The Vital Perspective on the Jerusalem Embassy Move

The United States officially moved its embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem today, on the 70th anniversary of Israel’s independence. Presidents Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Barack Obama each promised to make this move, but President Donald Trump is the one who followed through. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praised it as a “bold decision” and stated, “Thank you, President Trump, for having the courage to keep your promises.”

I talked about this on today’s Trumpet Daily Radio Show, which you can listen to here:

As my father talked about in his most recent Key of David program, America is experiencing a brief resurgence right now. You could make the argument that this resurgence is spreading to Israel as well. At the very least, America’s relationship with Israel is improving after eight years of animosity from the previous U.S. administration.

Today, President Trump finally put into action the promises that U.S. presidents have been making for the past 23 years. Back in 1995, Congress passed the Jerusalem Embassy Act. It passed the House of Representatives with a vote of 374 to 37, and it passed the Senate with a vote of 93 to 5. The act allowed the president to suspend its implementation for a six-month period. So, every six months since 1995, the sitting president has kicked the can down the road for someone else to deal with it. None of them had the courage to do it! They were afraid of the backlash they would face if they publicly recognized Israel’s true capital.

During his presidential campaign in 1992, Bill Clinton said, “Jerusalem is still the capital of Israel and must remain an undivided city accessible to all.” George W. Bush made an even stronger campaign promise: “As soon as I take office, I will begin the process of moving the United States ambassador to the city Israel has chosen as its capital.”

Candidate Barack Obama said in 2008, “I continue to say that Jerusalem will be the capital of Israel. And I have said that before, and I will say it again.” He said in another speech, “Jerusalem will remain the capital of Israel, and it must remain undivided.”

And then President Trump in 2017: “We will move the American Embassy to the eternal capital of the Jewish people, Jerusalem.”

On May 14, 2018, the United States officially relocated its ambassador to a consular building in Jerusalem. Planning for construction of a new embassy building in Jerusalem has already begun.

The “move the embassy to Jerusalem” promise was becoming a campaign promise cliché. Now it’s reality.

The Trump administration is developing a reputation for following through.

Compare the Trump administration’s Israel policy with the Obama administration’s treatment of Israel: You will clearly see a stunning change in direction. Caroline Glick called President Trump “the most pro-Israel president in U.S. history. No other president comes close.”

Times of Israel wrote that, because of the combination of the embassy move and Israeli Independence day, “May 14, 2018, will likely go down in history as one of the most festive days that Israel has ever known. At long last, the United States, the world’s greatest superpower, will move its embassy to Jerusalem. …

“But an ‘alternative party’ is already in the works: enormous Palestinian protest events, with the largest of them planned for the Gaza Strip.”

Tomorrow the Palestinians recognize their annual Nakba Day (“Catastrophe Day”), which refers to May 15, 1948, the day after Israel proclaimed its nationhood—and the day Arabs from Egypt, Jordan, Syria and Iraq attacked.

Times of Israel wrote:

Nakba Day has long been a hate festival, including explicit calls for the destruction of the State of Israel and the return of all the refugees to Haifa, Jaffa and so on.

Still, this year it is a particularly explosive combination: the 70th anniversary of the “catastrophe” alongside the celebrations that Israel and the U.S. are planning regarding Jerusalem and moving the embassy. Thus, on the Palestinian side there could be a surplus of motivation among the public to go out and take part in these events, including marches toward the border fence in Gaza.

From March 30 to May 14, thousands of Palestinians have been participating in a six-week “March of Return” organized the Hamas terrorist group, a move intended to stir up anti-Israel fervor ahead of the anniversary and embassy move.

U.S. and other Western countries have put the spotlight on the Palestinians wounded and killed by Israel Defense Force troops, and less attention on the fact that Palestinians, including known terrorists, were trying to break across the border, set fields on fire, and who knows what else.

Yet the Trump administration forged ahead—following through on its promise. The U.S. sent a large delegation to Israel for the opening of the embassy, including President Trump’s daughter Ivanka and her husband, Jared Kushner, a trusted adviser. Netanyahu welcomed them yesterday with a 10-minute address, in which he said:

Dear friends from Israel, from the United States, from around the world, this is a momentous time. President Trump is making history. We are deeply grateful, and our people will be eternally grateful for his bold decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capitol and to move the embassy there tomorrow. …

President Trump’s decision to move the embassy to Jerusalem affirms a great and simple truth: Jerusalem has been the capital of the Jewish people for the past 3,000 years. It’s been the capital of our state for the last 70 years. It will remain our capital for all time. Thank you, President Trump, for your bold decision. Thank you for making the alliance between Israel and the United States stronger than ever.

Netanyahu is right: The alliance between Israel and the United States is stronger now than it has ever been. However, this is only a temporary resurgence.

My father has written recently that Bible prophecy shows this improved relationship will be short-lived. Prophecy states that Israel will end up turning to Germany for help, which indicates that it will feel like it cannot rely on America to protect it from its enemies.

President Trump following through and moving the embassy is admirable. But this decision isn’t going to bring peace. That much is sure. We must keep our minds on the bigger picture. Do these events really have the substance and the gravity it takes to last? Are these developments strong enough to resist the opposition? That is the real question.

And the answer is no. This resurgence does not have staying power. It will be short-lived!

My father wrote in “Saving America From the Radical Left—Temporarily”:

But God granted mercy when Israel really didn’t deserve it. Rather than sending Israel into captivity at that time, God used [King Jeroboam ii] to save Israel and give them one more age of prosperity before Assyrian conquest.

One more age of prosperity, a resurgence of power—but it won’t last long. Other prophecies in your Bible make that clear! This resurgence will not have staying power because it is not based on a resurgence of belief or faith or repentance or righteousness on the part of the American people or the Jewish people. It’s not because of this end-time Jeroboam. It’s because of God’s mercy. God is giving modern-day Israel one final opportunity to repent.

My father emphasized in his May 11 Key of David program that we must ensure that this resurgence does not deceive us into complacency.

He wrote in the above-mentioned article, “Look at what happened anciently, and you recognize that the short-term gain in the nation was followed by extremely strong correction!” That correction was invasion, enslavement and destruction as a country. Keep that perspective in mind when we watch these positive-but-temporary developments.

He continued: “God will make America great again! But the Bible shows that He will do so only after hard correction.”

If you would like to know more about this subject, please watch my father’s latest Key of David program, “God Saves Israel—Temporarily.” ▪