STORM CLOUDS GATHER

HOLOCAUST DAY AND MEMORIAL DAY

It has been a month of ups and downs in Israel. On the 11-12th we marked Holocaust Remembrance Day remembering the 6 million Jews killed during the Holocaust, and on the 17-18th Memorial Day honoring the 23,646  killed in Israel's wars and terror attacks since 1860. These are solemn days and personal times of grief as every Israeli has been touched by these tragedies, by the loss of family members or friends. We are a small nation and at times like these there is a strong sense of family as we come together to mourn and support one another. In every town, kibbutz, moshav or city ceremonies of remembrance are held. The names those who perished are read out and torches are lit. When the sirens sound all traffic and activity stops and we as a nation stand together in silence as a mark of respect for those who have died.   

As the sirens blare motorists stop on the Ayalon Highway in Tel Aviv and stand at attention in respect on Holocaust Day
https://www.vosizneias.com/295226/2018/04/12/jerusalem-sirens-wail-as-israel-stands-still-for-holocaust-remembrance/

ISRAEL'S 70TH INDEPENDENCE DAY CELEBRATIONS

The day after Memorial Day sorrow was replaced by the joy of celebrating Israel's 70th Independence Day on the 18-19th. We gathered for ceremonies, watched firework displays, and held street parties. Many enjoyed the annual Air Force flyover,  and joined friends and family for the traditional barbecue rejoicing in the perfect spring day in Israel's wonderful parks, forests and beaches. 

Independence Day celebrations
https://www.timesofisrael.com/somber-memorial-day-gives-way-to-israels-70th-independence-day-festivities/

 We can join King David who declared:

I will extol You, O Lord, for You have lifted me up,

And have not let my foes rejoice over me.

O Lord my God, I cried out to You,

And You healed me.

 

O Lord, You brought my soul up from the grave;

You have put off my sackcloth and clothed me with gladness,

 

To the end that my glory may sing praise to You and not be silent.

O Lord my God, I will give thanks to You forever.

You have kept me alive, that I should not go down to the pit...

You have turned for me my mourning into dancing;

You have put off my sackcloth and clothed me with gladness,

 

To the end that my glory may sing praise to You and not be silent.

O Lord my God, I will give thanks to You forever.

Psalm 30: 1-3; 11-12 

A FEROCIOUS UNSEASONAL  STORM

 Last week Israel experienced a freak storm system with heavy thunderstorms, torrential rain and hail affecting the whole country. Usually by this time of the year the rains have more or less petered out and summer is getting underway. In my more than 35 years in Israel, I cannot remember a storm like this in April.  On Wednesday (25/4) there were floods in many places.  Two teenagers were killed in flash floods in separate incidents. One was swept away from near his home in a Bedouin encampment near Mamshit in the Negev, and the second while she was tending her sheep near Maaleh Amos south of Bethlehem. All over the country, roads turned into torrents of water and many vehicles were flooded or swept away. Many people had to be plucked from flooded cars, and some 62 school children had to be rescued from buses trapped by floodwaters while on school trips. In Rishon Lezion the roof of a shopping mall collapsed causing serious flooding inside. In Arad, golf-ball sized hail struck and in Jerusalem a number of streets flooded including Jaffa Road which resembled a river.  Here in Mevasseret we escaped serious problems, just catching the edge of the storm at its worst.  
https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-5241033,00.html
https://www.timesofisrael.com/teen-killed-in-flash-flood-as-storm-hail-batters-israel/   https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-5242124,00.html
https://www.sott.net/article/383914-Two-killed-as-flash-floods-hit-Israel-and-West-Bank

Israelis watch flooded water running through a valley blocking the main road along the Dead Sea in the Judean desert, near the desert fortress of Masada north of Ein Bokek, following heavy rainfall in the mountains on April 25, 2018. / AFP PHOTO / MENAHEM KAHANA

A flash flood in the Negev showing why they are so dangerous - they come down as a wall of semisolid mud and stones.
https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-5242124,00.html

