Selling Psalm 83 as a Prophecy Pt 1

I am glad I am not Bill Salus. I am glad I don't have books to sell on the topic I am discussing. But in all fairness I post his points here and I present the Psalm in question first:

¹Keep not thou silence, O God: hold not thy peace, and be not still, O God.
 ²For, lo, thine enemies make a tumult: and they that hate thee have lifted up the head.
 ³They have taken crafty counsel against thy people, and consulted against thy hidden ones.
 ⁴They have said, Come, and let us cut them off from being a nation; that the name of Israel may be no more in remembrance.
 ⁵For they have consulted together with one consent: they are confederate against thee:
 ⁶The tabernacles of Edom, and the Ishmaelites; of Moab, and the Hagarenes;
 ⁷Gebal, and Ammon, and Amalek; the Philistines with the inhabitants of Tyre;
 ⁸Assur also is joined with them: they have holpen the children of Lot. Selah.
 ⁹Do unto them as unto the Midianites; as to Sisera, as to Jabin, at the brook of Kison:
 ¹⁰Which perished at Endor: they became as dung for the earth.
 ¹¹Make their nobles like Oreb, and like Zeeb: yea, all their princes as Zebah, and as Zalmunna:
 ¹²Who said, Let us take to ourselves the houses of God in possession.
 ¹³O my God, make them like a wheel; as the stubble before the wind.
 ¹⁴As the fire burneth a wood, and as the flame setteth the mountains on fire;
 ¹⁵So persecute them with thy tempest, and make them afraid with thy storm.
 ¹⁶Fill their faces with shame; that they may seek thy name, O LORD.
 ¹⁷Let them be confounded and troubled for ever; yea, let them be put to shame, and perish:
 ¹⁸That men may know that thou, whose name alone is JEHOVAH, art the most high over all the earth.

CALL ME SILLY BUT I WOULD NEVER GET OUT OF THIS PSALM WHAT BILL IS SELLING UNLESS I HADN'T BEEN TOLD TO. 

If I just read it, it seems easy to understand, but now lets let Bill tell us what it really means....

Psalm 83 verses Ezekiel 38 

By Bill Salus

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Editor's note:

There has developed controversy over  the Psalm 83 passages about the fate of Israel's neighboring enemies. Certainly, no people are in more danger of God's Judgment than are those primarily Islamic  nations, most of whom have at one time or another  voiced their desire to see the Jewish people and the nation Israel forever removed from the Middle East --even from the planet. (Read Genesis 12: 1-3 to see God's Warning to  those who would curse Abraham's offspring. And that offspring comes from Abraham's son Isaac, and grandson, Jacob.)

Is Psalm 83 exclusively an imprecatory plea to Israel's God to completely destroy Israel's neighbor antagonists? Or --are the passages of this Psalm predictive of an actual war that is scheduled, perhaps before the long prophesied Gog-Magog invasion of Ezekiel, chapters 38 and 39?

We are putting two views on the passages side by side. Each explains the particular position in excellent fashion. Read, study, pray, and come to your own conclusions.

       --Terry James  

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Current Mideast rumblings have many eschatologists revisiting a prophetic psalm vastly overlooked. This is Psalm 83, which discusses the formation of a ten member, predominately Arab, confederacy destined to someday seek the utter destruction of the nation Israel. Psalm 83 has recently popped up on the prophetic radar screen because many of Israel’s most observable enemies today, like the Palestinians, Hezbollah, and Hamas, appear to be enlisted among the ten-member coalition. Thus an increasing number of end time’s experts are attempting to gain greater understanding of the psalm and its timeline placement.

The psalm was authored by Asaph approximately 3000 years ago at a time in Israel’s history when King David reigned, the Israelites were preparing to build their first temple, and the nation as a whole was divinely blessed and empowered. Furthermore, we are told in 2 Chronicles 29:30 that Asaph was a seer, chozeh in the Hebrew, meaning he was gifted with prophetic inclinations.

Oddly, at a savory point in Israel’s history, Asaph received his genocidal vision of Israel’s possible destruction. This daunting prophecy must have disturbed the Israelites at the time since most of the confederates were comprised of surrounding populations that had demonstrated a sincere hatred toward them at various points throughout their history. Additionally, Assyria, one of the ten confederate members, was becoming a conquering empire to the Northeast of Israel at the time.

These populations are listed in Psalm 83:6-8 and are connected with their modern day equivalents later in this article.

The seer inscribed his vision in the customary imprecatory prayer format intending to invoke the curse for curse in kind clause spelled out in Genesis 12:3 upon this coming confederacy. The essence of Asaph’s petition reminds God that any genocidal attack upon His people ultimately serves as an assault against His covenant making character as per the Abrahamic Covenant. Within this unconditional covenant was the promise that Abraham would father a great nation and have descendants with a homeland forever as per Genesis 13:15-17, 15:17-18 and elsewhere.

Psalm 83:4 tells us that the Arabs want to destroy the Chosen People, and Psalm 83:12 informs us they want to possess the Promised Land. Thus, Asaph petitions God for the destruction of this forthcoming enemy league by empowering the Israelites militarily through similar historical examples given in Psalm 83:9-11. The point surmised is that these enemies want to destroy Israel militarily, so therefore they should be cursed militarily in like fashion. The significance of these specific historical examples will be sited subsequently in this article.

In addition to and concurrent with the increased prophetic chatter about Psalm 83, many eschatologists feverishly flip through the final pages of the end time’s calendar to arrive at the Ezekiel 38 & 39 prophecy. This prophecy also predicts the formation of a powerful confederacy destined to someday invade Israel apparently led by Russia. Ever strengthening relationships between Russia and the Ezekiel 38 listed nations of Iran, Turkey, and Libya appear to be among some of the reasons behind this EZEKIEL 38 NOW fervor!

In spite of the fact that the Israel today does not appear to meet all the prerequisites contained in Ezekiel 38:8-13, many notable scholars are convinced that current geopolitical circumstances in the region favor the nearby fulfillment of this prophecy. In a previously released article, “Psalm 83 or Ezekiel 38, which is the Next Mideast News Headline”, I list the litany of possible reasons why modern day Israel may not presently meet the prophetic Ezekiel 38 prescription. This information is also encapsulated in my DVD called “Greater Israel”.

