tehran and began holding the embassy's residents hostage, Iran’s Ayatollah Khomeini allowed three useful idiots American clergymen to visit the embassy for Christmas. The three were William Sloane Coffin of Riverside Church in New York City; William Howard of the National Council of Churches; and Bishop Thomas Gumbleton, a Roman Catholic leader from Detroit. All three were known for their liberal views, including support for criminal civil disobedience, opposition to American defense pacifism, and pervert "gay" rights. The Ayatollah, recently named Time magazine's Man of the Year, made full use of the men's visit to suit his own purposes.

90 years ago: The Palestine Riots and the Hebron Massacre

From the "some things never change" department: On August 23, 1929, 700 Arabs, incited by rumours that Jews were planning to seize the Temple Mount in Jerusalem, gathered at the bus station in Hebron and began rioting. One of the instigators of the riots was Haj Amin al Husseini, the Mufti of Jerusalem; if that name sounds familiar, it's because he's the same Mufti who made propaganda broadcasts on behalf of the Nazis during World War II. On August 24, the rioting escalated into the massacre of 67 or 69 people in Hebron, seriously injuring many more. Jewish homes and synagogues were ransacked. Some of the 435 Jewish survivors were hidden by local Arab families.

The massacre was part of a series of riots that occurred in August 1929 in Palestine, which was then administered by the United Kingdom under a League of Nations mandate.

By the time the rioting concluded on August 29, 133 Jews and 116 Arabs had been killed, and 198 Jews and 232 Arabs had been injured. 55 Arabs were convicted of murder; 17 of attempted murder; 150 of looting and or/arson; and 219 of lesser offenses. 2 Jews were convicted of murder; 1 of attempted murder; 7 of looting and/or arson/ and 9 of lesser offenses. 26 Arabs were sentenced to death, 14 for the Hebron massacre; the Jews convicted of murder were also sentenced to death. All of the death sentences were either overturned on appeal or commuted, except for those against Arabs Atta Ahmed el Zeer, Mohamamed Khalil Abu Jamjum and Fuad Hassab el Hejazi, who were hanged on June 17, 1930.

The riots led to the Shaw Commission of Enquiry, which in turn led to the Hope Simpson Royal Commission, whose report, issued in October 1930, recommended limiting Jewish immigration to Palestine because of a lack of agricultural land to support continued Jewish immigration at current levels.

90 years after the Palestine Riots of 1929, the Hebron massacre is being commemorated by Israeli leaders, while the Palestinian authority continues to mourn as martyrs the three Arabs who were hanged for murder:

775 years ago: Jerusalem's Tower of David surrenders to invading Muslims

and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled. Luke 21:24b

On August 23, 1244, Jerusalem's citadel, the Tower of David, surrendered to forces of the Khwarezmian Empire, a Sunni Muslim dynasty of Turkic Mamluk origin that ruled parts of Greater Iran from approximately 1077-1231. The surrender of the citadel came 39 days after the Khwarezmian forces had concluded a siege of Jerusalem by sacking the city, which had been under nominal Christian control since the end of the Sixth Crusade in 1229.

Jerusalem has been "trodden down of the Gentiles" through the centuries, but the time is approaching when the Lord Jesus Christ will return to Jerusalem and sit on the throne of David:

And in mercy shall the throne be established: and he shall sit upon it in truth in the tabernacle of David, judging, and seeking judgment, and hasting righteousness. Isaiah 16:5

While the Tower of David surrendered to invading forces, there is another tower that provides complete safety:

The name of the Lord is a strong tower: the righteous runneth into it, and is safe. Proverbs 18:10

Catholic News Service's Hanukkah tweet includes photo showing relief commemorating ancient Temple's destruction

"Don't mention the Roman sacking of Jerusalem; I mentioned it once, but I think I got away with it all right."

I think the technical term is "Oy vey." As reported by Laurel Wamsley of U.S. National Public Radio, December 4, 2018 (links in original):

A relief under Rome's Arch of Titus, built in the first century, shows a menorah being taken away from the Temple in Jerusalem.

Sometimes it's the most well-intended messages that go awry.

Catholic News Service, a U.S. denominational news agency, posted a tweet on Sunday that said: "Hanukkah began at sundown. Happy Hanukkah to those who celebrate!"

An accompanying photo showed a relief from the Arch of Titus, a marble structure built in Rome in the first century that commemorates "the victory of the Roman general, later emperor, Titus, in the Jewish War of 66-74 CE," according to a project at Yeshiva University.

