THE WAR IS OVER – OR NOT?

A few days ago one of my friends remarked, “Now that the war is over, we can get back to normal”. I was a little shocked. Is the war over? Yes, the missiles have stopped falling on our heads. The warning sirens haven’t sounded for a few weeks and yes, here in Israel, life has pretty much returned to ‘normal’, but it is, as we said during the Covid epidemic, a ‘new normal’, and one that is very fragile.

Our soldiers and airmen are still fighting in Gaza and Lebanon. Hamas still holds the bodies of 4 hostages in captivity. Israel has not officially declared the war over, nor have there been any public celebrations. I don’t feel any sense of jubilation on the streets and most people I have talked to are cautious and doubtful about any lasting peace with our enemies. Under the superficial normality, there is a heavy and solemn atmosphere.

It is true that Israel’s enemies, especially Iran, Hezbollah, Hamas and the Houthis have all taken a serious hit during this war, and they may have been weakened militarily, but in boxing terms, they are ‘down but not out’.

The Peace Plan, brokered by the President of the U.S. Donald Trump, is predicated on the surrender of Hamas in Gaza, its disarmament and its displacement as a governing power. Hamas agreed only to the first phase of this plan, the return of the 20 remaining hostages in exchange for around 2000 Hamas prisoners held by Israel.

Hamas has not signed on to the second or following phases of the Plan, which require it to disarm.  Hamas has neither surrendered nor disarmed and has made it clear that it has no intention of doing so. And why would it? Its whole raison d’etre is the destruction of Israel. Without its weapons, Hamas is nothing.

 On the northern front, Hezbollah is busy rearming and building new infrastructure, already preparing for a renewed round of fighting with Israel. Iran just gave Hezbollah $US 1 billion for rearmament purposes, even though Iran’s own economy is in dire straits and the people of Iran don’t even have enough water to drink or a regular supply of electricity.

Iran is also rebuilding its nuclear program and they claim to still have around 400kg of enriched, near-weapons grade uranium that was not destroyed in the US/Israel attacks. It is boasting that it will fire barrages of 2000 missiles per day at Israel should we dare to attack, even though it probably doesn’t have enough launchers to do so. Iran is given to bombastic threats, but we do know that it has acquired launchers and other military equipment from China and Russia. There is no way that Israel, or the world, can permit Iran to have a nuclear weapon. It seems another war with Iran is inevitable and necessary.

Trump, is proclaiming that the Middle East is ‘now at peace’, but it will take more than a proclamation to bring any meaningful or lasting peace in the Middle East. If the Islamists, Iran or its terrorist proxies, have made agreements or ‘deals’, it is only because it is somehow in the interest of their cause to do so. Their cause is global jihad, the spread of extreme Shiia Islam, the imposition of Sharia Law and the downfall of Western civilization. They have made no secret of their goals, nor that they are currently taking advantage of the negotiated ceasefires to regroup and rearm.

The Trump Peace Plan is also based on the assumption that the actors in the Middle East want peace and western-style democracy and capitalism above all. This is a quintessentially western value, but not one held high in the Muslim world. The drive for global Islamization carries a much greater value. For the jihadis death and martyrdom is held in greater esteem than life and peace. This is an impossible idea for westerners to get their heads around, but we need to understand what we are dealing with here.

The Plan also depends on the international community, particularly the ‘moderate’ Sunni Muslim states of the Middle East. But they are not rushing to send troops to disarm Hamas, nor are they showing interest in being part of the coalition for the rule of Gaza. They have even come up with at least two alternative plans in rejection of the Trump Plan.

Around 200 Hamas murderers, released by Israel in exchange for our hostages, are currently living in a luxury hotel in Egypt awaiting asylum in a third country. No country has volunteered to take them in, and Egypt does not want them either. Surprise!

Now another 200 Hamas terrorists are trapped inside the Israeli controlled part of the Gaza Strip. Israel has agreed to allow them to leave unarmed, but they must be expelled from Gaza. Perhaps your country would like to grant asylum to 200 fanatical, hate-filled terrorists?

The Plan envisions a rebuilt Gaza controlled, at least initially, by a coalition of states headed and overseen by the USA. The US has already established a headquarters in the southern Israeli city of Kiryat Gat to begin this process and it is reported that it will soon begin the construction of a large American base, housing at least 2000 US military and civilian personnel, in the Gaza envelope region within Israel. There are also reports of plans to establish a number of other US military installations along Israel’s other border areas. If true, these bases would contravene Israel’s long-standing policy of independence with regard to its security. Is this the first step of Israel becoming the US’s 51st state? The Gaza Strip is part of the God-given homeland of the people of Israel. Are the nations once more dividing the Holy Land? (Update: The US denies any plans to establish bases in Israeli territory)

The Trump Plan also involves the United Nations, which is extremely biased against Israel, and should not play any part in the reconstruction and control of Gaza. The UN UNWRA organization through its schools, from kindergarten upwards, has brainwashed at least two generations of Palestinians to mindlessly hate and murder Jews. Ask a Palestinian kindergarten student what he or she wants to be when they grow up, and they will tell you that they want to be a martyr and kill many Jews. It would take a totally purged education system and several generations to undo this atrocity. The UN should play no part whatsoever in the reconstruction of Gaza.