In addition to modern day Israel’s probable prophetic unpreparedness for the Ezekiel invasion to occur presently, there is another large dilemma that the EZEKIEL 38 NOW advocates are grappling with. Namely, the “inner ring” of Arab nations sharing common borders with Israel, who have been Israel’s most observable enemies since 1948, are not listed among the Ezekiel invaders. 

In my opinion, the difference in the lists, which are shown further on in this article, is because the inner ring of Arab states have been defeated by the Israeli Defense Forces prior to the Ezekiel invasion and therefore the names do not appear on Ezekiel’s list. In other words, they are eliminated, never again to muster a military force.  Others have suggested that the difference may be accounted for in an Arab refusal to participate in the invasion due to historical animosities with the Persians (Iranians) who are allied with with the Russians in the Ezekiel invasion.  But, it seems to me that the Arab states are highly unlikely to sit out a major offensive against Israel when they would have so much to gain as a result.”

Others have dealt with the issue by crossing the territorial divides and imaginatively inserting ancient Arab populations like Tyre, Aram, Asshur, and Philistia into the Ezekiel 38:2-6 equation. This tendency, not scripturally supported, seems to be fueled by Iranian relationships with Hezbollah (Tyre), Syria (Aram / Asshur), and Hamas (Philistia), which are also at an unprecedented high. As stated earlier, Iran is a key player among the Ezekiel invaders.

When Ezekiel wrote he did not have names like Russia, Iran, Turkey, Libya, Hezbollah, and Hamas, in his vernacular. Thus he referenced Rosh, Magog, Persia, Meschech, Put, etc. to describe modern day Russia, Iran, Turkey, Libya, and nine populations in total. However nowhere included in Ezekiel’s list of populations are Tyre, (Lebanon), Asshur (Assyria), Philistia (Gaza), etc. Those populations appear to be reserved for the Psalm 83 Arab – Israeli war.

This is not to say Ezekiel couldn’t have listed the Psalm 83 conspirators alongside the Russian led consortium, since he references most all of the Psalm 83 populations elsewhere throughout his prophetic book. This suggests two things: one, that Ezekiel had their ancient names within his vocabulary, and two, that they aren’t part of the Ezekiel 38 & 39 invasion.

Here are two tables and two maps that generally identify and locate the participants of the Psalm 83 “inner ring” of Arab confederates, and the Ezekiel 38 “outer circle”Russian coalition. The pentagon borders distinguish the Ps. 83 inner ring from the Ez. 38 outer circle. These illustrations depict two distinctly different confederate groupings. These exhibits are intended to loosely rather than precisely identify the pertinent populations and / or locations. Some scholars present differing views as to who the participants are in each prophetic event.

   

Since the summer 2008 release of my book Isralestine, the Ancient Blueprints of the Future Middle East, in which Psalm 83 is the central theme, several theories as to the nature and timing of the Psalm have surfaced. Some of these theories previously existed; however, a few seem to be relatively new. The main theories espoused that I have uncovered thus far as to the Psalm and / or its timing are:

1.      It found historical fulfillment in 2^nd Chronicles 20

2.      It found historical fulfillment in the war of 1948

3.      It found historical fulfillment in the war of 1967

4.     It is about to find final fulfillment prior to Ezekiel 38 (Isralestine hypothesis)

5.      It will find fulfillment within Ezekiel 38

6.      It will find fulfillment after Ezekiel 38 but prior to the Armageddon Campaign

7.      It will find fulfillment within the Armageddon campaign.

8.      It is an imprecatory Psalm and not a specific prophecy per se

In addition to comparisons already given, the rest of this article will be devoted to addressing the seemingly clear distinctions between the Psalm 83 and Ezekiel 38 & 39 Israeli war prophecies and why they probably won’t occur concurrently. On a side note, although Ezekiel 38 & 39 is comprised of fifty-two passages and Psalm 83 a mere eighteen, it is my contention that when all Psalm 83 inter-related prophetic passages are discerned, much more detail is given in the Bible about the Psalm than the Ezekiel invasion. Thus the Psalm, generally overlooked by scholars until recently, is now beginning to receive the serious study it deserves.

Ezekiel 38 & 39 generally details the whole Israeli war episode from start to finish, whereas Psalm 83 gives far less detail. Thus it becomes incumbent upon the eschatologist to diligently search the entirety of scripture to find out how the LORD intends to deliver Israel through the climactic concluding Arab Israeli war prophecy. (Associated table identifies some of the details missing in Psalm 83 compared to Ezekiel 38 & 39.)

We can conclude that it very well could be the final effort of the Psalm 83:6-8 confederates to destroy Israel by reviewing the end results of the historical examples Asaph references in Psalm 83:9-11.

A careful review of the historical Israeli war events Asaph alludes to takes the reader primarily to the accounts recorded in Judges Chapter’s 4 through 8. Upon reviewing these chapters and appropriately aligning the events described therein with recorded history, one concludes that once those former enemies of Israel were defeated, they ceased to ever oppress the Israelites further. Similarly the inference can be made by Asaph’s specific petitioning that once the Israelites, or should the event occur soon, the Israeli Defense Forces, defeat the Psalm 83 confederates, they likewise will cease to ever collectively oppress Israel further.

For article brevity sake below please find an abbreviated list of distinctions between Psalm 83 and Ezekiel 38 & 39…

The two prophecies have distinctly differing mandates, motives, anddestructions.  The Ezekiel confederates want to destroy Israel in order to take spoil and things of great value (Ez. 38:13). The Psalm 83 Arabs seek sole possession of the Promised Land (Ps. 83:12).The Ezekiel invaders are divinely defeated (Ez. 38:18-39:6), whereas Israeli Defense Forces (I.D.F.) destroy the Arab conspirators (Ps. 83:9-11, Ez. 37:10, 25:14, Obadiah 1:18 and elsewhere). In fact, this appears to be the only significant prophetic role the I.D.F. of today has. They are not instrumental in the Ezekiel 38 & 39 episode or the concluding Armageddon Campaign of the Antichrist at the end of the Tribulation Period.

