LAST OF THE SUMMER WINE

 

This week our school opened its doors for the 2016-17 school year, and this coming week most Israeli schools will open their doors. The long summer vacation is over and this seems to herald the end of the summer even though it is still just as hot as ever. Last week there was a very unusual event here in Israel- rain fell along the coast and not just a few drops but a real rain shower. In more than 35 years in Israel I can only remember one other occasion when  significant rain fell in August.  However as the days begin to draw in and September approaches soon we will be looking with eager anticipation for the true first rains of the winter. They can begin as early as September or as late as December. They bring with them relief from the heat and the building humidity, and we look forward to them as they bring refreshment, cleansing and renewed life to the dry and dusty land.  



Rain on the coastal plain
http://www.israeltoday.co.il/NewsItem/tabid/178/nid/29870/Default.aspx

 

It has been a relatively quiet summer here in Israel, and this has been a relief for us all.  Children have enjoyed their summer camps, visits to the beach and water parks,  and the myriad of other activities and events available over the summer. Although there have been no wars and no major terror attacks this summer the war clouds continue to hover just over the horizon and one cannot help but wonder if this is just the lull before the storm. Nevertheless we are all grateful to have had this period of relative calm.

This week's Torah portion, Ekev, ( Deuteronomy 7:12 - 11:25)  includes the first 9 verses of Deuteronomy 8:

“Every commandment which I command you today you must be careful to observe, that you may live and multiply, and go in and possess the land of which the Lord swore to your fathers. ² And you shall remember that the Lord your God led you all the way these forty years in the wilderness, to humble you and test you, to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His commandments or not. ³ So He humbled you, allowed you to hunger, and fed you with manna which you did not know nor did your fathers know, that He might make you know that man shall not live by bread alone; but man lives by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the Lord. ⁴ Your garments did not wear out on you, nor did your foot swell these forty years. ⁵ You should know in your heart that as a man chastens his son, so the Lord your God chastens you.

⁶ “Therefore you shall keep the commandments of the Lord your God, to walk in His ways and to fear Him. ⁷ For the Lord your God is bringing you into a good land, a land of brooks of water, of fountains and springs, that flow out of valleys and hills; ⁸ a land of wheat and barley, of vines and fig trees and pomegranates, a land of olive oil and honey; ⁹ a land in which you will eat bread without scarcity, in which you will lack nothing; a land whose stones are iron and out of whose hills you can dig copper. ¹⁰ When you have eaten and are full, then you shall bless the Lord your God for the good land which He has given you.

 

 

As I read this passage in which God is instructing the people of Israel in preparation for their entry into the Promised Land, I was struck by the way this passage parallels my life, and the lives of all who believe.  God's dealings with Israel very often are a foreshadowing or 'type' of  a deeper spiritual reality. Here the people of Israel have been brought out of the bondage of slavery in Egypt, have completed a journey of 40 years in the howling wilderness, and now they stand on the doorstep of the Promised Land. 

God warns the people to keep his commandments (teachings and principles) so that they may inherit the goodness of the Land. He tells them to remember their wanderings in the wilderness, where God allowed them to hunger and suffer trials, in order to humble them and test them, but even in the midst of that he fed and clothed them, and even watched over the health of their feet.  There was a purpose to their sufferings and God did not abandon them in the midst of their trials, and now before them lies the wonder, the bounty and the beauty of the Promised Land.

So too, we as believers, have been set free from the bondage of slavery to sin - our Egypt, but now  find ourselves are wandering in the wilderness of this fallen world. We encounter many trials and sufferings along the way, but it is for a purpose, to humble and test us, but even so, we know the provision and the protection of our Father God.  If we hold fast to God and the hope that lies before us, we will prevail and come through stronger and better people as a result. And eventually we will come to the  Promised Land, Heaven,  that is the new heavens and the new Earth, and the new Jerusalem (see Revelation 21-22).  

