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Chapter 12: The Balfour Declaration of 1917 was a Fulfillment of Biblical Prophecy
The Balfour Declaration was at the very Heart of the British Mandate and was a Fulfillment of Biblical Prophecy: What was meant for evil, God used for the good of many people. Even though the British Mandate was not in the best interest of those living in the Middle East, God used the “Balfour Declaration,” the very heart of the British Mandate, which was a by-product of the Sykes-Picot Agreement, to fulfill Biblical Prophecy to gather the Jewish people from the four corners of the earth and bring them back to the land God promised to them.
The Balfour Declaration reads as follows: |
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Source: British Library, Originally published 9 November 1917 |
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The key paragraph of Lord Balfour’s letter of November 2, 1917, which was submitted to and approved by the British Cabinet, states:
“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”
God used Lord Arthur James Balfour, a Christian Zionist and Britain’s Foreign Secretary, whose heart was different than Sykes, co-author of the Sykes-Picot Agreement, to write a letter to one of Britain’s most well-known and respected Jewish citizens, the renowned Lord Lionel Walter Rothschild, the President of the British Zionist Federation, publicly acknowledging that the British government supported the establishment of a national home for the Jewish people in Palestine.
The Balfour Declaration was a Fulfillment of Scriptural Prophecy that Changed the World: The Balfour Declaration, written by a Christian Zionist who believed that the return of the Jews to Israel was a fulfillment of Scriptural Prophecy, is probably the most important document in Israel’s modern-day history – second only to the prophecies in the Old Testament. It was at the heart of the British Mandate and was a Declaration that changed the world. The Zionist goal of establishing a Jewish state in Palestine became a reality because of a Gentile Nation and a Christian Zionist.
God’s Word is Israel’s Mandate: It’s important to keep in mind that the Balfour Declaration confirmed Prophecies made by God’s Prophets as recorded in the Old Testament and that God’s Word is Israel’s Mandate!
Cyrus, King of Persia: And, this wasn’t the first time that God used a Gentile Nation and its leader to gather the Jews back to their homeland.
Ezra 1:1-3 1 In the first year of King Cyrus of Persia, the LORD fulfilled the prophecy he had given through Jeremiah. He stirred the heart of Cyrus to put this proclamation in writing and to send it throughout his kingdom: 2 “This is what King Cyrus of Persia says: “The LORD, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth. He has appointed me to build Him a Temple at Jerusalem, which is in Judah. 3 Any of you who are His people may go to Jerusalem in Judah to rebuild this Temple of the LORD, the God of Israel, who lives in Jerusalem. And may your God be with you! NLT
The Jew’s enemies were constantly harassing them while they were rebuilding the Temple to the point that they asked King Darius to search the archives to make sure that King Cyrus had, as the Jews claimed, made a decree that allowed the Jews to return to Judah to rebuild the Temple. (Ezra 5:6-17)
King Darius searched the archives and did indeed find King Cyrus’ decree, which read:
Ezra 6:3-5 3 “In the first year of King Cyrus’s reign, a decree was sent out concerning the Temple of God at Jerusalem. “Let the Temple be rebuilt on the site where Jews used to offer their sacrifices, using the original foundations. Its height will be ninety feet, and its width will be ninety feet. 4 Every three layers of specially prepared stones will be topped by a layer of timber. All expenses will be paid by the royal treasury. 5 Furthermore, the gold and silver cups, which were taken to Babylon by Nebuchadnezzar from the Temple of God in Jerusalem, must be returned to Jerusalem and put back where they belong. Let them be taken back to the Temple of God.” NLT
After finding King Cyrus’ Decree, King Darius not only ordered that those who were opposing the rebuilding of the Temple in Jerusalem to stay away and not disturb the construction of the Temple of God and to not hinder their work – he ordered them to help the Jewish people to rebuild it. (Ezra 6:6-13)
Thousands of years ago, God used King Cyrus to issue a written “Decree” that allowed the Jewish people to return to Israel. And, so it was with Lord Balfour whose Declaration was put in writing and became a legal document.