Trump also seems to want to involve Turkey and Qatar in the future governance of Gaza. The President of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan has made it clear that he desires to restore the Turkish Empire. A foothold in Gaza would be a step towards such an eventuality. Israel will never agree to a Turkish presence there. Qatar is playing a double game and cannot be trusted.

Perhaps I am being overly critical but for all these reasons, and more, I cannot see the Trump Plan working. Already today, US leaders are admitting that the implementation of the second part of the Plan, the disarmament of Hamas, has stalled.

I am not sure if Trump is naïve, delusional or somehow complicit. He has met with many of the Islamist leaders, including the leaders of Turkey, Syria and Qatar, and declared them to be “nice people” - “people he can work with”.  I wonder if Hitler or Stalin were ‘nice’, charming people too? After all abrasive or obnoxious people are not likely to rise into positions of political power. The Bible even describes Satan as an angel of light: “And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. It is not surprising, then, if his servants also masquerade as servants of righteousness” ( 2 Corinthians 11: 14-15).

The war between Hamas and Israel that began on October 7, 2023, is just one battle in the greater war, the global jihad. Israel may have had amazing success in this current battle, with the help of God, but jihad is not over and has merely entered into a new phase. This phase will not be waged primarily with guns but in the minds and institutions of the people of the West. It may sound like a fantastic, apocalyptic movie or an exaggeration, but what we are seeing is truly a clash of civilizations, a clash between Islam and the Judeo/Christian-based Western civilization.

At this point it seems to me that Islam is winning. The Islamists have brilliantly mastered the art of propaganda and are using it to win over Western minds. In nearly every major western nation we have seen thousands waving banners and chanting antisemitic and anti-Israel slogans on the streets, even though most of those protesters have no idea what those slogans actually mean, nor their implications. They demonstrate because it makes them feel good. It puts them on the ‘moral high ground’ to scapegoat Israel with albeit, unfounded accusations of genocide or apartheid. They do not understand that they are being manipulated by the Islamists who are working to undermine, and eventually destroy, the very civilization that gives them the freedom to demonstrate and speak freely. If the Islamists win, they will not tolerate free speech, free thought, freedom of religion, dissension or demonstrations. Women will be relegated to the status of chattels belonging to the men, with fewer rights than the animals. Members of the LGBTQ community will be thrown off high buildings or hung.  

Expressions of antisemitism and acts of violence against Jews have once again become socially acceptable all over the world. The night of the 9-10 November was the 87^th anniversary of Kristallnacht, the Night of the Broken Glass, when Nazis carried out pogroms against the Jews of Germany and Austria in 1938. I grew up thinking the world had learned its lesson. We thought the Holocaust would never happen again. But it is happening again and on steroids – not just in one region but all over the world. Holocaust survivors claim the atmosphere today is just like it was in 1938, on the eve of World War II and the Holocaust.

Western nations have been infiltrated by Islamic jihadists, who mingled with genuine immigrants and refugees from Islamic nations. Once in our midst they have set up charities, institutions and educational centers which subvert others. (Note: I am not saying that all Muslims promote or support jihad). Many cities and nations in the west now have political leaders who are antisemitic and support the jihadi cause, whether they do so consciously or not. Terror organizations have hundreds, if not thousands, of ‘sleeper cells’ waiting in every nation, preparing to carry out terrorist attacks designed to sow fear, hatred and chaos. Universities have been subverted by the injection of large amounts of finance from sources such as Qatar. The education of our children is being corrupted by ‘political correctness’ and ‘woke philosophy’, preventing critical thinking and healthy discernment.  All of this is intended to bring down western civilization replacing it with Islamic rule and Sharia Law.

So what can we do? Is it too late to stop this process?

I don’t know, but we must try, especially if we believe in the Bible, in Truth and Righteousness. Here are some suggestions on how we as individuals can help turn the tide.

1.      First and foremost – pray. Call out to God. He hears and it matters.

2.      We all need to educate ourselves. Know your enemy. Listen to what the Islamic jihadis are saying and believe they mean it.  They are not keeping their plans secret, but many in the West are refusing to take them seriously. Identify the threat, name it and decide to take action.

3.      Study the whole Bible exegetically and understand what is happening from a Biblical perspective and encourage others to do the same. Start a Bible Study group or a prayer group and spread the word. Educate your children and young people regarding the role of Israel in God’s redemption plan, his love for and promises towards Israel. Resist replacement theology.  Spread the gospel of salvation to the Jew first, and also to the ‘Greek’ (meaning all gentiles including the Muslims). The gospel is the only hope for a true and lasting peace on earth.  

4.      Speak up. The silent majority needs to make its voice heard. Remember that silence in the face of evil is complicity. Write to your leaders. Write on social media. Write comments.  Make videos. Tell your friends. Demonstrate.

5.      Pray for your governments, that they will understand the threat, stand against it, resist Islamist takeovers, and support Israel which is fighting in the vanguard of the war against jihad.

We know that one day all the nations of the world will come against Israel. God through the prophet Zechariah proclaimed, “On that day, when all the nations of the earth are gathered against her, I will make Jerusalem an immovable rock for all the nations” and “I am going to make Jerusalem a cup that sends all the surrounding peoples reeling” (Zechariah 12: 3,2). We are not there yet, and much that has been prophesied is yet to be fulfilled, but it seems the stage is being set and we are hastening towards the day of the judgement of the nations.

