HAPPY BIRTHDAY, ISRAEL
And all nations will call you blessed,
For you will be a delightful land,”
Says the Lord of hosts.
For you will be a delightful land,”
Says the Lord of hosts.
Last week the modern state of Israel celebrated its 68th birthday. As Remembrance Day, in which we honor Israel's 23,447 fallen soldiers and victims of terror, a day of sadness and tears, drew to a close on the eve of May the 12th, people gathered in every city, town and neighborhood to celebrate Independence Day with music, singing, dancing, ceremonies, and fireworks displays. The following day parks and beaches were filled to overflowing as we enjoyed barbecues, picnics, visits to army bases and the traditional Air Force display. For this one day we forget our differences and rejoice together, as one big warm, happy family, just thankful to be alive and to be in our own land again.
 |
| http://mendelistreethotel.com/sites/default/files/styles/hp_rooms/public/o-israel-independence-day-facebook.jpg?itok=D0AWiozr |
 |
| Independence Day, Sacher Park Jerusalem http://cdn.timesofisrael.com/uploads/2016/05/F090531DS13.jpg |
Sometimes as I travel around this amazing little land I am filled with awe at what has been accomplished here in just 68 years. God has truly blessed Israel in spite of all our difficulties. In this tiny land, smaller than New Jersey (or Otago for you Kiwis), which is mostly arid desert or rugged mountains, with little arable land and few natural resources, Israeli's have created a prosperous, modern democratic state, second to none in the world in many respects. On Independence Day Ynetnews published 20 beautiful photos from around Israel. Take a look on http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4802294,00.html
 |
| Size of Israel ( drawn to scale in blue) compared http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Peace/relative.html |
On May 14th, 1948, Israel was declared a State and the following day a confederation of six Arab nations, led by Egypt, attacked. Below is a photo of the headlines of the Jewish newspaper, The Palestine Post, published two days later. Note the headline which reads "Egyptian Air Force Spitfires Bomb Tel Aviv; One Shot Down", and below it "2 Columns Cross Southern Border". The War of Independence lasted roughly 8 months and in spite of being vastly outnumbered and outgunned, Israel not only survived but even expanded its territory.
https://flashtrafficblog.files.wordpress.com/2016/05/israel.jpg?w=550
We have come a very long way since then. At the end of the War of Independence Israel was not only impoverished by the war, and grieving for the 6000 lost lives, but it also had to absorb hundreds of thousands of Jewish refugees from the enemy Arab nations. Yet in 2015 Israel was ranked 18th in the world according to the UN's Human Development Index, putting it amongst those nations with 'very high human development' .https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_Human_Development_Index#Very_high_human_development.
At the time of the declaration of statehood Israel's total population was only 806,000. Today there are ten times that number - 8,522,000, according to the latest statistics published on the Eve of Independence Day this year. Of the total population 74.8% are Jewish, 20,8% Arab and Christians, non-Arabs and other minority groups comprise 4.4%. Of the Jewish population 75% are born in Israel, which means that even today 1 in 4 are immigrants.
Not only has Israel's population grown but so has its affluence, as attested by the 3 million cars now clogging our roads. When I arrived in Israel, in 1979, many people did not have a telephone and you had to wait about 6 months to get a line. Now around 96% of all Israelis own at least one cellphone and landlines are becoming obsolete. In 1956/7 only 12% of homes had washing machines but now 96% do.
According to figures just out Israel now is ranked 8th in the world for life expectancy, ahead of the UK, the USA, New Zealand, and most of Europe. Men in Israel can now expect to live on average 80.6 years and women even longer, 84.3 years, in spite of ongoing wars, terror attacks and 3 million cars driven largely by maniacs.
 |
| The Ayalon Freeway in Tel Aviv http://www.ayalonhw.co.il/download/pictures/pict_1_1.jpg |
So they will say, ‘This land that was desolate has become like the garden of Eden; and the wasted, desolate, and ruined cities are now fortified and inhabited.’ 36 Then the nations which are left all around you shall know that I, the Lord, have rebuilt the ruined places and planted what was desolate. I, the Lord, have spoken it, and I will do it.”
