THE YOREH

The Yoreh (pronounced yor-ay) is the Hebrew word for the Early Rain, or the first rain of the winter rainy season. On Thursday night the eagerly-awaited Yoreh arrived here in Israel. After 6-8 months during which no rain falls in Israel, all its inhabitants, human, animal and plant, long for the thirst-quenching, cleansing rain. In an earlier, less sophisticated time, Israelis used to go out in the streets and dance for joy when the Yoreh arrived. Today I didn't dance but instead I took a walk in the forest and rejoiced in breathing the freshly scrubbed air, the blue, truly blue sky, and the green, really green trees. I don't know if trees have feelings but if they did, I can imagine how happy they would be to have all the dust washed from their leaves and fresh rainwater to drink. 

From Har Hauniversita - my forest walk today

The Yoreh also breaks the back of the summer heat. In Israel there are really only two seasons, the 6-8 month long summer and the short winter rainy season. I have lived nearly 40 years in Israel and every year I am still amazed afresh by how the seasons can switch in just a day, especially when the Yoreh comes. On Thursday the temperature here was still around 30 degrees Celsius but on Friday it was only 13 degrees. It won't stay that cool of course, and we will still get some very hot days, but the main heat of summer is now broken and from this point it will grow cooler and cooler.  

In the Bible, the timely arrival of the Yoreh and the Malkosh (the latter or spring rains) is linked with the blessing of God. We see it first spoken of in the Book of Deuteronomy where it is described as the provision given by God, for agricultural abundance in the Promised Land, conditional upon the keeping of his commandments by the people of Israel,

 ‘And it shall be that if you earnestly obey My commandments which I command you today, to love the Lord your God and serve Him with all your heart and with all your soul, 14 then I will give you the rain for your land in its season, the early rain and the latter rain, that you may gather in your grain, your new wine, and your oil. 15 And I will send grass in your fields for your livestock, that you may eat and be filled.’

Deuteronomy 11: 13-15

The prophet Joel also spoke of the early (or former) and latter rains, saying 

Be glad then, you children of Zion,And rejoice in the Lord your God;For He has given you the former rain faithfully,And He will cause the rain to come down for you—The former rain,And the latter rain in the first month.

Joel 2:23 

This passage is difficult to translate and interpret for in Hebrew the word here translated in the version quoted (NKJV), as former rain is not 'yoreh'  but 'moreh' in Hebrew. 'Moreh' comes from the same root but in this form it actually means 'teacher'  and it could be translated as " for He has given you the teacher of  (or for) righteousness, and he will cause the rain to come down for you, the teacher and the latter rain in the first month ". Some see this as speaking prophetically of the coming of the Messiah, the Teacher of Righteousness"  at the time of the latter rain or Malkosh. 

The coming of the Yoreh is a time of blessing but it can also be a time of danger. The first rains can be very heavy and the ground, baked like concrete over the summer, is impermeable leading to rapid runoff and often flooding, especially in the mountain and desert areas. On Thursday a 4-year-old Bedouin boy was swept away and drowned by a flash flood near Arad in the Negev, and 9 hikers had to be rescued when floods cut them off. On the other side of the Dead Sea, in Jordan, some 44 people, mostly middle school children on a school trip, were swept away by a flash flood. The death toll stands at 18 but this may yet rise as some are still missing. Jordan called upon Israel to help and our elite military rescue unit flew in and helped with the search during the night. 

In the South, in and around the Gaza Strip, there has also been a different kind of rain this weekend. The word 'Yoreh' has a second meaning in Hebrew, namely the verb 'to shoot'. The southern Israeli towns around the Strip were hit with 34 rockets over the last 24 hours, and the IDF responded by striking some 87 Hamas and 8 Islamic Jihad military targets in the Gaza Strip, including the building used by Hamas as its Security Headquarters. In this volley of rockets, seven Israelis were lightly injured, mostly suffering from shock. There has been no rocket fire from Gaza now for about 8 hours but we are still on high alert and residents in the south are under Rear Command orders to remain close to their bomb shelters. 

