O Jerusalem

Coming soon...PALM SUNDAY

Palm Sunday on the Mt of Olives 2013
http://www.demotix.com/news/1904512/patriarch-twal-presides-over-palm-sunday-ceremonies-jerusalem#media-1904456

The next day a great multitude that had come to the feast, when they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, took branches of palm trees and went out to meet Him, and cried out:

“Hosanna!
‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!’
The King of Israel!”

Then Jesus, when He had found a young donkey, sat on it; as it is written:

“Fear not, daughter of Zion;
Behold, your King is coming,
Sitting on a donkey’s colt.

John 12 : 12 -15.

It is a quiet, cool and sunny Shabbat here in Jerusalem and next Sunday it will be Palm Sunday, when many Christians will be celebrating Yeshua's (Jesus') entry into Jerusalem 6 days before he was crucified. He came riding on a donkey and a great crowd of people waved palm branches and laid their garments on the ground as he passed down the Mt of Olives to Jerusalem from Bethany, where he had been staying with Mary, Martha and Lazarus, whom he had just raised up from the dead. The people believed he was the King of Israel come to set them free from the oppressive rule of the Romans. But he knew otherwise. Yeshua's heart was doubtless heavy as he entered Jerusalem that last time, for he knew he would disappoint them. Instead of setting them free from the Romans, he knew that in just 40 short years, the Romans would reduce Jerusalem to rubble, and destroy the Temple, scattering the people of Israel into the Exile. He also knew he was not coming at that time as King, but rather as the suffering Servant, who in just a few days would be hanging on a cross, that cruelest of Roman instruments of torture.

Nevertheless Yeshua knew that these things had to happen to fulfill the prophecies regarding His coming. In Zechariah 9:9 we read ,

Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion!
Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem!
Behold, your King is coming to you;
He is just and having salvation,
Lowly and riding on a donkey,
A colt, the foal of a donkey.

We all know these words well but do we consider their context? They are part of the extended revelation of the end-times restoration of Israel and the second coming of the Lord. Zechariah prophesied saying,

Thus says the Lord of hosts:

‘I am zealous for Zion with great zeal;
With great fervor I am zealous for her.’

“Thus says the Lord:

‘I will return to Zion,
And dwell in the midst of Jerusalem.
Jerusalem shall be called the City of Truth,
The Mountain of the Lord of hosts,
The Holy Mountain.’

“Thus says the Lord of hosts:

‘Old men and old women shall again sit
In the streets of Jerusalem,
Each one with his staff in his hand
Because of great age.
The streets of the city
Shall be full of boys and girls
Playing in its streets.’

Zechariah 8: 1- 5

Children celebrating Purim in the streets of Jerusalem
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/25/Jerusalem_Purim_street_scene.jpg

The LORD God promises the full restoration of the people of Israel. He will bring them back from lands to the East and the West, and they will dwell in Jerusalem, and they will once again know their God.

“Thus says the Lord of hosts:

‘Behold, I will save My people from the land of the east
And from the land of the west;
I will bring them back,
And they shall dwell in the midst of Jerusalem.
They shall be My people
And I will be their God,
In truth and righteousness.’

Zechariah 9: 7-8

The first part of this prophetic statement is in the process of being fulfilled in our day. Immigration to Israel in the year 2014 was the highest in ten years, with about 26,500 Jews arriving in the country, most coming from France and the Ukraine. http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4609941,00.html . The figure is expected to be even higher in 2015. The LORD is bringing his people home, from every nation of the Earth, even those groups of people descended from the so-called 'lost' tribes of Israel, together with the descendants of Judah, the Jews, just has he said he would (more on this another time).

The words of the second part of the prophecy are also true. God is, and has always been the God of Israel, but he will again reveal himself in such a way that the people will repent and turn again towards Him and honor Him. I am sure that one day all Israel will be saved, as is written in Romans 11: 26-27:

And so all Israel will be saved, as it is written:

“The Deliverer will come out of Zion,
And He will turn away ungodliness from Jacob;
For this is My covenant with them,
When I take away their sins.”