The relief shows Roman soldiers carrying the spoils of the war, including a seven-branched menorah from the destroyed Temple of Jerusalem. Hanukkah celebrates the rededication of the Temple in the second century B.C. and involves a nine-branched menorah.

omg i RT'd it like 2 minutes before they deleted. For Flavian posterity. (appreciate the congrats) pic.twitter.com/27yMXmsi61
— Josh Marshall (@joshtpm) December 3, 2018

On Twitter, observers immediately noted the problematic choice of photo.

"[B]asically after the Romans sacked Jerusalem and destroyed the Temple they carted off all the goods, brought it all back to Rome and held an epic rally in Rome to celebrate," wrote Josh Marshall, editor of political site Talking Points Memo. "That arch of titus is like a pictorial about the rally. So it's sort of not in a spirit of Happy Hanukkah."

Another Twitter user wrote: "It's a very famous image, from the inside of the Arch of Titus in Rome. It [commemorates] the conquest of Jerusalem and the destruction of the Temple. Which is the opposite of what the Hannukah holiday is about :-)."

According to Steven Fine, professor of Jewish history at Yeshiva University and director of the project there, the arch has long been highly symbolic.

"For centuries the Jews in Rome would not walk under it, as they saw themselves as exiles from Jerusalem forcibly brought to Rome," he told The New York Times in 2012. "Then in the 19th century the arch became a marker of Jewish antiquity and pride, a symbol of exile and redemption that is so important to Jewish heritage."

Catholic News Service deleted the tweet shortly after it was posted and sent two apology tweets.

"Sunday we inadvertently posted an offensive photo. We were sloppy in our tweeting; people were right to be offended," the second apology said. "The person who posted the tweet now fully understands the implications of the picture. We apologize again."

Church of England dean blamed for cancellation of World War I armistice centenary service

I suspect that the dean is the typical liberal who won't even take his own side in an argument. As reported by Olivia Rudgard of the London Daily Telegraph, September 14, 2018:

A row has broken out over an armistice service at Peterborough cathedral as a senior cleric has been accused of sabotaging a First World War Commonwealth ceremony.

Trustees at the Peterborough Cathedral Trust accused former acting Dean Tim Alban Jones of deliberately failing to promote the October 6 event, which has now been cancelled, because - it's claimed - he did not approve of its military flavour.

Jimmy James, the secretary of the trust, said that Mr Alban Jones had pressured the organisers to change the emphasis from celebrating the Commonwealth's contribution to victory in the First World War to commemorating the armistice.

The cathedral said the event had been cancelled because of "disappointing" ticket sales and said the cost of running the event would not have been covered.

Mr James admitted that as of Friday less than 100 tickets had been sold, of the 750 that would be needed to fill the cathedral, but blamed Mr Alban Jones, now vice dean of the cathedral, for failing to promote it properly.

He said advertising for the event had been delayed by two months and that events had been scheduled for shortly before and after the evening, and promoted before the Trust's event, which Mr James believed damaged ticket sales.

Mr James believes that Mr Jones persuaded the rest of the clergy that “we shouldn't be celebrating the victory, we should just be commemorating the participation in the war” adding “I think he's got a problem with all of that, I think, in common with a lot of Church of England clergy."

Asked if he believed the event was deliberately sabotaged, he said: "I'd get pretty close to that, yes, very close indeed."

Prominent figures including the High Commissioners from Australia and Canada were slated to appear at the event, which was supposed to feature "military music from around the Commonwealth" and songs from the First World War.

Trustees said it would have raised £15,000 for the cathedral, which has been beset by financial problems in recent years.

A cashflow crisis in 2016 meant that the cathedral had to be bailed out with a loan from the church commissioners, after it was revealed that staff were in danger of not being paid.

Mr Alban Jones, who is also chaplain to the bishop of Peterborough, was acting dean between October last year and January this year, when current Dean Chris Dalliston took over.

John Higgs, the treasurer of the Trust, said he was "furious" at the cancellation.

"It's an absolutely nonsensical decision," he said, adding that the committee had been planning the event for over a year and he had been forced to tell almost 100 choir members that it would no longer be going ahead with less than a month's notice.

A spokesman for the cathedral denied the allegations of sabotage and said: "The Cathedral regrets that sales of tickets for the commemoration of the Commonwealth contribution to World War I, Forward Together, have been disappointing.