The greatest tragedy of the storm occurred however on the following day, Thursday (26/4).  Ten teenagers were killed when they were swept away by a flash flood in a wadi while they were on a school trip. Seventeen others were rescued by emergency rescue teams, suffering bruises and mild hypothermia, and two were hospitalized with light to medium injuries. The students were from the Bnei Zion pre-military academy school,  and were on a two-day bonding trip in the southern Dead Sea region. The question on everyone's lips is why were they hiking in a wadi, Zafit Stream, which has sheer canyon walls, when there were severe weather and flash flood warnings. Every Israeli should know how dangerous it is. Every year there are deaths because of flash floods in the desert. The trip should never have gone ahead. Police are investigating and already the Principal of the school and the senior guide have been arrested and may face charges of criminal negligence or negligent manslaughter. I have organized and led many school trips, and at times have had to cancel them for fear of flash floods, therefore I can identify with the staff of the school and the guides who must be suffering greatly as a result of this terrible incident. However it seems that bad decisions were made which put the students unnecessarily in danger and resulted in this tragedy. Pray for the parents, friends and fellow students as they grieve for the loss of these wonderful teenagers, the creme of the crop, who have been cut off before they blossomed into their full potential. One of the dead, Tzur Alfi, who dreamed of a career in search and rescue, could have saved himself but instead pulled several others out of the flood, letting them climb over him, until he himself was drowned. He died a hero but how many others would he have been able to save had his dreams been realized and not cut so tragically short. 

 The ten teenagers killed in flash flood
https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-5243025,00.html

Searches are still continuing for a 13th victim of the flooding, the driver of a lorry found tipped over in flood waters in Nahal Zin. He is presumed dead and his body has probably been washed down to the Dead Sea or is buried under rubble and mud along the riverbed somewhere. 

Although the loss of life was terrible I think we can thank God it wasn't worse, considering the degree and ferocity of flooding. The rescue services were working full time to pull people out of flooded cars and rescue those trapped by rising water. In many places there were flash floods, and not just in the desert. In Jerusalem on Thursday afternoon,  20mm of rain fell in the space of 40 minutes turning one of Jerusalem's most famous streets, Nachalat Sheva, into a raging torrent. You can see it on this video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=koXiSyBkgqk

As I am writing an easterly sharav wind is blowing in from the desert bringing temperatures into the 30's (Celsius), dust storms and I can hear thunderstorms to the south, probably bringing more flash flooding.  I hope there will be no more casualties. While sharavs are common in Spring it is very unusual to be still getting rain in May, but after a very dry winter every drop is needed and we are not complaining. 

WAR CLOUDS GATHER

Of more concern are the gathering of a different kind of cloud, the clouds of war.  Over the past weeks tensions with Iran have continued to grow and war could break out at any minute. For many years we have been warning the world that this is going to happen, and perhaps we have been seen as 'crying wolf' too many times. Even here in Israel there is a sort of unreality about it. We have lived so long with this threat it has become a normal background refrain that we don't quite believe anymore. Yet the signs are real enough and war does seem imminent and inevitable at this point. 

On Sunday the 1st of April (not an April Fools joke!) a military facility housing the 47th Brigade of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps in Syria was attacked by missiles fired from F-15 planes. At least 25 military personnel were killed, the majority being Iranian military officials. According to the New York Times some 200 missiles were destroyed, including ground-to air-missiles supplied by Iran in preparation for an attack on Israel. Syrian rebels claim that some of the arms caches struck in the attack held chemical weapons. Most parties assume that it was Israel that carried out the attack but this has not been verified by the Israeli authorities (1). 

Since this attack tensions between Israel and Iran have increased with threats and counterthreats being exchanged on a daily basis. Iran is promising to attack Israel in retaliation at a time and place of its own choosing. If such an attack occurs, then Israel will be forced into a counter-attack which could throw the whole region, if not the whole world, into a vicious war. There is no way that Iran can back down without losing face and therefore such a confrontation seems inevitable. 

Any war between Israel and Iran will result in massive destruction and loss of life for both nations, and perhaps many others too. The Bible promises that any nation that attacks Israel will be destroyed, and this has held true throughout history. If Iran attacks Israel they are signing their own death warrant. No one wants that. Israel has no quarrel with the Iranian people who mostly are unaware of what their dictatorial government is doing and would not support it if they knew.  God said that 

 If at any time I announce that a nation or kingdom is to be uprooted, torn down and destroyed,  and if that nation I warned repents of its evil, then I will relent and not inflict on it the disaster I had planned. 