We don't talk much about heaven these days. Perhaps it just seems too fanciful and utopian for our cynical and materialistic culture. I don't remember ever hearing a sermon or teaching about heaven.  Most of us seem to have a rather fuzzy idea about it.  However, now at the end of the summer of my life, but I find it very encouraging to think upon that which is to come after my death. Although heaven is something so far beyond our human experience we can never comprehend it in this life, the Bible does tell us quite a lot about it. I would recommend a book I recently read called quite simply "Heaven", written by Randy Alcorn (it is available on Kindle in both a long and a shorter version).

In the Deuteronomy passage above, Israel is described as a "good land, a land of brooks of water, of fountains and springs, that flow out of valleys and hills; ⁸ a land of wheat and barley, of vines and fig trees and pomegranates, a land of olive oil and honey; ⁹ a land in which you will eat bread without scarcity, in which you will lack nothing; a land whose stones are iron and out of whose hills you can dig copper"  (verses 7-9). And those of you have visited Israel will know that it is so. It is a beautiful and good land, with many springs and fountains, and even today bountiful in wheat and barley, grapevines and fig trees, pomegranates, olive oil and honey (sometimes translated as dates). In Jewish tradition these 7 species have much symbolic and spiritual significance, but in ancient times these seven species were the very foundation of  sustenance, health and healing, and even today they form a significant part of our lives.  

The seven species
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/05/%D7%A9%D7%91%D7%A2%D7%AA_%D7%94%D7%9E%D7%99%D7%A0%D7%99%D7%9D.jpg

In the book of Revelation we are told that in the midst of the new Jerusalem there will flow a pure river and on either side of it there will be the Tree of Life, which will bear 12 types of fruit, one for each month, and its leaves will be for the healing of the nations.

"And he showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding from the throne of God and of the Lamb.  In the middle of its street, and on either side of the river, was the tree of life, which bore twelve fruits, each tree yielding its fruit every month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.  And there shall be no more curse, but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it, and His servants shall serve Him."  Revelation 22:1-3

https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/236x/72/cf/fd/72cffdb67e3da61b046785d335eab44f.jpg

Today the nations are truly in much need of healing. We look over our fence to the East and see the nation of Syria torn and bleeding. Turkey to the north is reeling from internal strife, violence and terror. Closer to home the Palestinian territories on the West Bank are facing political and social fragmentation. In 2007 the fundamentalist terror organization, Hamas, violently wrested control of the Gaza Strip from the Palestinian Authority (the PLO or Fatah) thus dividing the Palestinian territories. Now with municipal elections soon to begin (on October 8),  it appears that Hamas is set to win in most of the major towns and cities of the West Bank. This could lead to the cantonization of the Palestinian areas leading to social and political disintegration and chaos, or just to the situation where Hamas takes total control as it did in Gaza. Either way, I believe it would be a disaster for the Palestinians and  pose a severe security concern to Israel. Not only would we have Hamas on our southern border but also all along the eastern border. Both Israel and the Palestinian Authority were caught out with the sudden turnaround by Hamas and their decision to stand in the elections, and now both are scrambling to control the damage.  I fear it will be too little, too late. The PA will pay the price of its corruption and social neglect, and Israel will be left with no hope of a partner for peaceful coexistence. You can read more on :
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4844196,00.html    

The future of the Palestinian people?
http://www.israellycool.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/hamas-family.jpg

Another area of concern is the growing influence of Russia in the Middle East. On 16 August long range Russian bombers flew out of the Hamadan base in western Iran to attack targets in Syria. This is the first time that Iran has permitted any foreign power to use its air bases since the Islamic Revolution in 1979, and is indicative of the strengthening of relations between Russia and Iran. This should concern us all. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/08/16/russian-bombers-launch-syria-strikes-from-iran/

Iran is growing more and more arrogant and confident since the deal made with the US and the other six world powers the last year. This week tensions in the Persian Gulf mounted as there were several incidents of boats belonging to the Iranian Revolutionary Guard corps provocatively harassing American navy vessels. In one incident four Iranian boats, ignoring warnings, approached within 300 yards (about 300 meters) of the American destroyer before turning back. In another incident one boat came directly at a destroyer, approaching within 200 yards, and only turned back when the Americans fired warning shots over its bow http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/iran-us-destroyer-ship-persian-gulf-navy-pentagon-a7209966.html .  As Iran gets bolder and bolder such incidents could easily trigger an escalation of tension and lead to an all out war. Iran has made no secret of its desire to destroy the US (the "Big Satan" as they call it) and Israel (the "Little Satan").