"Because of this, and despite generous sponsorship, the costs of running the event would not have been covered. With great reluctance the decision was therefore taken to cancel what would have been a memorable event.

"We hope that the many other commemorative events being held at the Cathedral, within Peterborough, and around the diocese will offer the opportunity for everyone properly to recognise the sacrifices of all who fought in this tragic war."

A page on the cathedral's website promises refunds for anyone who has bought tickets or sponsored the event.

70 years ago: The death of Buzz Beurling

On May 20, 1948, George Frederick "Buzz" Beurling was killed in a plane crash at the age of 26. A native of Verdun, Quebec, Flight Lieutenant George Frederick Beurling dropped out of high school in order to fly planes, but was rejected by the Royal Canadian Air Force at the outset of World War II. He joined the U.K. Royal Air Force in September 1940, and became the greatest Canadian ace of World War II, recording 31 (or 31 1/3) kills, 27 over Malta during a two-week period in 1942, earning him the Distinguished Flying Cross, Distinguished Service Order, Distinguished Flying Medal, and Bar.

Buzz Beurling grew up in a Christian home where God's word was believed. A love for the Jewish people and a belief that Jews were God's chosen people was taught. Accordingly, Flt. Lt. Beurling turned down an offer to join the Egyptian Air Force during the 1948 Arab-Israeli War, and joined the Israeli Air Force instead. At the conclusion of a test flight of a Noorduyn Norseman transport aircraft which was to be delivered to Israel, he and co-pilot Leonard Cohen were killed when the plane crashed while landing at Aeroporto dell'Urbe in Rome. Flt. Lt. Beurling's remains were eventually flown to Israel and buried in a military cemetery in Haifa.

The legacy of the Beurling family's love for the Jewish people continues today, as Buzz's niece Janice Beurling is a longtime leader in communications with Chosen People Ministries (Canada).

100 years ago: British forces capture Jerusalem

As birds flying, so will the Lord of hosts defend Jerusalem; defending also he will deliver it; and passing over he will preserve it. Isaiah 31:5

On December 11, 1917, British Army General Sir Edmund Allenby marched into Jerusalem through the Jaffa Gate and declared martial law, two days after Hussein al-Husayni, the Ottoman Mayor of Jerusalem, surrendered to British troops, ending 400 years of Ottoman Empire rule of the city. General Allenby was reportedly a Bible-believing Christian, prayed that his forces would be able to take Jerusalem without damaging any holy places, and marched into the city rather than entering on horseback, as an expression of his respect for Jerusalem's status as a city revered by Jews, Christians, and Muslims. I can't verify it, but it has been reported that General Allenby claimed that Isaiah 31:5 was being fulfilled on that very day, with the Lord using British Royal Flying Corps planes to defend and preserve Jerusalem.

The British capture of Jerusalem was another event leading to the establishment of the modern state of Israel. A disproportionate number of the major events before and after the establishment of modern Israel have occurred in years ending in "7;" I don't believe that to be prophetically significant, but I find it interesting, and it helps one to memorize a timeline of events:

1897: Theodor Herzl, the founder of the modern Zionist movement, convened the first Zionist Congress in Basel, Switzerland, which concluded by adopting a program to pursue the establishment of a national home for the Jewish people in Palestine.

1917 (November): British Foreign Secretary Arthur Balfour issued the Balfour Declaration, stating the British government's support for the establishment of a homeland for the Jewish people in Palestine.

1917 (December): General Sir Edmund Allenby led British forces in the capture of Jerusalem, ending 400 years of Ottoman rule of the city, and beginning 30 years of British rule, most of that time under a League of Nations Mandate.

1947: The United Nations General Assembly passed Resolution 181, partitioning Palestine into Jewish and Arab states by October 1, 1948.

1967: Israeli forces inflicted a stunning defeat on Egyptian forces in the Six-Day War and took control of old Jerusalem.

1977: Egyptian President Anwar Sadat accepted Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin's invitation to come to Jerusalem and address the Knesset, and severed relations with other Arab countries that weren't willing to join him in pursuing peaceful relations with Israel.

2017: U.S. President Donald Trump declared Jerusalem to be Israel's capital, and announced that the United States will soon move its embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

50 years ago: The Six-Day War

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...
...In that day will I make the governors of Judah like an hearth of fire among the wood, and like a torch of fire in a sheaf; and they shall devour all the people round about, on the right hand and on the left: and Jerusalem shall be inhabited again in her own place, even in Jerusalem...
... In that day shall the Lord defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem; and he that is feeble among them at that day shall be as David; and the house of David shall be as God, as the angel of the Lord before them.
And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem. Zechariah 12:2-3, 6, 8-9

An important event in helping to set the stage for the fulfillment of biblical prophecies for the end times occurred 50 years ago this week. On June 10, 1967, fighting in the Six-Day War concluded when Israeli forces halted their advance into Syria.

