MALICIOUS NEIGHBORS

‘No longer will the people of Israel have malicious neighbors who are painful briers and sharp thorns. Then they will know that I am the Sovereign Lord.

 “‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: When I gather the people of Israel from the nations where they have been scattered, I will be proved holy through them in the sight of the nations. Then they will live in their own land, which I gave to my servant Jacob. 26 They will live there in safety and will build houses and plant vineyards; they will live in safety when I inflict punishment on all their neighbors who maligned them. Then they will know that I am the Lord their God.’”

Ezekiel 28: 24-26  NIV

This week we here in Israel are celebrating the last of the annual cycle of Feasts, the Feast of Succot or Tabernacles ( Leviticus 23:33-43). This is a 7-8 day feast. The first and last day are 'sacred assemblies' on which 'customary work' is forbidden. During this holiday all who are Israelites are commanded to live in booths  (succot) or tabernacles to remind us that for 40 years our ancestors lived in booths as they wandered the desert after God had brought them out of Egypt. Today few people actually live in succot, but most will eat at least one meal in a succah, and it is customary to invite friends and family to eat in one's succah. 

 This festival is also a celebration of the autumn harvest and a time to thank God for the good and fruitful land which He has given us. It is customary to wave an etrog (a kind of citrus fruit), and fronds of the date palm, myrtle and willow trees (which together are called the lulav). 

http://orachchayim.blogspot.com/2013/09/sukkot-huts-four-species.html

All of Israel's feasts are closely linked to the agricultural cycle of the seasons. This feast comes at the beginning of our short Autumn or Fall, which you might miss if you blink! So far there is little evidence that summer has ended as the temperatures remain in the 30's most days, even up here in Jerusalem. However the nights are drawing in, and the mornings are damp with mist and dew up here in the mountains of Judah.

Yesterday, Monday, was the first day that observant Jews begin to insert the prayer for rain into their services and it looked like we might have got a quick answer this year. On Sunday the thermometer hit 36 degrees here but, as evening approached, the air was very still and heavy and the sky was dark. A flock of swifts swirled over the forest like a black snowstorm, and I thought 'surely it will rain tonight'.  Rain was forecast and the met. service warned of the risk of flash floods in the wadis. Hopes were high that the rainy season might just start on schedule this year, but it wasn't to be. We just got a few muddy drops here and I didn't hear of heavy rain falling anywhere. Please pray with us for abundant rains this winter, much needed to replenish our lakes, streams and underground aquifers that have been seriously depleted during the last five years of drought. 

Last week my congregation went for a 3-day retreat in Migdal (where Mary Madalena came from) on the shores of the Sea of Galilee (the Kinneret).  On the last day I joined a group and we went swimming in the Lake.  It was lovely and refreshing, but rather like swimming in pea soup as we stirred up the bottom mud which swirled amongst the greenish end-of-summer algal bloom.

While many Israelis are taking their annual holidays and enjoying the Feast, the world stumbles on with all its tragedies and traumas. 

Russian plane downed by Syrian anti-aircraft missiles

On Monday the 17th of this month a Russian surveillance aircraft was accidentally shot down by Syrian President Assad's forces, killing all 15 Russian personnel aboard (1). Immediately Russia placed the blame on Israel which they claimed was carrying out attacks in the area and hadn't given them sufficient warning. The Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman, Major General Igor Konashenkov, claimed that  "The Israeli pilots were using the Russian aircraft as a shield and pushed it into the line of fire of the Syrian defense" (2). I am not sure how a tiny F-16 fighter jet could 'push' a large II-20 surveillance aircraft!  Although the first reports from Russian sources claimed that rockets were fired from a French frigate, the Auvergne, in the Mediterranean, the French have denied any involvement. Syria has since admitted that it fired the missiles that downed the Russian plane, ironically using a Russian-made missile system supplied by Moscow to its Syrian ally. 

According to standing policy Israel initially refused to comment but on Tuesday the IDF Spokesman, Brigadier- General, Ronen Manelis, admitted that the IDF had struck a Syrian military facility  "from which systems to manufacture accurate and lethal weapons were about to be transferred from Iran to Hezbollah in Lebanon". This is in keeping with Israel's clearly stated policy that it will not allow Iran to establish a military presence in Syria.  Over the last 18 months Israel has attacked more than 200 Iranian targets in Syria (3). 

