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Honoring the Zionist Vision...
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Herzl Day (i.e., Yom Herztl: יום הרצל) was established by the Israeli Knesset to commemorate the achievements and Zionist vision of Theodor Herzl (1860-1904), considered by many to be the father of the modern State of Israel. Herzl Day is observed on Theodor Herzl's birthday (Iyyar 10th) unless that day happens to fall on a Sabbath, in which case it will be postponed until the following day.
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"If you will it, it is no dream; and if you dont will it, a dream it is and a dream it will stay..."
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I believe that a wondrous generation of Jews will spring into existence. The Maccabeans will rise again. Let me repeat once more my opening words: The Jews who wish for a State will have it. We shall live at last as free men on our own soil, and die peacefully in our own homes. The world will be freed by our liberty, enriched by our wealth, magnified by our greatness. And whatever we attempt there to accomplish for our own welfare, will react powerfully and beneficially for the good of humanity. - The Jewish State
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In Israel Herzl Day is commemorated by a state memorial service held on Mount Herzl in Jerusalem, the site of Israel's national cemetery. As the father of modern Zionism, Herzl's tomb is located at the top of the hill. His memorial faces the Mount of Olives from a distance. In addition to the burial site of Theodor Herzl, many great leaders of the Modern State of Israel are buried there as well. For this reason Mount Herzl is the venue for many commemorative events and national celebrations.
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The Prophetic Significance of Modern Israel
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The return of Israel to her ancient homeland is filled with significance for those who believe the Scriptures. The Torah clearly predicted both the exile of the Jewish people from the land (Deut 28:64-66) and their eventual regathering (Deut 30:4-5). When the Second Temple was destroyed in AD 70, the Jews were scattered across the earth, wandering throughout the nations and subject to horrific persecutions, culminating in the Shoah of the European Holocaust. Despite repeated attempts to eradicate them, however, the Jews survived, and recent history has witnessed the fulfillment of prophecy and the miracle of the regathering:
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But you, O mountains of Israel, shall shoot forth your branches and yield your fruit to my people Israel, for they will soon come home. For behold, I am for you, and I will turn to you, and you shall be tilled and sown. And I will multiply people on you, the whole house of Israel, all of it. The cities shall be inhabited and the waste places rebuilt. And I will multiply on you man and beast, and they shall multiply and be fruitful. And I will cause you to be inhabited as in your former times, and will do more good to you than ever before. Then you will know that I am the LORD. I will let people walk on you, even my people Israel. And they shall possess you, and you shall be their inheritance, and you shall no longer bereave them of children (Ezek. 36:8-12).
For the LORD will have compassion on Jacob and will again choose Israel, and will set them in their own land, and sojourners will join them and attach themselves to the house of Jacob. And the nations will take them and bring them to their place (Isa. 14:1-2)
Therefore, behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when it shall no longer be said, 'As the LORD lives who brought up the people of Israel out of the land of Egypt,' but 'As the LORD lives who brought up the people of Israel out of the north country and out of all the countries where he had driven them.' For I will bring them back to their own land that I gave to their fathers. (Jer. 16:14-15)
Though I scattered them among the nations, yet in far countries they shall remember me, and with their children they shall live and return. I will bring them home from the land of Egypt, and gather them from Assyria, and I will bring them to the land of Gilead and to Lebanon, till there is no room for them (Zech. 10:9-10).
I will restore the fortunes of my people Israel, and they shall rebuild the ruined cities and inhabit them; they shall plant vineyards ... and they shall make gardens and eat their fruit. I will plant them on their land, and they shall never again be uprooted out of the land that I have given them," says the LORD your God. (Amos 9:14-15)
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Can these Bones Live?
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Note that the word Atzma'i (עַצְמָאִי) means "independent" in Hebrew. The word atzmaut (עַצְמָאוּת) means the state of indepedence, which comes from atzmi - "my bones" (עֶצֶם). Hence the "Day of Independence" is called Yom Ha'atzmaut in Hebrew. The name reminds us of God's promise to revive the "dry bones" (עֲצָמוֹת) of Israel by bringing the Jewish people back from their long exile:
הִנָּבֵא עַל־הָעֲצָמוֹת הָאֵלֶּה וְאָמַרְתָּ אֲלֵיהֶם
הָעֲצָמוֹת הַיְבֵשׁוֹת שִׁמְעוּ דְּבַר־יְהוָה
כּה אָמַר אֲדנָי יהוה לָעֲצָמוֹת הָאֵלֶּה
הִנֵּה אֲנִי מֵבִיא בָכֶם רוּחַ וִחְיִיתֶם
hin·na·vei · al · ha·a·tza·mot · ha·el·leh · ve·a·mar·ta · a·ley·hem:
ha·a·tza·mot · ha·ye·ve·shot · shim·u · de·var · Adonai;
ko · a·mar · Adonai · E·lo·him · la·a·tza·mot · ha·el·leh
hin·neh · a·ni · me·vi · va·khem · ru·ach · vich·yi·tem
"Prophesy over these bones, and say to them,
O dry bones, hear the word of the LORD.