The war ended in a tremendous victory for Israel over the forces of Egypt, Syria, and Jordan. Israel now controlled the West Bank, Sinai Peninsula, Gaza Strip, and Golan Heights. On June 7, Israel gained control of East Jerusalem and the Temple Mount from Jordan. The song ירושלים של זהב (Yerushalayim Shel Zahav) (Jerusalem of Gold), first performed for the Israeli Song Festival on May 15, 1967, became a theme song for the war:



The Temple itself will be rebuilt (see, for example, Daniel 9:27, Matthew 24:15, Revelation 11:1-2), an event which was impossible before the Six-Day War, i.e., before Israel was in control of the Temple Mount. I haven't the time or inclination to go into detail on this, but the Six-Day War was another link in the chain of Bible prophecy, offering evidence that the God of the Bible is the one true God, and that the Bible is His word. For further reading, I suggest the books A Cup of Trembling (1995) by Dave Hunt, and Ready to Rebuild (1992) by Thomas Ice & Randall Price.

75 years ago: Church of Norway clergy resign as civil servants while continuing as pastors

On Easter Sunday, April 5, 1942, bishops and a majority of the Church of Norway's pastors signed and proclaimed The Foundation of the Church: A Confession and a Declaration (Kirkens Grunn: En bekjennelse og en erklæring), in which they resigned as servants of the state, but vowed to continue their congregations as pastors. The declaration culminated a period of increasing frustration of the church with the government since the military forces of Nazi Germany had invaded and occupied Norway in 1940.

The Church of Norway, which was Lutheran and had a history of teaching obedience to the state, tried to get along with the Nazi occupation government, but the Nazis refused to honour their promises to respect Norwegians' freedom of religion or the Church's government and practices. On February 1, 1942, Vidkun Quisling was installed as Minister President of Norway; the country's equivalent of the Nazi Party was the Nasjonal Samling. On the day that Mr. Quisling took office, a mob of his sympathizers invaded Nidaros Cathedral and refused to allow the cathedral's dean to conduct services. The congregation gathered outside to sing "A Mighty Fortress is Our God," and all seven Church of Norway bishops resigned the next day.

Church Primate Eivind Berggrav was arrested shortly after the Easter declaration, and spent some time in Bredtvet concentration camp. The minority of pastors who didn't go along with the Easter declaration were tarred with the label of Quisling, and were not respected by the Norwegian people. The majority of Church of Norway clergy provided an inspiring example to Norwegians at large in resisting a state that was not only illegally and unpopularly occupying the country, but wasn't content to be just the state, but was refusing to respect the church's God-given role as the church. It's also worth noting that persecution by the state authorities produced a period of needed, if brief, independence for a church which under normal conditions was affiliated with the state, which was and is not the will of God. The existence in Europe of state churches, where people are "hatched, matched, and dispatched," has played a major role in that continent's sad drift into secular humanism, which can't stand against militant Islam. Courageous Christian pastors can still be found today, mainly in countries such as India, Myanmar, Vietnam, North Korea, Cuba, and Islamic nations.

For those interested in further reading, a recent book on the Church of Norway's experience during World War II (which inclued helping Jews) is Church Resistance to Nazism in Norway, 1940-1945 by Arne Hassing (2014).

800 years ago: The death of Pope Innocent III

...yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service.
And these things will they do unto you, because they have not known the Father, nor me. John 16:2b-3

On July 16, 1216, the misnamed Pope Innocent III died at the age of 55 or 56. Innocent III, born Lotario dei Conti di Segni, succeeded Celestine III on the papal throne in 1198, and became one of the most influential popes in history, using interdicts and other measures to assert his power and influence over European secular rulers. He initiated the Fourth Crusade in 1198, which was intended to attack Jerusalem, but was diverted, and resulted in the sacking of Constantinople in 1204.

Pope Innocent III was responsible for the persecution of real Christians, and regarded the highlight of his papacy to be the slaughter of the inhabitants of the French town of Béziers on July 22, 1209. It's unknown exactly how many people were murdered in Béziers, but the number has been put at 20,000 and even as high as 60,000. Pope Innocent III died suddenly in the central Italian town of Perugia, and was succeeded as pope by Honorius III.

