1967 - A Fulfillment of Prophecy?
For many people who recognize God's hand in the rebirth of Israel as a nation see the results of the Six Day War of June 1967, when Israel captured East Jerusalem and the West Bank from the Jordanians, as a fulfillment of Biblical prophecy: Namely that God would bring back His people from the four corners of the earth:
11 It will happen in that day that the LORD will set his hand again the second time to recover the remnant that is left of his people from Assyria, from Egypt, from Pathros, from Cush, from Elam, from Shinar, from Hamath, and from the islands of the sea. 12 He will set up a banner for the nations, and will assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather together the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth.
Isa. 11:11-12
However there is a major problem in that Isaiah declares that the prophecied return to the land is a 'second time' from the 'four corners of the earth'. The question then has to be asked, "When was the 'first time'"?
According to Biblical history there was no 'first time'; the only recorded return was that of the return from Babylon after seventy years in exile (great datail is given in the Books of Ezra and Nehemiah) and that was only from the area known as the Near East rather from the 'four corners of the earth'. The only other return began in the late 1800's and continues to this day and literally is from the 'four corners of the earth' - this then is the 'first time' which makes it a temporary return. That it is a temporary return can clearly be seen from chapters 12 and 14 of Zechariah:
1 An oracle. The word of the LORD concerning Israel. The LORD, who stretches out the heavens, and lays the foundation of the earth, and forms the spirit of man within him says: 2 "Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of reeling to all the surrounding peoples, and on Judah also will it be in the siege against Jerusalem. 3 It will happen in that day, that I will make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all the peoples. All who burden themselves with it will be severely wounded, and all the nations of the earth will be gathered together against it. 4 In that day," says the LORD, "I will strike every horse with terror, and his rider with madness; and I will open my eyes on the house of Judah, and will strike every horse of the peoples with blindness. 5 The chieftains of Judah will say in their heart, 'The inhabitants of Jerusalem are my strength in the LORD of Hosts their God.' 6 In that day I will make the chieftains of Judah like a pan of fire among wood, and like a flaming torch among sheaves; and they will devour all the surrounding peoples, on the right hand and on the left; and Jerusalem will yet again dwell in their own place, even in Jerusalem. 7 the LORD also will save the tents of Judah first, that the glory of the house of David and the glory of the inhabitants of Jerusalem not be magnified above Judah. 8 In that day the LORD will defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem. He who is feeble among them at that day will be like David, and the house of David will be like God, like the angel of the LORD before them. 9 It will happen in that day, that I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem.
Zech. 12:1-9
will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle; and the city will be taken, the houses rifled, and the women ravished; and half of the city will go out into captivity, and the rest of the people will not be cut off from the city. 3 Then the LORD will go out and fight against those nations, as when he fought in the day of battle. 4 His feet will stand in that day on the Mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east; and the Mount of Olives will be split in two, from east to west, making a very great valley. Half of the mountain will move toward the north, and half of it toward the south. 5 You shall flee by the valley of my mountains; for the valley of the mountains shall reach to Azel; yes, you shall flee, just like you fled from before the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah. The LORD my God will come, and all the holy ones with you. 6 It will happen in that day, that there will not be light, cold, or frost. 7 It will be a unique day which is known to the LORD; not day, and not night; but it will come to pass, that at evening time there will be light.
8 It will happen in that day, that living waters will go out from Jerusalem; half of them toward the eastern sea, and half of them toward the western sea; in summer and in winter will it be.
9 The LORD will be King over all the earth. In that day the LORD will be one, and his name one. 10 All the land will be made like the Arabah, from Geba to Rimmon south of Jerusalem; and she will be lifted up, and will dwell in her place, from Benjamin's gate to the place of the first gate, to the corner gate, and from the tower of Hananel to the king's wine-presses. 11 Men will dwell therein, and there will be no more curse; but Jerusalem will dwell safely. 12 This will be the plague with which the LORD will strike all the peoples who have warred against Jerusalem: their flesh will consume away while they stand on their feet, and their eyes will consume away in their sockets, and their tongue will consume away in their mouth. 13 It will happen in that day, that a great panic from the LORD will be among them; and they will lay hold everyone on the hand of his neighbor, and his hand will rise up against the hand of his neighbor. 14 Judah also will fight at Jerusalem; and the wealth of all the surrounding nations will be gathered together: gold, and silver, and clothing, in great abundance.