In Joel 3 God declares, “In those days and at that time, when I restore the fortunes of Judah and Jerusalem, I will gather all nations and bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat. There I will put them on trial for what they did to my inheritance, my people Israel... (Joel 3:1-2).  

 

 

 

 

 

 

SEE WHAT THEY SPEW FROM THEIR MOUTHS

A few days ago, some of the leading nations of the West, including the UK, France, Canada and Australia declared their recognition of a ‘Palestinian State’.

It is absurd to recognize something that does not actually exist. There is no ‘Palestinian State’ to recognize. It is a fiction. It would even be funny were it not so dangerous.

In uttering these words these nations have essentially signed their own death warrant. They have violated the most fundamental principle governing the history of nations, according to the Bible. God said to Abraham and his descendants – the people of Israel,

I will bless those who bless you,
    and whoever curses you I will curse.

Genesis 12:3

Every nation or empire that has risen up against the people of Israel has been defeated. Where are the Empires of the Assyrians, the Babylonians, the Greeks, the Romans and the Third Reich (Nazi Germany) today? Yet Israel has survived.

By declaring a ‘Palestinian State’, these nations have expressed an intention to divide up the land that God has clearly given to the descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the people of Israel, the Holy Land which God defined as stretching from the River (Euphrates) to the Sea (Mediterranean), and which includes the Gaza Strip (Genesis 15:18; Deuteronomy 11:24). For this the nations will be judged by the LORD God of Israel:

“In those days and at that time,
    when I restore the fortunes of Judah and Jerusalem,

 I will gather all nations
    and bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat.
There I will put them on trial
    for what they did to my inheritance, my people Israel,
because they scattered my people among the nations
    and divided up my land.

Joel 3:1-2

In giving recognition to the non-existent ‘Palestinian State’ these nations have given a prize to Hamas for their unprovoked attack on Israel on October 7, 2023. Hamas leaders are openly hailing this recognition as a victory. The nations of the West, and indeed the whole world, need to decide whether they stand with God or against Him. The LORD (YHWH) is God, not Allah, and the LORD is the God of Israel.

King David was also surrounded by enemies intent upon his annihilation and this was his prayer:

Deliver me from evildoers
    and save me from those who are after my blood.

 See how they lie in wait for me!
    Fierce men conspire against me
    for no offense or sin of mine, Lord.

 I have done no wrong, yet they are ready to attack me.
    Arise to help me; look on my plight!
 You, Lord God Almighty,
    you who are the God of Israel,
rouse yourself to punish all the nations;
    show no mercy to wicked traitors.

See what they spew from their mouths—
    the words from their lips are sharp as swords,
    and they think, “Who can hear us?”

 But you laugh at them, Lord;
    you scoff at all those nations...

For the sins of their mouths,
    for the words of their lips,
    let them be caught in their pride.
For the curses and lies they utter,

     consume them in your wrath,
    consume them till they are no more.
Then it will be known to the ends of the earth
    that God rules over Jacob (Another name for Israel).

Psalm 59: 1-8, 12-13

These words resonate in today’s world.  Many are spewing forth words of baseless libel and condemnation against Israel - words such as genocide and famine. They also accuse Israel of using disproportionate force against Hamas.

No nation in history has done more to prevent the killing of civilians in war, nor has any nation gone to such pains to provide food and other aid to an enemy population during wartime. It is sadly true that many civilians have been killed in Gaza, but it is hard to distinguish who are the civilians since many Hamas fighters wear civilian clothes. Many of the so-called ‘innocent’ civilians are avid supporters of Hamas, and even celebrated the atrocities of October 7.  It is however a sad fact that civilians, even children and babies, are killed in every war. It must also be remembered that Israel did not start this war, does not want it, and is fighting for its very survival against jihadi forces intent upon its destruction.

Israel does not deliberately target civilians, unlike its enemies who fire missiles and rockets at Israeli cities with the clearly stated intention of killing as many civilians as possible. Hamas also uses their own civilians as human shields, deliberately putting them into the line of fire. They deliberately place their command and communications centers, tunnels, rocket launchers and other military armaments in and under civilian residential buildings, hospitals, schools and mosques.

It should also be remembered that many innocent Israeli civilians have died too and many Israelis have been displaced and have lost their homes, businesses and livelihoods. We don’t hear the nations decrying that injustice!

What too is ‘disproportionate force’ when you are fighting for your very survival? If a murderous madman broke into your home and started killing your family with a knife, would you lay aside your gun and attack him with a knife, in order to be ‘proportionate’? The only way to win a war is to use ‘disproportionate force’.  If the Allies in World War II had not used disproportionate force against Nazi Germany and Japan, we would all be speaking German or Japanese today. What incredible hypocrisy!

Israel is not perfect, but it is the nation that God formed and chose for His purposes and which he has promised to protect. God has not rejected Israel and His promises still stand. Israel still has a role to play in God’s redemption plan. Woe to any nation or person who dares to stand against God!

Civilizations rise and civilizations fall. They fall primarily not because of external threats but because of internal degeneration. The West has been in serious decline for decades but I believe this moment marks a turning point from which there may be no return.