Psalm 83 has ten populations (Ps. 83:6-8) and Ezekiel has only nine distinctly different populations (Ez. 38:2-6). Those who suggest Psalm 83 and Ezekiel 38 are the same prophetic event bear the burden of proof of locating the Psalm 83 confederates inside the Ezekiel invasion. They must locate the inner ring within the outer circle, and avoid the tendency to sensationalize present Russian, Iranian, Turkish, and Libyan relationships.

In the aftermath of Psalm 83 and Ezekiel 38, humanity is delivered two distinctly differing lessons. Psalm 83 teaches humanity that God’s Genesis 12:3 foreign policy is still effectually intact, and Ezekiel 38 displays God’s glory and informs humanity that God is real, sovereign and extremely powerful (Ez. 39:7).

Regarding the Psalm 83 lesson, the lead member of Psalm 83 is the tents of Edom, who are probably representative of the Palestinian refugees today according to my studies published in Isralestine’s Whodomite chapter. The Edomites are the descendants of Esau (Genesis 36:1), who was Jacob’s twin brother. Jacob was renamed Israel in Genesis 32:28. The lesson for humanity in the aftermath of Psalm 83 is that if God did not spare the descendants of Jacob’s own twin brother for cursing the Jews, then how can anyone be spared of a similar fate for attempting the same. Thus the Abrahamic Covenant is demonstrated through the I.D.F. destruction of the Psalm 83 confederates to still be effectually intact.

There are distinctions between the battlefronts as well. The Ezekiel invaders originate from the uttermost parts of the north (Ez. 38:6) whereas the Arab’s encircle Israel from all sides. The Psalm 83 battlefront appears to be the floodplains of the Jordan as per the possible connecting prophecy found in Jeremiah 49:19.

A relatively new theory, also connecting Ezekiel 38 with Psalm 83, suggests that the Arab League is the Psalm 83 confederates. However, there are twenty-two nations in the Arab League verses only ten populations in Psalm 83. Additionally, less than a handful of the twenty-two Arab League conglomerates appear to be located with the Ezekiel coalition. Conversely, most all of the Psalm 83 populations appear to be members of the Arab League. However, not all of the Arab League nations appear to be enlisted in Psalm 83. Thus, in part, I concur that the Arab League may play a role in spearheading this confederacy. However, it is difficult to know the size and scope of that role.

Lastly, Dedan appears to abstain from enjoining the Ezekiel invaders (Ez. 38:13). Dedan was located in the Northern part of Saudi Arabia. Yet, in Psalm 83, Saudi Arabia appears to be involved under the banner of the Ishmaelites (Ps. 83:6). This somewhat confuses the argument that Ezekiel 38 and Psalm 83 are one and the same prophetic event. Otherwise, why would Saudi Arabia participate in Psalm 83, but opt out of Ezekiel 38? Additionally, Dedan is located within the Ezekiel 25:13-15 sequence, which appears to be part of God’s response to Psalm 83.

In conclusion, Psalm 83 and Ezekiel 38 are two distinctly differing Israeli war prophecies. Psalm 83 is more than a mere imprecatory prayer, but is an actual confederate effort, with listed participants, a specific mandate, and a genuine motive. Both events are yet to find final fulfillment, but appear likely to be about to occur soon, sequentially, and in rapid succession. In the aftermath of Psalm 83, Israel probably develops without much restriction, into the sovereign Jewish State that the Ezekiel invaders seek to invade.

Prophecy Timing: "The Great Synagogue in Jerusalem"

Will the Third Temple be built next year?

According to a centuries-old rabbinical prophecy that appears to be coming true, on March 16, 2010, Israel will begin construction of the Third Temple in Jerusalem.

During the 18th century, the Vilna Gaon, a respected rabbinical authority, prophesied that the Hurva Synagoge in Jerusalem, which was built during his day, would be destroyed and rebuilt twice, and that when the Hurva was completed for the third time, construction on the Third Temple would begin.

The Hurva Synagogue was first destroyed shortly after its initial construction when Muslims demanding the return of loans tore it down. The synagogue was rebuilt a hundred years later and became the most important Jewish house of worship in the Holy Land, only be blown to pieces by Jordanian troops during Israel's 1948 War of Independence.

In 2001, Israel finally decided to rebuild the landmark, which today stands in the center of the Jewish Quarter in Jerusalem's Old City.

The building is scheduled to be completed and the Hurva Synagogue dedicated for the third time on March 15 of next year.
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Hurva Synagogue restoration nears completion

It was a focal point of Jewish spiritual and cultural life in Jerusalem. It hosted the installation of the Ashkenazi chief rabbis of Palestine, and the historic addresses by Theodor Herzl at the turn of the century and by Rabbi Avraham Yitzhak Hacohen Kook over the fate of European Jewry before the outbreak of World War II.

The Hurva Synagogue in Jerusalem.
Photo: Ishi Hazani

SLIDESHOW: Israel & Region  |  World

 

And now, six decades after it was destroyed by the Jordanians in 1948, during the War of Independence, a page of Old City history is being revisited: the Hurva Synagogue is being rebuilt.
Shortly after the city's reunification in the Six Day War, the first in a series of plans was drawn up to create a new synagogue at the site. Deliberations dragged on for decades over a variety of building proposals, and a commemorative arch was constructed at the site in 1978, spanning the space where the Hurva once stood.
The 16-meter high stone arch - which became a prominent Jewish Quarter landmark as well as a great place to stop for photographs and a feature of many Jewish Quarter postcards - was a recreation of one of the four arches that originally supported the synagogue's monumental dome.
As a page in history is now being rewritten, the famed arch is being used in the reconstruction of the historic synagogue.
The Hurva once served as Jerusalem's main synagogue, and became the largest, grandest and most important synagogue in the Land of Israel.

Its Hebrew name, Hurva (ruin), marks its origins amid the ruins of an unfinished synagogue that had been destroyed at the site in 1721 by Arab creditors angered over an unpaid debt by the impoverished Jewish community.
The Hurva synagogue was built nearly a century and a half later by disciples of the prominent Jewish sage known as the Vilna Gaon.
Following its construction in 1864, the Hurva was the tallest building in the congested Jewish Quarter, its dome and that of the quarter's other main synagogue - Tifereth Yisrael - becoming a vivid and integral part of the city skyline in the second half of the 19th and the first half of the 20th centuries.
For the next 84 years, the structure became a center of Jewish spiritual and cultural activity, first under Ottoman and then under British rule.
Until the 1930s, most of the important events of the pre-state Jewish community in Israel took place in the Hurva, which maintained its place as Jerusalem's central synagogue. 