Jeremiah 18 : 7-8

Even now, if Iran will repent of its evil intentions its destruction can be prevented. God is moving by his Spirit in the nation of Iran and many there are being saved. Please pray for Iran that it can be saved before it is too late. Pray too for the courageous believers in Iran that they may be strengthened, and that their needs will be met. Perhaps God will have mercy on their nation. 

Having said that, any kind of repentance on a national scale in Iran seems unlikely and we must prepare for war. Reports are that the IDF is making preparations and is watching the situation intensely. I am somewhat concerned though that there seems to be little preparation on the home front in Israel. Prior to previous wars we were supplied with gas masks and instructed to prepare shelters and lay up provisions. With the exception of Haifa (perhaps the most likely first target), we have received no such instructions, nor have gas masks been distributed. Please pray that the Home Front Command will prepare the general populace appropriately. Pray we will all take this seriously and make provision on a personal level, making sure our shelters are cleared of junk (they tend to be used as storage spaces), and our homes stocked with water and food.  Perhaps more importantly, please pray we will be ready spiritually.  The passage in Jeremiah that I quoted above is actually addressed to Israel (although the principle applies to any nation). If Israel will repent of her sin and turn to her God, then God will stop this coming disaster. There always remains hope. 

CAPTURED IRANIAN ARCHIVE REVEALED

By the 12th of May  U.S. President Trump is expected to make a decision on whether to withdraw from the current agreement with Iran regarding its development of nuclear weapons. Two days ago Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, made a presentation on national television revealing that the Israeli intelligence organization, the Mossad, had acquired a huge repository of archived Iranian files which clearly show that Iran has consistently lied to the world about its nuclear program in claiming it was not developing nuclear weapons. The huge cache of files clearly show otherwise. You can see the whole presentation ( 20 minutes in length), in English, on 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_qBt4tSCALA

THE OPENING OF THE US EMBASSY IN JERUSALEM, NAKBA DAY AND RAMADAN

Reports are that President Trump will come to Israel for the official opening of the American Embassy in Jerusalem which is to take place on the 15th of May. The timing is significant and perhaps ominous. It is the same day as the 70th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence of Israel according to the Julian Calendar, and therefore also Nakba Day, the day Palestinian Arabs express their rage and protest. It is also the start of the Muslim month of Ramadan, the annual fast period.  

For five weeks now there have been protests along the border fence with Gaza threatening to penetrate the fence and invade Israel. Although the numbers of people participating in these demonstrations have decreased with time, the violence and attempts to penetrate the fence are escalating. This last Friday dozens broke through the fence and entered Israeli territory less than a kilometer from Kibbutz Nahal Oz. Some of these Gazans were carrying guns and at least two of them opened fire on Israeli troops. Israeli forces responded with rubber bullets and sniper fire, and four Gazans were killed, bringing the death toll to 45 and the number of injured to around 1500 since the protests began, according to the Gazan Health Ministry. No Israelis have been seriously injured or killed to date (4). 

The intensity of the Gaza border protests can be expected to rise and reach a climax as we approach the convergence of the US Embassy move, Nakba Day and the beginning of Ramadan on the 15th of May. Hamas is planning a mass storming of the Gaza border fence, with the intention of breaking it down and invading Israel on that day (4).  Please pray that this will not succeed, that there will be no further casualties on either side and that peace will reign along our border. Pray too for the safety of our forces and the civilian population in the area. 

It looks like May 2018 will be an interesting month and perhaps one that will change world history. Please be diligent in prayer and particularly pray for Israel at this time, that God's Will will be done;

Your kingdom come.

Your will be done

On earth as it is in heaven.

Matthew 6:10.