Although attacks had been carried out by Israeli aircraft in the area the Israeli Air Force claims that all Israeli aircraft had returned to Israeli airspace before the Russian plane had been shot down, and furthermore that the Russian plane had been far from the area of  the Israeli airstrikes during the operation (4). According to the IDF spokesman, "The Syrian anti-aircraft batteries fired indiscriminately and, from what we understand, did not bother to ensure that no Russian planes were in the air. The extensive and inaccurate Syrian anti-aircraft missile fire caused the Russian plane to be hit” (3).

 Over the past week there has been a flurry of diplomatic efforts to calm the situation and this has resulted in a cooling of the Russian rhetoric against Israel, but it has not stopped Russia from carrying out its threat to make Israel pay the price. Already Russia has begun supplying an upgraded S-300 missile system to Syria (5). This system is much more accurate than that previously supplied and is intended to prevent any more accidents, but it also poses a much greater threat to Israeli aircraft carrying out operations in Syria. This is a significant game changer and complicates Israel's efforts to stop Iran's military build-up in the area.

This whole incident has highlighted the fragility and complexity of the situation in Syria. Multiple countries are currently carrying out military operations in the area with forces on the ground and carrying out airstrikes from the sea. In some cases these forces are backing opposing sides in the military conflict. Hotlines are in place between these countries but there is still a high risk that inadvertent accidents like this one could occur again (6). 

There is one question no one seems to be asking about all this. Russia moved into the region three years ago to assist Assad's forces to retake his country from rebel militias and Jihadist groups including ISIS. This has largely been accomplished now, so why is Russia still here???? Perhaps its time for the Russians to go home? That is unlikely to happen as Russia seems to be intent on consolidating its influence in the Middle East, and this is a golden opportunity to do just that. 

Idlib
It is significant that it was Russia, Turkey and Iran that negotiated an agreement to prevent an all-out Syrian offensive in the province of Idlib. This is a tremendous relief for the people living there of course, but indicative of who really wields the power in the Middle East today. Under the agreement, Turkey and Russia will set up and patrol a 15-20km deep demilitarized zone around Idlib by October 15th, but this requires the cooperation of the various rebel militias and already some are refusing to withdraw or give up their arms. Syria is also reserving the right to attack 'if necessary'.  Keep praying for the safety of the civilian population in Idlib and pray that the various militias will be willing to lay down their arms and evacuate from the area.

The proposed demilitarized zone around Idlib. Green = Idlib province, Yellow-green area patrolled by Turkey, and Orange - area patrolled by Russia.
https://nedaa-sy/u7yy.com/en/news/8465

On the 22nd September, a military parade in the southern city of Arvhas in Iran was attacked by armed gunmen. As a result, 25 Iranian Republican Guards and civilians were killed. Immediately Iran blamed the USA and Israel (yes, we get blamed for everything that happens in the Middle East) and threatened serious retaliation, but shortly afterward ISIS claimed responsibility. Yesterday Iranian Republican Guards said they fired six missiles into Sunni Islamic extremist hideouts in eastern Syria (7). The missiles carried the message "Death to the USA, Death to Israel, Death to Al Saud" (Saudi Arabia) etched on their sides. 

Now for some light relief!

http://www.arabnews.com/node/1380941/media

This billboard was erected in the southern city of Shiraz in Iran, to commemorate the end of the Iran-Iraq war in Sacred Defense Week. The only problem was that it had been photoshopped and actually showed three Israeli soldiers (the fourth soldier, a woman, had been erased from the original photo). Of course, the billboard was immediately removed once the error was discovered (8).  How hilarious is that!!!!!  Not so funny though for the three who have been arrested for this terrible mistake. I sure would not want to be in their shoes. 

Gaza 

This last Friday saw an upsurge in the ongoing "March of Return" along the Gaza border. Some 20,000 Palestinians mobbed the border fence, breaking it down in several places, and hurling at least a hundred bombs and grenades at the Israeli soldiers trying to prevent an incursion. Seven Palestinians were killed, including two teenage boys, and around 500 injured. No Israelis were seriously injured.