There is a softening of hearts taking place in Israeli society towards Yeshua and his followers. With a new generation of Israeli-born believers moving into leadership in the congregations, the movement is being seen less as a foreign, Gentile threat to Judaism and more and more as a legitimate part of the mosaic of Israeli society. When I first came to Israel more than 30 years ago, we were very few in number and were timid in speaking about our faith, since many of us lived under the constant threat of being expelled from the country. The new generation does not have this fear, and we are now seeing an increasing boldness in their witness.There was a time when we all could meet in one place for an annual conference numbering only about 200 believers. Now there are an estimated 20,000 Messianic believers (Jews who believe in Jesus) and about 120 Messianic congregations in the land. There is a long way to go for the prejudices and fear arising from the indoctrination of centuries, and the history of persecution by the church, must all be overcome, but the LORD will accomplish his Word in due season.

The LORD continued, through his prophet, Zecariah saying,

¹⁰For before these days
There were no wages for man nor any hire for beast;
There was no peace from the enemy for whoever went out or came in;
For I set all men, everyone, against his neighbor.

¹¹But now I will not treat the remnant of this people as in the former days,’ says the Lord of hosts.

¹²‘For the seed shall be prosperous,
The vine shall give its fruit,
The ground shall give her increase,And the heavens shall give their dew—
I will cause the remnant of this people
To possess all these.
¹³And it shall come to pass
That just as you were a curse among the nations,
O house of Judah and house of Israel,So I will save you, and you shall be a blessing.

In our day we see the blessing of the LORD on Israel. In spite of all our enemies around about and within, Israel as a nation is prospering and bringing much blessing to the world (although the world often does not recognize that). Last weekend I went down to the Dead Sea area where, after abundant winter rains this year, the desert is blooming.

Caper flower

This past week we had an election in Israel, and contrary to expectations, Benyamin Netanyahu's right-of-center Likud party won a decisive victory, gaining 29 Knesset seats over the 24 gained by the center-left Zionist Union party. A record breaking 72.3% of all eligible voters went to the polls, reflecting the perception of most Israelis that these elections would be pivotal in regard to the future of our nation at this point in history. Now Netanyahu is busy negotiating deals in order to cement a coalition that will give him a total of at least 61 Knesset seats, the minimum needed to form a government. To do this he will need to gain the support of the right wing parties, namely the religious bloc.

Is this a result we should be celebrating or mourning? I don't know. I, like many others, have very mixed feelings. However one thing I do know, it is all according to the will of God, for it is He who raises up leaders and brings them down. Through human history and politics He is working out the redemption of the world and His prophetic word will not fail. We know that some time in the future, perhaps in the not-too-distant future at that, the whole world will turn against Israel and come to do battle against her, and when she is about to fall, then Yeshua and his heavenly armies shall come, and we all shall see him in His power and glory. And then all Israel will know whom they pierced and will repent with great mourning, and be saved (Zechariah 12).

The present government and its policies seem to be bringing us into greater and greater international isolation, and relations between Israel and the USA appear to be deteriorating. The Arabs do not see Netanyahu as a partner for peace talks, and the 'two-state solution' seems to be dying as an option, for better or worse. Perhaps these things have to be. All we can say is, as Yeshua prayed just before his arrest and crucifixion, in the Garden at Gethsemane,

Now My soul is troubled, and what shall I say? ‘Father, save Me from this hour’? But for this purpose I came to this hour. Father, glorify Your name.”

John 12:27

And God said through the prophet Zechariah,

Do not fear,
Let your hands be strong.’

¹⁴“For thus says the Lord of hosts:

‘Just as I determined to punish you
When your fathers provoked Me to wrath,’
Says the Lord of hosts,
‘And I would not relent,
¹⁵So again in these days
I am determined to do good
To Jerusalem and to the house of Judah.
Do not fear.
Zechariah 9: 13-15

And how should we live in such perilous times? He commands us thus,

¹⁶These are the things you shall do:
Speak each man the truth to his neighbor;
Give judgment in your gates for truth, justice, and peace;
¹⁷Let none of you think evil in your heart against your neighbor;
And do not love a false oath.
For all these are things that I hate,’
Says the Lord.”

Zechariah 9: 16- 17

So, we need to continue to live in righteousness and faith, obeying the commands of the LORD. He is faithful to each of us individually and to us as a nation. He will protect us, keep us and bring to pass all his promises. What is there to fear?

And now, to end on a lighter note - a celebration of life and a tribute to the amazing vitality of our people. This was filmed in Mamilla Mall just outside the Old City walls:
http://www.israelvideonetwork.com/the-most-amazing-flash-mob-you-will-ever-see/
(If the link doesn't work - try copy and pasting the URL)