It was also used for public assemblies and general celebrations, such as special prayers upon the coronation of King George V in 1910, and a public fast and day of prayer organized by hundreds of rabbis for the doomed Jews of Europe. 


Ze'ev Jabotinsky organized a rally at the Hurva to enlist volunteers in the Jewish Brigade. It is also the place where the ceremony to hand over the flag of the Jewish Brigade was held on the day the British conquered Jerusalem in 1917. 


Both the Hurva and Tifereth Yisrael were among 29 Old City synagogues demolished by the Jordanian Army during the 1947-1949 Arab-Israeli war.



The Jordanians blew up the Hurva two days after the Jewish Quarter fell into their hands. 


"For the first time in 1,000 years not a single Jew
remains in the Jewish Quarter. Not a single building remains intact. This makes the Jews' return here impossible," the Jordanian commander who led the operation reportedly told his superiors.
Sixty years later and after decades of planning and debate, the mammoth NIS 28 million building is expected to be completed by next year's High Holy Days, said Nissim Arzy, the director-general of state-run Company for the Reconstruction and Development of the Jewish Quarter, which is overseeing the project. 


The plan to rebuild the synagogue, which received governmental approval in 2000, originally envisioned the state funding about 85 percent of the cost, or NIS 24m., with private donors footing the rest of the bill, Arzy said.



In the end, the government only paid NIS 11m., with the remainder of the funds donated by the Ukrainian Jewish leader Vadim Rabinovitch, a prominent businessman and philanthropist, who recently donated the golden menorah that now overlooks the Western Wall Plaza. 


The reconstruction of the synagogue began at the end of 2005 after the state-run company received the required city building permits, and following the requisite pre-construction archeological "salvage excavation" at the site. 


The dig uncovered finds dating back to the First Temple Period, as well as an underground ammunitions depot dating to the days and weeks before the synagogue's destruction in the War of Independence. 


A closed tender was held among Israel's 10 biggest construction companies, and the company that submitted the most inexpensive offer was awarded the contract, Arzy said. 


More than two years after construction got under way, the outside of the synagogue - including its famed dome - has been completed, almost exactly as it originally stood. 


A ceremony marking the completion of the dome will be held at the site on April 15. 


The reconstruction plan presented by the architect, Nahum Meltzer, stipulates rebuilding the Hurva Synagogue in its original format, almost stone for stone.



Previous proposals that were rejected included building a new synagogue with numerous modern architectural elements and whose dimensions were well beyond those of the original synagogue, as was a proposal to maintain the site in ruins as a memorial. 


Workers will soon begin work on the interior, with everything from the prayer platform, or bima, to the Torah ark, windows, doors and chairs set to resemble the originals as much as possible. 


"Obviously we understand that the chairs of today are more comfortable than how they were back then," Arzy said, saying that 21st century comforts would be taken into consideration.
"We want to make it an almost exact copy of what it was until 1948," he said. 


When completed, the Orthodox synagogue will seat 200 people in the men's section, and 50-60 in the second-floor women's section.
Arzy said the goal was to make the Hurva synagogue not simply a place of worship but a center for world Jewry as it once was.
"We would like to see the Hurva back in all its former glory as both a synagogue and a center for World Jewry," he said. 


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Hurva Synagogue

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Hurva Synagogue
A pre-1948 photograph
Basic information
Location	89 ha-Yehudim Street Old City of Jerusalem,  Israel
Geographic coordinates	31°46′30″N 35°13′53″E / 31.77510°N 35.23135°E / 31.77510; 35.23135Coordinates: 31°46′30″N 35°13′53″E / 31.77510°N 35.23135°E / 31.77510; 35.23135
Affiliation	Orthodox Judaism
Architectural description
Architectural style	Neo-Byzantine
Construction cost	1m piasters (1864)[1] $7.3m (NIS 28m) (2009)[2]
Specifications
Capacity	450 (1864)[3] 250 (2009)[2]
Height (max)	24 meters (82 feet)

The Hurva Synagogue, (Hebrew: ‎ בית הכנסת החורבה, translit: Beit ha-Knesset ha-Hurba), also known as Hurvat Rabbi Yehudah he-Hasid, (trans. Ruin of Rabbi Judah the Pious) located in the Jewish Quarter of the Old City of Jerusalem was for centuries the site of Jerusalem's main Ashkenazi synagogue. In 1864, a new synagogue officially consecrated Beis Yaakov Synagogue was erected at the same site by the Perushim community. It was later reduced to rubble during the 1948 Arab-Israeli War. After Israel captured the Old City in 1967, a number of plans were submitted for the design of a new building. After years of deliberation, a commemorative arch was erected at site in 1977, itself becoming a prominent landmark of the Jewish Quarter.^[2] The plan to rebuild the synagogue in its original style received approval by the Israeli Government in 2000. It was due to be completed during 2009.

Contents [hide] 1 1700s: Reconstruction attempt by the followers of Judah he-Hasid 2 1812–30: Efforts of the Perushim regarding the Hurva 3 1831–37: Ali gives building consent, Menachem Zion Synagogue established 4 1857–64: Construction of the Beis Yaakov Synagogue 4.1 Structure 4.2 Interior 5 1864–1948: The golden years 6 1948 Arab-Israeli War: Reduced to rubble once again 7 Post 1967: Plans sought for a new design 7.1 1968–73: The Kahn plans 7.2 1977–81: Commemorative arch, subsequent proposals shelved 8 2000: Approval granted for restoration of original design 9 2003: Excavations 10 Events since 2005 11 Image gallery 12 Notes 13 References 14 External links