As the world around us seems to grow darker and darker it becomes more and more important to keep before us the hope of heaven. This gives us strength to go on. We also know that God allows these trials for a purpose but as he has promised Israel, he also promise all who worship him, that he will always keep them and provide for their needs.

Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ

1 Peter 1: 13

SUMMER OLYMPICS

 

 

Last weekend I sat up in the wee small hours of Saturday morning  to watch the live broadcast of the  Opening Ceremony of the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio. I even sat through the somewhat tedious parade of the more than 200 participating nations. Why? Its not so much that I am a big sports fan, but rather that the Olympic Games for me are a celebration of life, of health, of humanity. They are a demonstration of the beauty and excellence of the well-trained human body. But more than that, they demonstrate to me what humankind is capable of achieving, if we could only learn to work together. For this brief moment, nations can forget their divisions, celebrate their diversity and compete together in peace. I ask myself what could humanity achieve if we didn't waste so much of our energy and resources in fighting senseless wars?  

 

Israeli Olympic Delegation (Photo: AP)
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4838006,00.html

 

How sad I was therefore to read the next day of something that was the very antithesis of this. As the Israeli sports team was leaving their hotel for the Opening Ceremony they were directed to board a waiting bus. However as they tried to board, their entrance was blocked by the Lebanese delegation which was already on board. They did not want to share a bus with Israelis. The Lebanese delegation head, Salim al-Haj Nakoula, at one point blocked the Israelis by physically standing in their way. The organizers gave in to the Lebanese and provided a second bus just for the Israelis, and Nakoula became a hero in Lebanon. According to Ynetnews, the "The Al Mayadeen and Al-Manar news networks, both associated with Hezbollah, gave Nakoula praise, with the latter also interviewing him. Hezbollah supporters and officials praised him on social media, with one Al-Manar broadcaster tweeting, “The Israelis were sent away from the bus because normalization (with Israel) is not to be had in any form, and because the Lebanese identity (is that of) resistance. Be proud to be Lebanese.” http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4838006,00.html

 

What a shame that even at the Olympics these enemies of Israel get away with such behavior. One of the Israeli athletes, Udi Gal, wrote this on his Facebook page,

“How is it that they (the Games organizers) let something like this happen, and on the opening night of the Olympic Games? Isn’t this the opposite of what the Olympics represent and (don’t the actions by the Lebanese delegation) work against it? I cannot describe the way I feel. I’m enraged and shocked by this event.”  http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4838006,00.html

 

No wonder the Israeli delegation appeared somewhat subdued as they marched in the parade of Nations.

No wonder there is no peace in the Middle East.  I saw a video today that epitomizes the reason why peace between Israel and the Palestinians is impossible at this point in time. In this video a Palestinian father tries to get his 3-year-old son (erroneously stated to be 4-years-old in these videos below) to throw stones at Israeli border police, and calls upon them to shoot the little boy. Instead the soldier extends his hand in peace to the little lad who gives him a 'high five'. Not wanting to disobey his father no doubt, the poor confused boy eventually throws his stones harmlessly into a field. Take a minute to watch the video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JKkCgpKk4SI. For a fuller explanation take 10 minutes to view this video too https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gGdXjh8d0Gw . Here is Netanyahu's response https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j-kOwFA8xZ4.

 

This is the real tragedy of the Palestinian - Israeli conflict, that children  are being trained from the cradle to hate and kill and be killed. Amongst the Palestinians there exists a culture of death. Children are being educated in the values of marytydom and are being sacrificed by their own mothers and fathers. Why is the world not crying out against this terrible child abuse?

 

 In 1957, the former Prime Minister of Israel, Golda Meir, said this:

 “We can forgive the Arabs for killing our children. We cannot forgive them for forcing us to kill their children. We will only have peace with the Arabs when they love their children more than they hate us.”  Her words have never rung more true than they do today.