Yesterday, Friday, there were reports that Israel and Hamas had with the help of Egyptian intervention reached a ceasefire agreement. As part of this agreement Hamas had undertaken to stop the weekly border protests and the incendiary attacks completely in return for the reopening of the border crossings and other concessions by Israel.  In spite of these reports,  some 16,000 'demonstrators' gathered at the border fence yesterday, burning tires, throwing grenades, Molotov cocktails and rocks at IDF positions, attempting to break through the border fence and releasing incendiary balloons.  As a result, 3 Palestinians were killed as Israeli troops fired on them. Two others were killed during riots in the West Bank. 

Islamic Jihad is saying that last night's rocket attacks were in retaliation for these deaths. If this represents a new policy on both sides then the situation is bound to continue to escalate over the coming weeks. Here in Israel there is growing anger and frustration about the situation, especially amongst residents of the south. It seems clear that life in the south is becoming intolerable that this situation cannot continue much longer, but the alternative, all-out war against Hamas and Islamic Jihad, also seems unthinkable. Such a war would cause many casualties and much suffering on both sides of the fence, and it is unclear what would be the end result. Would it trigger a wider conflict involving Hezbollah, Syria and Iran? Even if that did not happen and Israel conquers Gaza again, there is no way we want to occupy the Strip or have the responsibility of ruling the population there. 

As I write news is coming in of another incident of 'yoreh' (shooting), this time in a synagogue in Pittsburgh, USA. The shooter (yoreh) shouted 'All  the Jews must die' as he opened fire in the synagogue during Shabbat prayers, killing 11 people, including 3 police responders, and injuring many others.

I am reminded of the passage in Jeremiah 16 which speaks of the time when God will send hunters to hunt out the children of Israel and cause them to flee to the Land.  

"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

In recent years we have seen an upsurge in immigration, especially from the USA and Europe, motivated by fear of the increasing AntiSemitism worldwide. In former years many 'fishermen' went out around the world to convince Jews to return to the Land and many responded, but many did not, especially those Jews living comfortably in the Americas and Europe.  With the rise of AntiSemitism and the 'hunters' becoming active, more and more are fearing for their safety and seeking to come to Israel. 

When I wrote my last blog update I spoke about the missile strike which destroyed a house in Beer Sheva (Beersheba). Another missile was also fired at the same time but it fell in the sea. At that time it was believed that Islamic Jihad had been responsible for firing those rockets, but both Hamas and the IJ denied any responsibility. Later they claimed that lightning had set off the missiles. It seemed a bit far-fetched but there were several lightning strikes in the area at the time,  and eventually the IDF came to accept this explanation. It however begs the question, why were the two missiles primed and aimed at Israel in the first place? Lightning could not trigger a firing if the missiles were not already armed and primed. No one is asking that question, it seems. 

Earlier this week, on Wednesday night, three rockets were fired into Israel from the Gaza strip. It was a little harder to blame lightning in that case, although no one claimed responsibility. In contrast, after just the first volley of rockets on Friday night, Islamic Jihad quickly claimed responsibility. IDF sources believe that Hamas was against this rocket fire and that Islamic Jihad had been instructed to carry out this attack by Iran and Syria, in order to sabotage the ceasefire. In spite of this, Israel holds Hamas, as the reigning entity, responsible for all attacks emanating from the Strip.

Prayer points:

1. Pray for the recovery of the wounded in the synagogue attack in the USA and for those who have lost loved ones. 
2. Pray for the people of southern Israel who are living under intolerable conditions with the constant threat of rocket fire and incendiary balloons. Pray especially for the children, almost all of whom suffer from trauma symptoms. 
3. Pray for the people of Gaza who are suffering greatly because their leaders do not care about their welfare. Pray for the revelation of Truth and Yeshua (Jesus) in their midst. 
4. Pray for wisdom for our leaders and that they will act according to God's will.
5. Pray too for the local elections coming up this week, on Tuesday, especially for the crucial appointment of a new mayor in Jerusalem. 
6. Pray that the people of Israel will love the LORD their God with all their hearts and serve Him, so that we will all enjoy an abundance of rain this winter, ending the 5-year drought.  

WINTER IS HERE - AT LAST

Today, 2 Jan 2018, we are enjoying our first real taste of winter here in Israel. Outside it is 8 degrees Celsius and foggy with light rain. It is so lovely to see the rain. We need it so badly. So far we have had only 8% of our annual rainfall, whereas we would normally have had at least 30% by now.  This is especially hard on the farmers who rely on the early rains to get their winter crops started and the latter rains (in Feb-March) to finish them off.  It has been so warm until now that the almond trees are blooming already, a good month before they should. 

