THE BATTLE FOR THE TEMPLE MOUNT

It is Thursday evening and I am sitting on the patio of my new home in the Judean hills, some 10km from Jerusalem. I am looking out onto a lovely green forested hillside and the gentle breeze is making that special susurration that only Jerusalem pines seem to make. The tensions and troubles of Jerusalem over the past weeks seem worlds away, but that is merely an illusion. 

The view from my home looking towards Jerusalem

Life in Jerusalem is returning to normal (whatever that is around here) after two weeks of tension and rioting, mainly around the Temple Mount area. It all began when three terrorists, who had brought guns onto the Temple Mount compound, opened fire and killed two Israeli policemen (see my previous blog). To prevent any further such attacks Israel imposed a temporary closure for Muslims wanting to pray at the Al Aksa Mosque, and set up metal detectors and security cameras at the entrance. This seemed like a reasonable response but the Muslim authorities did not see it that way, and once again accused Israel of changing the 'status quo'. The Waqf, the Muslim authority that controls the Temple Mount, forbade Muslims to pray at the Al Aksa Mosque and as a result, thousands gathered on the streets around the Old City to pray. This lead to a number of skirmishes and riots, and at least a thousand people were injured as a result. To me, it all seemed rather petty and childish to say the least.  After all metal detectors and surveillance cameras are a normal part of everyday life in Israel. To enter bus stations, train stations, supermarkets, shopping malls and many other places, including the Western Wall compound, one must pass through a metal detector and have one's bags searched. So why did the Muslim Waqf react so strongly to the installation of metal detectors there? All I can say is that there are elements who are just looking for any excuse to accuse Israel of 'changing the status quo' and threatening the Al Aksa Mosque. Actually, it was Muslims who changed the 'status quo' by bringing in arms and carrying out a terror attack at their own so-called 'holy site'. 

After two weeks of tensions and rioting, Israel finally removed the metal detectors and other security measures. The Waqf has allowed Muslims to once more at the Al Aksa Mosque and has declared victory.  In the Arab mind, Israel's removal of the metal detectors is not seen as a conciliatory move but rather one of weakness in the face of Islamic superiority. For this reason there has been much criticism here in Israel of the Government's handling of this affair. In this part of the world it is very dangerous to appear weak.

We should not be surprised by these events of the past few weeks. This is just one more skirmish in the ongoing battle for the Temple Mount.  Many Christians are uncomfortable with the idea of religious wars or 'holy' wars, but like it or not, we are all engaged in a serious spiritual war. 

For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.

Ephesians 6:12

The Temple Mount is the place that God chose to be His special point of communication with mankind on Earth, and the place where his Name dwells. When Solomon dedicated the first Temple, God spoke to him saying, 

 For now I have chosen and consecrated this house that My name may be there forever, and My eyes and My heart will be there perpetually.

2 Chronicles 7: 16 (my emphasis)

Solomon's Temple was eventually destroyed and later the Second Temple, which was constructed after the return from Babylon and restored in the time of Herod the Great, was destroyed by the Romans in 70 AD. The buildings may not currently exist but the site is still the place in which the Name of the LORD rests forever, perpetually.  You could say it is the center of God's kingdom here on Earth, the center of the spiritual world, and therefore the focus of the great battle for power between the LORD and Satan. 

It is therefore no wonder that the Enemy, Satan, is doing everything he can to destroy the connection of God with this place. Those of us who live here can certainly testify to the viciousness and the intensity of the spiritual war for Jerusalem, and especially for the Temple Mount. One of Satan's tactics was to engineer the rise of Islam, the Islamic conquest of the Holy Land, and the consequent building of the Dome of the Rock (pictured below) and the El Aksa Mosque on the Temple Mount Site. This is a direct challenge and affront to the LORD God of Israel. I think the photo below tells it all. It shows Muslim men praying in the direction of Mecca. Note the direction of the 'rear ends' - they are pointing directly at the Dome of the Rock, which is believed to be the site where the Temples and the Holy of Holies once stood. In Arab culture it is also considered extremely disrespectful and insulting to point the sole of your foot towards another person. Not only are the 'rear ends' pointing towards the dwelling place of God's presence but so are the soles of their feet. Could they dishonor the LORD God more?

