ONE NATION, ONE LAND, ONE GOD

In recent days a group of 19 Jews were clandestinely brought to Israel from war-torn Yemen.  The Rabbi of the group brought with him a 500-600 year old Torah scroll. Since the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948, more than 51,000 Yemenite Jews have immigrated to Israel, most arriving in the mass transfer in 1949 called Operation Magic Carpet.  Only around 50 Jews remain in Yemen and these have chosen to remain there in spite of there now being no organized Jewish communal life nor indeed even a Rabbi. Most of these live in a special compound next to the American Embassy in Sana'a, where they can be protected. However this protection would be lost should the Americans leave.

Some of the new arrivals from Yemen

http://www.jpost.com/Israel-News/Report-Some-of-the-last-Jews-of-Yemen-brought-to-Israel-in-secret-mission-448639


Who are the Jews of Yemen?

A family of Yemenite Jews walking through the desert to a gathering point in Aden during Operation Magic Carpet
By Kluger Zoltan - Israeli National Photo Archive, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=4903313

The origins of the Jewish community of Yemen are somewhat unclear. According to their own traditions a group of wealthy Jews left Jerusalem and came to Yemen some 42 years before the destruction of the First Temple, which occurred in 586 BCE (BC), but some historians believe that trade routes had  already brought Jews to Yemen more than 400 years earlier, during Solomon's reign. Both versions may contain truth. Whatever the case, this was an ancient and unique Jewish community, with a rich culture which they have now brought with them to Israel. These new immigrants and their descendants play a significant role in Israeli life and are now well integrated into the modern Israeli state.  

This event reminded me of the prophecies in Ezekiel regarding the regathering of the 'lost' peoples of Israel.

http://sounddoctrineminstries.weebly.com/uploads/8/8/6/4/8864463/1338593.jpg?679

 

"Again the word of the Lord came to me, saying,   “As for you, son of man, take a stick for yourself and write on it: ‘For Judah and for the children of Israel, his companions.’ Then take another stick and write on it, ‘For Joseph, the stick of Ephraim, and for all the house of Israel, his companions.’  Then join them one to another for yourself into one stick, and they will become one in your hand.

And when the children of your people speak to you, saying, ‘Will you not show us what you mean by these?’—  say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “Surely I will take the stick of Joseph, which is in the hand of Ephraim, and the tribes of Israel, his companions; and I will join them with it, with the stick of Judah, and make them one stick, and they will be one in My hand.”’ ²⁰ And the sticks on which you write will be in your hand before their eyes.²¹ “Then say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “Surely I will take the children of Israel from among the nations, wherever they have gone, and will gather them from every side and bring them into their own land; ²² and I will make them one nation in the land, on the mountains of Israel; and one king shall be king over them all; they shall no longer be two nations, nor shall they ever be divided into two kingdoms again. ²³ They shall not defile themselves anymore with their idols, nor with their detestable things, nor with any of their transgressions; but I will deliver them from all their dwelling places in which they have sinned, and will cleanse them. Then they shall be My people, and I will be their God.
²⁴ “David My servant shall be king over them, and they shall all have one shepherd; they shall also walk in My judgments and observe My statutes, and do them. ²⁵ Then they shall dwell in the land that I have given to Jacob My servant, where your fathers dwelt; and they shall dwell there, they, their children, and their children’s children, forever; and My servant David shall be their prince forever. ²⁶ Moreover I will make a covenant of peace with them, and it shall be an everlasting covenant with them; I will establish them and multiply them, and I will set My sanctuary in their midst forevermore. ²⁷ My tabernacle also shall be with them; indeed I will be their God, and they shall be My people. ²⁸ The nations also will know that I, the Lord, sanctify Israel, when My sanctuary is in their midst forevermore.”

          Ezekiel 37: 16-28

 

Prior to the Assyrian and Babylonian Exiles, the people of Israel were divided into two kingdoms, the kingdom of Israel in the north, and the kingdom of Judah in the south. When the Assyrians conquered the northern kingdom, in the years leading up to 722 BCE (BC), they scattered the people of Israel throughout the Assyrian Empire of the time, and repopulated the Land with people from other conquered groups. The northern tribes are often described as the "Lost Tribes of Israel", as their exact whereabouts is unclear, and their descendants are thought to have assimilated into the local peoples of the Middle East and Central Asia. Assyrian  bas-reliefs show however that the Israelites were exiled in family groups, which may well have maintained the customs and beliefs for many generations. Of course these families are also likely to have joined up over time with other similar groups. It is quite possible therefore that pockets of Israelite ethnicity survived long after the exile, even to the present day.