 

http://api.ning.com/files/0SEDixnlYokHk-Huesjq-lTblG0x0SoajGWndBFvPeqv*uqmVT-XI4-sjJuCNvJS40mxX3eqoRkrv0zHv8t0Xw__/250883_444398322251271_1028662905_n.jpg?width=737&height=424

I will never forget the words of a Gazan mother, who accompanied her son to Israel for life-saving medical treatments, during the latest Gazan war. She said " The difference between you and us, is that you (Israelis) honor life and we (Palestinians) honor death". 

 

Today I read in the paper of yet another incidence when Israel brought people from enemy nations, this time from Syria, for medical treatment. In this latest case 8 people, including two badly burned children, were evacuated by night across the border from a hospital in the Syrian town of Quneitra that had earlier been attacked by artillery fire from Assad's government forces. The injured were in a critical state and dozens of Israeli paramedics and soldiers put themselves at great risk to rescue these people. In the last three years 2,500 Syrians have been treated in Israeli hospitals. These people are treated free of charge and at the expense of the Israeli taxpayer, and when well enough returned to their home country.

 

 

A Syrian child being treated by Israeli paramedics prior to airlift to the hospital. His face is blurred out to protect his identity. http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4838412,00.html

 

With acts of kindness like this the culture of hatred, fear and distrust can be changed and there are many on both sides who are trying to change it. Arabs and Jews can learn to love one another. This is especially true for those who profess faith in Yeshua. He taught us to love our enemies. He taught us that in Him we are one. Just last week my (predominantly Jewish) congregation held a picnic with members of an Arab congregation that also meets in our hall. We shared our food, worshipped God singing in each other's languages, prayed for each other and just enjoyed each other's company under some shady trees in a park.  It can be done if there is a will. The only real hope for the Middle East, and indeed the world, is reconciliation in the Messiah, Yeshua. Only he has the power and the love to heal the wounds, turn hatred into love and war in to peace. In Isaiah 2:4 it says that,

 

 They shall beat their swords into plowshares,
And their spears into pruning hooks;
Nation shall not lift up sword against nation,
Neither shall they learn war anymore.

But this will only happen when,

 ...in the latter days
That the mountain of the Lord’s house
Shall be established on the top of the mountains,
And shall be exalted above the hills;
And all nations shall flow to it.

 

Isaiah 2: 2

 Meanwhile in Jerusalem the senseless violence continues, although the summer has so far been relatively quiet. Some months ago the police clamped down on the shooting off of guns and fireworks in our neighboring Arab villages,  but in the last couple of weeks we have seen a renewal of these activities. It is a cultural tradition amongst Arabs to shoot into the air and fire off fireworks to celebrate weddings and other happy occasions, however those bullets have to fall somewhere, and at times the fireworks,  including rockets often loaded with nails, are used as weapons. These weapons can be deadly. The Jewish neighborhood of Har Hazeitim, to the south and east of the Old City, is constantly being bombarded by Molotov cocktails, rocks and fireworks, fired from the neighboring Arab village of Ras el Amud. Residents of Har Hazeitim have erected a camera in an attempt to prevent these attacks. Here is a video taken by this camera last week as fireworks were being fired across an intersection at passing cars and at the police patrolling the area.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4836940,00.html

A story that has hit the headlines here this week is the revelation that the Evangelical aid organization, World Vision, has inadvertently been aiding terrorism against Israel. Their Gaza branch director, Mohammed El-Halabi, was arrested by Israeli security forces in mid-June and has admitted that he is in fact a Hamas agent that was infiltrated into the World Vision organization in 2005. Since that time he has orchestrated a sophisticated apparatus by which some 60% of funds donated to assist needy Gazan citizens has been diverted to support the terrorist wing of Hamas and used to  finance the digging of terror tunnels, the building of military bases and the purchase of weapons. This has amounted to some $US7.2 million per year.  You can read more about this on http://www.israeltoday.co.il/NewsItem/tabid/178/nid/29759/Default.aspx or

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4837539,00.html.

