1) Why was 1948 not so signifiant as 1922?
We were puzzled exceedingly in our study of times appointed that 1948 did not appear important. Instead, the era from 1912-1922 was shown to be important. This so surprised us we went looking for what was so important in 1922 that Daniel was told about it.
Because so much of the media is saying that Jewish settlement in Judea and Samaria is illegal, sincere Jews have been forced to revisit their history. We can now see more objectively that what happened internationally and legally in 1920 (which came into effect in 1922) was more important than what happened in 1948.
This is from a recent article by Mark Kaplan, director of the Office for Israeli Constitutional Law (OFICL).
The total population had dropped from around 2-million mostly Jewish inhabitants at the time of the Roman conquest to around 270-thousand by the period of the rise of Islam. That number was pretty constant until the 1800s. During all of this history there was a Jewish presence in the Land of Israel. Conditions started to improve in the 19th century and Zionist (and pre-Zionist) Jews began returning to the land in groups to build the land and an economy. Arabs came to work for the Jews who were paying a living wage—something that did not exist previously. Also, better healthcare also contributed to the increase in population.
After World War I, the victorious Principal Allied Powers, who defeated the Ottoman-Turkish Empire, were now the owners of the Middle East. The Ottoman-Turkish Empire had been the Sovereign rulers of the Middle East, including the territory of Palestine, for almost 500 years.
The victorious allies made a bold decision not to keep the territories they captured for their own benefit, but rather set up independent countries, ruled by their native/indigenous populations. In 1919 at the Paris Peace Conference, it was agreed that Palestine would be created as a reconstitution of the Jewish commonwealth. Support for this agreement was signed by Emir Feisal I who represented the Arabs at the Peace conference. An Arab country in Palestine was not considered, because the territory was not considered Arab.
It was also understood that if all these lands were turned over to their indigenous populations, there would be chaos and civil war. As a result, a 'big brother' system for setting up countries was adopted. This was called the Mandates system. The Mandates system was incorporated as International law as Article 22 of the Covenant of the League of Nations (later reaffirmed as law under Article 80 of the U.N. Charter).
In April 1920 at the San Remo Peace Conference, three Middle East Mandates were adopted that created four countries: The Mandate for Syria, which created Syria and Lebanon as two separate countries, The Mandate for Mesopotamia which created Iraq, and the Mandate for Palestine, which created a Jewish country that would eventually change its name to the State of Israel.
These four countries were all created under international law as Mandated countries on April 24, 1920, even though the boundaries that had been discussed in detail not been officially mapped.
The boundaries were officially mapped in accordance with the San Remo Resolution and the three Mandates in December 1920 as the Franco-British Boundary Convention. According to those borders, all Judea and Samaria, all Jerusalem, all the Gaza Strip, and well yes, all of what would later be called Trans-Jordan were part of the Jewish State. Each of the Mandates contained an Article prohibiting the ceding/partitioning of territory (see Article 5 of the Mandate for Palestine).
Therefore, under international law, these territories belong to the Jewish State. “The right to these territories is based on the recognition of the to the historical connection of the Jewish people with Palestine and to the grounds for reconstituting their national home in that country.” In other words, the legal rights of the Jewish People to all Palestine was not a modern invention but based on the historical national rights of the Jewish People.
In November 1947, the U.N. General Assembly passed a resolution recommending the partition of Palestine into two separate states. This partition plan violated the Mandate for Palestine as well as Article 80 of the U.N. charter. The International Court of Justice at The Hague ruled in the case regarding South Africa’s attempt to annex Namibia that the Mandates are law, may not be violated, and the U.N. General Assembly may only make changes to Mandates as authorized in the Mandate documents (the General Assembly was given the authority to act in the capacity of the League of Nations Permanent Mandates Commission).
Furthermore, since the partition plan was a General Assembly resolution, it is not international law. The General Assembly does not make laws, create countries, or alter the Mandates. Only the Security Council can make legally binding resolutions.
When the British abandoned the Mandate for Palestine, the newly independent Jewish State was attacked by its Arab neighbors. When the dust settled, Trans Jordan had occupied half of Jerusalem as well as Judea and Samaria, and Egypt occupied the Gaza Strip.