 

The southern kingdom, comprising the tribes of Judah, Levi and Benjamin, were conquered later, by the Babylonians, who took the leaders and the wealthier echelons of society into captivity, together, to Babylon. The poor remained in Judah or emigrated to the south, some reaching Ethiopia and Africa via Egypt. The large group from Judah that were taken to Babylon, remained largely together and retained their distinct identity. It is they whom we know today as the Jews - the word coming from Judah. As a result of the edict of Cyrus a group of Jews, together with some remnant of the northern kingdom, returned to the Land of Israel and rebuilt Jerusalem, re-establishing a strong Jewish presence. I believe that this is the group represented in the prophecy above by the stick of Judah and the people of Israel, his companions. However, what of the other stick - the stick of Joseph, in the hand of Ephraim and the people of Israel? Where are these people today and is God bringing them back to the Land to be reunited with the stick of Judah, as promised?

 

Only God really knows where all these people are, but He does know! And He will bring his prophecy to pass, and is doing so. Slowly and quietly some groups of the 'lost' tribes of the northern kingdom are being identified and brought back to Israel.  Perhaps the biggest group is the Ethiopian Jews, most of whom were airlifted to Israel in 1991 after they were declared  by the Chief Rabbi as being descended from the Tribe of Dan. Today there are about 135,000 Jews of Ethiopian descent living in Israel.

Ethiopian Jews kissing the Land as they arrive in Israel
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/static/Resize/pictures/468x282/492261.jpg

 

 Another large group came from  the cities of Bukhara and Samarkand in Central Asia, thought to be descended from the Tribes of Issachar and Naftali. There are also over 1700 members of the Bnei Menasseh, or as they call themselves, Menmase, from the border area between India and Myanmar (Burma)  already living in Israel and many thousands of others waiting to come http://www.bneimenashe.com/history.html.

 

Some members of the Bnei Menashe arriving in Israel in 2012
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-20841382

 

 

 There are also many other groups under investigation and members of some of these have also immigrated to Israel. DNA testing has provided hard evidence that  the Lemba of southern Africa are of Israelite origin. The priestly class of the Lemba even has genetic links to the Jewish Kohanim, the priests. The Pashtun of the Khyber Pass region between Afghanistan and Pakistan are another group with demonstrable cultural and religious links to ancient Israel.

http://www.worldjewishcongress.org/en/news/lemba-tribe-in-southern-africa-has-jewish-roots-genetic-tests-reveal

 You can learn more about these groups and the search for them on " The Quest for the Lost Tribes " https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DEHuWG6TFAQ&list=PLNDSHEDjg3UHi8GcK7vkkScHb5MtXsdoi&index=1

 

What an exciting time to be alive!!! It is sometimes easy to forget that when we get caught up in the day to day of life in Israel. How good it is to be reminded that  we are all part, albeit a tiny part, of a much larger, intensely exciting story. It puts my petty, personal cares into something of a more healthy perspective.  

 

What a wonderful future lies ahead. Please join me in praying for the outworking of God's promises and for the quest to find these 'lost' people and bring them home. Remember too that they are just humans, like you and me, and are coming to a very strange world. It is not an easy transition. They often come from poor, backward communities, where modern amenities are unknown. They are being catapulted into a fast, 21st century society where they have to learn the language, find homes, get education and find jobs. They also, very sadly, often face discrimination and rejection after they arrive here. Often the generation gulf between the immigrant parents and their Israeli-born children is immense and stressful. Please pray for them.

 

In parallel we are continuing to see a large influx of Jews mainly from France and the Ukraine.  Overall Jewish immigration reached a 15 year high in 2015 with record numbers, 7900, coming from France. Although often wealthy and usually well educated, it is still a difficult transition. With the increase in Anti-Semitism and terror in Europe we can only expect the immigration from Europe to increase in the future. It seems perhaps that the completion of the prophecy of Jeremiah is beginning to materialize. 