Thus says the Lord GOD to these bones:
Behold, I will cause breath to enter you, and you shall live"
(Ezek. 37:4-5)
"So I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived and stood on their feet, an exceedingly great army. Then he said to me, "Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel (כָּל־בֵּית יִשְׂרָאֵל). Behold, they say, 'Our bones are dried up, and our hope is lost; we are indeed cut off.' Therefore prophesy, and say to them, Thus says the Lord GOD: Behold, I will open your graves and raise you from your graves, O my people. And I will bring you into the land of Israel (אַדְמַת יִשְׂרָאֵל). And you shall know that I am the LORD, when I open your graves, and raise you from your graves, O my people. And I will put my Spirit within you, and you shall live (וְנָתַתִּי רוּחִי בָכֶם וִחְיִיתֶם), and I will place you in your own land. Then you shall know that I am the LORD; I have spoken, and I will do it, declares the LORD" (Ezek. 37:10-17).
עַם יִשְׂרָאֵל חַי / am Yisrael chai: "The people of Israel live!" The nation of Israel is God's "super sign" that He is faithful to His covenant promises (Jer. 31:35-37). Celebrating Israel's independence acknowledges God's loyal love for us all...
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Hebrew Lesson
Ezekiel 37:3a Hebrew reading (click):
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Herzl's Debt to Christian Zionism...
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Theodor Herzl is generally considered the founder of the Modern Zionist movement, though it may come as a surprise to learn that the movement has Christian roots.... First the idea of "Christian Zionism" goes back at least to the theological reflections and teaching of John Nelson Darby (1800–1882) who advocated "dispensational" theology which affirmed that the state of Israel would one day be revived and the Jewish people regathered to their ancient homeland. Later, Darby influenced a number of other Christian thinkers, including the Reverend William Hechler (1845-1931) who took up the political cause of Zionism many years before Theodor Herzl began his work in this area, and who regarded the return of Jewish people to their homeland as a biblical imperative. (Of course the return of the Jewish people from their worldwide exile was taught by Yeshua himself in the Gospel of Matthew (24-25) where their perpetuity was assumed and their presence established at the time of the parousia, or the "second coming" of the Messiah.) "Hechler took part in the early Zionist Congresses - and even received special words of gratitude from Herzl for his work. Herzl noted that Hechler and his biblical inspiration had a great impact on his efforts, giving him a sense that he was a modern-day Moses leading his people back to the Promised Land" (Dr. Jürgen Bühler, "Christian Zionism").
For more information see:
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The Tragic Error of Replacement Theology
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Certain theologians in the Christian church have claimed that Israel (the Jewish people and the land) has been replaced by the Christian Church in the purposes of God, or that the Church is the historic continuation of Israel to the exclusion of the former. In this view, the Jewish people are no longer the "chosen people" of God, and all the promises and covenants ascribed to Israel now belong to the Church. This faulty teaching is known as "Replacement Theology" (sometimes called "supercessionism," the view that Israel has been "superseded" in God's eyes by the Church).
As believers in the Mashiach Yeshua, we must remember that we are graciously grafted into the Olive Tree of Israel and made partakers of the covenants given to Israel. God's purposes and plans for national Israel will never be thwarted! In fact, the only reference to the New Testament (brit chadashah) in the entire Tanakh is found in Jeremiah 31:31-37 where it is explicitly stated that the Jewish people will continue to exist as a nation as long as there is a sun and moon seen in the sky! This is further confirmed by Paul's teaching about national Israel found in Romans 9-11.
Replacement theology is a dangerous doctrine that can result in anti-Semitism and false eschatological views. Just as we believe that God will keep His promises to the Church, so we believe He will keep His promises to national Israel - including the future restoration of Israel as the "head of the nations" during the kingdom of God on earth.
When the LORD Jesus comes back to earth, He is heading straight to national Israel, and to Jerusalem in particular. There He will be finally received as Israel's King and Savior and will rule during the millennial kingdom. The Fourth Temple (Ezekiel 40-48) will be built and the nations will come to Jerusalem to pay homage to the LORD God of Israel. All the nations will celebrate the feast of Sukkot, and those that refuse will be plagued with drought (Isaiah 4:2-6; Zechariah 14:17-18).
The Church is the "mystery of God," a called-out group of both Jews and Gentiles that are made part of the overarching plan of God to redeem the world. The Church does not exist outside of Israel (separation theology); nor does it exist instead of Israel (replacement theology); nor does the Church succeed Israel (supercessionism). Instead, the Church is made part of the remnant of Israel ("in-placement" theology).
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Related Topics:
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