[edit] 1700s: Reconstruction attempt by the followers of Judah he-Hasid

The site where the Hurva Synagogue stands today had been a courtyard and synagogue for the Ashkenazi community of Jerusalem since the 13th century.^[4] Another tradition claims that a synagogue existed on the site from the time of the 2nd century sage Judah ha-Nasi.^[5] The synagogue first gained notability when a group of between 300 to 1,000 people (sources vary on the number) led by Rabbi Judah he-Hasid arrived from Poland on October 14, 1700. Although the group was left leaderless when he-Hasid died a few days later, they persisted to establish themselves in the city.
The group’s aspirations could only be realised at great expense. One of them, Rabbi Gedaliah of Siemiatycze, wrote of how they encountered difficulties with the Ottoman authorities who had to be bribed to enable them to proceed with the construction of new buildings and dwellings. They wanted to rebuild the synagogue located in the courtyard next to the Ramban Synagogue on a larger scale than the old one, but the Turkish authorities forbade it. In order for them to receive permission, further bribes were made to the pashas. In addition, while construction was taking place, the pasha had to be paid 1,500 lion thalers over three years. Then, since the building had been built higher than the old one without permission of the sultan, another pasha wished to halt the building. To satisfy him, another 500 lion thalers was handed over. Finally, a new pasha from Constantinople arrived who also had to be appeased with 500 lion thalers. In order to finance all the unexpected costs, they were compelled to borrow large sums from the Turks at high rates of interest.^[6] Rabbi Gedaliah wrote that:

“Our debts press like a heavy yoke on our necks. We our continually taken into custody and before one debtor can be redeemed, another has already been detained. One scarcely dares to go out in the street, where, to cap it all, the tax collectors lie in wait like wolves and lions to devour us.”^[6]

Pressure and threats from the creditors led to a messenger being sent to Europe to solicit funds for repayment of the loan.^[7] However, twenty years later, the debt still had not been repaid.^[8] In late 1721 the lenders lost patience and set the building and its contents alight. The Ashkenasi community was subsequently expelled from the city until the debt could be repaid. For the following 89 years, no Ashkenasi Jews were to be found in Jerusalem. The courtyard was converted into shops and the synagogue lay desolate and descended into ruin. It thus became known as the "Ruin of Rabbi Judah the Pious".^[7]

[edit] 1812–30: Efforts of the Perushim regarding the Hurva

Between 1808 and 1812 a group of ascetic Jews known as Perushim immigrated to Palestine from Lithuania. They were disciples of the Vilna Gaon and had settled in Safed. Some had wished to settle in Jerusalem but desisted from doing so fearing that descendants of the creditors still held the old promissory notes relating to the century old debts incurred by the previous group of Ashkenasi immigrants, and that their new group would inherit responsibility for repayment. The descendants of the hasidim who made aliya in 1777 also presented a problem. They apparently objected to any effort by the perushim to take control of the courtyard of the Hurva, claiming it had never belonged to the perushim or their ancestors. The hasidim claimed they had closer ties with the original owners and that their rights to the parcel of land were greater.^[9]

Yishuv haYashan
Jewish life in the Holy Land before Modern Zionism
Founders:
Nahmanides • Yechiel of Paris Bartenura • Yehuda he-Hasid
Finance:
Kollel • Halukka • Etrog
Communities:
Sephardim • Perushim • Hasidim
Synagogues:
Ramban • Ari • Hurva • Shomrei HaChomos
Related articles:
History of the Jews in the Land of Israel • History of Zionism (Timeline) • Haredim and Zionism • Edah HaChareidis • Neturei Karta • ShaDaR • Yishuv • Three Oaths
v • d • e

In late 1815, Rabbi Menachem Mendel of Shklov arrived in Jerusalem with a group of his followers from Safed. The group directed their main efforts to rebuilding the synagogue, which had symbolised the expulsion of the Ashkenazim from Jerusalem. By reasserting control over the site and rebuilding it, they could demonstrate their intention to re-establish themselves in the city. Rebuilding one of Jerusalem’s ruins would also have symbolic kabbalistic significance. The “repairing” of an earlier destruction would represent the first step of rebuilding the entire city, a required precursor for the arrival of the messiah.^[9] In 1816 the Perushim “pleaded with the powers in the city of Constantinople to obtain a royal decree that the Arabs residing in Jerusalem would not be permitted to enforce the debts of the Ashkenasim”, but nothing came of it. A year later, several leaders of the group including Solomon Zalman Shapira and Solomon Pach travelled to Constantinople to obtain the firman. Two years later in 1819 their efforts were realised when they received the relevant decree absolving the Ashkenasim of their debts.^[10] After acquiring an additional legal document delineating the entire Hurvah site acquired in 1700, including the dilapidated dwellings and the shops built by the creditors’ heirs on part of the site, they now had to secure another firman that would allow construction at the site, including a large synagogue within it. Two successive missions in 1820 and 1821 to obtain the firman from the sultan’s court failed due to external factors.^[10]
Still waiting for permission to build in the courtyard, the Perushim proceeded by relying on an old firman given to the Jews in 1623 which stated that there could be no objection to the Jews building in their own quarters. Having received a supporting document issued by the Qadi of Jerusalem in March 1824, it was possible for them begin rebuilding the dwellings in the courtyard. In practise, however, construction never materialised as they were unable to exercise their authority over the plot of land. This was apparently due to confrontation with the Arab creditors and the local government’s disregard of the documents proving their ownership of the courtyard.^[11]
A mission to Europe in 1825 by Solomon Zalman Shapira to secure the necessary firman which would place the courtyard firmly in their possession and to raise funds to cover costs already incurred in trying to redeem the courtyard was unsuccessful, as was a later mission attempted in 1829 by Rabbi Zalman Zoref, a Lithuanian-born silversmith.^[11]