 

Therefore behold, the days are coming,” says the Lord, “that it shall no more be said, ‘The Lord lives who brought up the children of Israel from the land of Egypt,’   but, ‘The Lord lives who brought up the children of Israel from the land of the north and from all the lands where He had driven them.’ For I will bring them back into their land which I gave to their fathers.

“Behold, I will send for many fishermen,” says the Lord, “and they shall fish them; and afterward I will send for many hunters, and they shall hunt them from every mountain and every hill, and out of the holes of the rocks.

Jeremiah 16: 14-16

 

 Many fishermen have already gone out to the nations  calling the people to come, and many have responded, but yet many remain. Could it be that the time of the fishers is drawing to a close, and the time of the hunters beginning? I would suggest to any Jews or Israelites in Europe, indeed anywhere, that now is the time to seriously consider making aliyah (immigrating) to Israel. The remaining window of opportunity may be very short.

 

 



 

 

THE MYTH OF NEUTRALITY

And when the servant of the man of God arose early and went out, there was an army, surrounding the city with horses and chariots. And his servant said to him, “Alas, my master! What shall we do?”
So he answered, “Do not fear, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.”   And Elisha prayed, and said, “Lord, I pray, open his eyes that he may see.” Then the Lord opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw. And behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.
 2 Kings 6: 15 - 17

https://godspeaking.files.wordpress.com/2012/01/elisha01.jpg

This week, Donald Trump, the current front-runner of the race to be the US Republican presidential candidate,  when asked  whether he would tackle Israeli-Palestinian peace, said he would give it "one hell of a shot" and went on to say "If I win, I don’t want to be in a position where I’m saying to you, and the other side now says, ‘We don’t want Trump involved, we don’t want,’ let me sort of be a neutral guy" http://www.thejewishweek.com/news/national/trump-wont-take-sides-israel-and-palestinians#qHAdfJguRlUZxsb4.99

Once more we see another Western politician trying to adopt the 'politically correct' stance of  neutrality in attempts to solve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. On the surface this may sound fair and correct according to the 'rules' of negotiation and diplomacy, but it is morally indefensible and doomed to failure because it ignores the fundamental problem of the conflict. This is not a conflict about land or resources or political hegemony, it is fundamentally a spiritual conflict between God and those who stand against Him. In such a conflict there can be no neutrality. You are either with God or against Him. There can be no sitting on the fence.

Sadly many in the Christian church, attempting to 'play fair', are trying to do just that, or worse, are choosing to side against God and his redemption plans. I believe that today every believer in Yeshua has to decide on whose side he or she stands in this conflict, for it is not just another political argument, it is a conflict which will decide the fate of the whole world, and every one of us.

The bottom line, is this - do you believe the Bible or not? If you say you do, then there is not much left to argue, for the Bible clearly states, not only once, but many times,  that this small sliver of land, the land of the ancient Canaanites, was given to the descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the people of Israel,  for an everlasting possession:

Also I give to you and your descendants after you the land in which you are a stranger, all the land of Canaan, as an everlasting possession; and I will be their God.”

Genesis 17:8

 

(See also Genesis 12:3, 15:18, Genesis 48:4)

 

Over against this the Islamists claim this land for their god Allah. There are those who claim the current 'intifada of knives' is the result of Palestinian despair, the Israeli settlements, the Wall etc etc, ignoring the fact that Palestinian terror goes back long before those issues arose.  The Palestinians themselves reject this analysis. Hamas leader, Ismail Haniyeh, in a Friday sermon, said "Those claiming that the intifada and revolution are caused by despair ...(portray) the Palestinian youth as desperate and confused, which is why he takes a knife and attacks a soldier or someone else - as if this is an intifada of the desperate, confused and suicidal who want to depart from this world... but this cheapens the meaning of the struggle ... what motivates the youths of the West Bank is the spirit of jihad" . Haniyeh then went on to list the real reasons behind the Palestinian attacks:

• first and most importantly - holy war or jihad
• the desire to liberate Al Quds (Jerusalem)
• the rejection of the two-state solution based on the 1993 Oslo Accords, opting instead for Palestine to replace the State of Israel.