Fog in Mevaseret today

Yesterday the rest of the world celebrated the incoming of the New Year. In Israel very few people celebrate the Gregorian New Year. I never really understood why Israelis, and Jews in general, were so opposed to celebrating New Year, which here in Israel is called Sylvester, a name I had never heard of until I came to Israel.  For me, New Year is a totally secular celebration with no links to any religion, so I did not understand why so many Jews object to it.  Yesterday, however, I was sent an article (1) by a friend which explains why Israel does not celebrate the New Year. 

Apparently, New Year is called Sylvester in German-speaking countries and Poland after Saint Sylvester who was a Catholic Pope from 314 - 355 C.E (AD).  Once the Catholic Church finalized the Gregorian calendar, and Christmas Day was fixed as the 25th December, then they calculated that New Year's Eve was the day on which the Christ child would have been circumcised according to Jewish Law. Pope Sylvester died on the 31st of December, 355 C.E. and thus New Year's Eve was nominated Saint Sylvester Day in the Catholic Church. From that time on, and all through the Middle Ages, Sylvester Day was an occasion for revelry which inevitably led to attacks on Jews, the burning of books and Synagogues, public torture and humiliation, and just plain murder (1).  

It was Pope Sylvester who convinced Emperor Constantine to prohibit Jews from living in Jerusalem and who at the Council of Nicea introduced vicious anti-semitic legislation.    Later, on New Year's Day 1577, Pope Gregory XII decreed that all Roman Jews, under pain of death, must listen to compulsory Catholic conversion sermons given in synagogues after the Friday night services. On the same day one year later, Gregory signed a tax law forcing Jews to pay for a 'House of Conversion' to convert Jews to Christianity. Then on New Year's Day in 1581, Gregory ordered his troops to confiscate all the sacred Jewish literature, and during this campaign, thousands of Jews were murdered (1). 

It is therefore no wonder that Jews should be opposed to celebrating the New Year or Sylvester. In the light of such a bloody and shameful history, we who profess to be Christians should pause and reflect on these appalling acts carried out,  in the name of our Lord Yeshua, but certainly not sanctioned by Him. The church needs to repent and apologize to the Jewish people for these terrible things, but more than that, we need to expunge every vestige of anti-semitism from our churches and our own thinking. 

The Bible speaks of the veil which prevents Jews from understanding the Holy Scriptures. I believe that a very big part of that veil is the historical, and current, antiSemitism in the worldwide Church.  

 But their minds were blinded. For until this day the same veil remains unlifted in the reading of the Old Testament, because the veil is taken away in Christ.  But even to this day, when Moses is read, a veil lies on their heart. 

 2 Corinthians 3 : 14-15  

Thankfully though, that is not the end of the story for the writer goes on to say, in the following verse(v 16),

 Nevertheless when one turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away.

 When a child of Israel turns to the person of Yeshua, the veil is ripped away and they will see clearly. This is really not very different for people of other nations.  We all have our own veils. No one can really understand the Holy Scriptures until they are born again of the Spirit in Yeshua the Messiah. The nature and cause of that veil may vary but it the same for all of us in that it is only when we draw near to Yeshua that that veil is torn away, and we can begin to see clearly. 

Many Messianic believers here in Israel are remarking that we are seeing a huge change in the way that many Israelis are relating to Yeshua. They are not interested in the church nor in Christianity as such, but more and more are being drawn to the person of Yeshua. We are seeing much greater openness. For many years we had to be content with preparing the ground and sowing seeds, but I rather feel that many of those seeds are now beginning to sprout.  