The Bible is Israel’s Mandate: Sykes and the British government didn’t understand that the Lord was using the “British Mandate” to bring about His Biblical Mandate – as revealed through Biblical Prophecy. The power they thought they had over the future of the Jewish people living in Palestine was futile thinking on their part. The British deceived others, but they themselves were also deceived – not by God – but by their own delusions!
Israel’s “Declaration of Independence” was proclaimed on May 14, 1948 by David Ben-Gurion, the first Prime Minister of Israel. The Declaration proclaimed the establishment of a Jewish state in Eretz-Israel (the land of Israel), to be known as the State of Israel, which would take effect later that same night when the British Mandate expired.
In Israel’s “Declaration of Independence,” Ben-Gurion points out that the establishment of a Jewish state in Eretz-Israel was recognized in the Balfour Declaration on November 2, 1917 and re-affirmed in the Mandate of the League of Nations.
An excerpt from the “Declaration of Independence” reads as follows:
“ERETZ-ISRAEL [(Hebrew) - the Land of Israel] was the birthplace of the Jewish people. Here their spiritual, religious and political identity was shaped. Here they first attained to statehood, created cultural values of national and universal significance and gave to the world the eternal Book of Books.
After being forcibly exiled from their land, the people kept faith with it throughout their Dispersion and never ceased to pray and hope for their return to it and for the restoration in it of their political freedom.
Impelled by this historic and traditional attachment, Jews strove in every successive generation to re-establish themselves in their ancient homeland. In recent decades they returned in their masses. Pioneers, ma'pilim [(Hebrew) - immigrants coming to Eretz-Israel in defiance of restrictive legislation] and defenders, they made deserts bloom, revived the Hebrew language, built villages and towns, and created a thriving community controlling its own economy and culture, loving peace but knowing how to defend itself, bringing the blessings of progress to all the country's inhabitants, and aspiring towards independent nationhood.
In the year 5657 (1897), at the summons of the spiritual father of the Jewish State, Theodore Herzl, the First Zionist Congress convened and proclaimed the right of the Jewish people to national rebirth in its own country.
This right was recognized in the Balfour Declaration of the 2nd November, 1917, and re-affirmed in the Mandate of the League of Nations which, in particular, gave international sanction to the historic connection between the Jewish people and Eretz-Israel and to the right of the Jewish people to rebuild its National Home.”
End of excerpt
On another occasion and in no uncertain terms, Ben-Gurion made it known to the entire world that God’s Bible is Israel’s Mandate – not the British Mandate nor the Balfour Declaration: When asked to justify the basis of the Jewish claim to Palestine land, in a very clear and direct way, David Ben-Gurion so elegantly explained to the British Royal Commission of Inquiry (the Peel Commission) in 1937 the basis of the Jewish demand for the right to live in the Land of Israel:
“Our right to the Land of Israel does not stem from the Mandate and the Balfour Declaration. It precedes those. The Bible is our mandate… I can state in the name of the Jewish People: The Bible is our mandate, the Bible that was written by us in our Hebrew language, and in this land itself, is our mandate. Our historical right has existed since our beginnings as the Jewish People, and the Balfour Declaration and the Mandate recognize and confirm that right”
"The Bible is our mandate. Our historic right has existed since the dawn of the Jewish people."
After backlash from the Balfour Declaration, many within the British government tried to downplay the intent of the Balfour Declaration. However, whether it was the intent of the entire British government, no one can deny that this was the intention set forth in the Balfour Declaration, which was affirmed by France and the League of Nations when they approved the British Mandate.
Much to the chagrin of the Arabs, the Balfour Declaration recognized the historical bond of the Jewish People to the Holy Land, a bond that existed thousands of years before the Balfour Declaration. According to God’s Word, it was this land and only this land that the Jewish people could claim as their own.