15 So will be the plague of the horse, of the mule, of the camel, and of the donkey, and of all the animals that will be in those camps, as that plague. 16 It will happen that everyone who is left of all the nations that came against Jerusalem will go up from year to year to worship the King, the LORD of Hosts, and to keep the feast of tents. 17 It will be, that whoever of all the families of the earth doesn't go up to Jerusalem to worship the King, the LORD of Hosts, on them there will be no rain. 18 If the family of Egypt doesn't go up, and doesn't come, neither will it rain on them. This will be the plague with which the LORD will strike the nations that don't go up to keep the feast of tents. 19 This will be the punishment of Egypt, and the punishment of all the nations that don't go up to keep the feast of tents. 20 In that day there will be on the bells of the horses, "HOLY TO THE LORD"; and the pots in the LORD's house will be like the bowls before the altar. 21 Yes, every pot in Jerusalem and in Judah will be holy to the LORD of Hosts; and all those who sacrifice will come and take of them, and cook in them. In that day there will no longer be a Canaanite in the house of the LORD of Hosts.
Zech. 14:1-21
In verse 8 of chapter 12 we read that "In that day the LORD will defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem."; in verse 2 of chapter 14 we read that the city [Jerusalem] will be captured, the houses rifled, and the women ravished; also that half of the city will go into captivity. From verse 16 it is also clear that this is the beginning of the 1,000 year reign of Christ as we read that the surviving nations will go up to Jerusalem every year to celebrate the feast of tents (Tabernacles). These two passages obviously cannot be referring to the same event; so what does it mean? Other verses within the two passages make it more clear: Verse 4 of chapter 14 shows us that this passage is to take place at the second coming of Christ, that Jesus Himself will fight against the nations that have captured the city. However it is to be noted that the city has already been plundered (v.2).
In the passage in chapter 12: 1-9, the account is quite different, the Lord not only protects Jerusalem, but empowers the inhabitants, "so that the feeblest among them will be like David", thus enabling them to fight against and consume their attackers. From verse 5 it is plain that the Jewish people are in faith, having accepted their "King Messiah" Jesus, 'The inhabitants of Jerusalem are my strength in the LORD of Hosts their God.'. This then puts this event at the end of the Millennial Kingdom when, according to Rev. 20:7-9, Satan will gather all those that have rejected the Kingship of Christ to make war on Jerusalem:
7 And after the thousand years, Satan will be released from his prison, 8 and he will come out to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to the war; the number of whom is as the sand of the sea. 9 They went up over the breadth of the earth, and surrounded the camp of the saints, and the beloved city. Fire came down out of heaven from God, and devoured them.
Rev. 20:7-9
Since Jerusalem is going to experience another seige and exile (the prophecy implies that the whole nation of Israel suffers the same fate) it surely follows that the Israeli sovereignty of Jerusalem (and control of the West Bank) as a result of the Six Day War in 1967 is, without a doubt, temporary.
To answer the question of whether the events of 1967 were prophecied - the answer is no, they were however implied which means that they certainly were/are a part of God's plan for Israel and the world at large in these end times.
Additional Notes
There are many passages that prophesy the regathering of Israel. Some refer to the return from Babylon whilst others the regathering at the beginning of the millennium.This is usually clear from the context of the prophecies; the prophecies dealing with the return from Babylon do not mention, nor hint of anything other than the 'close at hand' return, whereas with the 'final' return they usually have a reference to 'in that day', 'in those days' or something obvious which clearly refers to the time that Christ is ruling and reigning during the millennium. This is the second 'world wide' regathering (Isaiah 11:11) - the first is only aluded to and can be seen in Ezekiel chapters 38 and 39:
11 And thou shalt say, I will go up to the land of unwalled villages; I will go to them that are at rest, that dwell safely, all of them dwelling without walls, and having neither bars nor gates,
12 To take a spoil, and to take a prey; to turn thine hand upon the desolate places that are now inhabited, and upon the people that are gathered out of the nations, which have gotten cattle and goods, that dwell in the midst of the land.
16 and you shall come up against my people Israel, as a cloud to cover the land: it shall happen in the latter days, that I will bring you against my land, that the nations may know me, when I shall be sanctified in you, Gog, before their eyes.
26 After that they have borne their shame, and all their trespasses whereby they have trespassed against me, when they dwelt safely in their land, and none made them afraid.
Eze. 38:11-12,16; 39:26 (KJV)
Notice that the above prophecy is to happen in 'the latter days' (v. 16) and that the Jews are once again dwelling in the land having been 'gathered out of the nations' (v. 12). This is the first regathering from the 'four corners of the earth' and as Isaiah 11:11 refers to a 'second time' it follows that there was to be a 'first time'.
Note: The passage dealing with the prophecies in Zechariah chapters 12 and 14 was, in part, taken from Pray For The Peace Of Jerusalem.