1967 - A Fulfillment of Prophecy?

1967 - A Fulfillment of Prophecy?

For many people who recognize God's hand in the rebirth of Israel as a nation see the results of the Six Day War of June 1967, when Israel captured East Jerusalem and the West Bank from the Jordanians, as a fulfillment of Biblical prophecy: Namely that God would bring back His people from the four corners of the earth:

11 It shall happen in that day, that the Lord will set his hand again the second time to recover the remnant of his people, who shall remain, from Assyria, and from Egypt, and from Pathros, and from Cush, and from Elam, and from Shinar, and from Hamath, and from the islands of the sea.
12 He will set up an ensign for the nations, and will assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather together the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth.
Isa. 11:11-12

However there is a major problem in that Isaiah declares that the prophecied return to the land is a 'second time' from the 'four corners of the earth'. The question then has to be asked, "When was the 'first time'?".

According to Biblical history there was no 'first time'; the only recorded return was that of the return from Babylon after seventy years in exile (great datail is given in the Books of Ezra and Nehemiah) and that was only from the area known as the Near East rather from the 'four corners of the earth'. The only other return began in the late 1800's, continuing to this day and literally is from the 'four corners of the earth' — this, then is the 'first time' which makes it a temporary return. That it is a temporary return can clearly be seen from chapters 12 and 14 of Zechariah:

1 The burden of the word of the LORD concerning Israel. Thus says the LORD, who stretches forth the heavens, and lays the foundation of the earth, and forms the spirit of man within him:
2 behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of reeling to all the peoples round about, and on Judah also shall it be in the siege against Jerusalem.
3 It shall happen in that day, that I will make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all the peoples; all that burden themselves with it shall be sore wounded; and all the nations of the earth shall be gathered together against it.
4 In that day, says the LORD, I will strike every horse with terror, and his rider with madness; and I will open my eyes on the house of Judah, and will strike every horse of the peoples with blindness.
5 The chieftains of Judah shall say in their heart, The inhabitants of Jerusalem are my strength in the LORD of Hosts their God.
6 In that day will I make the chieftains of Judah like a pan of fire among wood, and like a flaming torch among sheaves; and they shall devour all the peoples round about, on the right hand and on the left; and they of Jerusalem shall yet again dwell in their own place, even in Jerusalem.
7 the LORD also shall save the tents of Judah first, that the glory of the house of David and the glory of the inhabitants of Jerusalem be not magnified above Judah.
8 In that day shall the LORD defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem: and he who is feeble among them at that day shall be as David; and the house of David shall be as God, as the angel of the LORD before them.
9 It shall happen in that day, that I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem.
Zech. 12:1-9

1 Behold, a day of the LORD comes, when your spoil shall be divided in the midst of you.
2 For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle; and the city shall be taken, and the houses rifled, and the women ravished; and half of the city shall go forth into captivity, and the residue of the people shall not be cut off from the city.
3 Then shall the LORD go forth, and fight against those nations, as when he fought in the day of battle.
4 His feet shall stand in that day on the Mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east; and the Mount of Olives shall be cleft in the midst of it toward the east and toward the west, and there shall be a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south.
5 You shall flee by the valley of my mountains; for the valley of the mountains shall reach to Azel; yes, you shall flee, like as you fled from before the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah; and the LORD my God shall come, and all the holy ones with you.
6 It shall happen in that day, that there shall not be light; the bright ones shall withdraw themselves:
7 but it shall be one day which is known to the LORD; not day, and not night; but it shall come to pass, that at evening time there shall be light.
8 It shall happen in that day, that living waters shall go out from Jerusalem; half of them toward the eastern sea, and half of them toward the western sea: in summer and in winter shall it be.
9 the LORD shall be King over all the earth: in that day shall the LORD be one, and his name one.
10 All the land shall be made like the Arabah, from Geba to Rimmon south of Jerusalem; and she shall be lifted up, and shall dwell in her place, from Benjamin's gate to the place of the first gate, to the corner gate, and from the tower of Hananel to the king's wine-presses.
11 Men shall dwell therein, and there shall be no more curse; but Jerusalem shall dwell safely.
12 This shall be the plague wherewith the LORD will strike all the peoples who have warred against Jerusalem: their flesh shall consume away while they stand on their feet, and their eyes shall consume away in their sockets, and their tongue shall consume away in their mouth.
13 It shall happen in that day, that a great tumult from the LORD shall be among them; and they shall lay hold everyone on the hand of his neighbor, and his hand shall rise up against the hand of his neighbor.
14 Judah also shall fight at Jerusalem; and the wealth of all the nations round about shall be gathered together, gold, and silver, and clothing, in great abundance.
15 So shall be the plague of the horse, of the mule, of the camel, and of the donkey, and of all the animals that shall be in those camps, as that plague.
16 It shall happen, that everyone who is left of all the nations that came against Jerusalem shall go up from year to year to worship the King, the LORD of Hosts, and to keep the feast of tents.
17 It shall be, that whoever of all the families of the earth doesn't go up to Jerusalem to worship the King, the LORD of Hosts, on them there shall be no rain.
18 If the family of Egypt doesn't go up, and doesn't come, neither shall it be on them; there shall be the plague wherewith the LORD will strike the nations that don't go up to keep the feast of tents.
19 This shall be the punishment of Egypt, and the punishment of all the nations that don't go up to keep the feast of tents.
20 In that day shall there be on the bells of the horses, HOLY TO the LORD; and the pots in the LORD's house shall be like the bowls before the altar.
21 Yes, every pot in Jerusalem and in Judah shall be holy to the LORD of Hosts; and all those who sacrifice shall come and take of them, and boil therein: and in that day there shall be no more a Canaanite in the house of the LORD of Hosts.
Zech. 14:1-21

