Sermon Central
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Allenby Captures Jerusalem Without Firing A Shot 1917
Contributed by Raymond Petzholt on Mar 12, 2024 (message contributor)
Allenby captures Jerusalem without firing a shot 1917
Palestine was now in the hands of a Christian nation which only twelve months previously had officially declared its interest in the return of the Jews to their own land, and promised to assist them in facilitating the creation of a Jewish National Home in Palestine. [The Balfour Declaration]
Taking Jerusalem:
General Sir Edmund Allenby was brought from France to take over the Middle East campaign in June 1917. The Arabs had a proverb that when the waters of the Nile reached Palestine Jerusalem would be taken from the Turks. General Sir Archibald Murray, who preceded Allenby in command, in his advance from the canal had laid a twelve inch pipe line from the west side of the canal to El Arish on the border of Palestine. Through this pipe was pumped daily six hundred thousand gallons of Nile water to enable the advance of the British army.
When Allenby took charge another fear entered Turkish Moslem hearts, for his name in Arabic could be read Allah Nebi – prophet of Allah! (p. 126)
The main attack on Jerusalem began on December 8 (although not a single shell fell on Jerusalem itself. That night the Turks evacuated the city. On the 9th the mayor of Jerusalem surrendered the keys of the city to General Shea, and on December 11 General Allenby formally but humbly on foot, entered the city and took possession (p. 126)
General Allenby was in command of British Forces in Palestine in 1917. He was used of God in a very miraculous way to make conquest of Jerusalem without firing a single shot. They even built the Allenby Bridge in his honor.
Allenby wondered what was the best way of capturing Jerusalem because he did not want to damage any of the sacred sites dear to all Christendom. He didn’t want to have to fire upon the city.
In his dilemma he cabled the King of England for advice. Back came the message: “Pray about it and use your discretion.”
According, prayer was offered, and then he marched on Jerusalem. Meanwhile, fear had entered into the hearts of the Turks within the city. The fear was caused by the remarkable significance of Allenby’s name in the Arabic language. “Allah-en-ebia” means “God is against us!
The terrifying conviction laid hold upon the entire population that God was really fighting against them. When Allenby arrived at the gates, not a shot was fired. The garrison had retreated and the general marched into the city at the head of his army with absolutely no resistance.
(ref. “In His Land Seeing is Believing” by Roy Gustafson, World wide publications, p. 83-85)
The famous general told how, as a little boy, he had knelt to say his evening prayers; he was taught to pray after his mother the closing part of the prayer:
“And, O Lord, we would not forget thine ancient people, Israel. Hasten the day when Israel shall again be thy people and shall be restored to thy favor and to their land.”
At a reception in London, Allenby said, “I never knew that God would give me the privilege of helping to answer my own childhood prayers.”
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