God can use Unrighteous Men like King Cyrus and Darius, both Kings of Persia, and Sir Mark Sykes, as well as Righteous Men like Lord Balfour, to bring Biblical Prophecy to Pass that allowed the Israelites to return to the land God promised Abraham, Isaac and Jacob: Not all of Britain’s Government officials had the same heart as Lord Balfour who believed in the Zionist cause. Sykes and Britain’s Government on the whole thought a vaguely worded statement written by Lord Balfour would stir up American Jewish support for World War I, not realizing that the Balfour Declaration would become the very vehicle that would lead to the creation of the State of Israel.
Because God’s sovereign will does not depend on the righteousness of man, we know from time-to-time the Lord will raise up someone like Cyrus and Darius, both Persian Kings, to change the direction of a country's government and execute His judgments upon the earth. Whether they are righteous leaders or unrighteous leaders, Romans 13 reveals that all governing authorities are ordained of the Lord.
And, so it was with Sykes and others who approved of the “Balfour Declaration.”
God is the God of the Gentiles as well as the God of the Jewish People
Obviously, God can and does use the civil leaders He ordains to carry out His righteous purposes, even though they are not righteous themselves. For example, we know that God gave Pilate, the Roman governor (procurator) of Judea, the power and authority to crucify Jesus in order that the words Jesus spoke concerning the kind of death He was to die would be fulfilled. (John 18:32) And just as it was with the case with Pilate, God’s sovereign will does not depend on the righteousness of man. Without a doubt, it was in God’s timing and for His specific purposes that God used Sykes and the British government to authorize Lord Balfour to write the Balfour Declaration to fulfill Prophecy and bring about His kingdom purposes for the Hebrew people.
John 11:49-51 reveals that even though the High Priest Caiaphas was not a prophet, without realizing it, what he spoke was prophetic. In other words, the Lord can and does use men like Sykes and the League of Nations to serve His purposes even when it is contrary to their own secular plans and agendas. And as His instruments, these men can prophesy without realizing they are prophesying.
Sykes and other cabinet members (apart from Lord Balfour and several others) were a type of “Caiaphas,” the high priest, that prophesied without realizing they were prophesying.
Again, Sykes and the British Government thought a vaguely-worded statement that could be open to interpretation would gain the support of Jews living in America to encourage other Americans to come to Britain’s aid in their endeavors, not realizing that the Balfour Declaration would become the engine that led to the State of Israel.
Caiaphas’s words, “it’s better for you that one man should die for the people than for the whole nation to be destroyed,” were true in a way that he could not have imagined. And, so it was with Sykes and the League of Nations. Sykes and the League of Nations thought it was the British Mandate that allowed them to wield their power over Israel – not so! The British Mandate, as well as the Balfour Declaration, were within God’s Mandate at all times and I have no doubt that Lord Balfour knew this!
God often uses men like Sykes to serve His own Kingdom purposes, even when God’s purposes are contrary to their own intentions and desires. And, so it was with Sykes and the League of Nations.
One of the things many Jewish people have trouble accepting is the fact that their God – the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob – is the God of the Gentiles as well as the Jewish people, and that at times He will use a Gentile Nation or one of its government officials to fulfill Biblical prophecies for the Jewish people.
Every year the Jewish people celebrate the “Balfour Declaration,” and interestingly, their main focus is on Rothschild, the Jewish man whom the Declaration was addressed to, and not Lord Balfour, the Christian Zionist who authored the letter and who believed God raised him up for such a moment as writing the “Balfour Declaration.”
The Spirit-led Christian like Lord Balfour and the South Lebanese Army (SLA) who came to the aid of the IDF during the Lebanon Conflict are Israel’s greatest and most loyal Spiritual Allies.
There is no doubt that the Balfour Declaration was key in the establishment of a national home for the Jewish people, not only in the secular sense, but more importantly, in prophetic history that is coming to pass in our lifetime. No one, including the Jewish people, can deny that God used Lord Balfour, a Christian Zionist, to accomplish what Theodor Herzl could not: to establish a home for the Jewish people in Palestine.