According to Israel's Shin Bet security services Hamas took advantage of the naivety of the well-intentioned World Vision organization. This reminds me of Jesus' warning to his disciples,

Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore be wise as serpents and harmless as doves.  Matthew 10: 16.  

There is no room for naiveté in the Middle East. Why are serpents considered to be so wise? Snakes in general do not have eyelids, and therefore they can never blink. They sleep with open eyes.  They are perpetually watchful.

The eye of a snake
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We as Messianic or Christian believers need to understand the wickedness of the world we are living in. Sometimes we withdraw into a nice comfortable bubble, relating mainly to ourselves, and this can make us overly trusting and naïve. Western believers are especially prone to this and are often ill-equipped to deal with the dishonesty, cynicism and manipulations prevalent in Middle Eastern society.  We need the Holy Spirit to help us find the fine line between a healthy respect and trust for our fellow man and the necessity to be 'as wise as serpents' when dealing with fallen humanity. I personally find this the most difficult aspect of living in the Middle East and there have been many times when I have fallen prey to those who take advantage of my trusting nature.

I want to finish by drawing your attention to the situation in Russia. Recently the Duma (the Parliament) adopted proposed amendments to antiterrorism legislation which, if passed into law, will make it illegal to share the Christian faith with a nonbeliever, even in casual conversation, or in the privacy of your own home, without prior authorization from the government. This amendment, ostensibly aimed at preventing the spread of terrorism, would, if enforced, reintroduce the draconian restrictions on the freedom of religion that were present during the Communist era. The seriousness of this proposed amendment is explained in the following quote:

The new law will require any sharing of the Christian faith – even a casual conversation – to have prior authorisation from the state. This includes something as basic as an emailed invitation for a friend to attend church. Even in a private home, worship and prayer will only be allowed if there are no unbelievers present. Churches will also be held accountable for the activities of their members. So if, for example, a church member mentions their faith in conversation with a work colleague, not only the church member but also the church itself could be punished, with individuals facing fines of up to 50,000 roubles (£580; USD770; €700). There are also restrictions on the extent to which churches can have contact with foreigners; for example, any non-Russian citizen attending a church service would be required to have a work visa or face a fine and expulsion from Russia.

https://barnabasfund.org/news/christians-call-day-of-prayer-and-fasting-as-russian-government-introduces-draconian-soviet-era-restrictions-on-religious-freedom

The bill is now  in the hands of President Putin who has until the 20th of July to decide whether to make this bill law. Our Russian brothers and sisters in the Lord have called for national prayer and fasting, and we all need to stand with them in prayer against this terrible development.

BOWLS OF INCENSE

 

Prayer is something  central to human life. Nearly all humans instinctively pray to some kind of higher being, even atheists pray when under threat of death, yet as Christian or Messianic believers do we really understand the power of prayer?

 

I do believe that the impulse to pray is a God given gift to all humankind, so why then do I find it so difficult to be constant and serious in my prayer life? I know I am erratic at best, often neglecting to pray until I reach some crisis point. I think one of the reasons, I and so many others, struggle with prayer is that we don't  really believe in its power. We often don't see the results immediately so ,when our prayers are answered, we don't remember or notice. Then what about all those  times when it seems that our prayers merely bounce off the ceiling without result? 

 

 The apostle Paul exhorted us to pray always saying,

 

Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.  And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Philippians 4: 6-7

 

What a great promise this verse holds. If we can only take all our worries and concerns to the Lord in prayer, we can know that perfect peace even in the most distressing of times. Yet how often do we experience this 'peace that passes all understanding'? Why do we allow the busyness of this world and its constant distractions to prevent us from praying as we ought? Why do so many of us, myself included, persist in trying to solve our own, and the world's, problems in our own strength?

 

I think one of the reasons I so often fail in prayer is that I often don't truly believe that my prayers matter.  Does God really hear my prayers? Why do I need to bring my worries to Him when He, the all-knowing God, must know about them anyway? And yet apparently He wants us to pray. That's a mystery.