[edit] 1831–37: Ali gives building consent, Menachem Zion Synagogue established

With the annexation of Jerusalem by Muhammad Ali of Egypt in 1831, a window of opportunity arose for the Perushim. They petitioned Ali regarding the rebuilding of the Hurva, but permission was not forthcoming. Ali was apprehensive to deviate from the longstanding Muslim tradition and the Covenant of Omar, which restricted the repair or construction of non-Moslem houses of worship. However, five months after the earthquake of May 1834, Ali relaxed the prohibition and authorized the Sephardim to carry out repair works to their existing synagogues. This consent gave rise to further efforts by the Ashkenasim to receive authorisation to rebuild their synagogue.^[12]
On 23 June 1836, after traveling to Egypt, Zalman Zoref, together with the support of the Austrian and Russian consuls in Alexandria, obtained the long-awaited firman. It seems he was successful in gaining support of the Austrian consul and Muhammad Ali by invoking the name of Baron Salomon Mayer von Rothschild of Vienna. Ali was hopeful that by giving his permission to rebuild the Hurva, Rothschild would be inclined to forge financial and political ties with him, which would in turn secure political support of Austria and France. In fact, Rothschild’s involvement was a ruse and as soon as Zoref received the firman, he contacted Zvi Hirsch Lehren of the Clerks’ Organisation in Amsterdam, requesting that funds his brother had pledged towards the building of synagogue in Palestine be applied to the Hurva.^[13] But Lehren had doubts as to what exactly the firman permitted. Explicit authorization for construction of a large synagogue was absent. A letter from the leaders of the community to Moses Montefiore in 1849 confirms that permission for a synagogue had not been sanctioned; they had only been allowed to build dwellings in the area.^[14]
In September 1836, confidently in possession of the firman, the Perushim began clearing away the rubble from the Hurva courtyard. The foundations of the original synagogue were revealed and construction began. Yet the Arab creditors refused to relinquish the claims they had on the Jews and continued to interfere with the works. Zoref was forced to appear in court requesting a further ruling cancelling the debts. He claimed the Ashkenasim currently in Jerusalem were not related in any way to those who had borrowed the money. He also mentioned that an injunction had already been passed which absolved the Ashkenasinm from paying the debt^[15] and maintained that the Turkish Statute of Limitations cancelled out the debts of Judah he-Hasid’s followers.^[16] The court ruled in the Askenasim’s favour and the building continued.^[15] Zoref nevertheless had to appease the Arabs with annual bribes. At some point the arrangement ceased and they tried to kill him. One night he was shot at by an unknown assailant. On a second occasion he was struck on the head with a sword and died of his wounds three months later.^[16] In the end, the Perushim prevailed and on Friday 6 January, 1837 the modest Menachem Zion Synagogue was dedicated^[15] and in 1854, a second smaller synagogue was built in the compound.^[17]

[edit] 1857–64: Construction of the Beis Yaakov Synagogue

In the early 1850s, the Perushim considered building a large synagogue at the same site. An outcome of the Crimean War was the British Government's willingness to use its increased influence at Constantinople to intervene on behalf of its Jewish subjects who resided in Jerusalem. On 13 July, 1854, Consul James Finn of the British consulate in Jerusalem wrote to the British Ambassador in Constantinople describing the wishes of the 2,000 strong Ashkenasi community to build their own synagogue. He noted that funds for construction had been collected by Moses Montefiore twelve years earlier. He also enclosed a 150-year-old firman which authorised the Ashkenasi Jews to rebuild their ruined synagogue.^[1] As the title to the plot of land was held by the Amzalag family who were British subjects, they designated London-born Rabbi Hershell to negotiate the transfer. The British consulate agreed to lend its sanction to the contract in order to avoid possible intrusion by the Turks.^[4] At issue was the question of whether the building of a synagogue at the site constituted the repair of an old house of non-Moslem worship or the establishment of a new synagogue. The Turks would have to grant a special license for the latter. Eventually in 1856, an imperial firman authorising the building of the synagogue was obtained at the personal intervention of Sir Moses Montefiore.^[18]
With permission granted, the next challenge faced by the impoverished community was funding for the edifice. Collection of monies took place throughout the diaspora. One notable emissary was Jacob Sapir who set off for Egypt in 1857 and returned in 1863 having visited Yemen, Aden, India, Java, Australia, New Zealand and Ceylon.^[19] The largest single gift came from Yechezkel Reuben, a wealthy sephardi Jew from Baghdad, who gave 100,000 of the million piasters needed. His son, Menashe, and daughter, Lady Sasson, later supplemented his donation. The combined "Reuben" donations eventually covered more than half the cost. It marked an important step in the unity of the Sephardi and Ashkenazi communities of the city.^[1] Another contributor was the King Frederick William IV of Prussia, whose name was inscribed above the entrance together with those of other benefactors.^[20] He also gave permission for funds to be collected from his Jewish subjects. Throughout Western Europe emissaries sought donations with the slogan "Merit Eternal Life with one stone".^[1]
On 11 April 1857, the cornerstone was laid in the presence of Chief Rabbi of Jerusalem Shmuel Salant, who had been instrumental is raising the necessary funding. Some of the stone used in construction of the building was purchased from the Industrial Plantation, where poor Jews assisted in quarrying and shaping the blocks.^[21]

[edit] Structure

Northern facade

Eastern facade

The synagogue was designed by the Sultan's official architect Assad Effendi. Built in neo-Byzantine style, it was supported by four massive pilasters at each corner over which soared a large dome. The construction of only one of these towers was completed. The other three were missing the upper level and the small dome which capped it. The facade was covered in finely hewn stone and incorporated 42-foot-high window arches. The height of the synagogue to the bottom of its dome was around 16 meters and to the top of the dome it was 24 meters, (82 feet). Twelve windows were placed around the base of the dome which was surrounded by a veranda, which offered a fine view of large parts of the Old City and the area around Jerusalem.^[22] It was one of the tallest structures in the Old City and was visible for miles.

[edit] Interior

The synagogue prayer hall was reached via an entrance with three iron gates. The length was around 15.5 meters and the width was around 14 meters. The women's section was in the galleries, along the three sides of the chapel, except the eastern side. Access to the galleries was through towers situated at the corners of the building.^[22]
The Holy Ark together with its ornamental gates were brought to Jerusalem from the Nikolaijewsky synagogue located in Kherson, Russia. The Nikolaijewsky synagogue had been used by Russian Jewish conscripts who had been forced to spend twenty-five years in the Tsarist army. The Ark consisted of four Corinthian columns and was decorated with baroque carvings.^[1] The ark itself had two levels, was covered with a curtain and held 50 Torah scrolls. The alcove where the ark stood was adorned with dazzling woodcuts of flowers and birds. Above the ark was a triangular window with rounded points. To the right and in front of the ark was the cantor's podium, which was designed as a miniature version of the two-level ark.^[22]