Theodor Herzl, the father of Jewish Zionism, realized that if the Zionist dream of a national homeland for the Jewish people was ever to become a reality, then the Jewish people would have to have the support and approval of the international community, which is what the Balfour Declaration accomplished. The Balfour Declaration was incorporated into the League of Nations Mandate for Palestine making it part of international law, which further strengthened Balfour’s Declaration.
Herzl knew that international recognition by a major world power like Great Britain,, which was one of the two world powers in Europe at the time, would be needed for a Jewish homeland to be secured, which was not an easy task.
The King’s Heart is in the Hands of the Lord. Which begs the question: what caused the British government to publicly back the Zionist dream of a national homeland for dispersed Jews to return to land they call Israel? The reasons are multifaceted and not all are honorable.
However, one thing is certain: God was in control, and there is no doubt that the decisive reason was the Biblical Prophecies of Israel’s return to Zion. This was the main reason that Britain’s cabinet members moved to issue the Balfour Declaration, whether that was the intent of their heart or not.
The King’s heart is in the Hand of the Lord. In other words, the hearts of Britain’s cabinet were in the hands of the Lord, and God influenced the way they would vote.
Proverbs 21:1 1 The king’s heart is like a stream of water directed by the LORD; He guides it wherever He pleases. NLT
Not everyone had the same heart as Lord Balfour – nonetheless, God was able to use the harm meant by others like Sykes, who co-authored the Sykes-Picot Agreement, and use it for good: the fulfillment of Biblical Prophecy!
An important aspect of the Balfour Declaration is that it was a by-product of the Sykes-Picot Agreement, which brought chaos, destruction and division to the Middle East that is still felt to this day. Sykes and members of Great Britain’s Cabinet agreed to the Balfour Declaration because they thought it was in the best interest of Great Britain. Unlike Lord Balfour, Sykes and Great Britain’s government were not focused on Biblical Prophecy coming to pass; rather, their goal was to protect the interests of Great Britain.
For example, a Jewish homeland under the control of Great Britain would provide access to India and East Africa, which had been cut off by the Ottoman Empire. Therefore, Jewish control of Palestine, under Britain’s authority, was definitely in Britain best interests.
One of the main reasons the British Government issued the Balfour Agreement in 1917 during the First World War was to garner support for the British war efforts. The British government hoped the Jewish people living in Russia would urge their government’s participation in World War I. They also hoped to persuade America to enter the war as one of their allies. To promise a homeland for the dispersed Jews was their way of trying to influence the Jews living in both Russia and America, who they believed had the political power to influence their governments, to come to the aid of Britain in their fight with Germany and the Ottoman Empire.
Another reason often given is the British government wanted to reward Chaim Weizmann, the renowned chemist who was a Jewish Zionist, for his help in the war effort with his development of synthesized acetone, an ingredient that was necessary for Britain to produce the explosives they used against their enemies, but was in short supply.
Even though Sykes contributed to the wording of the Balfour Declaration and ensured that it would be incorporated into the British Mandate, it certainly wasn’t because of the integrity of his heart or love for the Jewish people. Sykes was in favor of the Balfour Declaration being made a part of the British Mandate because Sykes believed that the Balfour Declaration was in the best interest of England. However, neither Sykes nor Britain understood that God would use the Balfour Declaration to bring about Biblical Prophecy.
The Christian Zionists and Jewish people beat the French and English at their own game: The Sykes-Picot Agreement and the Balfour Declaration was a display of England’s greed at its worst;” however, the Christian Zionists and Jewish people beat the French and English at their own game, because the Balfour Declaration was Britain’s public declaration that the Jewish people had the right to establish a Jewish homeland in Palestine.
It was well-known that Balfour, himself believed that the return of the Jews to Israel was a fulfillment of scriptural prophecy.