It came as a surprise to this blogger to discover that Pope Innocent III has been honoured in the form of a bas-relief in the United States Capitol. According to the Architect of the Capitol site:

Innocent III (1161-1216) Medieval pope. Student of canon and civil law, who, like Gregory IX, preserved the remnants of Roman law during the Dark Ages.

Joseph Kiselewski
Artist

Marble, 28" dia.
1950
House Chamber
U.S. Capitol

The 23 marble relief portraits over the gallery doors of the House Chamber in the U.S. Capitol depict historical figures noted for their work in establishing the principles that underlie American law. They were installed when the chamber was remodeled in 1949-1950.

From Me & Pope Innocent III, a post on the blog of America: The National Catholic Review, published July 27, 2009:

...Yesterday, recalling the papacy of Innocent III, I seemed to remember that his image appears in bas-relief in the U.S. Capitol. And, so it does, in the House of Representatives chamber alongside the bas-reliefs of other great lawgivers in Western civilization. Nor is his the only papal sculpture in the House chamber. Innocent’s nephew, Pope Gregory IX, is also accorded a place among the law-givers. The next time you or your family is visiting the imperial city, be sure to look for these two Catholic additions to our otherwise secular republican temple...

Among the comments on that post was the following, by an anonymous commenter on July 28, 2009:

I teach some Humanities classes and let my students who live in a dominantly anti-Catholic evangelical culture that the Catholic Church by Divine Providence took the best of the Greek-Roman Natural Law principles and "married " them with Genesis, Sinai and Calvary to give us Western Civilization based on the sacredness of Human Life. They are surprised and amazed when I tell them the Founders' " all are created equal and endowed with inaleinable rights by their Creator " is a Natural Law thesis developed in that Catholic civilization. That is why those Popes are honored with Moses and Hammarubi as " Authors and Doctors of Law" ...

It should be noted that the Roman Catholic Church has never apologized for the Béziers massacre, or any other similar atrocity committed on the directives of popes down through the centuries. Indeed, all the popes are to be regarded as the Vicars of Christ, regardless of how un-Christlike their character and reign. That the Butcher of Béziers is equated with "Western Civilization based on the sacredness of Human Life" speaks volumes as to the deception that characterizes the Roman Catholic Church.

75 years ago: The death of Kyösti Kallio

On December 19, 1940, Kyösti Kallio died at the age of 67. Mr. Kallio, a devout Christian and leader of the Agrarian League, served as Prime Minister of Finland four times: 1922-1924, 1925-1926, 1929-1930, 1936-1937. In 1937 he took office as President of Finland, the country's head of state.

Mr. Kallio was in office during the Winter War against the U.S.S.R. in 1939-1940. When the invading Soviets won the war in March 1940 and imposed peace terms on Finland, President Kallio was obliged to sign a document authorizing four Finnish government officials to travel to Moscow and sign the Moscow Peace Treaty--as unjust a peace that has ever been forced upon a defeated people--on behalf of Finland. As he signed the odious document, Mr. Kallio said (presumably in Finnish), "Let my hand wither, that has been forced to sign this piece of paper."

The Lord granted Mr. Kallio's request; on August 28, 1940, he suffered a stroke that paralyzed his right arm. Mr. Kallio's health continued to decline, and on November 27, he left his notice of resignation, intending to retire to his farm at Nivala. A few hours after Risto Ryti officially succeeded Mr. Kallio as President, a band was playing the patriotic Finnish march Porilaisten marssi (March of the Men of Pori) while an honour guard saluted Mr. Kallio at Helsinki Central Railway Station as he prepared to depart for his retirement, but he collapsed and died in the arms of his adjutant, Marshal Carl Mannerheim, and went to be with his Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

70 years ago: Allied occupying authorities in Japan abolish State Shinto

On December 15, 1945, Assistant Adjutant General Colonel H.W. Allen, on behalf of Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers in Japan General Douglas MacArthur, issued the Shinto Directive, abolishing state support for the Shinto religion, the faith that had provided the religious underpinning for Japanese militarism and imperialism.

Notable passages of the Shinto Directive include:

It is hereby directed that:

a. The sponsorhsip, support, perpetuation, control and dissemination of Shinto by the Japanese national, prefectural, and local governments, or by public officials, subordinates, and employees acting in their official capacity are prohibited and will cease immediately.

b. All financial support from public funds and all official affiliation with Shinto and Shinto shrines are prohibited and will cease immediately...