(Tsvi Sadan "Despair, Hope and Palestinian Terror" p.10 Israel Today March 2016)

 

The inescapable fact is that the Islamic world claims this Land as theirs, one hundred percent. It is their belief that it is forbidden to relinquish even one centimeter of this land to non-Muslims. There is no room for neutrality here. Either the Land belongs to the people of Israel, under the God of Israel, or it belongs to the Muslims under Allah.

 

God is not neutral on this issue. He takes sides!!!! Time and time again we can see in the Bible that God fought on the side of Israel.  And if we say we are followers of God, we had better stand with him. We can not stand against him, or even try to be neutral, and claim to follow Him. Even those of the people of Israel who stood against God came under judgment.

For example, in the days of the kings of Israel, the King of the northern kingdom of Israel, Jeroboam, the son of a servant of Solomon, and not of the line chosen by God, the line of David, rose up in rebellion against the king of Judah, Abijah, and brought up against him an army of 800,000 warriors, outnumbering those of Abijah two to one. Abijah stood up and proclaimed to Jeroboam these words.

Hear me, Jeroboam and all Israel: ⁵ Should you not know that the Lord God of Israel gave the dominion over Israel to David forever, to him and his sons, by a covenant of salt? ⁶ Yet Jeroboam the son of Nebat, the servant of Solomon the son of David, rose up and rebelled against his lord. ... And now you think to withstand the kingdom of the Lord, which is in the hand of the sons of David...Now look, God Himself is with us as our head, and His priests with sounding trumpets to sound the alarm against you. O children of Israel, do not fight against the Lord God of your fathers, for you shall not prosper. " 

2 Chronicles 13

And the LORD fought on Abijah's side and Jeroboam was defeated that day.

God has a plan of redemption for the world and the nation of Israel still has a central role to play. For this reason, God has restored the people of Israel to their rightful land at this time, so that the last chapter of redemption can play itself out. If you stand against Israel at this time, you stand against the will and purpose of God at your own peril.

Please do not misunderstand me. I am not saying Israel is morally perfect or always right. The calling of Israel as God's chosen people does not depend upon merit, just upon God's choice. Neither am I saying that God does not love the Palestinians nor am I saying that He  wants to destroy or even dispossess them of any land or possession they rightfully own. Nothing could be further from the truth. God loves all people equally and longs that each one will be saved. But if the Palestinians, or anyone else, stand against God's will there is a price to pay. Equally so, if they choose to stand with God they will also be blessed by Him . If you really care about the Palestinians and their welfare, then you need to stand with Israel and allow God to work out his perfect plan which will be not only for the blessing of Israel, but also for the Palestinians, and indeed the whole world. Only then will there be peace on Earth.

In the meantime there is no peace.  As I am writing reports are coming in of yet another major terror attack, this time in Turkey. As of now, 4 are dead, three of them Israelis, and 36 injured, including 11 Israelis.  This attack was carried out by Mehmet Ozturk, a terrorist linked to the so-called Islamic State. This follows an earlier attack Sunday last week in Turkey in which 34 people were killed and 125 injured. http://www.haaretz.com/middle-east-news/1.708608 

Photo: Charlie Bokovza
The three Israelis killed in Istanbul on Saturday
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4780699,00.html

Here in Israel the terror wave, dubbed the Intifada of Knives, continues. Although this past week there have not been any Israeli fatalities, a number of attacks left several Israelis injured and a number of Palestinian terrorists dead.

On Monday I was talking with one of my colleagues at work when she received a phone call. She blanched and her hand began to shake. After she hung up she explained that it was her son calling to assure her that he was OK. A Palestinian rammed his car into his unit which was at the Elias Junction near KIryat Arba, next to Hebron, and then exited his car and started firing at the soldiers, who returned fire killing the terrorist. A few minutes later a second Palestinian vehicle plowed into the soldiers at the scene of the first attack. The driver was shot dead.  In this double  incident, one soldier was lightly hurt by gunfire and three others were wounded by the ramming or flying shrapnel. http://www.timesofisrael.com/two-stabbing-attacks-thwarted-within-minutes-in-west-bank/

 

On Tuesday a  17-year-old Palestinian girl, who had left her home with a knife and the intention to carry out an attack, was arrested. On Wednesday a 14-year-old boy was arrested carrying a knife and he told police he intended to carry out an attack.http://www.timesofisrael.com/two-stabbing-attacks-thwarted-within-minutes-in-west-bank/