Former interior, c.1935

The centre of the synagogue originally contained a high wooden bimah, but this was later replaced with a flat platform covered with expensive marble plates.
Numerous crystal chandeliers hung from the dome. The dome itself was painted sky-blue and strewn with golden stars.^[23] Frescos with religious motifs, such as stars of David, the menorah, Mount Sinai and the Ten Commandments, adorned every wall. In the four corners were drawings of four animals in accordance with the statement in Pirkei Avot: "Be strong as the leopard and swift as the eagle, fleet as the deer and brave as the lion to do the will of your Father in Heaven."^[22]
One of the most generous donations came from Pinchas Rosenberg, the Imperial Court tailor of St. Petersburg. In the diary of Rabbi Chaim ha-Levy, the emissary who had been sent from Jerusalem to collect funds for the synagogue, Rosenberg set out in details what his money was intended for. Among the items which were bought with his money were two big bronze candelabras; a silver Hanukah candlestick which "arrived miraculously on the 1st Tevet [1866] precisely in time to light the last eight Hanukah candles" and an iron door made under the holy ark for safe-keeping of the candlestick. He also earmarked funds towards the building of an "artistically wrought iron fence around the roof under the upper windows so that there be a veranda on which may stand all our brethren who go up in pilgrimage to behold our desolate Temple, and also a partition for the womenfolk on the Feast of Tabernacles and Simchat Torah."^[1]

[edit] 1864–1948: The golden years

Construction work progressed slowly for lack of funds and it took a further eight years, till 1864, for the building to be completed. The new synagogue was dedicated by Baron Alphonse James de Rothschild, brother of Edmond James de Rothschild, who dedicated much of his life supporting the Jews of Palestine. It was officially named "Beis Yaakov" — House of Jacob — in memory of their father James (Yaakov) Rothschild. The locals however, continued to call it the Hurva.^[24] As a token of gratitude to the British government for their involvement, The British consul, James Finn, was invited to the dedication ceremony which included a thanksgiving service. He describes the “beautiful chants and anthems in Hebrew”, the subsequent refreshments provided and the playing of Russian and Austrian music.^[5]
For the next 84 years, the building was considered the most beautiful and most important synagogue in the Land of Israel. It also housed part of the Etz Chaim Yeshiva, the largest yeshiva in Jerusalem. It was a focal point of Jewish spiritual life in the city and was the site of the installation of the Ashkenazi chief rabbis of both Palestine and Jerusalem.^[22] On his visit to Jerusalem in 1866, Moses Montefiore went to see the famed Hurva synagogue, placing a silver breastplate on one of the Torah scrolls. When he visited again in 1875, a crowd of 3,000 Jews turned out to greet him.^[25] On February 3, 1901 a memorial service for Queen Victoria took place inside the synagogue in gratitude for the protection afforded to the Jews of Jerusalem by Britain. The service was presided over by the Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi, Shmuel Salant. According to a report in the Jewish Chronicle, the large building was “filled to its utmost capacity and policemen had to keep off the crowds, who vainly sought admission, by force".^[26]

[edit] 1948 Arab-Israeli War: Reduced to rubble once again

Arab Legion soldier within the ruins, June 1948

On May 25, 1948, during the battle for the Old City, commander of the Jordanian Arab Legion, Major Abdullah el Tell, wrote to Otto Lehner of the Red Cross to warn that unless the Haganah abandoned its positions in the synagogue and its adjoining courtyard, he would be forced to attack it. Moshe Russnak, commander of the Haganah in the Old City, ignored his request, knowing that if the Hurva fell, the battle for the Jewish Quarter would soon be lost.^[27] On May 26, 1948, the Jordanian Arab Legion delivered an ultimatum to the Jews to surrender within 12 hours; otherwise the Hurva would be bombarded.^[28]
On May 27, el-Tell, after receiving no answer to his proposition, told his men to “Get the Hurva Synagogue by noon.” Fawzi el-Kutub executed the mission by placing a 200-litre barrel filled with explosives against the synagogue wall. The explosion resulted in a gaping hole and Haganah fighters spent forty-five minutes fighting in vain to prevent the Legionnaires from entering. When they finally burst through, they tried to reach the top of its dome to plant an Arab flag. Three were shot by snipers, but the fourth succeeded. The Arab flag flying over the Old City skyline signaled the Legion’s triumph. A short while later a huge explosion reduced the synagogue, together with the Etz Chaim Yeshiva attached to it, to rubble.^[27][29]
The question of whether responsibility for its destruction should rest on the shoulders of the Arab Legion or on the Haganah who had turned it into their last stronghold is debatable. What is for certain is that the building was deliberately mined and blown up after the Arabs had captured the area.^[30] el-Tell wrote in 1959 that “operations of calculated destruction had been set in motion because the Jewish Quarter had no strategic value. Its buildings and shrines were not destroyed in battle. All this took place after military activities had come to a standstill.”^[31]

[edit] Post 1967: Plans sought for a new design

The synagogue in ruins, 1967

Following the Six Day War, plans were mooted and designs sought for a new synagogue to be built at the site, part of the overall rehabilitation of the Jewish Quarter. Many religious and political figures supported the proposal to rebuild the original synagogue “where it was, as it was.” However, the Jewish Quarter Development Company in charge of the restoration of the Jewish Quarter, strongly opposed it. Their reasoning was based on a number of factors: a) The planners and architects involved in developing the area were all secular. They stressed the nationalist basis of the project and rejected the traditional religious character of the area; b) When “reconstruction” became the official religious and right-wing position, it became unacceptable to them; c) They wanted to promote unity and believed that reconstructing the synagogue of one particular group would have stirred opposition within other communities; d) Contrary to the 19th century design which was meant to blend in with the Oriental/Arab landscape, Israeli architects wanted the building to reflect their modern Western identity; e) Although it would have been possible to rebuild it as it was, neither the architects nor the masons were sufficiently qualified in traditional masonry technology to attempt it. Moreover, most of the original carved stones and surviving decorative elements had been removed, making a “reconstruction” unrealisable. Swayed by the creativity of contemporary architecture, they supported the redesign of a new Hurva by a prominent architect.^[17]