Before you accuse Israel of using 'excessive force' resulting in a high number of Palestinians being killed and wounded, imagine if it was your home they were trying to reach. Look at this video and imagine it happening on YOUR doorstep: 

https://worldisraelnews.com/watch-20000-palestinians-swarm-gaza-israel-border-rip-security-fence-and-hurl-explosives/

 After something of a lull in which incendiary attacks had diminished to just (!) 3-5 per day they have now increased to an average of around 12 again. Yesterday, Monday, an incendiary device was found in the city of Modiin, some 70 km from Gaza 'as the crow (balloon?) flies'.  At least two have also landed in Jerusalem in recent weeks. This reflects the increasing sophistication of the balloons, using multiple balloons and inflated condoms (yes, you read that right), which can fly further. Another 'improvement' in the effectiveness of these attacks was also seen this week as some balloons were discovered to be carrying explosive devices, which complicate firefighting and recovery. It also increases the risk to citizens and especially children who might approach such a device. 

Preparing condoms as incendiary devices
https://www.greenprophet.com/tag/israel/

Israeli analysts are saying that since there is no hope of a ceasefire agreement being reached, Hamas is once more encouraging, or at least not restraining, the border riots and is preparing for another round of aggression against Israel. The IDF has issued a warning to southern communities prepare for such an escalation  (9).

If you are wondering why it is impossible for Israel to achieve peace with the Palestinians, take a look at these videos. 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SnLIzNGb9gI
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f_OXUlpzAUU
A whole generation is being brainwashed to hate Israelis and all Jews, to believe lies, and to aspire to become shahids (martyrs) for the cause of Jihad (world domination by Islam). How can we make peace with such people- a people who abuse their own children in such a way, and celebrate when they become martyrs? How can all this horrific child abuse be healed? I believe it will only happen when the Messiah comes to heal and establish peace in all peoples, Palestinians and Israelis together, along with all the world. Until then we need to keep praying. 

I was just reading in Ezekiel 37 how God told Ezekiel to prophesy to the bones. God wanted Ezekiel to participate with Him in the working out of this prophecy. Ezekiels words had power to make these visions become reality. I believe we who believe in Yeshua also have this calling. Pray that the bones, which are already being gathered and given physical tendons and muscles, will also soon be granted the Breath of Life in the Spirit of God. 

 Then he said to me, “Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, son of man, and say to it, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Come, breath, from the four winds and breathe into these slain, that they may live.’”  So I prophesied as he commanded me, and breath entered them; they came to life and stood up on their feet—a vast army. Then he said to me: “Son of man, these bones are the people of Israel.

Ezekiel 37: 9-11 

Please pray for the people of the Middle East, Jew and Arab alike. Your prayers too have the prophetic power to cause these promises to come to pass. 

Pray too for the Body of Yeshua here in Israel. We live at the very epicenter of the spiritual warfare that is taking place, and many are coming under severe spiritual attack. There are many who are seriously ill, some have died recently, some are suffering exhaustion and 'burnout', others are facing marital breakups and still others are being denied citizenship or being made to leave the country. My landlords and friends just last night had their car stolen for the 4th time, from just in front of our house.  I have never before seen a level of attack such as we are experiencing now. This is not surprising for I feel we are drawing close to the great battle for Jerusalem (Zechariah 12). The Enemy is pulling out all the stops - he has nothing to lose now and will try everything to prevent the establishment of the Kingdom of God on Earth. We cannot stand here without your support in prayer. 

References

1.  https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-5353468,00.html
https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-5353126,00.html
https://www.timesofisrael.com/report-syria-mistakenly-downs-russian-plane-as-it-repels-alleged-israeli-strike/
 2. https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-5353575,00.html

3. https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-5341135,00.html

4. https://www.jpost.com/Israel-News/Israel-works-to-stem-crisis-with-Moscow-after-downing-of-Russian-plane-567536
5. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/252551
6. https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-5353468,00.html
7. https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/middle_east/iran-fires-missiles-at-islamic-state-militants-in-syria-to-retaliate-for-military-parade-attack/2018/10/01/991f91cc-767d-4673-94bd-244e5ebd1c1a_story.html?utm_term=.330c95d7ab61

8. http://www.arabnews.com/node/1380941/media
9. https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-5360540,00.html

ONE NATION, ONE LAND, ONE GOD

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

Some of the new arrivals from Yemen

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


Who are the Jews of Yemen?

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

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

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

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

 

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

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

          Ezekiel 37: 16-28

 

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

 

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

 

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

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

 

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

 

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

 

 

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

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

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

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

Jeremiah 16: 14-16

 

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