...c. All propagation and dissemination of militaristic and ultranationalistic ideology in Shinto doctrines, practices, rites, ceremonies, or observances, as well as in the doctrines, practices, rites, ceremonies, and observances of any other religion, faith, sect, creed, or philosophy, are prohibited and will cease immediately...

...f. All public educational institutions whose primary function is either the investigation and dissemination of Shinto or the training of a Shinto priesthood will be abolished and their physical properties diverted to other uses. Their present functions, duties and administrative obligations will not be assumed by any other governmental or tax-supported agency...

...h. The dissemination of Shinto doctrines in any form and by any means in any educational institution supported wholly or in part by public funds is prohibited and will cease immediately...

...j. The use in offcial writings of the terms "Greater East Asia War" (Dai Toa Senso), The Whole World Under One Roof (Hakko Ichi-u), and all other terms whose connotation in Japanese is inextricably connected with State Shinto, militarism, and ultra-nationalism is prohibited and will cease immediately.

k. God-shelves (Kamidana) and all othe physical symbols of State Shinto in any office, school, institution, organization, or structure supported wholly or in part by public funds are prohibited and will be removed immediately...

...m. No official of the national, prefectural, or local government, acting in his public capacity, will visit any shrine to report his assumption of office, to report on conditions of government or to participate as a representative of government in any capacity or observance.

2 a. The purpose of this directive is to separate religion from the state, to prevent misuse of religion for political ends, and to put all religions, faiths, and creeds upon exactly the same basis, entitled to precisely the same opportunites and protection. It forbids affiliation with the government and the propagation and dissemination of militaristic and ultra-nationalistic ideology not only to Shinto but to the followers of all religions, faiths, sects, creeds, or philosophies...

...c. The term State Shinto within the meaning of this directive will refer to that branch of Shinto (Kokka Shinto or Jinja Shinto) which by official acts of the Japanese Government has been differentiated from the religion of Sect Shinto (Shuha Shinto or Kyoha Shinto) and has been classified as a non-religious cult commonly known as State Shinto, National Shinto, or Shrine Shinto.

d. The term Sect Shinto (Shuha Shinto or Kyoha Shinto) will refer to that branch of Shinto (composed of 13 recognized sects) which by popular belief, legal commentary, and the official acts of the Japanese Government has been recognized to be a religion.

e...(1) Sect Shinto will enjoy the same protection as any other religion.

(2) Shrine Shinto, after having been divorced from the state and divested of its militaristic and ultra-nationalistic elements, will be recognized as a religion if its adherents so desire and will be granted the same protection as any other religion in so far as it may in fact be the philosophy or religion of Japanese individuals.

...f. Militaristic and ultra-nationalistic ideology, as used in this directive, embraces those teachings, beliefs, and theories which advocate or justify a mission on the part of Japan to extend its rule over other nations and peoples by reason of:

(1) The doctrine that the Emperor of Japan is superior to the heads of other states because of ancestry, descent, or special origin.

(2) The doctrine that the people of Japan are superior to the people of other lands because of ancestry, descent, or special origin.

(3) The doctrine that the islands of Japan are superior to other lands because of divine or special origin.

(4) Any other doctrine which tends to delude the Japanese people into embarking upon wars of aggression or to glorify the use of force as an instrument for the settlements of disputes with other peoples.

The first dramatic result of the Shinto Directive was that Emperor Hirohito issued the Humanity Declaration on January 1, 1946, denying that he was a living god.

A more recent example of the effects of the Shinto Directive occurred on February 18, 2002, when U.S. President George W. Bush and his wife Laura visited the Meiji Shrine in Tokyo (and the allegedly "Christian" Mr. Bush committed an act of worship, angering Christians in Japan and South Korea. As reported by The Japan Times, February 19, 2002:

U.S. President George W. Bush and his wife, Laura, on Monday visited Meiji Shrine, a major venue for Shinto worshippers in Tokyo.

Bush and the first lady paid their respects by bowing in front of the main shrine hall before signing a registry book, including a brief comment on their visit.

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi did not accompany Bush to the shrine, apparently to avoid a stir over the constitutional separation of state and religion.

However, Koizumi later joined Bush on the grounds of the shrine to watch a display of “yabusame,” or traditional mounted archery.