Western civilization was founded and based on the Biblical Judeo/Christian worldview, moral system and law. Even the atheists among us know that murder, rape and theft are wrong. They too have been brought up to have a Judeo/Christian conscience. They may not recognize its source, but if you have lived in another culture, one not based on the Bible, you will know that without the Judeo/Christian value system, these values are far from a ‘given’. In Palestinian society today martyrdom and the killing of Jews has a far greater value than peace or even life itself. Ask a child in a Palestinian kindergarten what he or she wants to be when they grow up, and they will say they want to kill Jews and be a martyr. Hamas and its supporters value killing Jews, and global jihad (the conquest of the world for Islam) is valued above peace and ‘human rights’. People of the West find this hard to comprehend and believe.

When I was a child nearly every child in my town attended ‘Sunday School’ in one of the churches even if their parents did not attend church. In primary (elementary) school we had weekly “Bible in Schools”. At high school we began each day with the singing of psalms, Bible readings and prayer, even though it was a government run, secular school. In this way a Biblical value system was instilled in our hearts.

Then all that stopped. Children in the west now grow up ignorant of the Bible and Biblical history, and without a sound moral compass. Western civilization has lost its anchor. Without God, and a consciousness of sin, there is no reason I shouldn’t kill, rape or steal. Why should I care about the ‘other’? I will focus on myself. “I” will become the center of the universe. I will care about my rights but have no thought of my duties and responsibilities. Of course I am overstating the situation as some tattered rags of the Judeo/Christian value system remain, but if we just look around, we will see that these are disappearing fast.

If we reject God and the Bible, then truth and falsehood become confused, good becomes evil and light becomes darkness.

Woe to those who call evil good
    and good evil,
who put darkness for light
    and light for darkness,
who put bitter for sweet
    and sweet for bitter.

Isaiah 5:20

Nowhere is this more evident than in relation to the current conflict in the Middle East. Many Westerners, especially the leaders of the nations, have confused good for evil, and are allowing darkness to overcome the light. Why has this happened?

When Hamas invaded Israel on October 7, 2023, brutally murdering, raping and burning alive, Israeli men, women and children, even babies, and taking 251 hostages into captivity, I thought “at last people will understand what these people (Hamas) are, what we here in Israel are having to deal with”. And so it was, for 3-4 days. But as soon as Israel began to fight back, all that sympathy was quickly replaced by censor and criticism. How could that happen?

One of the reasons is the “Underdog Principle”, the often unspoken, but very real idea that one should always support the underdog. This seems to be a fundamental attitude in Western Civilization. In many situations it is a good thing, for example supporting the poor and the disadvantaged of society. It is the outworking of God’s grace and love for mankind.

It appears to be reinforced by the Bible stories we grew up with, such as that of David and Goliath, in which Israel is the ‘underdog’, vastly outnumbered and out- armed, and God comes to its rescue. This however is a superficial understanding of these stories. The message is not that we should automatically support any ‘underdog’, but rather that God is unequivocally on the side of Israel and will ‘curse those who curse Israel’.

The underdog is not always in the right. Sometimes they are just evil. ISIS, for example, was vastly outnumbered, and out-gunned when a coalition of nations came against it and conquered it. I did not hear a great outcry against the attack on the poor ISIS ‘underdog’. Most in the West understood that ISIS was a ‘cancer’ that had to be cut out of the world.  So why do the Western nations not understand the same about Hamas? Instead they want to negotiate with them and make deals, and even give them a state, in spite of the fact they, Hamas, wants neither?

Hamas, and all radical Islamic jihadists, want only one thing – the destruction of Israel (which they call the Little Satan), and when that is accomplished, the destruction of the USA and Europe (the Great Satan). The war we are fighting is not about land or states, or even about the Palestinians, it is about world domination. The jihadist religion has the ultimate goal of world conquest in the name of Allah. Their rule will be ‘convert or die’. For this reason, giving the Palestinians a state of their own will not bring peace in the Middle East. Recognizing a fictional ‘Palestinian State’ is not a step towards peace but the opposite, an encouragement for jihad. Ultimately it will bring more violence and warfare.

The Jihadists, especially the Ayatollah regime in Iran, and their proxies Hamas, Hezbollah and the Houthis, want to destroy Western Civilization and by buying into their lies and propaganda many in the West are helping them do just that.  

Woe to the West if we stand against God and His people. God will not be mocked and He will have the last word.

Why do the nations conspire
    and the peoples plot in vain?

 The kings of the earth rise up
    and the rulers band together
    against the Lord and against his anointed, saying,

 “Let us break their chains
    and throw off their shackles.”

 The One enthroned in heaven laughs;
    the Lord scoffs at them.

 He rebukes them in his anger
    and terrifies them in his wrath, saying,

 “I have installed my king
    on Zion, my holy mountain.”

 I will proclaim the Lord’s decree:

He said to me, “You are my son;
    today I have become your father.
Ask me,
    and I will make the nations your inheritance,
    the ends of the earth your possession.

 You will break them with a rod of iron^[b];
    you will dash them to pieces like pottery.”

 Therefore, you kings, be wise;
    be warned, you rulers of the earth.

 Serve the Lord with fear
    and celebrate his rule with trembling.

 Kiss his son, or he will be angry
    and your way will lead to your destruction,
for his wrath can flare up in a moment.
    Blessed are all who take refuge in him.

Psalm 2

 

Since I began writing this article a coalition of nations, including the USA, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Egypt, put forward a plan, known as Trump’s 20-point Plan, to end the Israel-Hamas war and begin the rebuilding of Gaza. Israel has stated its agreement to the Plan, but we are still awaiting Hamas’ official response.