1. https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-5248205,00.html
2. https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-5248271,00.html
3. https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-5247970,00.html
4. https://www.jpost.com/Arab-Israeli-Conflict/Israel-uses-tear-gas-on-Gaza-protesters-amid-UN-condemnation-552903


               

FOR JUST SUCH A TIME AS THIS

https://sites.google.com/site/
biblewomentruehollywoodstory/queen-esther

This past week all Israel celebrated the festival of Purim, which commemorates the events recorded in the Book of Esther. Some 2500 years ago the Persian King Xerxes 1, identified in the English Bible as Ahasuerus, decreed the extermination of the Jews in all his Empire, which stretched from India to Ethiopia, after one of his close advisors, Haman the Agagite, plotted against them. The Jews were saved by the exposure of the plot by Queen Esther (Hadassah), herself a Jew, the niece of the Benjaminite, Mordecai. Unable to revoke his decree, Ahasuerus made another decree allowing the Jews to take up arms to defend themselves, and thus they were saved. Haman on the other hand was hung on the gallows he had prepared for Mordecai the Jew.  

It had been very risky for Ester to speak to the King about Haman's plot. It could have cost her her life but her uncle, Mordecai, spoke to her saying:

Do not think in your heart that you will escape in the king’s palace any more than all the other Jews.  For if you remain completely silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father’s house will perish. Yet who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this?

    Esther 4: 13-14.  

Esther was in the right place at the right time. Imagine her position. She was a young Jewish exile in Babylon, orphaned at an early age and brought up by her Uncle Mordecai, and then she had been taken away from him to a harem where she was forced to become a concubine, and later the wife, of the King. She must have sometimes wondered what she a mere, Jewish exile was doing in the royal palace. She may well have been very lonely and unhappy there. However it would appear that God had brought her there 'for just such a time as this' and would use her to rescue the entire Jewish nation from certain extermination, thus thwarting the Enemy's plan to derail God's planned redemption of the world through the Messiah, Yeshua (Jesus). 

 There have been many such times throughout history that Satan has attempted to destroy and annihilate the ancient Israelite lineage in order to block God's plans. Each time he has failed- Hallelujah. Today we stand yet again at another such crucial point in history. Satan once more is trying to destroy Israel and, interestingly, he is using the Persian Empire (modern Iran) and its leader (Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khameni) to do so. Hardly a day passes that Khameni or the Prime Minister, Rouhani, do not promise to totally destroy Israel. At the same time, he is moving his forces closer and closer to our borders, arming and training the Syrians and Hezbollah, financing Hamas in Gaza, and other terror organizations, all determined to annihilate the 'Jewish entity', Israel. War is imminent and Israel faces a terrifying enemy. It could break out any day. 

 We here have been concerned about the Iranian threat for many years but that threat has never been more immediate nor menacing than it is today. Although there is no direct evidence that Teheran is about to launch a war against Israel in the near future, it is clear that it is making preparations to be able to do so. Backed by Russia and China, Iran already has a massive military presence in Syria, just a stone's throw from our borders. It is estimated that there are some 20,000 Iranian military personnel in Syria and these have been joined by Iraqi, Hezbollah and Lebanese militias and mercenaries from Pakistan and Afghanistan (1).This week the New York Times published a map of long-term Iranian military bases and positions in Syria today (see below). It does not show the many temporary installations. One of the questions being raised in Israel at this time is whether we should wait until they build up their forces and arsenal to the point they attack Israel or should we attack pre-emptively.  Either option would lead to a massive regional war and great loss of life on all sides, but especially here in Israel. Please pray for great wisdom for our leaders. 

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/19/world/middleeast/iran-syria-israel.html

As tensions rise on our northern border so they are also rising on our southern border with Gaza. About two weeks ago four Israeli soldiers were wounded, two seriously and two moderately, when an explosive device detonated near the border fence. The IDF retaliated by bombing Hamas targets in Gaza. Hamas returned fire and a rocket landed on the roof of a family home in a town near the border. The family was home but no one was hurt because the rocket failed to detonate (hallelujah) (2).

I don't know where you are who read this, but wherever you are, God has brought you to that place, just as he did to Esther, for just such a time as this. We are living in momentous times and we all have a role to play. Perhaps we feel small and insignificant. What can we do? We can all fast and pray for the 'relief and deliverance' of Israel, and when opportunity arises we can open our mouths to expose the plot of the Enemy to destroy Israel and block God's redemption plan. None of us knows the eternal significance of our actions - who knows, my prayer or yours may just turn the tide in the spiritual battle. We should never underestimate the power of prayer. 

Before she ventured to approach the King, Esther called for all the Jews in the capital, Shushan, to fast and pray with her and her maids for three days and nights. Today observant Jews fast for the day before the Festival of Purim. On the first night of Purim the entire book of Esther is read in the Synagogues, with the children shouting and making noises every time the evil name of Haman is read. 