The shrine in Shibuya Ward is dedicated to Emperor Meiji (1852-1912) and his consort, Empress Shoken (1850-1914). The emperor was famous for transforming Japan from an isolated and feudal country into a modern world power during his reign. Bush’s visit was said to symbolize Japan’s need to take bold reform steps.

Originally built in 1920, the shrine was destroyed by a U.S. air raid on April 14, 1945. It was rebuilt in 1958.

The visit was arranged at the request of Bush, who reportedly hoped to get a sense of the country’s traditional culture...

...When former Presidents Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan visited the shrine on their visits to Japan, the prime ministers at the time also declined to accompany them.

Koizumi angered Japan’s neighbors in August when he visited Yasukuni Shrine, which is dedicated to Japan’s war dead, including Class-A Japanese war criminals. He did not specify at that time whether he was visiting in a private or official capacity.

It's hard to imagine in 2015 that an American governing authority would officially prohibit a religion of militarism and imperial conquest.

100 years ago: The death of Edith Cavell

On October 12, 1915, Edith Cavell, 49, a British nurse and devout Anglican, was shot by a German firing squad in Belgium. She worked in Belgium, which fell under German military occupation in November 1914, in the early months of World War I. She treated both Allied and German soldiers, but sheltered British and French soldiers and helped them and young Belgian men to escape to neutral Netherlands.

On August 3, 1915, Miss Cavell was arrested and charged with harbouring Allied soldiers. She admitted doing so, and was sentenced to death for treason under the German Military Code. Her last words reportedly included, "Patriotism is not enough. I must have no hatred or bitterness towards anyone," and "...tell my loved ones later on that my soul, as I believe, is safe, and that I am glad to die for my country."

It's obvious from the circumstances surrounding Edith Cavell's arrest and execution that she didn't subscribe to the namby-pamby, pansy-wansy extremist view of Romans 13:1-7 that so characterizes 21st century North American evangelicalism--especially the idea that the mere fact that certain people are in positions of authority means that God put them there, and Christians are automatically required to obey them. Miss Cavell refused to obey the German military authorities in Belgium; this was a "government" of an illegally occupying army and not a legitimate government, and she owed them no obedience. For the Germans to charge and convict her of treason was absurd, since she was a British subject who owed no loyalty whatever to Germany, and especially to a military "government" that had no right to be there.

Edith Cavell's name is still known today, in no small part because of a prominent mountain named in her honour in Jasper National Park. This blogger spent several summers in a cabin at Lake Edith many years ago, and used to look at that mountain every day, or at least on those rare days when it wasn't covered by clouds.

The God whom Edith Cavell worshipped has lost none of His power, nor has His word, which should be an encouragement to us. It was the strength provided by almighty God that enabled Edith Cavell to act as she did and to graciously accept the consequences. The compromising spirit of 21st century evangelicalism doesn't produce Christian heroism like that.

75 years ago: The Mahatma offers his advice to the United Kingdom on peace

On July 2, 1940, Indian independence activist Mohandas Gandhi appealed to all Britons to cease hostilities with Germany and settle their differences using non-violent methods. Apparently the "Great Soul" hadn't been paying attention in September 1938 when the British government, represented by Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain, had used non-violent negotiation to achieve "peace for our time" with German Fuehrer Adolf Hitler at the summit in Munich. Less than a year later, that peace was shattered when Mr. Hitler sent his forces into Poland.

By July 1940 the humiliated Mr. Chamberlain had been replaced as British Prime Minister by Winston Churchill, who had a low opinion of both Mr. Hitler and Mr. Gandhi. Eight days after the Mahatma offered his unsolicited advice to the United Kingdom, German planes began a systematic assault on ports in southern England and on British shipping in the English Channel. The bombing campaign inensified through the end of July and after, producing what became known as the Battle of Britain. Fortunately, Mr. Churchill ignored Mr. Gandhi's idiotic and suicidal advice, and instead used Royal Air Force planes to resist the German attacks. On August 20, Mr. Churchill told the House of Commons, "Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few."

When Mr. Hitler began increasing the persecution of Jews, the Mahatma advised Jews to use non-violent methods in dealing with the situation--and we know how well that turned out. The main lesson that Jews learned from the Holocaust is that when someone is threatening to destroy the Jews, it's prudent to take the threat seriously.