Initial comments from Hamas representatives indicate that Hamas will not support the Plan, or that it will demand certain changes to it; a response which will clearly not be acceptable to Israel or the U.S. I am not surprised. The Plan is essentially calling for the complete surrender of Hamas, their disarmament and the formation of a new governing body in Gaza which will exclude Hamas.

The possibility of surrender is total anathema to a jihadist. In their mind, death and martyrdom is preferable. Hamas leaders have repeatedly said they will fight to the last man (though the leaders themselves are safely ensconced in Qatar and other countries where they live in luxury). Hamas will never agree to be disarmed because without their guns they have no reason to exist. Sadly, neither will they release the remaining hostages, their last card and ultimate human shield.

There is a very slim chance that Hamas may agree to the Plan if Qatar and the other Muslim states convince them to agree by promising that they could be rearmed and supported towards launching another attack on Israel in the future.  This is the pattern we have seen over and over again. In Jihadist ideology, negotiations and deals are only permissible as a temporary ceasefire in which to regroup and re-arm.

Yesterday, on Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar, a jihadi terrorist attacked Jews praying at a synagogue in Manchester, UK, killing two and seriously injuring several others. Acts such as this should not come as a surprise. The inaction of the UK government against the growing antisemitism in that country, overt acts of discrimination and violence against Jews, and the endless pro-Palestinian demonstrations calling for the genocide of Jews and the eradication of the Jewish State, all encourage such acts. The recognition of the ‘State of Palestine’ further ignites antisemitism and encourages violence against Jews.

We have seen a huge increase in antisemitism in all Western nations since the October 7, 2023, massacre, and this inevitably has resulted in violence against Jews. It is a symptom of the breakdown of Western civilization. It signals an end of its moral rectitude and integrity, and as a result good is called evil, light is called darkness, the victims are called the aggressor, and the legal owners of the Holy Land are called ‘colonists’. Western civilization is sick and dying. The only hope is a return to its original foundations, based on a Biblical worldview and its legal and moral principles.

The Western nations need to repent and turn back to their God. On Yom Kippur the Book of Jonah is read in all synagogues. Jonah was sent to Nineveh, the most wicked city of the Assyrian Empire at the time.  The people of Nineveh listened to Jonah and repented. God relented and did not destroy Nineveh at that time. The Book of Jonah shows that God loves all the people and even the animals that He created. He does not want to kill them. He wants them to repent and turn to Him. It is not too late for the West. Perhaps if we repent, God will relent and have mercy. 

 

THE MARTYRS OF SYRIA

Precious in the sight of the Lord

    is the death of his faithful servants.

Psalm 116:15

Yesterday afternoon we received this message from the pastor of a church in Syria ( I will not share his name for his protection): 

Beloved brothers and sisters in Christ,

Our hearts are heavy and broken as we cry out to the Lord in this dark hour. For nearly a week now, fierce fighting has raged in Suweida, Syria, between the Druze and Bedouin (Sunni Muslim) communities. Over a thousand precious souls have perished, and countless others are wounded or taken captive.

It is with deep sorrow and tears that we share the heartbreaking news that our beloved brother and shepherd, Pastor Khaled Mezhir, pastor of the Good Shepherd Evangelical Church in Suweida, has been martyred for his faith along with his wife, his parents, and over 20 members of his family. They were brutally killed today. Pastor Khaled, once a Druze, gave his life to Christ and faithfully proclaimed the Gospel to his people despite opposition and persecution. He and his family stood as lights in the darkness, and now they rest in the presence of the Lord they so faithfully served.

The church in Suweida is now scattered; many believers are unaccounted for. The surviving members are enduring unimaginable suffering—cut off from food, water, electricity, internet, and hope for safety, despite the so-called “ceasefire” declared by a new regime.

We urgently plead with you, our family in Christ, to lift up your voices in prayer:

• Pray for the comfort and strength of Pastor Khaled’s surviving relatives and for the flock he has left behind.

• Pray for the protection and endurance of the remaining churches and believers in Suweida.

• Pray that the Lord would miraculously provide food, water, and safety for His children.

• Pray for wisdom and resources so that we may reach and help those who are suffering and displaced.

May the Lord, who is near to the brokenhearted, rise up as our refuge and strength. Let us stand together as one Body, crying out for His mercy and deliverance over Suweida and all our brothers and sisters in Syria.

“The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.” (Psalm 34:18)

God does not call upon his followers to chose to be martyrs, he does not rejoice in the death of his people, unlike the god of Islam, however should His followers be martyred, having 'run the good race' He receives them into heaven with joy.  These Christians who have been martyred in Syria, in this latest atrocity, and in the earlier massacre in north-west Syria, are now in Paradise. They are now beyond the reach of the Enemy, Satan.

Those however who have been left behind are in deep mourning and need our prayers. They are also in great danger, and need our support. Please spread the word in your churches and if possible to the wider community. Ask your government why it is silent in the face of this slaughter and attempted ethnic cleansing?

