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Thus saith the Lord GOD; In the day that I shall have cleansed you from all your iniquities I will
also cause
you to dwell in the cities, and the wastes shall be builded. And the desolate land shall
be tilled, whereas it
lay desolate in the sight of all that passed by. And they shall say, This
land that was desolate is become
like the garden of Eden; and the waste and desolate and ruined
cities are become fenced, and are inhabited.
Then the heathen that are left round about you shall
know that I the LORD build the ruined places, and plant
that that was desolate: I the LORD have
spoken it, and I will do it.
Ezekiel 36:33 - 36 KJV |
In King Solomon's time Jerusalem was Israel's crowning glory. By the 1965, Jerusalem had deteriorated to the point where the late King Hussein of Jordan, who ruled Jerusalem at the time, called it a "sewer". For centuries there were Biblical areas that were only of interest to archaeologists and pilgrims. Those same areas are currently being rebuilt as Jewish communities. A country that at one time lay fallow for almost two millennia, is now so fertile that it's fruits are exported worldwide. The desert that was Israel, is now blooming again. Jerusalem, the capitol of Israel, is once again considered one of the most beautiful cities in the world. The historical record has confirmed that none of the people who occupied the Land of Israel and Jerusalem would stay there permanently. They were not the heirs God chose to possess the Land. They were merely passing by.
Today, before our very eyes, the words of the Lord God, as spoken by the prophet Ezekiel, are ringing true. Here is a brief history of Jerusalem:
2760 - 1004 BC - oooo
King David conquers Jerusalem and makes it the eternal capital of the Jewish people, by God's command.2789 - 971 BC - oooo
King Solomon builds the First Temple in Jerusalem.2830 - 930 BC - oooo
The division of Israel into two tribal kingdoms: Judah with Jerusalem as its capital, and Israel with Shechem (Nablus) as its capital.3055 - 705 BC - oooo
Assyrian King Sennacherib besieges Jerusalem without conquering it. (II Kings 19:32)3173 - 587 BC - oooo
Nebuchadnezzar destroys the Temple and takes the Jews captive to Babylon, where they remain for 70 years.3221 - 538 BC - oooo
The Jews return from Babylon to Jerusalem by decree of Cyrus.3224 - 515 BC - oooo
The Temple in Jerusalem is rebuilt under Zerubbabel.3316 - 445 BC - oooo
Nehemiah rebuilds the walls of Jerusalem.3429 - 332 BC - oooo
Judea and Jerusalem come under the rule of Alexander the Great.3593 - 167 BC - oooo
The Temple of Jerusalem is defiled by Syrian-Greek tyrant Antiochus Epiphanes.3593 - 164 BC - oooo
Judah Maccabee retakes Jerusalem and cleanses the Temple.3697 - 63 BC - oooo
Pompei annexes Israel to Rome.3723 - 37 BC - oooo
Herod the Great becomes king and embellishes the Temple of Jerusalem.3753 - 0 - oooo
The beginning of the Christian calendar.3793 - 33 - oooo
Jesus Christ is crucified.3830 - 70 - oooo
The Roman Titus burns Jerusalem and destroys the Temple.3895 - 135 - oooo
The Jewish Bar Kochba rebellion fails and Jews are scattered among all nations; Emperor Hadrian renames Jerusalem Aelia Capitolina, and Judea - Israel to Syria - Palestina.4083 - 324 - oooo
Judea becomes part of the Christian Byzantine Empire.4373 - 614 - oooo
The Persians under Cosroe II take Jerusalem from the Byzantines.4381 - 622 - 0
The beginning of the Moslem calendar.4397 - 638 - 17
Omar conquers Jerusalem and renames it Al Kuds (the holy city).4446 - 687 - 68
Abd al Malik builds the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem; his son later builds the Al Aksa Mosque.4756 - 996 - 412
Khalif Al Hakim destroys the churches and synagogues in Jerusalem.4859 - 1099 - 492
The first of seven crusades as Christians attempt to regain control of the Holy Land and Jerusalem.5277 - 1517 - 923
Jerusalem falls under the rule of the Ottoman Turks.5678 - 1917 - 1336
The British gain control of 'Palestine' as a trustee.5708 - 1948 - 1367
David Ben Gurion declares independence for The State of Israel.5710 - 1949 - 1369
Jerusalem is proclaimed the official capital of Israel.5727 - 1967 - 1387
Jerusalem, divided since the War of Independence, is reunited.5760 - 2000 - 1420
The outbreak of the 'Al Aksa Intifada' as the Moslems declare holy war for Jerusalem.
red = Jewish calendar
purple = Christian Calendar
green = Moslem calendar
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