One sign of the growing openness in Israeli society is the debut of the feature film, "A New Spirit" now showing in major movie theatres all around Israel. This film is based on the life of Yaakov Damkane, who is a well-known Messianic evangelist and pastor in Yaffo-Tel Aviv. Not so long ago, this could never have happened. Now it is receiving good audiences and publicity, and even a 13-minute review on Israel's main news channel, Channel 12 (2) . For more on this film see the article: 
http://kehilanews.com/2018/01/02/now-showing-in-israel-a-new-spirit-a-movie-about-jacob-damkani/

The Enemy, Satan, is not too pleased about all this of course. He is roaring around like a lion, looking for every weakness, in order to bring us down. Many believers here, especially those in leadership, are experiencing extreme levels of spiritual attack in the form of marital problems, divorce, serious life-threatening illnesses, the death of loved ones, family problems etc, etc. I have never seen such a vicious all-out attack as I am seeing in these days. Please pray for our protection from this spiritual warfare. We here, especially in Jerusalem, are in the center of the vortex. We need to make sure our lives are pure and that we keep 'short account' of sin in our lives. Any chink in the armor makes us vulnerable. 

Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.

1 Peter 5: 8 

I am glad to say that we believers in Israel are becoming more aware of the need to stand together and support one another. For example, I have been encouraged recently to hear about several initiatives around the country to provide help and support for the elderly amongst us. Until now there were very few elderly folk in our congregations, but now the generation that came here in the '70s and '80s is growing old. These were the people who were instrumental in starting up the Messianic congregations in Israel, and we owe them a lot. The congregations are beginning to wake up to the need to provide for this generation, many of whom have no family here, nor were able to provide for their old age. Few own their own homes, have savings or sufficient pensions to live on. The National Insurance pension is tiny and nowhere near enough to even pay the rent on an apartment. There is an urgent need to provide suitable housing, finance and practical care for these people. 

Another change is the establishment of a growing number of local Messianic organizations giving aid to the poor and needy in the Land, and the acceptance of this by government and other professional agencies. You can read more about these in the following articles: 

http://kehilanews.com/2017/12/22/five-believing-organizations-that-minister-to-the-poor-in-israel/

http://kehilanews.com/2018/01/02/pray-for-israel-hatikva-project/


As we enter into 2018 many of us are wondering what this new year will bring.  Israel is standing strong, though in a precarious position. Since Trump's announcement that the USA would recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital there have been ongoing riots throughout the West Bank and Gaza. These have not had a big effect on us in Israel as most have been confined in those areas. In fact, if I didn't watch the news on TV I would not even be aware they were happening. As usual, it is the Palestinians themselves who are suffering the most for their actions. 

Perhaps of more concern is the escalating barrage of rocket and mortar attacks across the border from Gaza. Since Trump's announcement more than 40 rockets have landed in Israel, prompting retaliatory attacks by Israeli tanks and aircraft, wounding many in the Gaza Strip. No Israelis have been injured or killed in these attacks but it is nerve-wracking for the residents of the border area. Ironically several of the rockets launched from the Gaza Strip have failed to reach Israel and instead fallen in Gaza damaging homes and schools.  Yesterday three rockets were fired at a ceremony marking the would-be 24th birthday of  IDF soldier, Oron Shaul, killed in the Operation Protective Edge, and whose body is still held in Gaza by Hamas. As the people ran for shelters or lay on the ground the Iron Dome system intercepted two of the rockets but the third hit a structure nearby. No one was hurt but it was a very frightening experience (4).  Today a further two rockets were fired into Israel (5). 

Families take cover during rocket fire on Friday (Photo: Roee Idan)
https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-5065037,00.html

However in spite of all the tension life in Israel is as always full of many complexities. Two weeks ago, on the 18th December, when I began writing this blog update, I wrote this:

Yesterday, at about the time of the end of the Muslim prayers on the Temple Mount, I was sitting in my favorite coffee shop waiting for my coffee to be served. A Jewish family walked in the door and the smallest child, a girl of about 3, tripped and fell. She was in tears. One of the staff came to her with a smile and gave her and her sister some chocolate. The tears were replaced with a smile. A simple act of human kindness? Yes it was, but it was remarkable because the staff member who comforted the little girl was an Arab. Even more so because, right at that moment, other Arab residents of Jerusalem were rioting and calling for death to the Jews, just down the street from where I sat.  The riots got full press coverage but there was no mention of the hundreds of such positive interactions between Jews and Arabs that occur every day here in Jerusalem.