In verse 8 of chapter 12 we read that on that day the Lord will shield those who live in Jerusalem; in verse 2 of chapter 14 we read that the city [Jerusalem] will be captured, the houses rifled, and the women ravished; also that half of the city will go into captivity. From verse 16 it is also clear that this is the beginning of the 1,000 year reign of Christ as we read that the surviving nations will go up to Jerusalem every year to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles. These two passages obviously cannot be referring to the same event; so what does it mean? Other verses within the two passages make it more clear: Verse 4 of chapter 14 shows us that this passage is to take place at the second coming of Christ, that Jesus Himself will fight against the nations that have captured the city. However it is to be noted that the city has already been plundered (v.2).

In the passage in chapter 12: 1-9, the account is quite different, the Lord not only protects Jerusalem, but empowers the inhabitants, "so that the feeblest among them will be like David", thus enabling them to fight against and consume their attackers. From verse 5 it is plain that the Jewish people are in faith, having accepted their "King Messiah" Jesus, "The inhabitants of Jerusalem are my strength in the LORD of Hosts their God.". This then puts this event at the end of the Millennial Kingdom (1,000 year of Christ on earth) when, according to Rev. 20:7-9, Satan will gather all those that have rejected the Kingship of Christ to make war on Jerusalem:

7 When the thousand years are finished, Satan will be freed out of his prison,
8 and will come forth to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to the war; the number of whom is as the sand of the sea.
9 They went up over the breadth of the earth, and surrounded the camp of the saints, and the beloved city. Fire came down out of Heaven, and devoured them.
Rev. 20:7-9

Since then, Jerusalem is going to experience another seige and exile (the prophecy implies that the whole nation of Israel suffers the same fate) it surely follows that the Israeli sovereignty of Jerusalem (and control of the West Bank) as a result of the Six Day War in 1967 is, without a doubt, temporary.
To answer the question of whether the events of 1967 were prophecied — the answer is no, they were however implied which means that they certainly were/are a part of God's plan for Israel and the world at large in these end times.

Footnote
There are many passages that prophesy the regathering of Israel. Some refer to the return from Babylon whilst others the regathering at the beginning of the millennium. This is usually clear from the context of the prophecies; the prophecies dealing with the return from Babylon do not mention, nor hint of anything other than the 'close at hand' return, whereas with the 'final' return they usually have a reference to 'in that day', 'in those days' or something obvious which clearly refers to the time that Christ is ruling and reigning during the millennium. This is the second 'world wide' regathering (Isa. 11:11) - the first is only aluded to and can be seen in Ezekiel chapters 28 and 39:

11 And thou shalt say, I will go up to the land of unwalled villages; I will go to them that are at rest, that dwell safely, all of them dwelling without walls, and having neither bars nor gates,
12 To take a spoil, and to take a prey; to turn thine hand upon the desolate places that are now inhabited, and upon the people that are gathered out of the nations, which have gotten cattle and goods, that dwell in the midst of the land.
16 and you shall come up against my people Israel, as a cloud to cover the land: it shall happen in the latter days, that I will bring you against my land, that the nations may know me, when I shall be sanctified in you, Gog, before their eyes.

26 After that they have borne their shame, and all their trespasses whereby they have trespassed against me, when they dwelt safely in their land, and none made them afraid.
Eze. 38:11-12,16; 39:26 (KJV)

Notice that the above prophecy is to happen in 'the latter days' (38:16) and that the Jews are once again dwelling in the land having been 'gathered out of the nations' (38:12). This is the first regathering from the 'four corners of the earth' and as Isaiah 11:11 refers to a 'second time' it follows that there was to be a 'first time'.

Note: The passage dealing with the prophecies in Zechariah chapters 12 and 14 was, in part, taken from the Bible study. Pray For The Peace Of Jerusalem. catcmo2006