It is interesting to note the Haman was the son of Hammedatha the Agagite (Esther 3:1) and Agag was a descendant of Amalek one of the sons of Esau. From the womb Esau struggled against his brother, Jacob, from whom were descended the people of Israel. Esau's descendants have continued to stand against Israel ever since. During the time of the Exodus of Israel from Egypt the Amalekites ambushed the Israelites from the rear: 

Remember what Amalek did to you on the way as you were coming out of Egypt, how he met you on the way and attacked your rear ranks, all the stragglers at your rear, when you were tired and weary; and he did not fear God. Therefore it shall be, when the Lord your God has given you rest from your enemies all around, in the land which the Lord your God is giving you to possess as an inheritance, that you will blot out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven. You shall not forget.

Deuteronomy 25: 17-19

So it was that God commanded King Saul to kill all the Amalekites for what they had done to Israel during the Exodus, but Saul spared the life of Agag in disobedience to God's command. For this reason God rejected Saul from being King over the Israel. The prophet Samuel therefore killed Agag, king of the Amalekites. However it would appear that at least some of Agag's descendants survived and one of those was the evil enemy of the Jews, Haman.  Just like we do not know the consequences of our prayers, we also do not know the long-term consequences of our sin or disobedience. 

Now for some good news. Recently the English  language newspaper "The Jerusalem Post" published an article which ran the headline: 

EVANGELICALS AND ISRAEL

with the byline: "Perhaps the government of Israel should start viewing Messianic Jews as diplomatic assets rather than a religious threat."

It went on to say:

The support of the Evangelical Christian community has always been helpful to Israel. During the intifada years, when tourism was at its lowest, the Evangelical tour buses kept Israel’s tourism economy alive. They have literally donated billions of dollars over the past decade to social and humanitarian projects, through organizations such as the International Christian Embassy and the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews. There is no question that the socioeconomic resilience of the State of Israel would be quite weaker without its faithful Christian friends...

 Not surprisingly, the strongest allies and best friends of Evangelical Christians in Israel are Israel’s Messianic Jews – Jews who, contrary to popular opinion, insist that one can believe in Jesus and still remain Jewish. In fact, these two communities are virtually inseparable. It would be quite challenging to find any significant business or NGO in Israel that is funded by Christians, which does not have local Messianic Jews in its executive leadership. This would include Christian television networks such as TBN, CBN and GodTV, which broadcast content from Israel every day to billions of viewers worldwide. Go to any large gathering of Evangelical tourists in Israel, and you are likely to find Israeli Messianic Jews both on stage and in the crowd...

It would behoove the Israeli government to recognize that the small Messianic Jewish community in Israel, which apparently numbers less than 20,000 people, has become, since the election of Donald Trump, disproportionately influential and important to Israel’s security and diplomatic standing. Unfortunately, it appears that neither Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, nor anyone in his Cabinet, fully understands this new reality...

In view of the deep relationship between Evangelical Christians and the Messianic community, perhaps the government of Israel should start viewing Messianic Jews as diplomatic assets rather than a religious threat.(3)

 Since I first arrived in Israel, in 1979, I have seen a slow but undeniable increase in the acceptance of Messianic Jews as a legitimate part of the State of Israel, as we have served the nation we live in, established families and businesses, and become an integral part of society. Many have excelled in military service, risking their lives for the survival of the nation. We have in every way proven ourselves  loyal citizens. We still have a long way to go to find full acceptance, but one day when Jerusalem is ready to bless those who come in Yeshua's name, then Messiah will return as Yeshua himself prophesied: 

O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing!  See! Your house is left to you desolate;  for I say to you, you shall see Me no more till you say, ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!’

Matthew 23: 37-39

Now to finish with some photos of the Purim Celebrations in my town, the 70th since the founding of the State,

A 70th birthday cake for Israel

Snow white and the seven dwarfs

A dance school

Almost the whole town came to watch the parade

Dancing the hora

Its the only way to travel

References:

(1) https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-5122994,00.html
(2) https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-5118625,00.html
(3) http://www.jpost.com/Opinion/Evangelicals-and-Israel-542875