An armistice agreement with Trans-Jordan was signed in 1949. According to this agreement (article 2), the armistice agreement did not affect any legal claims of the parties, therefore the cease fire lines were not considered a border. It specifically is stated that the agreement was strictly out of military consideration. That armistice line is what is referred to as the Green line or the pre-1967 borders.
Once again, the only legal boundaries that determine the borders of Israel are those of the 1920 Franco-British Boundary Convention. [our emphasis] israelnationalnews.com
Mark Kaplan added that,
The British Foreign Secretary during the period of the 1967 war, George Brown, said in January 1970, "I formulated the Security Council resolution. Before we submitted it to the Council we showed it to the Arab leaders. The proposal said Israel will withdraw from territories that were occupied and not from “the” territory, which means that Israel will not withdraw from all the territories."
British Ambassador to the UN Lord Caradon stated in 1974 (Beirut Daily Star, on June 12, 1974), "It would have been wrong to demand that Israel return to its positions of June 4, 1967 because those positions were undesirable and artificial. After all, they were just the places where the soldiers of each side happened to be on the day the fighting stopped in 1948. They were just armistice lines. That is why we did not demand that the Israelis return to them."
The Mandate for Palestine of April 1920 made at the San Remo Peace Conference, was formally confirmed by the Council of the League of Nations on 24 July 1922. See here for text of Mandate for Palestine (1922)
Therefore, looking back now over the whole era, the declaration of the state in 1948 was merely the declaration of what had been determined in 1920-22, and the area of Israel in 1948 was defined only by armistice lines. It took till 1967 for Israel to attain at least a reasonable slab of the territory given by law (and much the same area sought by the Zionists in 1919).
Map of boundaries of proposed Jewish state, as outlined
by the Zionist representatives at the 1919 Paris Peace Conference,
superimposed on modern boundaries from Briangotts at the English language Wikipedia.
It may be seen now that the rejection by Arabs of the UN Partition Plan of 1947, both in word and in deed, which annulled it, was of ultimate benefit to Israel, as the Arabs removed any argument against the validity of the earlier international law of 1920. As the wars of '48 and '67 were so close (a mere 19 years apart) and with similar protagonists, they may be seen as a continuation. Curiously the 1948 armistice line, is incorrectly called the 'pre-1967 border', which emphasises that 1967 was more important than 1948. In 1948 there was a long ceasefire until 1967.
What is 19 years in a lifetime, let alone in a thousands of Jewish history in the Holy Land?
Thou turn man to destruction; and say, 'Return, ye children of men.' For a thousand years in thy sight are but as yesterday when it is past, and as a watch in the night. (Psalm 90:3-4)
Daniel was shown a summary of the salient points of the nation's struggles as they ebbed and flowed over the holy Land until the 'time of the end', a time of increase in knowledge. Daniel after hearing of the beginning of the 'time of the end' asks “O my Lord, what shall be the end of these things?” Daniel had been told when the unsealing or the 'time of the end' would start, but he is asking for the end or the finish of the nations' crushing of the Holy Land.
Daniel is then given more information, about the time of the end of the nation's dominance of Israel. This would be sealed, but would be understood at 'the time of the end'.
And from the time the perpetual (or daily) is taken away, and the coming forth of the detestable destroyer, there shall be a thousand two hundred and ninety days.
Blessed is he that waits, and reaches up to the thousand three hundred and five and thirty days. But go thou thy way till the end be: for thou shall rest, and stand in thy lot at the end of the days. (Dan 12:11-13)
The most famous event in the history of Islam is when Muhammad conquered Mecca in 622, he destroyed the 360 idols around the Kaaba, the black stone. The black stone was supposed to go back to the beginning, to Adam. So firstly it was seen as perpetual having existed since the beginning, secondly the 360 idols represented a daily sacrifice made to each one in turn for each day of the year. And it was taken away. The work of destroying is continued by Abu Bakr who is the first Caliph or king. From Revelation we are told of a 'star' that releases a group that is locust like. These are the Saracens.
And they had a king over them, which is the angel of the bottomless pit, whose name in the Hebrew tongue is Abaddon, but in the Greek tongue hath his name Apollyon. (Rev 9:11)
Both names mean destroyer. We can date the first destroyer as Abu Bakr from 622-632 as his work begins in parallel with Muhammad. The duration of the destroyers' hold over the land is 1290 years. This takes us to 1912-1922.