 

 On Thursday two terrorists attacked  and seriously injured a female soldier as she alighted from a bus at the Ariel Interchange. The terrorists were shot and killed by other soldiers. http://www.jpost.com/Arab-Israeli-Conflict/Initial-report-Israeli-stabbed-in-suspected-terror-attack-near-Ariel-448283

 

On Friday afternoon two terror attacks were thwarted within minutes of each other, one at Gush Etzion junction and the other at the Binyamin Industrial estate. http://www.timesofisrael.com/two-stabbing-attacks-thwarted-within-minutes-in-west-bank/

Under such threats we are preparing to celebrate the Festival of Purim this week. In Jerusalem we celebrate Shushan Purim on the 15th Adar, which begins on the evening of Thursday 24th of March this year. Elsewhere Purim is celebrated on the 14th Adar, which begins on the evening of Wednesday 23rd March.  Purim commemorates the salvation of the Jewish people in the ancient Persian Empire from the evil plot of Haman who intended "to destroy, kill and annihilate all the Jews, young and old, infants and women, in a single day." You can read the whole story in the Book of Esther, which is read in its entirety in synagogues on this day.

Traditionally Purim is the day when Jews go crazy. Children and adults alike dress up in fancy dress, and parades and street celebrations are held in all major towns or neighborhoods. Large concentrations of people are a security nightmare. Please pray for safety this year.

Purim at Mammilla Mall, Jerusalem, 2014
http://rjstreets.com/2014/03/19/march-madness-purim-now-jerusalem-marathon/

This year a number of prominent Rabbis are calling for an 'extraordinary' three day fast, beginning on Sunday evening, like that of Esther, as a spiritual response to the current serious threats to Israel's existence, both security-related and social. http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4779260,00.html

                

Now to some happier news:
The sixth annual Jerusalem marathon was held this last Friday. In spite of the terror risk a record breaking 27,500 runners set off from the starting line, including  2,400 foreign runners from 62 countries. Over a thousand soldiers secured the route. The weather was perfect as the whole city celebrated this event. The full marathon of 46 km was won by Kenyan runner Kpkosgei Shadrack, 25, in the time of  2:16:33, two minutes faster than last year. It is considered a tough marathon because of the hilly nature of Jerusalem's terrain.  There were also six shorter routes including a half marathon, a 5 km route, a 1.7 km family run and a 800m special needs course.
http://www.jta.org/2016/03/18/default/despite-terror-threat-jerusalem-marathon-draws-record-participation
http://www.timesofisrael.com/kenyan-runner-wins-jerusalem-marathon/

If any of you are interested, the next marathon will be held on March 17, 2017. You can register here http://www.jerusalem-marathon.com/indexEn.aspx




Some of the runners (or by that stage walkers?) passing Solomon's Pools outside the Old City walls

http://www.goactiveisrael.com/sites/default/files/%D7%9E%D7%A8%D7%AA%D7%95%D7%9F%20%D7%99%D7%A8%D7%95%D7%A9%D7%9C%D7%99%D7%9D1.JPG

 

The success of this event underlines Israeli determination to not allow the terrorists the victory in the psychological war we are fighting. We will live and we will live fully. Jerusalem Mayor, Nir Barakat, put it like this, "Through the greatest of trials, Jerusalem does not cancel events ... It’s part of our message. We will carry on as usual".

 

 

Perhaps it is this attitude that contributes to Israel being voted the 11th happiest country in this world in 2016,  ranking ahead of the USA and UK and many other developed nations, according to a study done by Columbia University  http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4779294,00.html.
With God's help we will overcome!!!!!!

Now just to finish up - a very interesting video filmed in the streets of Israel, about Israeli's understanding (or lack thereof) of the forbidden (by today's Judaism) chapter of the Bible, Isaiah 53, the prophecy concerning the Messiah. It is well worth ten minutes of your time to watch it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OgEmbZk7YHw

Our God Reigns.

THE MYSTERY OF LAWLESSNESS

5th March 

Another week has passed here in Israel and what a bizarre week it has been. Three things happened which has made me feel I am living in a sort of post-apocalyptic world where all the rules of law and common decency no longer exist.

