THE FATHER OF LIES
You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.
John 8:44
It is Saturday evening and it is with a heavy heart I sit down to write. I do not know where to start. So much is happening there is no way I can describe it all, and as fast as I write new events unfold. Here is a run down of the events of just the last 24 hours:
- On Friday night widespread rioting broke out in Arab towns across Israel, including Rahat, Nazareth, Kfar Kana, Um el Fahm, Sahknin, Taybeh, in solidarity with Palestinians and expressing anger at the shooting Thursday of a female terrorist in Afula.
- Rockets are fired at Israel from Gaza but fall short in Gazan territory
- Two religious Jews, aged in their sixties, are stabbed and lightly injured by a 16 year old attacker who was shot dead by security police at the Damascus Gate of the Old City, Jerusalem
- Clashes erupt at the scene between Palestinians and security forces
- A few hours later, at the same place, a Palestinian attacked and stabbed police officers moderately wounding two. A 20 year old police officer was also seriously wounded, and is still fighting for his life, as a result of 'friendly fire' when security forces shot at the assailant.
- Hundreds of Gazan Palestinians riot at the border fence and succeed in breaking through into Israeli territory. Israeli security forces shoot 7 dead and around 60 are injured. The remainder were forced to return into Gazan territory.
- This evening at least 10 Gazan Palestinians break through border fence into Israel. (Ongoing incident)
- Around a 1000 Arabs riot at Kfar Qassem (ongoing)
- Hundreds of Jews demonstrate outside the Prime Ministers home in Jerusalem demanding tougher measures against Palestinian terror (ongoing).
- Missiles fired from Gaza towards Ashkelon shot down by Iron Dome south of the city.
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| This week in Israel http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4709446,00.html |
If you wish to know more I can only recommend you follow the news updates on the web. http://www.ynetnews.com/home/0,7340,L-3082,00.html
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| A Palestinian protester waves a knife and his national flag during a demonstration in support of Palestinians in the West Bank and against Jewish groups visiting the al-Aqsa mosque compunds, in Gaza City on October 10, 2015 (AFP Photo/Mahmud Hams) http://news.yahoo.com/palestinian-stabs-2-israelis-jerusalem-shot-dead-medics-082719844.html |
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| A masked Palestinian hurls rocks towards Israeli soldiers during clashes following the funeral of Mohammed Fares al-Jaabari on October 10, 2015, in the West Bank town of Hebron (AFP Photo/Hazem Bader) https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=100911646940658232#editor/target=post;postID=4420024328621723047;onPublishedMenu=posts;onClosedMenu=posts;postNum=0;src=postname |
The atmosphere in Jerusalem and indeed in all the Land is one of tension and fear. Fear that events are spiraling out of control and we are headed for another Intifada as random knife attacks perpetrated by teenagers become a daily occurrence in our streets, as youths riot and attack security forces and throw rocks and firebombs at passing vehicles, as mobs break through the border fence from Gaza, and rockets are fired into Israel. We are all wondering what will be, as each day it all seems to get worse.
You might be asking what has precipitated this wave of terror? The answer lies with the Father of Lies. Various Muslim clerics and leaders have fabricated and perpetrated the vicious lie that Israel is planning to attack and destroy the Al Aqsa Mosque on the Temple Mount, and are calling for 'good Muslims' to take up arms to protect the Mosque.
The current wave of unrest began when Muslim youths barricaded themselves inside the Mosque and attacked security forces and those coming onto the Temple Mount to pray. In support of these actions, and the subsequent knifing attacks and riots, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen), said on the 16 of September,
“We will not forsake our country and we will keep every inch of our land... Every drop of blood spilled in Jerusalem is pure, every shahid [martyr] will reach paradise, and every injured person will be rewarded by God.”The Al-Aqsa Mosque is ours. The Church of the Holy Sepulchre is ours as well. They have no right to desecrate the mosque with their dirty feet, we won’t allow them to do that,” http://www.timesofisrael.com/abbas-blood-of-martyrs-spilled-on-temple-mount-is-pure/At the same time, Abbas tries to present a moderate face to the outside world, calling for Palestinian youth not to escalate the situation and instructing his security forces to calm the situation. Tonight however his Fatah (PLO) party is distributing official pamphlets, bearing Abbas' photo alongside that of Yasser Arafat. The pamphlet praises the 16 year old, Ishaq Badran, shot this morning after attacking two Jews calling him a ' hero shahid (martyr)' . The bottom of the pamphlet bears the words “Eternal life and glory for our shahids” and “Our essence is sacrificing ourselves for al-Aqsa”.
Digital versions of the pamphlet were also posted on the official Fatah twitter account.
This outbreak of violence is not at all unexpected as an increasingly disaffected generation of Palestinians loses hope of a better future for their people. The Peace Process has stalled (who can talk peace with Abbas?) and the Palestinian youth has been poisoned from the cradle with hatred, rage and lies about the Jews. Add in the libel about the Al Aqsa mosque, rabid incitement by religious and political leaders, and violence is inevitable. It doesn't help that the world's press is quick to report the Palestinian version of events, and reports incidents in a very biased way, thus feeding a growing anti-Israel sentiment worldwide.
An example of the kind of anti-Israel bias in reporting was exposed earlier this month when the BBC ran this headline: "Palestinian shot dead after Jerusalem attack kills two". Although factually correct, on the surface, notice how the wording emphasizes the shooting dead of a Palestinian rather than the fact that the Palestinian in question had just killed two innocent Jews. The headline thus effectively turned the terrorist into the victim, whilst sanitizing the killing of the Jews by depersonalizing the attack with the words "Jerusalem attack". Jerusalem did not attack the victims, the Palestinian terrorist attacked them!
