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Manila Bulletin devider devider The amazing history of Jerusalem

The amazing history of Jerusalem

Published Jan 6, 2018 10:00 pm
Nelly Favis Villafuerte Nelly Favis Villafuerte

By Nelly Favis Villafuerte

(Part V)

The announcement of US President Donald Trump last December 6, 2017, that the US reaffirms and formally declares that Jerusalem is the capital of Israel triggered a United Nations (UN) General Assembly resolution – a collective reaction of nations to the announcement of President Trump.

The 193-member General Assembly overwhelmingly voted for a resolution to reject the US recent announcement that Jerusalem is Israel’s capital (128 countries in favor of the UN Resolution; 9 countries against the resolution; 35 countries, including the Philippines, abstained; while 21 countries did not cast a vote). The UN Resolution won despite the threat of the US President to cut off financial assistance to countries that would vote in favor of the resolution.

At the UN Security Council, the resolution was vetoed by US although all the 14 other members voted for it.

***

Although many countries (including US allies like France, Germany, Great Britain) did not agree with the recent Trump decision on Jerusalem as the capital of Israel – the UN resolution which was a rejection of the US decision is not binding. Also, this is not the first time that Israel has been condemned by the United Nations.

From the book titled “Israel in Bible Prophecy” by Dr. D. R. Reagan, we get the following information:

  • “Between 2006 and 2015, Israel was condemned by the UN 61 times, Syria 15 times, North Korea 8 times, and Iran 5 times.
  • “Of the 193 UN members, only 11 nations were condemned.
  • “Of the 116 resolutions of condemnation, 53% were aimed at Israel.
  • “Not one of the following countries received a single UN condemnation, namely Cuba, China, Pakistan, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Somalia, and Venezuela.
  • “Not one of the following terrorist organizations has been condemned – ISIS, Al Qaeda, Boko Haram, Fatah, Hamas, Hezbollah, and Islamic Jihad. Yet, Israel was condemned 61 times.”

***

To this day, many people are still puzzled and in wonderment why there is so much attention and remarkable focus on both Israel, a little country in the Middle East (It is only about the size of New Jersey in the US 263 miles long and 71 miles wide) and its capital Jerusalem. Chris Mitchell, a writer, describes Jerusalem as being the world’s center stage. “Politically, diplomatically, evangelically, and even militarily, Jerusalem lies at the epicenter of world attention.”

***

Did you know that Bible researchers have found 660 verses in the Old Testament and 142 verses in the New Testament about the city of Jerusalem? Of these verses, 465 in the Old Testament and 24 in the New Testament refer to prophecies about Jerusalem subsequent to the time of their utterances. In addition, there are thousands of passages that have Jerusalem as their context that unfold the events that have taken place or will take place there in the future. In short, Jerusalem occupies a strategic position with respect to Biblical prophecies. As Bible-believing Christians would say: “Jerusalem is a sacred city special to God; it is an indispensable part of God’s prophetic program and its destiny is linked with that of greater Israel.”

Jerusalem’s place in the Holy Bible is better explained this way: Under one name or another, Jerusalem appears in about two-thirds of the books of the Old Testament and almost one-half of the books of the New Testament. This being the case, if we take Jerusalem out of the Holy Bible, obviously a major part of the Holy Bible is missing.

***

For the past four years or so, I have been writing more and more articles under this column about the “end times” – especially about the prophecies relating to Israel and Jerusalem. We see the prophecies in the Bible unfolding and the Bible coming alive. Hopefully, we get inspired and stimulated to read the Holy Bible more often and encouraged to know more about our Almighty God who created us and come to the realization that reaffirming our unwaivering faith in God – and our belief and acceptance that His Son Jesus Christ – is our only way to salvation.

Let’s make it a part of our daily life to utter these words every day. By so doing, we don’t have to fear that we may die without having the time and the consciousness to seek for forgiveness of our sins – as in case of sudden death.

“Thank you Lord for all the blessings you have been showering upon my family and myself. I would like to confess my sins. I am a sinner and I cannot save myself. But I believe with all my heart that your son Jesus Christ died, was buried, and rose again on the third day according to the Scriptures to pay the full price of my sins. Cleanse me Lord. I surrender my life to you right now. I accept Jesus Christ your Son as my Lord and Savior. Teach me to trust you each day and to know more your Holy Word, the Bible. Thank you that I am now a child of God.”

***

This column continues to give out copies of the Holy Bible for free to those who cannot afford to buy their own copies. If interested, please send your letter-request to Ms. Nelly Favis Villafuerte, 5233 LRV Building, Fahrenheit St., Palanan, Makati City. Kindly mention if it is the Tagalog, English, Cebuano, or Ilocano Bible that is preferred.

Be joyful and forgiving! (Comments may be sent to Ms. Villafuerte’s email: [email protected].)

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