In the summer of 1980, the Israeli Parliament declared the
city of Jerusalem to be the undivided, eternal capital of the State of Israel,
established as such by King David almost 3,000 years earlier.
To counter the howls of international disapproval, Christians
gathered in Jerusalem that autumn. They established the International Christian Embassy Jerusalem. They declared their love for Israel and celebrated the Feast of Tabernacles in Jerusalem for the first time in response to
Zechariah 14:16-19. Did this event in the fall of 1980 mark the beginning of a new fifty-year Jubilee cycle? Those of us with gray hair now look back at the early 1980’s in wonder.
Consider these new beginnings for freedom in the early 80’s: Solidarity, a Polish non-government trade union led by Lech Walesa, arose in the Lenin shipyard in August, 1980. It was a "camel’s nose under the tent" for the Soviet Union and would result in freedom for many people in Eastern Europe and around the world.
In her piece, “We want God”, Peggy Noonan connects the
events of 1980 to John Paul’s visit to Poland a year earlier. She goes on to cite the
roles of Margret Thatcher and Ronald Reagan in one of the greatest freedom
movements the world has seen.
http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB122479408458463941
http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB122479408458463941
However, the East was not the only place experiencing new beginnings at this moment in time. In the West also, freedom was growing and becoming more
valued. Old regulations on trucking, airlines, and other forms of transportation
were modified; regulations were lifted on petroleum as well. Travel increased
at considerably lower costs. As this new
mindset of freedom spread, taxes all over Europe and America were reduced.
Additionally, the computer and the cell phone began
their rise in the West. At the 1981 Comdex Show in Las Vegas, IBM presented its PC loaded with MS-DOS, complete with a 477 MHZ 8089 processor and a 5.25” 160k floppy
drive. The clones of the IBM PC, the cell phone, and the
internet followed shortly, changing forever our means of efficiency and
communication. Some would argue these things have not made us freer, but no one
seems willing to return the technologies of the 1970’s.
Nevertheless, I believe the most significant change of this era occurred in July, 1980 when the Nation of Israel declared Jerusalem as their
undivided, eternal capital, established as such by King David 3000 years
earlier. The nations of the world protested. Thirteen national
embassies in Jerusalem closed. Resolutions condemning Israel for this
action where passed at the United Nations in New York.
Then a remarkable thing happened. In the fall of 1980, a group of Christians-- from nations all over the world--came to Jerusalem. Waving their national flags and carrying signs declaring, “Israel, we love you”, they marched through the streets in a first-ever Christian celebration of the Feast of Tabernacles in Jerusalem. This parade continues annually
to this day.
Go here for pictures of the 2013 event: http://feast.icej.org/media/photo-set/feast-of-tabernacles/2013
At the same time--in the fall of 1980--these Christians established the International Christian Embassy Jerusalem to let the state of
Israel know they had friends in the world.
Link here for the history of ICEJ http://int.icej.org/history
Learn this riddle: The people whom Jeroboam tried to
keep from returning to Jerusalem 2,700 years ago for the Feast of Tabernacles are
now back; they are in Jerusalem annually, celebrating freedom at the Feast of
Tabernacles, declaring a love for Israel and a Son of David as their king.
(1 Kings 12)
The world changed in the seventh month of 5741
(September, 1980). It will never be the same again. The die is cast and each
cycle of seven years brings us closer to the culminating event. With one eye on 1980
and another on what I expect is the upcoming Jubilee of 2029-2030, watch and
be a part as your world changes to reflect the visions of the Hebrew prophets.