Following US President Trump's recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital, many Arab leaders have called for a Third Intifada, or general uprising, against the Jewish State. So far anyway it hasn't happened. There has been rioting, some terror attacks and several casualties, including deaths, but what we are seeing is very far from an Intifada. According to Ynetnews, the IDF estimated that yesterday some 3,500 Palestinians were rioting in 9 different locations across the Gaza Strip and another 2,500 were rioting in various locations in the West Bank, burning tires and throwing Molotov cocktails and stones at IDF and Border Police personnel (6).  These rioters represent but a tiny percentage, about 0.1%, of the total population of the West Bank - hardly a general uprising! I suspect that most of the people of the West Bank are tired of all the violence and just want to get on with their lives. They know that Jerusalem has in fact been the capital of Israel for a long time and nothing has really changed with Trump's announcement. They also know, deep down that Israel is here to stay and as long as Israel is here Jerusalem will be its capital, even if they will not admit it publicly.

I will end this update with this photo - which I think sums up the absurdities we take as normal here in Jerusalem. This is why I love this place!

In case you are wondering - yes, Santa comes to Jerusalem too!

https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-5060414,00.html

Issa Kassissieh, an Arab Christian,- dressed as Santa, hands out free Christmas trees to Jerusalem residents

Prayer Points

1. Pray that the veil will be lifted from the minds of many and that the film "A New Spirit" will cause many to draw near to Yeshua.
2. Pray for the protection of the believers here in the Land, especially for the leadership. Pray that we will resist the temptations of the Enemy and not allow him access into our lives to destroy. 
3. Pray for abundant winter rains. We are still in a very serious drought situation. 
4. Pray for the needy in Israel. One in three Israeli children live below the poverty line. Israel's elderly have the highest poverty rates in the developed world (7). Pray for those Messianic organizations that are reaching out to try and ease these needs. 
5. Pray for the peace of Jerusalem and all Israel. Pray that the Palestinians will not rise up in a third Intifada and will begin to work for a better future, rather than concentrating on anger and revenge. Above all, pray that  Islam will be exposed as the Satanic Lie it is. 
6. Pray for our soldiers, police and other security and emergency personnel who daily risk their lives and work day and night, often in the cold and wet conditions at this time of year, so that we might go about our lives in safety. Pray especially for the young believers in the army, not only that they may be physically safe but also that they will be safe spiritually, as they come under the influence of their peers.  

1. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/Articles/Article.aspx/21485
2.  Channel 12 news clip (in Hebrew only) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K8FyyHXw0pg
3. http://kehilanews.com/2018/01/02/now-showing-in-israel-a-new-spirit-a-movie-about-jacob-damkani/
4. https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-5065037,00.html
5. https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-5065906,00.html
6. https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-5057380,00.html
7. http://www.jpost.com/National-News/Israels-elderly-poverty-rates-highest-in-the-developed-world-339026

 

THE EARLY AND THE LATTER RAINS

 

Let us know,
Let us pursue the knowledge of the Lord.
His going forth is established as the morning;
He will come to us like the rain,
Like the latter and former rain to the earth.

Hosea 6:3

This week most of the country received its eagerly awaited first rain of the rainy season. Unusually it came in from the south and it was the southern desert areas that received the most. Eilat received 27.7 mm overnight, more than its average annual rainfall, and was inundated by serious flooding. Elsewhere gentler rains fell but here in Jerusalem all we got was a sprinkle during the night.


Flooding in Eilat
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4871361,00.html

 

As a child growing up in rainy New Zealand I can remember my Sunday School teacher explaining to us that in the Bible rain represented the blessing of God. I could never really 'get it'. Rain was something that ruined outings,  shut us up indoors for days on end, and was just plain miserable. It wasn't until I came to live in Israel that I began to understand what a blessing rain is. In New Zealand 8 days without rain constitutes a 'drought'. Here in Israel we have every year 7-8 months without a drop of rain.  The landscape turns brown, everything gets covered with a layer of dust and the ground cracks open. By autumn it is as if all of the Land is gasping for rain and as we pray the prayers for rain during the Festival of Succot our eyes turn skyward searching for the first rain cloud.  Usually it comes some time in October but this year summer seemed to stretch on endlessly, until this week when at last the temperatures have cooled and at least some parts of the country received the delicious refreshment of the first rains.

 

 

In the Bible the first rain is called the 'Yoreh' and the latter rain the 'Malkosh'.  The meaning of these ancient words is a matter for debate.  The root of 'yoreh' means to teach or to shoot . The meaning of 'malkosh' is less clear. It could be derived from the root 'lksh' which means to be tardy or late, or it could be a combination of two words 'maleh' to fill, and 'kash' stalk.