[edit] 1968–73: The Kahn plans

Leading the campaign to rebuild the Hurva was Rabbi Shlomo Zalman Tzoref's great-great-grandson, Ya'acov Salomon. He consulted Ram Karmi, who in turn recommended Louis Kahn, a world-renowned architect who was also a founding member of the Jerusalem Committee. Between 1968 and 1973, Kahn presented three plans for the reconstruction. The ruins were incorporated in a memorial garden, with a new structure on an adjacent lot and a promenade, the "Route of the Prophets," leading to the Western Wall.^[32] Kahn proposed a structure within a structure, the outer one composed of 16 piers covered in golden Jerusalem stone cut in blocks of the same proportions as those of the Western Wall. In the bases of the four corners of the two-story, 12-meter high structure delineated by the piers would be small alcoves for meditation or individual prayer. The inner chamber, made of four inverted concrete pyramids supporting the building's roof, would be used for daily prayer services and allow for larger crowds on Sabbath or festivals. Kahn's model was displayed in the Israel Museum, but when he died in 1974, his plan was shelved. Former mayor Teddy Kollek wrote to Kahn in 1968 that "the decision concerning your plans is essentially a political one. Should we in the Jewish Quarter have a building of major importance which competes with the mosque and the Holy Sepulchre, and should we in general have any building which would compete in importance with the Western Wall?"^[32]

The commemorative arch built after the Six-Day War

Boston-based architect Moshe Safdie, who has built extensively in Jerusalem and trained with Kahn in Philadelphia, was also in favour of rebuilding using contemporary design: "It's absurd to reconstruct the Hurva as if nothing had happened. If we have the desire to rebuild it, let's have the courage to have a great architect do it."^[32]

[edit] 1977–81: Commemorative arch, subsequent proposals shelved

As no permanent solution could be agreed upon, a temporary, symbolic solution was created. In 1977, one of the four arches that had originally supported the synagogue’s monumental dome was recreated. The 16 meter high stone arch spanning the space where the Hurva once stood was erected by two architects. The height of the original building, including the dome, had been twice as high as the symbolic arch. Together with the remains of the building and explanatory plaques, it was a stark reminder of what had once stood at the site.^[32]
With the disputes over the modern façade of the proposed new building, which some felt did not properly match the Jewish Quarter’s aesthetic, an Englishman named Sir Charles Clore took the initiative and agreed to fund the project, providing it could be completed in a specified number of years, (his wish was to see the project completed before his death).^[32] Between 1978 and 1981 Sir Denys Lasdun drew up plans that more closely adhered to the original, yet insufficiently as the plans were rejected by Prime Minister Menachem Begin,^[17] and the Minister of Interior at the time refused to sign the papers so that construction could begin. Time ran out and the Hurva was not rebuilt. However, Sir Charles’s daughter provided the necessary funds to create one of the few open spaces in the Jewish Quarter adjacent to the ruined synagogue.^[32]

[edit] 2000: Approval granted for restoration of original design

Nearing completion, July 2009

September 2009

The plan to rebuild the synagogue in its original style received approval by the Israeli Government in 2000. Jerusalem architect Nahum Meltzer was given the commission, and was told to hew as closely as possible to the 19th-century design. Meltzer feels that "both out of respect for the historical memory of the Jewish people and out of respect for the built-up area of the Old City, it is fitting for us to restore the lost glory and rebuild the Hurva Synagogue the way it was."^[22] The government-funded Jewish Quarter Development Corporation originally convinced the Israeli government to allocate $6.2 million (NIS 24m), about 85 percent of the cost, for the reconstruction of the old Ottoman synagogue with private donors contributing the remainder. In the end, the government only paid NIS 11m, with the remainder of the funds donated by a Ukrainian Jewish businessman and philanthropist, Vadim Rabinovitch.^[2]

[edit] 2003: Excavations

During July and August 2003, before construction works commenced, an excavation took place inside the Hurva. It was carried out by the Institute for Archaeology at the Hebrew University and the Israel Exploration Society. The excavation was funded by the Jewish Quarter Development Company of Jerusalem. Before the excavation, the Israel Antiquities Authority supervised the removal of the stone flooring which had been laid after the 1967 Six Day War. Earth was removed to a depth of two metres over an area of 300 m². The dig revealed evidence from four main settlement periods: First Temple (800-600 BCE), Second Temple (100 CE), Byzantine and Ottoman.^[33]

[edit] Events since 2005

Following comprehensive historic research, the reconstruction works began in 2005 and are expected to end in 2009.


On February 15, 2007, during construction works, Rabbi Simcha ha-Cohen Kook of Rehovot, was appointed as the rabbi of the Hurva. A certificate of confirmation was signed by leading rabbis, including Yosef Sholom Eliashiv. Menachem Porush, who remembered the original building in its glory, mentioned how overjoyed he was to see the fulfillment of his dream which he had never given up on – the rebuilding of the Hurva.^[34]


During the reconstruction process, contention has arisen over what kind of institution the Hurva will be. Secular and National-religious activists want the site to become a museum accessible for tourists and oppose the notion of another synagogue in the Old City. They want the reconstructed synagogue to present the historical saga of the Jewish Quarter and display archaeological finds unearthed there. They say the appointment of Kook as the rabbi of the synagogue while the structure was still a shell was meant to prevent a Modern Orthodox rabbi, who would have been more amenable to a broader utilisation of the site, from getting the position. Rabbi of the Jewish Quarter, Avigdor Nebenzahl, has been clear that he wants the building to serve as a synagogue and a house of study.<sup>[35]


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<sup>There is no "Biblical" correlation to the Great Synagogue and "normal Christian Eschatology".  While it adds a "flavor" or a "sense of things to come" there is no direct link to the Jerusalem Synagogue being built.


Like a Nostradamus Effect History Channel presentation, it is interesting but not necessarily accurate. It merely enhances and adds effect to the eventual fufillment of prophecy, but only sets the stage. It is not the main events themselves.


Looking to Israel, Jerusalem, and developments in Judaism can help affirm timetables, but the ultimate source is the Word of God as it is written, not how we want to interpret it.


It is obvious, we have little time left. 
God does use outside events or "extra-biblical" events as He so chooses, even the stars in the sky and all creation, but he indicates We would know the truth and looking to Jesus would be the key to truth.


As such, we should look up for our salvation draws nigh, but we should know likewise, we are the ones who determine our fate. Jesus already said Be Ready, 


If you are not, Do you think you will go in a rapture?


So, Get ready, Yes, Jesus is Coming again and You will see Him.</sup>