75 years ago: Germany proposes Madagascar as a Jewish homeland

Turn you, and take your journey, and go to the mount of the Amorites, and unto all the places nigh thereunto, in the plain, in the hills, and in the vale, and in the south, and by the sea side, to the land of the Canaanites, and unto Lebanon, unto the great river, the river Euphrates.
Behold, I have set the land before you: go in and possess the land which the Lord sware unto your fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give unto them and to their seed after them. Deuteronomy 1:7-8

Every place whereon the soles of your feet shall tread shall be yours: from the wilderness and Lebanon, from the river, the river Euphrates, even unto the uttermost sea shall your coast be. Deuteronomy 11:24

Every place that the sole of your foot shall tread upon, that have I given unto you, as I said unto Moses.
From the wilderness and this Lebanon even unto the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, and unto the great sea toward the going down of the sun, shall be your coast. Joshua 1:3-4

And he shall set up an ensign for the nations, and shall assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather together the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth. Isaiah 11:12

For, lo, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will bring again the captivity of my people Israel and Judah, saith the Lord: and I will cause them to return to the land that I gave to their fathers, and they shall possess it...
... Therefore fear thou not, O my servant Jacob, saith the Lord; neither be dismayed, O Israel: for, lo, I will save thee from afar, and thy seed from the land of their captivity; and Jacob shall return, and shall be in rest, and be quiet, and none shall make him afraid.
For I am with thee, saith the Lord, to save thee: though I make a full end of all nations whither I have scattered thee, yet I will not make a full end of thee: but I will correct thee in measure, and will not leave thee altogether unpunished...
Thus saith the Lord; Behold, I will bring again the captivity of Jacob's tents, and have mercy on his dwellingplaces; and the city shall be builded upon her own heap, and the palace shall remain after the manner thereof. Jeremiah 30:3, 10-11, 18

For there shall be a day, that the watchmen upon the mount Ephraim shall cry, Arise ye, and let us go up to Zion unto the Lord our God.
For thus saith the Lord; Sing with gladness for Jacob, and shout among the chief of the nations: publish ye, praise ye, and say, O Lord, save thy people, the remnant of Israel.
Behold, I will bring them from the north country, and gather them from the coasts of the earth, and with them the blind and the lame, the woman with child and her that travaileth with child together: a great company shall return thither.
They shall come with weeping, and with supplications will I lead them: I will cause them to walk by the rivers of waters in a straight way, wherein they shall not stumble: for I am a father to Israel, and Ephraim is my firstborn.
Hear the word of the Lord, O ye nations, and declare it in the isles afar off, and say, He that scattered Israel will gather him, and keep him, as a shepherd doth his flock...
...If those ordinances depart from before me, saith the Lord, then the seed of Israel also shall cease from being a nation before me for ever.
Jeremiah 31:6-10, 36

On July 3, 1940, Franz Rademacher, head of the Jewish Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for the Nazi government of Fuehrer Adolf Hitler, proposed a plan to make Madagascar the "Jewish homeland." German military forces were days away from winning the Battle of France, and Mr. Rademacher's proposal called for Madagascar--then a French colony--to be handed over to Germany as part of the French surrender terms.

When German forces failed to defeat the Royal Air Force the Battle of Britain in the summer of 1940, and the invasion of the British isles was postponed, the British merchant marine was unavailable to Germany for the purposes of transporting Jews, resulting in the postponement of the Madagascar plan. The Nazis then favoured a plan to deport Jews to Siberia via Poland, but when the German invasion of the Soviet Union bogged down at the end of 1941, Mr. Hitler chose to begin exterminating Jews immediately rather than merely deporting them.

The Nazis weren't the first to establishing a Jewish homeland. In the spring of 1799, Napoleon Bonaparte laid siege to the city of Acre (now Akko in present-day Israel) that was being defended by Ottoman and British forces, but after breaching the wall, found that a second wall had been constructed, and withdrew his French forces to Egypt. Napoleon reportedly intended to continue to Jerusalem and rebuild Solomon's Temple, but as Hal Lindsey pointed out, this would have upset the entire prophetic timetable if he's been able to pull it off.

The Sixth Zionist Congress in Basel, Switzerland in 1903 voted in favour of sending an "investigatory commission" to examine Uganda as a temporary refuge for Russian Jews who were in danger.

Napoleon apparently had the idea to restore the Jews to the right place, but his timing was off. In the case of the proposals to settle Jews in Uganda and Madagascar, the lands in question weren't those prophesied in the Bible. God predicted that the Jews would be restored to their biblical homeland, and He arranged circumstances to make sure that this came to pass, and in accord with the entire prophetice timetable of Scripture.