For over a week fighting has raged in and around the Druze-majority city of Suweida (also transliterated as Suwayda or similar). It is unclear what triggered the fighting but a massive mob of bedouin (Sunni muslim jihadists) rushed into Suweida and began slaughtering, raping, taking hostages and destroying everything in sight. They even went into the hospital, killing dozens. Official numbers estimate the dead Druze and Christians at around 1100, but many are  missing. The true number we may never know. Al-Sharaa's government forces were sent to quell the fighting but many of them, some bearing ISIS insignias, joined in the massacre, as did other jihadi groups. 

The only entity to have so far come to the aid of the people of the city of Suweida is Israel. And some even dare to accuse Israel of actually starting the fighting ( how absurd are the libels against Israel!). During last night Israel sent 2 million shekels worth of food, medicine and other aid into the besieged city.

Jordan refused to open its borders to allow aid to be taken into the Druze (probably in fear of arousing the anger of its jihadi elements and its Syrian neighbor). Where are the other Arab neighbors? Where is the UN? Where is the US? Where is the 'Christian' world? 

Why is Israel involved?

Many are asking why Israel felt the need to get involved. There are two main reasons:

1. Israel has a sizeable population of Druze who live within Israel with full citizenship rights. The Druze are valued members of our society, they are loyal citizens and are among our best fighters in the IDF, often rising to high ranks. They have also paid a high price for that; many of their soldiers have been killed fighting for Israel, and you also may remember the 12 Druze children playing on a football field who were killed by a Hezbollah rocket last year. The Druze of Syria are close kinsmen of the Druze in Israel, with whom they maintain contact. We here in Israel feel we have a moral duty to the Druze community, a minority scattered throughout the Levant (Syria, Lebanon and Israel). Muslims hate the Druze and regard them as apostates and heretics to be eradicated. 

2. The Druze of Syria live in several cities and towns, along Israel's 87km border with Syria, particularly on Jabal al-Druse (The Druse Mountain), within the region southwest of Damascus reaching to the Israeli border and which Israel declared a demilitarized zone since the fall of Assad and the establishment of the government of Ahmed al-Sharaa. Israel is determined to keep this zone, (the area s-w of Damascus) demilitarized in order to protect our border communities from surprise attacks or invasions from Syria, and also to protect our Druze cousins.  

Why did Israel bomb military sites in Damascus and attack tanks approaching Suweida?

The US and the western world in general are falling for the deception of Ahmed al-Sharaa (once known as Abu Mohammed al-Julani) who is pretending to be a moderate, benign ruler who just wants to stabilize Syria and unite its various warring factions. Israel however is not fooled by his western clothes, his trimmed beard, and his charm and good looks. 

Al-Sharaa is a terrorist once on the US' most wanted list with a   $US 10 million price on his head. He was the leader of al-Qaeda in Iraq, where he was captured by US forces and thrown in jail. There he met the leader of ISIS Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. In 2011 al-Bagdadi sent al-Julani to Syria to start another terror organization called Jabhat al-Nusera. The following year al-Baghdadi went to Syria to establish the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS). ISIS wanted to absorb Julani's group but he resisted and declared his allegiance to al Qaeda. When al-Qaeda showed little interest, Julani branched out on his own forming Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), with the goal of establishing an Islamic State in Syria under Sharia Law. First he established a mini-state in the city of Idlib where he imposed strict Sharia Law and ruled it with a government and a milita that suppressed any opposition. It was from this mini-state that in 2024 he launched his push forward to rapidly take Damascus and oust the Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. 

Immediately, al-Julani changed his name back to his given name, Ahmed al-Sharaa. Why? Well, his nom-de-guerre too obviously betrayed his intentions. Julani is the Arabic word for the Golan Heights, now in Israeli territory. His organization also dropped its name for the same reason, transmogrifying into the Syrian government forces.  Al-Sham is the Arabic term for the Levant which not only includes Syria but also Lebanon, Jordan and Israel. That is his goal. To rule all those nations as one, Syria, under Islamic Law. He is being backed by Erdogan's Turkey which has the same aim, the re-establishment of the Turkish Empire as an Islamic State. 

In an Islamic State there is no room for minorities, be they Druze, Kurds, Yazidis, Christians or Jews. They must be converted or stamped out. The irony is that the most pluralistic and tolerant country in the Middle East, Israel, is the one being accused of apartheid and ethnic cleansing. Only Israel is standing up against the encroaching Islamic State. Where is the outcry from the western world when Syrian minorities, Alawites, Christians and Druze are being massacred? Jews are not being massacred in Syria because there are only 1-2 very elderly Jews left!!! Once an ancient and thriving community of around 55,000 (in 1948) all have fled because of persecution. 

Sadly al-Sharaa and his ilk are clever and understand the gullible western mind very well. They know they can fool us. They will make deals and 'talk the talk' but they mean nothing. 

In Islam is the principle of Taqqiya which obligates the 'good' Muslim to lie if it is in the interests of gobal jihad. Signing a bit of paper has no value in the Middle East. Shaking hands has no value. Deals are not worth the paper they are written on. 

Israel knows this. We understand the Middle Eastern mentality and consequently do not trust the words and the outward image of al-Sharaa. Leopards do not change their spots. They may cover them for a while, but underneath they are still a leopard. As long as it is in his interest al-Sharaa will pretend to be a moderate, reasonable leader with only the good of his people on his mind, but once his rule is established and accepted he will revert to type. His ultimate goal is to unite the Levant, establish Islamic rule, and to do that he must destroy the State of Israel and control Lebanon and Jordan too. 