 

In the Middle East the agricultural growing season is the winter, the rainy season. The early rain, in October or November, is the rain that softens the soil and causes the seeds to germinate and begin to grow.  Then follows a drier period but one in which intermittent rain falls, allowing the plants to grow and mature. Then in February- March the heavier latter rains begin, bringing about the time of flowering and the ripening of the seed.  The rains usually peter out by the end of March.

 

 

At the foot of Mt Sinai, after the LORD had given Moses the tablets of the law for the second time, He promised Israel this,

 

And it shall be that if you earnestly obey My commandments which I command you today, to love the Lord your God and serve Him with all your heart and with all your soul, ¹⁴ then I will give you the rain for your land in its season, the early rain and the latter rain, that you may gather in your grain, your new wine, and your oil.

 

Deuteronomy 11:13-14

 

 

In the Bible there are several other references to the early and latter rains, and there is much argument about their interpretation. Are the early and latter rains only to be taken literally, or do they have a deeper symbolic meaning? I think it is both. It refers to the very concrete and real blessing of the rain for the good of the land and its inhabitants, but it also has a deeper symbolic meaning. 

 

Some see the first rain as referring to the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost and the second rain of another outpouring of the Spirit before the return of the LORD.

 

I think however that Hosea 6:3, quoted above, suggests a somewhat different interpretation, namely a linkage between the early and the latter rains and the coming of the LORD as Messiah, His first coming and His second. At Jesus' first coming he died and was resurrected just as a seed must 'die' before it can germinate. The Kingdom of God began to grow. Since then it has continued to grow, watered by the rains of the Holy Spirit, looking forward to the final flowering or fulfillment when Jesus returns again to take his Bride.

 

Joel 2 describes the events leading up to the second coming of the LORD. When great and terrible armies will come up against Israel, causing the hearts of the people to be melted by fear. Then a trumpet will be sounded in Zion to gather all the people before God in repentance, and the priests will call out to God for help:

 

Blow the trumpet in Zion,
Consecrate a fast,
Call a sacred assembly;
¹⁶ Gather the people,
Sanctify the congregation,
Assemble the elders,
Gather the children and nursing babes;
Let the bridegroom go out from his chamber,
And the bride from her dressing room.
¹⁷ Let the priests, who minister to the Lord,
Weep between the porch and the altar;
Let them say, “Spare Your people, O Lord,
And do not give Your heritage to reproach,
That the nations should rule over them.
Why should they say among the peoples,
‘Where is their God?’”

 

Then God will drive away Israel's enemies and restore the blessing to the Land, giving the former and latter rains, so that the crops may prosper again:

¹⁸ Then the Lord will be zealous for His land,
And pity His people.
¹⁹ The Lord will answer and say to His people,
“Behold, I will send you grain and new wine and oil,
And you will be satisfied by them;
I will no longer make you a reproach among the nations.

²⁰ “But I will remove far from you the northern army,
And will drive him away into a barren and desolate land,
With his face toward the eastern sea
And his back toward the western sea;
His stench will come up,
And his foul odor will rise,
Because he has done monstrous things.”

²¹ Fear not, O land;
Be glad and rejoice,
For the Lord has done marvelous things!
²² Do not be afraid, you beasts of the field;
For the open pastures are springing up,
And the tree bears its fruit;
The fig tree and the vine yield their strength.
²³ Be glad then, you children of Zion,
And rejoice in the Lord your God;
For He has given you the former rain faithfully,^[d]
And He will cause the rain to come down for you—
The former rain,
And the latter rain in the first month.
²⁴ The threshing floors shall be full of wheat,
And the vats shall overflow with new wine and oil.

Joel 2

 

Israel has always been described as a stiff-necked or stubborn nation.  What will it take to bring her to her knees in repentance and supplication before God? Perhaps only abject fear as the fearsome armies confront us from the north. Then we as a nation will repent and cry out to God who will hear, have pity on us and send us salvation.