Ezekiel 36: 35-36
Alongside the material growth and development of Israel we have also see a tremendous spiritual growth. Although Israel is still very far from being the Godly, spiritually awakened nation it will one day be, the LORD is hard at work preparing the ground.
In 1948 there were around 150 Messianic believers in Yeshua living in Israel but many of them fled fearing persecution when the state was declared. By 1952 there were only 12 believers left in the Land and one of them, Ze'ev Kofsman, courageously registered the first Messianic congregation with the new government of Israel. http://www.israeltoday.co.il/Portals/OnlineMagazine-0/201605-IT/index.aspx?mag=68db48e0-1674-4899-b61d-33e78222a536#25/z
When I first arrived in Israel, in 1979, there were only about 200 Messianic believers. Now there are an estimated 13-15000 Jewish believers living here and 265 registered congregations or Messianic organizations (ibid). This represents growth by a factor of 1,250! Although the majority of believers today are immigrants, there is now arising a large, vibrant, on-fire second generation of Israeli-born, native Hebrew-speaking young people, who are now moving into leadership. Though far from being a welcome part of Israeli society, the Messianic movement is gaining more and more acceptance and there is a greater openness amongst Israelis to the person of Yeshua than ever before. This is the prerequisite for the lifting of the veil which currently blinds the Israeli soul.
For until this day the same veil remains unlifted in the reading of the Old Testament, because the veil is taken away in Christ. 1 But even to this day, when Moses is read, a veil lies on their heart. 16 Nevertheless when one turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away.
2 Corinthians 3: 14-15
According to the Dry Bones Prophecy of Ezekiel 36, first the bones come together, and then the sinews and muscles give the body form and only then does God send the Spirit into the physical body to give it life. I believe that we stand at a point in history where the bones and the sinews of the body of Israel are ready and God is poised to send His Spirit into the nation to give it life, the true life in the spirit. We live in very exciting times - something one easily forgets in our daily scurrying about. For even as these grand events play out in history we people must needs get on with our daily lives.
The situation in the Land seems to have calmed down considerably after months of almost daily terror attacks, especially here in Jerusalem and its surrounds. There have been only two attacks since I last wrote, as far as I can remember. One took place just up the end of my street. A group of Arab youths attacked five elderly women out for a walk along the promenade. One of the women, aged 86, was stabbed repeatedly and seriously wounded and another octogenarian moderately wounded. What kind of cowardly people purposely target the aged and helpless. Certainly no heros! The attackers fled into the neighboring Arab village of Jebel Mukaber. http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4801662,00.html
A few days later a young Jewish man was lightly wounded by an attacker near the Damascus Gate http://www.jpost.com/Arab-Israeli-Conflict/Stabbing-attack-in-Jerusalem-One-Israeli-wounded-suspect-apprehended-454094. A number of other attacks have been foiled including one just two days ago when 16 year old Palestinian youth was apprehended on the Jerusalem Light Rail carrying a knife with which he planned to attack police. http://www.jpost.com/Israel-News/Terror-attack-thwarted-after-teen-caught-with-knife-on-Jerusalem-light-rail-454476
Please pray for continued calm and that life can return to a more normal condition. Pray too that we will not be lulled into carelessness. It is easy to let our guard down when things appear calm.
However I am sure the LORD will continue to protect Israel and bless her just has he has promised:
But you, O mountains of Israel, you shall shoot forth your branches and yield your fruit to My people Israel, for they are about to come. For indeed I am for you, and I will turn to you, and you shall be tilled and sown.
I will multiply men upon you, all the house of Israel, all of it; and the cities shall be inhabited and the ruins rebuilt. I will multiply upon you man and beast; and they shall increase and bear young; I will make you inhabited as in former times, and do better for you than at your beginnings.
Ezekiel 36: 8-11