Isaiah 11:10-12 10 In that day the heir to David’s throne will be a banner of salvation to all the world. The nations will rally to him, and the land where he lives will be a glorious place. 11 In that day the Lord will reach out his hand a second time to bring back the remnant of his people— those who remain in Assyria and northern Egypt; in southern Egypt, Ethiopia, and Elam; in Babylonia, Hamath, and all the distant coastlands. 12 He will raise a flag among the nations and assemble the exiles of Israel. He will gather the scattered people of Judah from the ends of the earth. NLT
It’s ironic that what Sykes and England’s government thought was in the best interest of England – God used to fulfill Biblical Prophecy. God can and does use what was meant for evil for the good of His Kingdom. (Romans 8)
Lord Balfour was a “Christian Zionist” who understood Zionism from a Biblical perspective. There is no doubt that Christian Zionism was the guiding principle in Balfour’s support for a Jewish homeland. It has been reported that Balfour felt that God had called him to that very moment in his life. To Lord Balfour, the Balfour Declaration was much more than a political decision made to protect the interests and self-serving power plays of the British government. The belief that it was God’s Will that the Jews had the right to make Palestine their rightful homeland was a reflection of Lord Balfour’s own Christian beliefs – it was who he was – it was an aspect of Balfour’s identity in Christ.
We know from John 11:49-52 when Caiaphas unknowingly prophesied concerning Christ’s death that one of the reasons Christ died was to bring together and unite all the children of God scattered around the world.
John 11:49-52 49 But one of them, Caiaphas, who was the high priest that year [the year of Christ’s crucifixion], said to them, “You know nothing at all! 50 Nor do you understand that it is expedient and politically advantageous for you that one man die for the people, and that the whole nation not perish.” 51Now he did not say this [simply] on his own initiative; but being the high priest that year, he [was unknowingly used by God and] prophesied that Jesus was going to die for the nation, 52 and not only for the nation, but also for the purpose of gathering together into one body the children of God who have been scattered abroad. Amplified Bible
Even today, like myself, there are many Christians who identify as Christian Zionists who believe that God gave the Promised Land to the Jewish people. Like other Christian Zionists, I travel to Israel to show my support for the Nation of Israel.
The Arabs: Needless to say, the Balfour Declaration has never been acknowledged by the Arab nations, and in addition to the Sykes-Picot Agreement, it remains as one of the major disagreements that has led to many conflicts between Israel and the Arab nations.
It is important to note that had it not been for World War I and the Sykes-Picot Agreement that was a by-product of World War I, the Balfour Declaration would never have been a possibility. God used the evils of World War I and the Sykes-Picot Agreement for good and the saving of many lives – hence the Balfour Declaration.
The Balfour Declaration was Prophecy Coming to Pass – it was not only the rebirth of the nation of Israel but the rebirth of a people!
Isaiah 66:7-9 7 “Before the birth pains even begin, Jerusalem gives birth to a son. 8 Who has ever seen anything as strange as this? Who ever heard of such a thing? Has a nation ever been born in a single day? Has a country ever come forth in a mere moment? But by the time Jerusalem’s birth pains begin, her children will be born. 9 Would I ever bring this nation to the point of birth and then not deliver it?” asks the LORD. “No! I would never keep this nation from being born,” says your God. NLT
Ezekiel 37:21 21 And give them this message from the Sovereign LORD: I will gather the people of Israel from among the nations. I will bring them home to their own land from the places where they have been scattered. NLT
As Believers, we need to stand alongside Israel and Celebrate the Balfour Declaration – the rebirth of Israel as a nation – simply because it is a fulfillment of Bible Prophecy. The Balfour Declaration and the international acceptance of this Declaration are proof beyond a shadow of doubt that God’s Word is alive and well – God’s Word is a Living Word.
Hebrews 4:12 12 For the word of God is living and active and full of power [making it operative, energizing, and effective]. It is sharper than any two-edged sword, penetrating as far as the division of the soul and spirit [the completeness of a person], and of both joints and marrow [the deepest parts of our nature], exposing and judging the very thoughts and intentions of the heart. Amplified Bible
Wars and Bible Prophecy
World War I was a manifestation of the wars that the Apostle Matthew warns us of in Matthew 24:6-7 that reveals that nation will go to war against nation and kingdom against kingdom, but we are not to panic as these things must come to pass before Christ returns. It is because of God’s grace that Christ warns us to take note of the signs all around us and be on our guard so we will be prepared for those calamities that are sure to come.
