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The following is the prime description in Wikipedia:
Zion (also transliterated Sion, Tzion or Tsion) is a place name often used as a synonym for Jerusalem.[1][2] The word is first found in Samuel II, 5:7 dating to c.630-540 BCE. It commonly referred to a specific mountain near Jerusalem (Mount Zion), on which stood a Jebusite fortress of the same name that was conquered by David and was named the City of David. The term Tzion came to designate the area of Jerusalem where the fortress stood, and later became a metonym for Solomon's Temple in Jerusalem, the city of Jerusalem and generally, the World to Come.
In Kabbalah the more esoteric reference is made to Tzion[3] being the spiritual point from which reality emerges, located in the Holy of Holies of the First, Second and Third Temple.
The most commonly known term is “Zionism”, which refers to 19th Century movement for the migration of Jews worldwide, back to the land of Palestine (Biblical Israel); see the following Wikipedia extract.
The term "Zionism" coined by Austrian Nathan Birnbaum, was derived from the German rendering of Tzion in his journal Selbstemanzipation (Self Emancipation) in 1890.[13]Zionism as a political movement started in 1897 and supported a 'national home', and later a state, for the Jewish people in Palestine. The Zionist movement declared the re-establishment of its State of Israel in 1948, following the United Nations Partition Plan for Palestine. Since then and with varying ideologies, Zionists have focused on developing and protecting this state.
While Zionism is based in part upon Torah mitzvot linking the Jewish people to the Biblical land of Israel, the modern movement is largely secular. Indeed, until 1967 the Tzion of the Tanakh (the Old City of Jerusalem) was not even within the boundaries of Israel (although Mount Zion itself, was).
The modern Jewish opinion of the site is shown in the following Wikipedia extract:
Today, Mount Zion refers to a hill south of the Old City’s Armenian Quarter, not to the Temple Mount. This apparent misidentification dates from the Middle Ages, when Christian pilgrims mistook the relatively large, flat summit (the highest point in Ancient Jerusalem which has since been identified by archaeologists as the Roman Fort of Antionia) for the original site of the Jewish Temple. The Dormition Church is located upon the hill currently called Mount Zion.
The Future?
What is evident to even the casual observer, and the regular news broadcasts, is that Jerusalem is an unusually special place! Its geographical location is such that it sits on the cross-roads of the old land trade routes from east to west, and north and south; and has been a disputed site for millennia in the ebb and flow of local powers, as they waxed and waned. Since the Roman occupation and the dispersion of the Jews from their Land, of which Jerusalem was their Capital, various peoples have had dominion there, all of them defined as Gentiles by Biblical definition.
Since 1917 and the taking of Jerusalem by General Allenby (ably assisted and manoeuvred by T.E. Lawrence, of Arabia fame) much turmoil and conflict has ensued between the various factions. Despite the WW1 victory releasing the whole area from the control of the Ottomans (some WW1 historians attribute much credit to Allenby and Lawrence, and go as far as to say that without the victory in Palestine, the Germans would not have conceded!)
The division of the land area between the Arab powers, including Israel, has been a vexed subject, and progress has been very painful and patchy. A clear winner was the Saudi family, whose oil wealth has been/is pivotal to so much Mid-East politics.
A clear starting point for seeing the Hand of The Almighty in recent events (relatively speaking), was the “Balfour Declaration” of 1917:
The Balfour Declaration (dated 2 November 1917) was a letter from the United Kingdom's Foreign Secretary Arthur James Balfour to Baron Rothschild (Walter Rothschild, 2nd Baron Rothschild), a leader of the British Jewish community, for transmission to the Zionist Federation of Great Britain and Ireland.
His Majesty's government view with favour the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people, and will use their best endeavours to facilitate the achievement of this object, it being clearly understood that nothing shall be done which may prejudice the civil and religious rights of existing non-Jewish communities in Palestine, or the rights and political status enjoyed by Jews in any other country.[1]
The text of the letter was published in the press one week later, on 9 November 1917.[2] The "Balfour Declaration" was later incorporated into the Sèvres peace treaty with the Ottoman Empire and the Mandate for Palestine. The original document is kept at the British Library.