Here are another couple of examples from the digital version of The Guardian newspaper, " In another attack, 19-year-old Palestinian Muhammad Saed Ali, from Shuafat refugee camp, in east Jerusalem , was shot dead after Israeli police alleged that he stabbed two police officers", and "Earlier on Saturday, two Israeli men in their sixties were wounded when Israeli police said they were stabbed by Ishaq Badran, a 16-year-old Palestinian" . http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/oct/10/israel-protests-three-palestinians-killed-five-wounded-violence-escalates. Again these reports appear accurate but notice the words "alleged" and "Israeli police said they were stabbed...". Such phrasing casts doubt on the veracity of the statements, thus undermining the legitimacy of the shooting of these terrorists by Israeli police.
It is difficult for people outside of Israel to weed out the truth from all the lies in the media. However it is important to read the newspapers and reports online with a discerning mind, and a Bible in one's hand. The Bible provides an anchor for truth, an absolute and infallible 'take' on events. True it is sometimes difficult to discern right from wrong, especially in the current conflicts which arise from extremely complex historical, political and religious perspectives, but nevertheless the Lord's perspective is clear and obvious to all who wish to know. Israel is a sinful nation, a stiff-necked people, who have rejected God's beloved son and Messiah, but nevertheless they are His Chosen people and the 'apple of His eye' (Zechariah 2:8). God again and again promises to protect Israel and destroy all those who rise up against her. He has never revoked those promises and he will honor them in the end. We cannot know what the immediate future might hold for Israel, but we do know her end. God will fight on her side and all her enemies will be destroyed. The prophet Ezekiel spoke of the judgment that would come upon the descendants of Edom (Esau) for shedding the blood of the children of Jacob (Israel)
Son of man, set your face against Mount Seir; prophesy against it 3 and say: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I am against you, Mount Seir, and I will stretch out my hand against you and make you a desolate waste. 4 I will turn your towns into ruins and you will be desolate. Then you will know that I am the Lord.
5 “‘Because you harbored an ancient hostility and delivered the Israelites over to the sword at the time of their calamity, the time their punishment reached its climax, 6 therefore as surely as I live, declares the Sovereign Lord, I will give you over to bloodshed and it will pursue you. Since you did not hate bloodshed, bloodshed will pursue you. 7 I will make Mount Seir a desolate waste and cut off from it all who come and go. 8 I will fill your mountains with the slain; those killed by the sword will fall on your hills and in your valleys and in all your ravines. 9 I will make you desolate forever; your towns will not be inhabited. Then you will know that I am the Lord.
Ezekiel 35 : 1-9
And again the prophet Obadiah says these words against Edom,
“The day of the Lord is near
for all nations.
As you have done, it will be done to you;
your deeds will return upon your own head.16 Just as you drank on my holy hill,
so all the nations will drink continually;
they will drink and drink
and be as if they had never been.
17 But on Mount Zion will be deliverance;
it will be holy,
and Jacob will possess his inheritance.
18 Jacob will be a fire
and Joseph a flame;
Esau will be stubble,
and they will set him on fire and destroy him.
There will be no survivors
from Esau.”
The Lord has spoken
for all nations.
As you have done, it will be done to you;
your deeds will return upon your own head.16 Just as you drank on my holy hill,
so all the nations will drink continually;
they will drink and drink
and be as if they had never been.
17 But on Mount Zion will be deliverance;
it will be holy,
and Jacob will possess his inheritance.
18 Jacob will be a fire
and Joseph a flame;
Esau will be stubble,
and they will set him on fire and destroy him.
There will be no survivors
from Esau.”
The Lord has spoken
Obadiah 15-18
Do not fret because of evildoers,
Nor be envious of the workers of iniquity.2 For they shall soon be cut down like the grass,
And wither as the green herb...
Nor be envious of the workers of iniquity.2 For they shall soon be cut down like the grass,
And wither as the green herb...
For evildoers shall be cut off;
But those who wait on the Lord,
They shall inherit the earth.10 For yet a little while and the wicked shall be no more;
Indeed, you will look carefully for his place,
But it shall be no more.
11 But the meek shall inherit the earth,
And shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.
But those who wait on the Lord,
They shall inherit the earth.10 For yet a little while and the wicked shall be no more;
Indeed, you will look carefully for his place,
But it shall be no more.
11 But the meek shall inherit the earth,
And shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.
12 The wicked plots against the just,
And gnashes at him with his teeth.
13 The Lord laughs at him,
For He sees that his day is coming.
And gnashes at him with his teeth.
13 The Lord laughs at him,
For He sees that his day is coming.
Psalm 37
Please remember us all here in your prayers. Prayer is effective and is greater than the sword (or a Kalashnikov). Pray for the Peace of Jerusalem and the safety of all her inhabitants, Jew, Arab and Gentile alike. Pray especially for the Palestinian youth who are being led as lambs to the slaughter by their leaders, who are inciting them to greater and greater violence, which can only bring calamity upon the Palestinian people. These 'great' leaders sit safely in their homes and send children to fight soldiers and cut down innocent old men, women and children. Then they call them 'brave martyrs' and 'heroes'. Above all pray for the salvation of many, Jew and Arab, that they might find the true peace of Yeshua, the only solution to the conflict. May the Lies of the Enemy be exposed and many turn to the way of Truth.
May Yeshua come soon!
