Why President Trump has not moved Embassy to Jerusalem—Yet
New Buzz about Trump recognizing Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, as early as next week, has Israelis excited
There are four key moments, three in the past and one in the future, where it would have been (or will be) perfect timing for President Trump to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s eternal capital and move the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem. Most nations do not recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and place their embassies in Tel Aviv. The Czech Republic recently recognized Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, but like all other embassies, hers remains in Tel Aviv.
Trump Backs Down
In the week’s leading up to the 50-year anniversary of Jerusalem’s reunification, there was much excitement that President Trump would fulfill his bold campaign promise to recognize Jerusalem and move the US Embassy to the capital. That was the slam dunk moment. Prophetically it made perfect sense. The unlikely president, shows his leadership and Cyrus-like favor to Israel, by taking this very bold step. For Bible believers, this would have blessed the heart of God and brought blessing on Trump’s administration and the nation.
“Absolute Baloney”
But as we got closer to the eve of May 23rd, Jerusalem’s anniversary, reports began to leak that Trump had changed his mind. Indeed, he did not recognize Jerusalem or announce an embassy move. Many Trump supporters claim that this was all planned out with the Israeli government. Some have said that Netanyahu himself warned Trump that the timing wasn’t right. I can tell you, this is absolute baloney. Some folks will spin anything Trump does or doesn’t do, because of a unhealthy loyalty to the Trump brand. They feel that if God helped get him in power, we owe him blind loyalty. “You don’t know what he knows,” I have been told. (And, by the way, neither do you!) But I do read the papers and Netanyahu and other Israeli leaders were none too happy regarding the about-face.
“Israel’s consistent position is that the American embassy, like the embassies of all countries with whom we have diplomatic relations, should be in Jerusalem, our eternal capital.” —Netanyahu’s office after Trump decision not to move embassy. “Maintaining embassies outside the capital drives peace further away by helping keep alive the Palestinian fantasy that the Jewish people and the Jewish state have no connection to Jerusalem.”
Don’t get me wrong, Trump is Good for Israel
Yes, Netanyahu put on a nice face for the public, recognizing that Trump is an extreme makeover from the contentious relationship he had with Obama. Obama and his team seemed to have a love affair with evil regimes (Iran, Muslim Brotherhood, etc) and even made excuses for why people join ISIS (they just want jobs!) He viewed Israel with disdain. Despite my disappointment with the reversal of this key campaign promise, I recognize, Israel is in a much better place with President Trump than we were with President Obama or, YIKES, a President Hillary.
Talked-out of it
In the weeks leading to Trump’s visit to Israel to commemorate 50 years of a reunited Jerusalem, he fully planned to make good on his campaign promises. It was a no-brainer and would have quelled his critics who were mad that he didn’t do it immediately after his inauguration. He was waiting for the 50th anniversary of Jerusalem.
The ousted Steve Bannon, who was urging Trump to move the embassy immediately, puts the blame on the embattled Jarod Kushner.
Bannon, they say, lobbied Trump aggressively to move America’s embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, but was blocked by Kushner. And, according to three Bannon allies, Bannon pushed a tougher line against the Palestinians than Kushner did. In May, when Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas visited the White House, Bannon stayed home. “I’m not going to breathe the same air as that terrorist,” Bannon texted a friend.
Good for Bannon!
Kushner, who understood that his already impossible job of negotiating peace between the Palestinians (who celebrate murderers and are in cahoots with Hamas, who wants to destroy the Jewish nation) and democratic Israel, would only be more difficult if his father-in-law president recognized Jerusalem and moved the Embassy. The White House put out this statement saying, that they didn’t relocate the embassy to Jerusalem in order to “maximize the chances of successfully negotiating a deal between Israel and the Palestinians,” something Trump has called “the Ultimate deal”. But this ultimate deal, according to Scripture, will be brokered by antichrist!