Subsequent to that declaration, and because of the intervention of WW2, the Israel “Intent” was not progressed, and the horror of the Holocaust on the Jewish population of Europe exterminated at least 6 million Jewish people; including whole families!! All this under the auspices of Adolf Hitler’s “Final Solution”; a euphemism for the extermination of all Jews, see: Satan's Motivation:
This black phase of human history must never be allowed to be forgotten, as it is pivotal to the basic understanding of the problem of human prejudice (and sin), and the effects of too much control by a small group of people; and the effect of evil on such groups, (see above Satan’s Motivation)! The WW2 Holocaust has had a profound effect on the Jewish people, and has led to migration to Israel of Jews from all over the world, despite the reversal of Policy by the British Government under new leadership of post war Britain. By 1948, despite or perhaps in part because of the struggle with the local Arabs, and the Balfour Declaration; Israel was declared a Legal State by the then “League of Nations”, since renamed “United Nations”.
It should be stated here that most people do not understand the origin of such gross behaviour, or the force that has such power at present, and who is able to take control of a person who gives up their will and mind to him. (See; drug use and growth worldwide)!
To understand this current situation on Earth, one must accept the statements of the Apostle Paul, and Jesus Christ, who stated emphatically that “Satan is the prince of this world” and also read and understand the book of Job Chp.1 and 2! See: link, Satan’s Motivation above.
This leads us to what is really going on in the Universal theatre!
There is a titanic struggle in progress between Almighty God, Jehovah of the Jews, and Satan, His most magnificent creation (previously)! See: Satan's Origins; Eve and Adam, also Satan's Contest with God.
Throughout the history of the Jewish people from Abraham, Satan has been attempting to thwart the promise of God embodied in Gen. 3:15; which promise was fulfilled in Jesus the Christ (Messiah), which is yet to reach fulfilment when He (Christ Jesus) returns to Earth in the yet future!
Prior to that a person claiming to be the Jewish messiah will appear, who will be able to do wonders and perform acts which will be spectacular (miraculous?), and he will be accepted by the Ruling Jewish Elite; because he will have the power to negotiate a “Covenant” of peace with them, which they will trust! See: Anti-Christ: Rev. Chp. 13:8. (See: Dan. 9:27)!
It has been well said that the prophetic progress of the Jews ended at AD. 70 when their City Jerusalem and Temple was destroyed by the Romans, and the people who survived were dispersed worldwide.
This was predicted in Hosea 1 and 2, and was a consequence of their unfaithfulness to Jehovah repeatedly, and was stated in Deuteronomy 28:63-65, with much detail given in subsequent Chapters; would be the result of their disobedience.
They compounded their sin in the rejection of Jesus the Christ, with the result of the last two thousand years.
Satan with masterful timing attempted via Hitler to complete the demise of God’s Chosen People; but as usual overplayed his hand, and the promise of Jeremiah 31:31-37 came into play with the defeat of Hitler, and the beginning of the freeing of God’s people worldwide, to emigrate to Palestine (Deut. 30:3)!
This process has only just begun, but will not have completion until Zech. 12:10 comes into play, because the final in-gathering of Jews to Palestine (to the Promised borders, Gen. 15:18) will be under the control and auspices of their True Messiah Christ Jesus, who will have returned to Earth in Power and great Glory to save His remnant Israel from the trials they must yet endure!
So, what are the signs to lookout for? In Daniel and Revelation is the prediction of a Confederation of 10 Nations (Dan. 2 toes) who are controlled by one man (Anti-Christ), who will allow the Jews to build a Temple in Jerusalem! This will be allowed, and sacrifices in the old way re-instituted, and will continue for 3.5 years prior to being terminated by Anti-Christ! There will then follow 3.5 years of suffering (known as "Jacob's trouble", Jer. 30:7) for the Jewish people, which will only be terminated by the return to Earth of Jesus Messiah; “with His saints”.
He will then judge the Gentile Nations as to how they treated His people Israel, and will destroy many who fail this test (Matt. 25)!
A major sign to take note of is the return of Jerusalem to full Jewish control; which in the opinion of the writers, and others, will auger the continuation of Jewish prophetic progress!
Another is the formation of a political entity in the Nations adjacent to current Israel; which then morphs into a religious entity. Some people feel the current events of the “Arab Spring” (August 2013) may be such, but only time will tell.
See: Rev Chapter 13 revelationsmessage.
Until these events take place, Jews worldwide at the end of Yom-Kippur will continue to say “next year in Jerusalem”!
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