At first one may wonder what was important about 1912 which is 1290 years from 622. In 1912, on October 8 the First Balkan War begins, when Montenegro declares war against Turkey. This war begins a process that leads to WW1 and the capture of the Holy Land by Britain by December 1917. Britain's role was endorsed in 1922 when the League of Nations at Conference of Lausanne entrusted them to administer the Mandate for Palestine. This gave international recognition to the Balfour declaration of 1917, and that it be administered by Britain. Britain's loss of international influence might be seen as a result of not keeping their word and responsibility.
It is clear from the passage that the 1335 days run parallel. The record says they are blessed that wait for the 1335 days. From the excitement of the Mandate and the implementation of the Balfour declaration in 1922 there was a time of patient waiting for the end of the rule by the nations of the land. All the 'wise' now had the expectation of the coming of Messiah being soon, as the events predicted in the Bible were being fulfilled. And by 1948 the state of Israel was proclaimed. The 1335 days which began in the era 622-632, ended 1957-1967. In 1957 James A. de Rothschild financed the construction of a permanent Knesset building in Jerusalem, construction beginning 1958. By 1967 the Jews controlled all Jerusalem (except the temple mount which they gave away control of) and much of the territory sought by the Jewish representatives in 1919.
What was Israel without Jerusalem? What was Israel without Judea and Samaria, and without Hebron, Beit El and Shechem? Israel was a body without their heart, sinews and flesh without breath.
And I will make them one nation in the land upon the mountains of Israel; and one king shall be king to them all: and they shall be no more two nations, neither shall they be divided into two kingdoms any more at all: (Ezekiel 37:22)
The importance of 1948 was that it allowed unrestricted Jewish immigration in preparation to continue the struggle for regaining the Holy Land.
The events of 1917 and the international law set in place from 1920 to 1920/22 was given because the God of Israel knew that Jews were law abiding, though perhaps not always the way of the Lord,
For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the LORD, to do justice and judgment; that the LORD may bring upon Abraham that which he has spoken of him. (Gen 18:19)
Daniel, who was 'greatly beloved' was told that there would be 1290 years of desolation of the Land. As Mark Kaplan writes the population of the Holy Land was small in number and poor. All who saw it wrote that the Holy Land was desolate in these years. In 1912 events began which changed the world. According to Mark Kaplan the decisive year was 1920. By 1922 those who had made desolate the land, were reduced, and Jews given a remarkable international legal recognition. In 1948 there was sorrow and loss as even access to Jerusalem was denied to Jews, but by 1967 there was a blessing,
Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; I have lifted up mine hand, Surely the heathen that are about you, they shall bear their shame. But ye, O mountains of Israel [Judea & Samaria], ye shall shoot forth your branches, and yield your fruit to my people of Israel; for they are at hand to come. For, behold, I am for you, and I will turn unto you, and ye shall be tilled and sown: And I will multiply men upon you, all the house of Israel, even all of it: and the cities shall be inhabited, and the wastes shall be builded: (Ezekiel 36:7-10)
The blessing of 1967 will not be reversed, and it cannot be as it was promised that,
I will bring again the captivity of my people of Israel, and they shall build the waste cities, and inhabit them; and they shall plant vineyards, and drink the wine thereof; they shall also make gardens, and eat the fruit of them. And I will plant them upon their land, and they shall no more be pulled up out of their land which I have given them, saith the LORD thy God. (Amos 9:14-15)
You may wish to affirm International law, and save Migron here
For more on Daniel seeTimes Appointed of the Nations
Cyrus the Great encouraged the Jews to rebuild their Temple and return to their homeland.
What the world leaders intend and what God directs may be different things. In this case of the US Administration's action in the UN Security Council the Bible, with an amazing track record, both predicted the situation and indicates the future, which won't be as they hoped. They are on the wrong side of the Maker of history.
Shimon Peres has been a man of sign in his life and now in his death and burial.
The crown placed on the head of Elizabeth 11 is thought to contain 4 pearls from Elizabeth 1. There seem some interesting parallels between the 2 Elizabethan ages.
Whoa! Has the Creator made a comment?