[The antichrist] will confirm a covenant with many for one ‘seven.’ In the middle of the ‘seven’ he will put an end to sacrifice and offering. And at the temple he will set up an abomination that causes desolation, until the end that is decreed is poured out on him. (Dan. 9:27)
Many scholars believe that this covenant will between Israel and the nations. The Temple will be rebuilt and then in the middle, the antichrist will desecrate it.
[The antichrist] will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called God or is worshiped, so that he sets himself up in God’s temple, proclaiming himself to be God. (2 Thes. 2:4)
In other words, that is not a deal you want to be making. But I digress.
And then we must ask: Is it a coincidence that Mr. Kushner, who aggressively opposed God’s will regarding Israel (Yes, I think it is safe to say that it is God’s will that Jerusalem be recognized as Israel’s capital) now finds himself under investigation with a state’s witness (Gen. Michael Flynn) ready to testify against him?
Balfour
The second no-brainer date was the recent 100th anniversary of the Balfour Declaration, a document put forth in 1917 by the British government which became international law at the 1920 San Remo Conference. It called for the establishment of a Jewish state in historic Palestine (at the time the word Palestine had no Arab ethnic connection.) (more info: video)
November 29
The third date that would have been a slam dunk was the 70th year anniversary of the United Nations vote for Partition (more info: video)—they would take the 20% of land that remained of Palestine (Great Britain gave 80% of the land, promised to the Jews in the Balfour Declaration, to the Arabs in 1922 creating the first Palestinian Arab homeland, now called Jordan.) and create two more states, one Jewish and one Arab. Though the Arabs rejected it, it set the stage for the May 14, 1948 Declaration of Independence in Israel. That date passed last week.
May 14th, 2018—Independence
If Trump truly plans to move the embassy, and I believe he wants to, May 14th would be ideal, as it will be the 70th anniversary of Israel’s comeback as a nation. A people walked the earth for 1900 years without a country, but God watched over us and brought us back to our own land.
Hold the presses!
Maybe dates are not important to the president, as rumors are swirling that the United States is prepared to fulfill half the promise as early as next week!
US President Donald Trump is considering recognizing Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, officials said Thursday, adding weight to reports that have been circulating in Israeli media. The announcement would be a way to offset a likely decision delaying his campaign promise to move the US Embassy to the holy city from Tel Aviv, the US officials said.
The reports say that Trump still plans to move the embassy,
but also mindful that doing so could set back his aim of forging a long-elusive peace agreement between Israel and the Palestinians, who claim part of Jerusalem as the capital of an eventual state.
Either way, this is an issue that will come up every six months, as Congress passed a law that Bill Clinton signed, which says that every six months the U.S. president must sign a waiver to not move the (already built) embassy or there will be severe consequences. Had Trump not so boldly declared his intention to move the embassy, this would not be such a big deal. But because he made this such a HUGE part of his campaign, every six months you will see this video posted below, when he emphatically proclaimed at the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, that Jerusalem was Israel’s eternal capital and the embassy will be moved to Jerusalem.
Cyrus: the verdict is still out
We elected Donald Trump because he was not conventional. But favoring a failed peace process over a bold promise to bless Israel, the most hated nation on earth, is by definition: conventional. And if the Cyrus prophecies (see what I wrote here) are true about the President, then a modern-day Cyrus would most definitely recognize Jerusalem and move the Embassy. Cyrus was the unconventional dictator, by allowing the Jewish people to go home and rebuild their wall, city and temple.
Come on Mr. President, be that Cyrus! We are praying for you!
This year, we celebrated the 500th anniversary of the Reformation of the Church through Martin Luther's 95 thesis. Prior to that, the Church simply believed what they were told by the church leaders and did not read the Word of God for themselves. That is what has happened with people regarding government. (Photo via Flickr)
Although gross darkness will continue to try to cover the earth, God's light and glory will continue to shine upon His people. There will be a holy fear that comes upon those who try to get in their way. You will even hear the media say something like, "It is uncanny how the more that comes against this president and these people, the stronger they seem to get." (Photo via Pixabay)