 

First my boss was out one afternoon walking his lovely golden Labrador along the road leading down the hill towards Jaffa Gate outside the Old City. An ultra-orthodox man took exception to his having a dog so close to the Kotel (the Western Wall- which is at least 1 km away as the crow flies!) and yelled at him to take his dog away. When my boss began to remonstrate with him that it was perfectly legal for him to walk his dog there, the man went berserk and attacked him. In the fracas my boss sustained a seriously broken ankle, which  required surgery, and another man, who had come to his aid was also injured. The attacker has been arrested and he is known to the police.

 

A couple of days later two off-duty Israeli soldiers followed their Waze app ( a type of GPS navigation system ) which took them  by mistake into the Qalandia refugee camp, on the northern outskirts of Jerusalem. Dozens of enraged Palestinians set upon them with rocks and fire bombs, and set their vehicle on fire, for no other reason than that they were Jews. The two soldiers managed to escape the burning car and fled in opposite directions, one with the gun and the other with the telephone.  Security forces managed to locate and rescue the one with the phone within about 20 minutes, but it took them about an hour  to locate the second soldier who in the meantime had managed to reach a nearby Jewish settlement.  During the rescue gunfire was exchanged and one Palestinian man is reported to have been killed and others injured. Ten Israeli security personnel were also treated for injuries.  

 

Also this week a 68-year-old meter reader working for the Water Company paused from his duties to eat his lunch in his car, in the ultra-orthodox neighborhood of Kiryat Sanz in Netanya.  He was dragged out of his car and was set upon by an enraged mob of around 200  haredim (ultra-orthodox) residents who thought he might be a burglar,  and he was beaten severely before being rescued by a passerby. This is his account of the incident:

"At midday, I sat in my car to eat a sandwich. As I was eating it, a number of residents arrived and inquired as to what I was doing in the neighborhood. I introduced myself and they asked for my ID. I gave it to them and then dozens - and shortly thereafter hundreds - surrounded me. They said I came to break into their homes. I tried to explain to them that I only read water meters, but they started punching and kicking me. For a half hour, they hit me. I was unable to defend myself and they eventually picked me up and hurled me over a two-meter tall fence. I landed on my back and felt excruciating pain. Then they resumed hitting me." http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4772610,00.html

 

Herzl Rokach recovering from his beatings in hospital
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4772610,00.html



 

 

Has the world gone mad? Has it lost all moral conscience?

 

Today as I was pondering these things this passage came to mind:

Now, brethren, concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him, we ask you, ² not to be soon shaken in mind or troubled, either by spirit or by word or by letter, as if from us, as though the day of Christ had come. ³ Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition, ⁴ who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God.
⁵ Do you not remember that when I was still with you I told you these things? ⁶ And now you know what is restraining, that he may be revealed in his own time. ⁷ For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only He who now restrains will do so until He is taken out of the way. ⁸ And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will consume with the breath of His mouth and destroy with the brightness of His coming. ⁹ The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, ¹⁰ and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved. ¹¹ And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie, ¹² that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.



2 Thessalonians 2: 1-12

 

 

We should not then be surprised or dismayed by the collapse of the law or moral systems at this time. This growing tide of religious fundamentalism, whether it is Muslim, Jewish or Christian is all part of the 'strong delusion' that Jesus warned will come upon the world during the times preceding his Second Coming. This delusion will come with all kinds of counterfeit signs and wonders, empowered by Satan himself, and those who are fooled by them will end up worshiping the 'son of perdition', the Anti-Christ.  The only thing restraining the Antichrist right now is the presence of the Holy Spirit, who dwells in all those true believers in Yeshua. However the time will come when they will be removed and then the Evil One, the son of perdition, will be revealed with amazing signs and wonders, and many will be  deceived and will believe the Lie. 

 

In recent years I have grown increasingly concerned by the lack of knowledge of the Scriptures among believers. When I came to the Lord back in the 1970s, those who were born again were immediately filled with an insatiable thirst for the word of God. We couldn't get enough of it. I don't see that passion any more. We have grown lukewarm and any in-depth study of the Bible is largely left to the pastors and preachers. Even my own congregation does not have any form of Bible study.  The only safety from deception is to cling to God's word, study it, know it and live it. We need the discernment of God to know Truth from the Lie. We must 'receive the love of truth' if we are to avoid being caught up in the Lie.