 

In the Book of Revelation we see some answers. In two parts of John's revelation we see golden bowls of incense rising up before God and these are identified as the prayers of the saints.



 

 Then I saw in the right hand of the one seated on the throne a scroll written on the inside and on the back, sealed with seven seals; ² and I saw a mighty angel proclaiming with a loud voice, “Who is worthy to open the scroll and break its seals?” ³ And no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll or to look into it. ⁴ And I began to weep bitterly because no one was found worthy to open the scroll or to look into it. ⁵ Then one of the elders said to me, “Do not weep. See, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals.”

⁶ Then I saw between the throne and the four living creatures and among the elders a Lamb standing as if it had been slaughtered, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth. ⁷ He went and took the scroll from the right hand of the one who was seated on the throne. ⁸ When he had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell before the Lamb, each holding a harp and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. ⁹ They sing a new song:

“You are worthy to take the scroll
    and to open its seals,
for you were slaughtered and by your blood you ransomed for God
    saints from every tribe and language and people and nation;
¹⁰ you have made them to be a kingdom and priests serving^[our God,
    and they will reign on earth.”

¹¹ Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels surrounding the throne and the living creatures and the elders; they numbered myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands, ¹² singing with full voice,

“Worthy is the Lamb that was slaughtered
to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might
and honor and glory and blessing!”

¹³ Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them, singing,

“To the one seated on the throne and to the Lamb
be blessing and honor and glory and might
forever and ever!”

¹⁴ And the four living creatures said, “Amen!” And the elders fell down and worshiped.

Revelation 5

 

When the Lamb opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour. ² And I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and seven trumpets were given to them.

³ Another angel with a golden censer came and stood at the altar; he was given a great quantity of incense to offer with the prayers of all the saints on the golden altar that is before the throne. ⁴ And the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, rose before God from the hand of the angel. ⁵ Then the angel took the censer and filled it with fire from the altar and threw it on the earth; and there were peals of thunder, rumblings, flashes of lightning, and an earthquake.

Revelation 8: 1-5

https://i.ytimg.com/vi/WvJumQjvJTc/hqdefault.jpg

In the verses I have highlighted we can see how the prayers of the saints were mixed with fire from heaven and brought about acts of great power on Earth.  Our prayers, somehow, in a way I do not  fully understand, have prophetic power in the heavenly realm, and God uses these, mixed with his own power, to work great things on Earth. We should not therefore underestimate the importance and power of our prayers.

Some years ago I would often walk past a photography shop on my way to work. It  puzzled me as it was always closed and yet it had no air of abandonment about it. Then one night, coming home at a very late hour, I walked past this shop and was surprised to see lights shining inside. Then I saw several small children being taken into this shop. Suddenly it dawned on me that this was a place where child pornography films were being made. I prayed that God would destroy this shop and save the children from this abomination. I got a big shock the next morning when I read in the newspaper that a fire had broken out in the shop later that night and razed it to the ground. Thankfully all the people inside, including the children, managed to escape through a window. That shook me, and made me realize that I must not be casual about my prayers, they are effective and powerful.  We can never know what effect they may have.

This week too, here in Jerusalem, we saw again the effective power of prayer. In my last post I wrote about the Tomorrowland Electronic Music Festival which took place in here in Jerusalem last Saturday. Much prayer went up here and all around the world against this demonic event. It worked. In an auditorium that seats 15,000 only 1,132 turned up and the concert was delayed about 1 1/2 hours because of technical problems with the satellite feed from Belgium, so most of the live-feed concert was missed.  You could say it was the greatest non-event of the year. It did not even get a mention in the following day's press. Hallelujah and thank you to all who prayed. For a fuller report go to: https://kehilanews.com/2016/07/25/update-on-prayer-about-occult-music-festival-tomorrowland-in-jerusalem/

God is all powerful and, for some reason I do not understand, He has decided to work through the prayers of his people. I thank you, all who pray for this nation, Israel, and the great work that God is bringing about through your prayers bringing the whole world to final redemption. We do not need to fear the attacks of the Enemy, which will come, but we do need to keep praying and working with God to overcome this Enemy and his works. Our prayers have more power than we can ever imagine.