 

The rabbis have an interesting third alternative meaning to the word 'malkosh'. Rabbi Nehilai ben Idi said that the [latter rain is termed malkosh] 'because it is a thing that removes the stiff-neckedness of Israel'. This is based on the understanding that perhaps the word is derived from a combination of two words  'mal' to remove and 'kosh' - stiffness or stiff-neckedness. http://www.yeshiva.co/midrash/shiur.asp?id=6909

 

Many of us here in the land are feeling that we are seeing the beginnings of a softening of the spiritual stiff-neckedness that has for so long afflicted the people Israel. People are fearful of the future and are watching events unfold around us. The threat to our survival seems to grow daily. At the same time there seems to be more of an openness to the person of Jesus than perhaps ever before. The Bible teaches that the veil which hides the truth from the eyes of Israel will be lifted when they turn to Jesus.

 

But their  [the children of Israel] minds were blinded. For until this day the same veil remains unlifted in the reading of the Old Testament, because the veil is taken away in Christ. ¹⁵ But even to this day, when Moses is read, a veil lies on their heart. ¹⁶ Nevertheless when one turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away.

 

2 Corinthians 3: 14-16.

 

We here in the Land long for this day but tremble because of the events that must occur in order for it to happen. Already we see the stage being set. Right now the Middle East is in turmoil and the world is focused on the battle against Dayish (ISIS) and the civil war in Syria. As I write the Iraqi forces, backed by US air strikes,  are mounting a massive offensive against Dayish with the intention of retaking Iraq's second largest city, Mosul, Dayish's last major urban stronghold. Meanwhile, in Syria, Assad's forces, backed by Russia, are gaining more and more control. It is possible that these regional confrontations will soon be resolved and we will be left with a new reality in the Middle East, a nuclear armed and powerful Iran backed by Russia and an irresolute American presence struggling to shore up the rest of the fractured and divided nations. The stage will then be set for the great battle described in Joel 2, when the northern army (v. 20) will swoop down on little Israel.

 

Blow the trumpet in Zion,
And sound an alarm in My holy mountain!
Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble;
For the day of the Lord is coming,
For it is at hand:
² A day of darkness and gloominess,
A day of clouds and thick darkness,
Like the morning clouds spread over the mountains.
A people come, great and strong,
The like of whom has never been;
Nor will there ever be any such after them,
Even for many successive generations

 

Joel 2: 1- 2

 

 

Some other news from Jerusalem

 

Four days ago another committee of the UNESCO, the World Heritage Committee, passed yet another resolution in which the Temple Mount was referred to by its Arabic name without mention of Jewish or Christian ties to the site. It was passed however without a majority vote: 10 nations voted for, 8 abstained, 2 voted against and one was absent.

Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations, Danny Danon,  condemned the decision, saying,

“The absurdity continues, and UNESCO has adopted yet another ridiculous decision that is completely disconnected from reality,” he said in a statement. “UNESCO embarrassed itself by marching to the tune of the Palestinian pipers. All attempts to deny our heritage, distort history and disconnect the Jewish people from our capital and our homeland, are doomed to fail.

http://www.timesofisrael.com/unesco-adopts-another-resolution-erasing-jewish-link-to-temple-mount/

 

As the United Nations tries to rewrite history archaeologists are unearthing the truth. At Tel Lachish a large city gate has been uncovered and the findings there support the Biblical historical account. http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4861075,00.html

 

 

 

THE CITY GATE AT LACHISH
By Wilson44691 - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=15414426



 

 

The Army from the North.
Today (1st November) reports are coming in that a Russian convoy composed of the heavy aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov, the heavy nuclear-powered missile cruiser Pyotr Veliky, the large antisubmarine warfare ships Severomorsk and Vice-Admiral Kulakov and support vessels have entered the Mediterranean on their way to take up position in the Eastern Mediterranean. Analysts believe that this fleet will have little strategic value in the battle arena of Syria but " is saying to the world, but first of all to his own citizens, that Russia once again has super-power aspirations". https://www.almasdarnews.com/article/video-russian-aircraft-carrier-group-arrives-mediterranean/
http://www.haaretz.com/middle-east-news/1.749859

A few days ago the Observer ran a headline that put it very succinctly : "Syria's Civil War is Over - Russia won."  http://observer.com/2016/10/syrias-civil-war-is-over-russia-won/

Winter has now officially arrived in Israel and the dark storm clouds are gathering.