 

We all need to be watchful that we cling to the Truth and not be led into delusion, which often poses as religious fervor. We also need to keep praying  in the Spirit for accurate discernment.

 For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into apostles of Christ. ¹⁴ And no wonder! For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light. ¹⁵ Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also transform themselves into ministers of righteousness, whose end will be according to their works.

2 Corinthians 11: 13-15 

 

 It is essential that we can discern the spirits and recognize counterfeit signs when we see them.  I often feel that we few believers here in Jerusalem are like little wavering candles in the darkness. Please keep praying for us as we need your support and strength to keep standing, in this place which is in the very eye of the spiritual battle.

One week later, and the madness continues:
This past week has been a difficult one for us here in Israel. So many things have happened it is hard to get them all straight in my head but here goes.

On Tuesday afternoon there were three separate terror attacks within one and a half hours, leaving one dead and 12 wounded.  The first took place in Jerusalem where shots were fired at policemen near Herod's Gate at the Old City. Two police were seriously hurt, and one of them is still fighting for his life. The terrorist was killed by police.  

A few minutes later in the town of Petach Tikva a terrorist followed an orthodox man into a shop and stabbed him in the neck with a knife. The victim, Yonatan Ezriyahav, 39, a father of 5 from the north, then pulled the knife out of his neck and attacked the terrorist. The shop owner came to help and together they managed to overpower the terrorist before he could do any more harm.

Less than an hour afterwards a terrorist arrived at Jaffa Port and went on a rampage knifing passersby as he ran down the beach promenade towards Tel Aviv attacking everyone he could on the way, leaving one dead and 12 injured, some seriously. He was eventually stopped when a young man, who had been playing his guitar down on the beachfront, hit the terrorist over his head which slowed him down enough for the police to neutralize him. The man who was killed by the terrorist was a 29 year old tourist from the USA, Taylor Force,  a veteran of both the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. His wife was also seriously injured in the attack. http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4775753,00.html

Just blocks away, American Vice President, Joe Biden, was meeting with Israel's former President, Shimon Peres, to discuss 'the window of opportunity' for peace. There has been a lot of speculation about whether this spate of attacks was linked to his presence or not. One thing is sure, Biden will go home with a better appreciation of what we are facing, as he admitted to great concern for his wife and daughter who were at a restaurant on the waterfront, close to the attack, at the time. Now he knows first hand what we live with every day here.

This spate of attacks got a lot of press coverage but we have also had a lot of other attacks this week. Earlier on the same day a woman had tried to stab police officers in Jerusalem but was shot before she managed to injure any. Since Tuesday there have been two or three attacks in and around Jerusalem every day. On Wednesday shots were fired at a bus on Golda Meir Boulevard, and one civilian was injured when he was rammed by a car attack near the Jaffa Gate. On Thursday a Molotov cocktail was thrown at a car but there were no injuries, thankfully. On Friday a terrorist attacked and moderately wounded a 29 year old man just inside the Jaffa Gate of the Old City of Jerusalem, and two Israeli soldiers were lightly injured when fired upon from a passing car near the Beit Horon checkpoint. And on it goes...  

Iran Threatens Israel - again

On Wednesday this week Iran launched two long-range Qadr ballistic missiles at targets 1400 km distant. Emblazoned on their sides were the words, in Hebrew and Arabic, "Israel must be wiped out". The Iranian Fars News Agency quoted  Amir Ali Hajizadeh, the head of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard’s aerospace division, as saying.

“The 2,000-kilometer (1,240-mile) range of our missiles is to confront the Zionist regime. Israel is surrounded by Islamic countries and it will not last long in a war. It will collapse even before being hit by these missiles.” http://www.timesofisrael.com/iran-fires-2-missiles-marked-with-israel-must-be-wiped-out/.  The distance between Teheran and Tel Aviv is 1720 km.  

 

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4776269,00.html

 

 

Again this demonstration of power and intention coincided with Joe Biden's visit to Israel and according to a News Update on Ynet News he said that if Iran breaks the terms of the nuclear deal 'we will act'. But what does that mean? Does the USA, just months before their Presidential election, have the will to do anything in the face of Iran's repeated violations? There is talk but I doubt there will be any action.

