THE RUSSIANS ARE HERE - A NEW 'AXIS OF EVIL'
Life in Israel can be difficult and depressing at times, but it also has its compensations. When life gets too stressful I love to escape to nature and remind myself of the beauty of Creation and its Creator. I didn't update my blog last weekend because I took a little holiday in the Galilee. It was a wonderful break and we enjoyed the green winter landscape, the warm sunshine, the gentle rain, and Israel's marvelous wildlife. It was a wonderful reminder of the bounteous and beautiful land the LORD has given us. Here are a few of my photos to show you why I love this land so much:
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| Some of the 70,000 Eurasian cranes that stop off twice a year at Lake Agmon in the Huleh valley to fuel up before and after crossing the Sahara, as they migrate between Europe and Asia, and Africa |
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| Assorted ducks in the Huleh Valley |
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| A crane coming in to sleep in the last rays of sunshine |
The heavens declare the glory of God; And the firmament shows His handiwork.
Psalm 19:1
Jerusalem has been a troubled city of late and there is much sadness and stress. However Jerusalem also has another side - one you don't see on the news. It is so full of wonderful and interesting things to do and see, and so full of life. Yesterday I saw an example of the vitality of this city. Some young people had set up a music player in the street and were dancing the jive - just for the sheer joy of it.
The other night I managed to get away from work before the sun set, and I decided to take a stroll in the Gazelle Park nearby. This Park is a triumph of nature and human 'quality of life' values over materialism and consumerism. As the city grew a herd of some 30 odd wild Mountain Gazelles became trapped in the middle of the city by the encroaching developments. Developers eyed the valuable land, and a great battle arose between them and the local people who loved this herd. The herd was decimated by the motorway constructed nearby and by frequent poaching, some say by the developers themselves, until only 4 gazelles remained. Nevertheless the gazelle-lovers never gave up and eventually the city fathers decided to dedicate this 'prime real estate' for the protection of the remaining gazelles and for the enjoyment of the people. Now this 50 or so acres of 'wilderness' is home to an augmented herd of some 13 gazelles and is open, free of charge, to all the citizens of Jerusalem. A deer-proof fence has been constructed around the reserve and a live-in guard protects them 24 hours a day. A stream, with a waterfall and several ponds, runs through the park, and paths have been laid out. A large part of the area is set aside and closed to the public, for the use of the gazelles alone, but even so it is possible to see the gazelles at close quarters. When I was there that evening I stood down by the lake, quite still, for a few minutes and a group of some 4 young surrounded me, quite unafraid, enjoying the lush winter vegetation. One came to within about 3 meters from me. This photo was taken, on my phone, without a zoom.
I went home feeling uplifted and relaxed. What a wonderful city this is! But as you know there is quite another side to life here. The relentless terror attacks grind on. We are no longer surprised or even pay much attention to them, unless of course directly involved somehow. We seem to have a perception that the frequency of attacks is decreasing, but it may just be that they are receiving little press attention these days, even here.
Two weeks ago, three terrorists carried out a combined shooting and knifing attack at the Damascus Gate. Border policewoman, Hadar Cohen, aged 19, died of wounds she received. Another border policewoman was seriously injured and a young man lightly wounded in the attack. The three terrorists were shot dead by security forces.
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| Hadar Cohen http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4761536,00.html |
I have often commented on the biased and inaccurate reporting of events in Israel by the world's media. The picture below shows how the US TV network, CBS News, reported the incident. The headline does not even mention the fact that these Palestinians had just carried out a terror attack, nor that Hadar Cohen, a young woman just doing her job, had been killed, and other innocent people wounded. Perhaps the article did go on to speak about this but many people only read the headlines, and it is the headlines that have the greatest impact.
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| CBS headline on Jerusalem terror attack, before being changed. (Photo: Screenshot) http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4761809,00.html |
In like vein here is how Al Jazeerra News tweeted the same incident:
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| http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4761809,00.html |
Again this week the UN human rights expert, Makarim Wibisono, accused Israel of using excessive force against Palestinan perpetrators of terror. http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4765176,00.html
Although Israel may indeed commit human rights violations in its fight against the ongoing, relentless terror war, and there is always room for investigation and healthy criticism, we feel here that Israel is often singled out and held to a different standard than the rest of the world. Perhaps that is fair enough since spiritually Israel is called to be an example and a demonstrator of God's justice and righteousness, nevertheless there is little understanding of the difficult balancing act we must walk, and the double-standard used against us hurts.
In war, civilians get hurt and human rights get violated. It has always been so and though it is horrible and regrettable, it is inevitable. That said, I know of no other nation that takes such extreme measures to protect civilians of the enemy population as Israel does, often at great risk to her own civilians, and military and police personnel.
RUSSIA, IRAN AND SYRIA - the new axis of evil?
In September last year I entitled a post "The Russians are Coming". Now they are here - well and truly ensconced in the Middle East, and with the support and blessing of the United States, the UK and Europe.