Knowing this, after Assad was deposed, Israel quickly established military posts on Mt Hermon and expanded the 'buffer zone' along its border, destroying all of Assad's heavy weaponry and military installations. It has also declared the area west of Damascus to be a demilitarized zone, where heavy weapons are banned. When al-Sharaa's government forces moved tanks towards Suweida they violated this demilitarized zone, and consequently Israel swifty attacked them and military command centers in Damascus, in order to protect the Druze, and our border, and send a clear message to al-Sharaa.

For more on the Syrian question I recommend the following videos:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N8LhWFKIJn0

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qfzopst14-Q

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=01uIA-HnLLc

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sbLPDJLG7u0

There is much more happening here in Gaza and Judea and Samaria (the West Bank) and with the Iranians and Houthis, but I will write about that another day. In the meantime please share the information and pray for the minorities in Syria and for Israel.  

Iran's 'Final Solution' - war by proxy - and why it failed. 

“Turn to me and be saved,

    all you ends of the earth;

    for I am God, and there is no other.

23 

By myself I have sworn,

    my mouth has uttered in all integrity

    a word that will not be revoked:

Before me every knee will bow;

    by me every tongue will swear.

24 

They will say of me, ‘In the Lord alone

    are deliverance and strength.’”

All who have raged against him

    will come to him and be put to shame.

25 

But all the descendants of Israel

    will find deliverance in the Lord

    and will make their boast in him.

Isaiah 45: 2-25

For followers of the Twelver sect of Shiite Islam, such as the ayatollahs of Iran, the existence of a Jewish State on what they regard as 'Muslim soil' is an abomination and a hindrance preventing the return of the Mahdi.

The Mahdi is a kind of a messiah figure who is the twelfth imam, currently in 'occultation' (secret seclusion), who according to Shiite eschatology will emerge in the end times to bring about justice and peace in a world overwhelmed by oppression and corruption, and to establish global Islamic rule.

The Mahdi will precede the coming of the Prophet Issa (Jesus) who will rule the world either with the Mahdi or alone (opinions vary). 

According to the Hadiths (the collected sayings of Mohammed) the "last hour will not come unless the Muslims fight against the Jews, and the Muslims would kill them..." (Sahih Muslim 41:6985, also Sahih al-Bukhari 4:56:791).

Clearly, according to these beliefs, the Jews must be conquered and eradicated. The existence of the Jewish State, Israel, is anathema and must be destroyed. 

The current Ayatollah, Ali Hosseini Khamenei, sees himself as the forerunner preparing the way for the reappearance of the Mahdi. He believes he has a divinely sanctioned imperative to destroy Israel, and he formulated a brilliant plan to do just that, his 'final solution', a war to end all wars, opening the way for the Mahdi.

To this end, Khamenei patiently, over a period of at least 30 years, prepared his battle plan, moving his 'chess pieces' into place for a war by proxy. He 'groomed' various terror groups and Shiite entities to go to war against Israel, providing funding, weapons and training. According to his master plan these proxies would carry out a massive, simultaneous invasion of Israel, while he backed them with thousands of missiles, drones and at least 10 nuclear bombs. 

Hezbollah in Lebanon, perhaps the strongest of the proxies, had around 150,000 rockets, ballistic missiles, as well as hundreds of drones, and thousands of rocket propelled grenades (RPGs) and other smaller munitions. Hezbollah also had a sophisticated army of Iranian (IRGS)-trained soldiers numbering approximately 20,000 full-time soldiers, and an equivalent number of reservists. 

Hamas, though Sunni, joined with Iran in order to fulfill its desire to eliminate Israel and the Jewish people. Before October 7, 2023, Hamas and the other terror groups in Gaza, had around 50,000 operatives, about 30,000 medium and short-range rockets capable of hitting almost every part of Israel, in addition to many thousands of RPGs and mortars and other short-range weapons, hidden in at least 200 km of underground tunnels and command centers, and protected by civilian 'human shields' above. 

The Houthis in Yemen were, and still are, being continually supplied by Iran with sophisticated, long-range ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and drones, all capable of hitting Israel. 

Iraq had ready an invasion army of around 50,000 soldiers. 

Iran has close to 1 million military personnel. It also had a massive arsenal of around 2,000 - 4,000 (estimates vary) ballistic and cruise missiles capable of reaching Israel and was busy manufacturing more, aiming to reach a total stockpile of at least 8,000. It also had thousands of UAVs (weaponized drones). It was also furiously enriching uranium in order to produce nuclear warheads. At the outbreak of the war it was estimated that it could make, within weeks, around 10 nuclear bombs with the 600kg of enriched uranium it had already made.

Had all these 'armies' attacked Israel simultaneously in surprise, according to the master plan, Israel would have been quickly overwhelmed, outnumbered and outgunned. Most Israelis would have been killed or captured, and the State of Israel pushed into the sea - 'from the River to the Sea'. This would have been genocide on a grand scale. So what went wrong? 

On October 7, 2023 Hamas and other Gazan terror groups, together with many 'civilians' stormed the Israeli border communities killing around 1200 and taking 251 as hostages. At the same time, thousands of rockets were fired into Israel. Although caught by surprise, many IDF personnel, police and armed civilians sprang into action and somehow managed to prevent a much greater disaster. Hamas had planned to reach Tel Aviv, capture the Temple Mount in Jerusalem, capture military bases and installations, and destroy or capture the nuclear reactor at Dimona. They expected Iran and the other proxies to join their attack. But they did not. Iran sat back. Hezbollah the next day began firing rockets into Israel, but didn't invade, nor did Iraq, and the Houthis did not join until much later. Why?