On the other hand - some good news from the Iranian front. The Kuwaiti newspaper Al-Jarida reported that Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered the suspension of the shipment of S-300 missiles to Iran after receiving proof from Israeli sources that Iran had transferred advanced Russian-made SA-22 surface-to-air missile system to Hezbollah on more than one occassion http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4774679,00.html.  


Hezbollah in the North
We are constantly being bombarded by threats from the Hezbollah terrorist organization, backed by Iran and Syria's Assad. Just last month, the Hezbollah leader, Sheik Hassan Nasrallah boasted that in any confrontation with Israel he would attack Haifa's industrial zone, targeting the massive ammonia storage tanks, which would release the toxic, corrosive gas that would kill thousands of people. He said that "This would be exactly as a nuclear bomb, and we can say that Lebanon today has a nuclear bomb, seeing as any rocket that might hit these tanks is capable of creating a nuclear bomb effect". http://www.timesofisrael.com/nasrallah-threatens-to-bomb-chemical-plants-kill-thousands-of-israelis/


Haifa Bay's chemical factories with Haifa's residential areas on the hillsides in the background

http://www.timesofisrael.com/nasrallah-threatens-to-bomb-chemical-plants-kill-thousands-of-israelis/

Israel's environmental protection Minister, Avi Gabbi has since ordered that the ammonia storage facility be moved to the Negev Desert, away from large population centers.

Since the 2006 Lebanon War Hezbollah has amassed a vast arsenal of short and medium range missiles, including Scud-D guided missiles with a range of around 700 kmhttps://www.idfblog.com/hezbollah/2013/07/11/7-years-later-hezbollah-has-developed-capabilities-to-strike-anywhere-in-israel/. According to pentagon sources Hezbollah has currently around 50,000 missiles at its disposal http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4615692,00.html. Other sources put the number much higher. In any case, that is an awful lot of missiles to have pointed our way.



https://www.idfblog.com/hezbollah/2013/07/11/7-years-later-hezbollah-has-developed-capabilities-to-strike-anywhere-in-israel/

Hamas
Add to the threat from Hezbollah to the north the threat from Hamas in the south and the picture gets worse.


https://www.idfblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/Map-Amlach-new1.jpg

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4771607,00.html

Last night the Sabbath peace was shattered by the sounding of a Code Red incoming missile alert in the south communities around the Gaza Strip. At least 4 missiles were fired at Israel from Gaza,  and landed in open areas, causing no damage.  This morning Israel targeted four militant training camps belonging to Hamas. Two children were accidentally killed by missile fragments. http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4777296,00.html

Cyber warfare.
Last night suspected Hamas hackers broke into the popular, prime time reality show "Big Brother" and for a few minutes broadcast a clip showing images of recent terror attacks and warning Israelis to "Stay in your homes...The story is not over...there is more to come." http://www.jpost.com/Arab-Israeli-Conflict/Suspected-Palestinian-hackers-interrupt-TV-broadcast-with-ominous-message-447646. This affected only those viewers using private satellite dishes.

Drought
With the advent of spring, the rains are now tapering off, after yet another drier than average winter over most of the country.  According to the American Geophysical Union, the drought in the Eastern Mediterranean region, which began in 1998, is the worst drought in around 900 years http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4773597,00.html.

NOW FOR SOMETHING WONDERFULLY INSPIRING....
Middle Eastern shuks  (markets), so full of color and life during the day, transform into bleak alleys lined with grimy stone walls and grey metal shutters at night. One Jerusalem artist has changed all that. When the Mahane Yehuda shuk, the heart of Jerusalem, closes at night it transforms into an art gallery full of the richness of all the colors of Israeli life. Take a look at this video clip and be blessed:  http://www.israelvideonetwork.com/the-shuk-gallery/

And to end -  here is some more hope for the future - an exclusive article published by Kehila News,  a messianic website here in Israel, about the believing soldiers serving in the IDF. Please remember to pray for these wonderful men and women, who not only risk their lives to protect us here, fighting on the front lines of both the physical and spiritual battle, but they are also impacting their comrades with the gospel of Yeshua.  Take a few minutes to read this. It will encourage you too.

http://kehilanews.com/2016/03/01/exclusive-survey-of-messianic-idf-soldiers/

We have many enemies, but if God is for us, who can stand against us. Amen

http://www.barenakedislam.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/cartoon-vi.jpg