This week in Jerusalem has been relatively quiet as we swelter under the full blast of the summer heat. At night the colorfully lit and decorated streets are full of families and groups of friends wandering about enjoying the cool air, or gathering at cafes, restaurants and parks. It all has a rather festive air. Today I visited my local shopping mall and saw there, to my amazement, what must be the tiniest ice skating rink in the world. The kids seemed to be enjoying it anyway.

Of course under it all the forces of evil are constantly trying to destroy our life here. Terror attempts continue though more and more are being thwarted, our borders are uneasy with the rumors of war, ISIS is on our doorstep and infiltrating the minds of our young Arab people,  and Iran is actively supporting it all. There is always tension and anxiety in the air, but Israelis are tough, resilient people who in spite of all not only survive but flourish.

Attacks by lone-wolf terrorists, in the wave of terror that began last October, are diminishing. We are seeing fewer attempts, and of those more and more are being thwarted. As of the end of June, 38 Israelis have been killed and another 290 injured, in some 2000 separate attacks, according to the figures released by the Shin Bet security services. In June there were only (!) 103 attacks compared to 620 at the height of the terror wave last October.

Why the drop? Of course I put it down to the power of prayer, but also we must give a lot of credit to our security forces, the police and soldiers, and vigilant civilians too. Fewer and fewer attacks are  successful and this in itself serves as a deterrent.  As Shlomo Brom, a retired Brigadier General and an analyst at the Institute for National Security Studies put it, "There is a limit to the number of even frustrated young people who are willing to give their life and to achieve nothing. So it makes sense that over time, the numbers of attacks are fewer and fewer.” Keep praying for attacks to fail, for the vigilance of our security forces and the general public. As the risk decreases so does our vigilance often and we cannot afford to let down our guard.
http://www.timesofisrael.com/israel-has-had-success-against-lone-wolf-terrorists-heres-how/

One of the terror wave hotspots has been road 443, the main road between Modi'in and Jerusalem, which has experienced dozens of attacks. This is one of just two main arterial links between Jerusalem and Tel Aviv region and about 15km of it passes through the West Bank. The road is is overlooked by Palestinian villages on either side, and runs near Ramallah. I used to use this road in preference to Highway 1 which is dangerously busy, winding and steep, made even more dangerous by long-term roadworks being carried out.  Since the terror wave began however I, like many others, have been avoiding travel on route 443. The speed limit on that road is 120kph and at that speed even a small rock hitting a windshield can be deadly. This week I was pleased to learn that the IDF will be stepping up its surveillance on this road by installing some 255 new day and night vision cameras and two more surveillance balloons to supplement the existing one. Some 50-70 combat soldiers already patrol the road at all times. Perhaps soon I will feel able to use that road again!
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4832520,00.html

Route 443
http://www.haaretz.com/polopoly_fs/1.671235.1439629479!/image/736903263.jpg_gen/derivatives/headline_609x343/736903263.jpg

Another topic for fervent prayer is the upcoming elections in the West Bank. In October both local and municipal elections will be held in the West Bank, currently controlled by the Palestinian Authority, and the terror organization, Hamas, has decided to participate in these elections in order to gauge Palestinian public opinion.  In addition Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip, will also be holding internal elections towards the end of the year. It would be a disaster for the Palestinian people if Hamas were to gain control of the West Bank as well as Gaza, but widespread dissatisfaction with the Palestinian Authority (Fatah) may make this a possibility. These elections could precipitate much internal unrest and social chaos in the West Bank and such conditions would encourage the growing influence of Day'ish ( ISIS), especially the amongst the dissatisfied youth. Of course Israel  would not be too happy to have Hamas in power in the West Bank.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4832520,00.html
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4832520,00.html

Finally here are some links to some YouTube videos you might find informative and interesting: 

 The Wall https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ph9g39muwo

Video about 10 misconceptions  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GdtGOY8T5XE

 What happens to aid money  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TJdQ7Bx0av4

Rejoice always,  pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

 

1 Thessalonians 5: 16-18