Before the arrival of the Russian forces in September last year, the Assad regime was on the brink of collapse. Assad's forces, together with their allies, Hezbollah and Iran, had been fighting the various rebel factions and ISIS piecemeal without any overarching military goal except to keep the rebels away from areas of economic or moral importance. This approach clearly was not working.
At this point Russia entered the fray, not because of any love for Assad, but in order to protect its own interests in the region. At first Russia adopted the approach of the USA which has been conducting pinpoint attacks on strategic targets while attempting to minimize civilian losses. This also clearly was ineffective.
Consequently Russia has recently changed its tactics and is now blanket bombing the cities and towns which are the strongholds of the rebel forces, with no regard to civilian losses. Those civilians who can are fleeing in huge numbers towards the Turkish border and are becoming trapped there as Turkey is refusing to allow them entry. Those who did not manage to escape are trapped in their cities as Assad's forces, together with Hezbollah and Iranian ground forces, surround and impose a siege on those cities, starving the survivors of food, water and medicines. This amounts to a form of ethnic cleansing. http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4765389,00.html
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| A Syrian refugee camp in Jordan http://i.imgur.com/L6uddjw.jpg |
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| Syrian refugees streaming towards the Turkish border http://d.ibtimes.co.uk/en/full/1400299/turkish-soldiers-stand-guard-syrian-refugees-wait-behind-border-fences.jpg |
Where is the outcry of the world against this? Why are the USA and Europe supporting the Russians? Do they not see that we now have a new 'axis of evil' arising in the Middle East, comprising Russia, Iran, Hezbollah and Assad's Syria?
This coalition is extremely dangerous for Israel and now it is gathering strength on our borders. The assessment here is that once Assad's regime is stabilized and empowered again in Syria, the attention of this coalition will turn to 'freeing the Golan' from Israeli occupation, and ultimately "freeing the Muslim lands of the abomination of Jewish settlement".
Just as scary is the fact that there is now rising up a new world power, comprising Iran, Syria, Hezbollah and Russia, under the leadership of Putin. This is a major shift in the balance of world power. The USA is weakening and has largely backed out of any significant role in the Middle East, and the UK and Europe are tottering under the weight of Muslim immigration and influence. The Western world seems to be caught up in materialistic hedonism, unaware that its way of life is under dire threat, as Islamic fundamentalism and jihad spreads unchecked in its midst. The Western world no longer seems to have the moral fiber to even protect itself.
Today I was studying the Book of Revelation. I learned that in the first verse of that book it says: "The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show His servants—things which must shortly take place". I learned from a commentary by Siegfried Beck that the Greek word 'tachy', here translated as 'shortly', or in other translations 'soon', can also mean 'quickly'. Probably both meanings are intended. In other words the end-time events prophesied in the Book of Revelation are not only near at hand, but when they happen they will take place quickly.
When I first came to believe in Yeshua (Jesus), back in the '70s, there was a strong belief in the imminent second coming of our Lord, largely based on the verses that say:
Now learn this parable from the fig tree: When its branch has already become tender and puts forth leaves, you know that summer is near. So you also, when you see all these things, know that it is near—at the doors! Assuredly, I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all these things take place.
Matthew 24: 32-34
We saw great significance in the restoration of Israel to her Land in 1948, and interpreted this event as the first tender leaves of the fig tree. As time passed this expectation waned to some extent but there seems now to be a feeling amongst many of us that events are accelerating, and that the stage is being set up for the fulfillment of the end times prophesies, leading to the Second Coming of our Lord. The generation that saw the establishment of the State of Israel is now in its 70s or older, and will soon pass away.
I don't know whether such an interpretation is correct, and I don't know the timing of the LORD, but I do know that these things will take place, and we, like all the generations before us, need to live as if they are indeed imminent. We need to be like the virgins with their lamps trimmed and ready (Matthew 25). I am reminded of the song published in 1989 by Larry Norman "I Wish We'd All Been Ready". You can hear it on https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aPJpZdEOILQ
Here are the lyrics:
And all of us got trampled on the floor
I wish we'd all been ready
Children died the days grew cold
A piece of bread could buy a bag of gold
I wish we'd all been ready
There's no time to change your mind
The Son has come and you've been left behind
A man and wife asleep in bed
She hears a noise and turns her head he's gone
I wish we'd all been ready
Two men walking up a hill
One disappears and one's left standing still
I wish we'd all been ready
There's no time to change your mind
The Son has come and you've been left behind
Children died the days grew cold
A piece of bread could buy a bag of gold
I wish we'd all been ready
There's no time to change your mind
The Son has come and you've been left behind
The Father spoke the demons died
How could you have been so blind
There's no time to change your mind
The Son has come and you've been left behind
I hope we'll all be ready. You've been left behind
I hope we'll all be ready. You've been left behind
I hope we'll all be ready. You've been left behind
http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/dctalk/iwishwedallbeenready.html
Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour which the Son of Man is coming
Matthew 25: 13
MAY WE ALL BE FOUND READY!