Scripture also reveals that God can and will use wars to bring about His Kingdom purposes and even to fulfill Biblical Prophecy. God can use what was meant for evil to the saving of many lives. (Genesis 50:20)
The Balfour Declaration that was decreed during World War I is only one manifestation of Genesis 50:20.
Likewise, the Voice of Hope, the Radio Station George Otis raised up on the war-torn battlefield of Lebanon, was Prophecy Coming to Pass: Going back to Matthew 24 – verse 14 reveals that the result of these wars is the good news of the Kingdom, the Gospel of Jesus Christ, will be preached throughout the whole world as a testimony to all the nations. And, isn’t that what the “Voice of Hope” was all about – the Gospel of Jesus Christ reaching all nations? The “Voice of Hope” born on the war-torn battlefields of Lebanon was Prophecy coming to pass – it is now heard on every continent in the world!
Never before was the Gospel of Jesus Christ heard on every continent. What Satan meant for evil God used for His Purposes and His good to spread the Gospel! (Genesis 50:20 and Romans 8:28) How amazing that God is able to use the evils of war to spread the Hope of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
God brought down the Hostilities between the IDF and the SLA: And, what about the hostilities that were brought down between the IDF and South Lebanon’s Christian Militia who came to the aid of Israel?
Ephesians 2:14 14 For He Himself is our peace and our bond of unity. He who made both groups—[Jews and Gentiles]—into one body and broke down the barrier, the dividing wall [of spiritual antagonism between us], Amplified Bible
The Conflict between Israel and Lebanon was not good; however, God used it for good to the saving of many, many lives and to bring down the hostilities between the Jew and Gentile making them one. The South Lebanese Army (SLA) a Christian Militia in South Lebanon, became one of Israel’s greatest allies, not just on the ground, but spiritually as well during the conflict with the PLO and Hezbollah.
In 2021, Israel formerly and publicly acknowledged the brotherhood formed between the IDF and the SLA, and honored them with a memorial in Metulla where Israel shares a border with Lebanon.
The words of Major Haddad, the Christian leader of the SLA, about his love for Israel are very touching. Francis Rezik, Major Haddad’s spokesman, explained why Israel meant so much to Colonel Haddad:
“Israel is our double savior. First, she gave us the Messiah who saved us spiritually. Then she saved us from physical destruction. The roots of our Christianity are with the Jews. Why should we not be Israel’s ally?”
It speaks volumes that when Major Haddad went home to be with the Lord, Israel’s Prime Minister Shamir and his cabinet honored Major Haddad’s unconditional love for Israel by crossing Israel’s border over into Lebanon to attend Major Haddad’s funeral that was held in his village.
The following is another example of how God used the conflict between Israel and South Lebanon for the good of His Kingdom Purposes.
The Conflict between Israel and South Lebanon was not good – however God used the Lebanon Conflict to Teach the Younger Generation of Israelites how to Fight. We know from Judges 3:1-3 that the Lord used the enemy, including the modern-day Lebanese (Sidonians, verse 3), that the Israelites were not able to drive out of their allotted lands to test the Israelites, whether or not they would follow Him, and to teach the younger generations who had no experience in battle – to teach them the art of warfare.
Judges 3:1-3 1 These are the nations that the LORD left in the land to test those Israelites who had not experienced the wars of Canaan. 2 He did this to teach warfare to generations of Israelites who had no experience in battle. 3 These are the nations: the Philistines (those living under the five Philistine rulers), all the Canaanites, the Sidonians, and the Hivites living in the mountains of Lebanon from Mount Baal-hermon to Lebo-hamath. NLT
We can be confident that God used the “Lebanon Conflict” (Sidonian Conflict) and the attacks of both the PLO and Hezbollah from within the borders of Lebanon for His Kingdom purposes – to teach the younger generation of Israelites about war.
And, that brings me to Chapter 13 “Religious Wars not Ordained by the Lord and who Misuse the Name of God are not Righteous Wars! |