I do not know the official explanation, if there is one. I have heard a theory that Hamas 'went off half-cocked' before the others were ready because of leaked information about the existence of the booby trapped communication devices that later decimated the leadership of Hezbollah. I have also heard that Iraq failed to receive the go-head from Tehran. Perhaps because the communication network failed for some reason. 

I do know that since the October 7 invasion and massacre, Israel has fought back with courage, determination and has devastated the enemy forces. Much of this amazing success can be attributed to our incredible air force, its coordination with the superb ground forces, and our technological superiority both in terms of intelligence but also in the field of battle. Our military personnel have shown exemplary courage, resilience and skill in battle. Not only that, they know they are fighting a battle for our very survival as a nation, and the survival of their own loved ones. This is a big advantage in warfare. 

We also have another big advantage - the most important. Yahweh, the God of Israel is fighting on our side. It is the only explanation for our overwhelming success so far. If I hadn't already believed in God before the war, I would now. We have witnessed so many things that could only have occurred by divine intervention. 

Hamas and its allies in Gaza alone have fired 19,000 rockets at Israel, and Hezbollah approximately 3,000 from Lebanon. Iran has fired around 700 ballistic and cruise missiles, and an unknown number of UAVs at Israel, and the Houthis 52 missiles and many drones. Some of these failed en route or were intercepted by Israel's defense systems, and those of her allies. Only a few reached Israel and, though there have been casualties, mostly civilian, the number is far, far fewer than one might expect given the intensity of the barrages and the potential destructive power of the missiles. Even the one missile that impacted Ben Gurion Airport somehow 'contrived' to fall in the only open space there and caused only a few minor injuries. This is just one of the many, many such miracles we have seen, not to mention the many we may not have seen nor recognized.

It seems that God has been supernaturally protecting Israel. He has allowed us to suffer to some extent in an effort to cause us to repent of our sins and return to him, but he has been great in his mercy, not because we deserve it in any way, but because we are still his chosen people, called by his name, Israel (which means he who struggles with God). God does not fail to fulfil his promises and his prophetic word. Israel still has a role to play in God's redemption plan. He will not allow our enemies to overcome us. The Mahdi will not come (unless he is the Antichrist) and Islam and Allah will be shown to be a false deception. All the world will see and recognize Jesus and bow down to him. It is Jesus who will bring in a millennium of world peace and he will reign the whole earth with his saints from Jerusalem. It is the God of Israel who will bring down the new heaven and the new earth as described in the Book of Revelation.

So what now? Our enemies have been weakened and wounded, the Iranian master plan is shattered, and as I write U.S. President Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu are meeting in Washington D.C. to discuss Trump's vision of the Abraham Accords and peace in the Middle East. 

Can there be peace in the Middle East? Perhaps for a time, but our enemies are still alive, still have a large arsenal of weapons and still believe that Israel must be destroyed so that the end times era of 'peace' under Islam can be ushered in. Surrender to the infidels, Jews and Christian, is unthinkable, as is the concept of defeat or failure in a shame-based society. They may make deals, negotiate 'peace' but only to give themselves time to regroup and rearm so that they can attack again. 

Shiites teach and practice the principle of Taqiyyah. For them Taqiyyah means 'the religious obligation to conceal the truth and not showing openly that which may lead to negative consequences in religious or worldly terms'. In other words, it is not only permissible but obligatory to lie to the enemy, make false declarations or false agreements or treaties, if it is advantageous in terms of their ultimate goal of global jihad.

This is something Western leaders do not seem to understand. Negotiated treaties and deals made with Shia jihadist entities are not worth the paper they are written on. For Shia jihadists a ceasefire can only be temporary, and peace with the 'infidel' unthinkable. I fear for the gullible West. It is a huge mistake to  think that jihadis value life and peace as we do. They value death, martyrdom and war above peace, as long as jihad is incomplete. Their sole overriding goal is world domination and the subjection of all mankind to Islam.

Iran, even after its humiliating defeat in the recent 12-day war with Israel, declared 'victory' and is still openly declaring its intention not only to destroy the 'little Satan', Israel, but also the 'big Satan', America and the rest of the 'corrupt and infidel West'. 

Iran may be 'down' but it is not yet defeated. A wounded lion is a dangerous beast. Iran still has a sizeable arsenal and reports vary about the degree of damage done to Iran's nuclear program. Around 600kg of enriched uranium is still 'missing'. Russia and China have promised to help them restock their arsenal and repair their damaged military sites and factories. 

Hezbollah is not only refusing to disarm as required by the Lebanon ceasefire agreement, it is actively rearming and regrouping. 

The Houthis are still firing missiles at Israel on an almost daily basis. 

Estimates are that though the Hamas military apparatus is dismantled, and perhaps 90% of its leadership killed, there are still around 50,000 Hamas operatives carrying out a guerilla-style war against the IDF, and rockets are still sporadically being fired into Israel. Hamas still holds 50 Israeli hostages, 20 of whom are believed to be still alive. 

The war is far from over, and a true, lasting peace will only come when the true Messiah, Yeshua (Jesus), returns.