Muslims praying on the Temple Mount
http://www.camera.org/images_user/afp%20prayer%2008.jpg

 Islam is not the only weapon that Satan is using these days. Summer is in full swing here in Jerusalem, and it has been especially hot this year, with July temperatures reaching the mid to high 30s most days. The children are on vacation from school and there are many festivals and events taking place here in Jerusalem. This week the annual Gay Pride Parade took place in Jerusalem with record breaking numbers of at least 20,000 people taking part. 

In the Church and amongst believers today there is much confusion about homosexuality. We are living in a world in which there are strong pressures to accept homosexuality as being something normal and acceptable.  It is a very divisive issue and one which splits believers into opposing camps. We do not want to appear narrow-minded or judgemental, and as a consequence we are more and more falling into compromise on this issue. However what the Bible has to say about homosexuality is, in my opinion, quite clear: 

You shall not lie with a male as with a woman. It is an abomination.

Leviticus 18:22

The Hebrew word here translated as 'abomination' is תועבה (to'eva), which literally means 'something morally disgusting or abhorrent'. This word is used many times in Scripture and mostly to describe idol worship, the eating of unclean foods, intermarriage with idol worshippers, child sacrifice and witchcraft.  In Leviticus 20:13 it says " If a man lies with a male as he lies with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination. They shall surely be put to death. Their blood shall be upon them."  That is pretty clear! 

In the New Testament book of Romans homosexuality is described as the result of idolatry in which God gives people over to the degrading and unnatural act of homosexual sex, 

 Professing to be wise, they became fools,  and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man—and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things.

Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among themselves,  who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.

 For this reason God gave them up to vile passions. For even their women exchanged the natural use for what is against nature. Likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust for one another, men with men committing what is shameful, and receiving in themselves the penalty of their error which was due.

 Romans 1:22-27

I believe we who profess Yeshua as Lord need to receive and love all men and women, regardless of their sins, homosexuals included, but we need to be clear that in the community of believers there can be no compromise with sin, in whatever form it takes. For this reason, although I support the rights of the gay community to live in safety and without persecution, I find the prideful flaunting of this sin in the streets of the Holy City an abomination, and yet another demonstration of the lostness of the people of Israel in our generation. Many have turned away from the God of Israel and have turned to the modern forms of idolatry, including the worship of foreign gods of Hinduism and other religions, witchcraft and occult practices, materialistic and hedonistic humanism, and the worship of ourselves.  Consequently God has given many over to the 'lusts of the flesh' and 'vile passions' including homosexuality among other sinful sexual acts.  The people of Israel, like people everywhere, have a desperate need to hear the pure gospel of truth in Yeshua. 

My new home is in the town of Mevasseret Zion, which name translates to 'the preaching of the good news of Zion' or 'the herald of the good news of Zion'. My neighborhood, although known colloquially as the Castel, is officially called Maoz Tsur, the stronghold of rock, or as it is often translated into English 'the Rock of Ages' understood by Christians to be a reference to the Messiah, Yeshua.  We are located at the western entrance to Jerusalem in the hills of Judea, the inheritance of the Tribe of Judah.  I think these place names have deep spiritual significance and I pray that from here the gospel will go up to Jerusalem and from Jerusalem to all the world. Our congregation has already established a thriving cell group here in Mevasseret and this week we will be starting another, which will, initially anyway, be meeting in my home.  Please pray for us as we work to establish a 'stronghold of rock' and proclaim the good news of Yeshua here at the entrance to Jerusalem. 

THE FATHER OF LIES

 

You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.

John 8:44

 

It is Saturday evening and it is with a heavy heart I sit down to write.  I do not know where to start. So much is happening there is no way I can describe it all, and as fast as I write new events unfold.  Here is a run down of  the events of just the last 24 hours:

• On Friday night widespread rioting broke out in Arab towns across Israel, including Rahat, Nazareth, Kfar Kana, Um el Fahm, Sahknin, Taybeh, in solidarity with Palestinians and expressing anger at the shooting Thursday of a female terrorist in Afula. 
• Rockets are fired at Israel from Gaza but fall short in Gazan territory
• Two religious Jews, aged in their sixties, are stabbed and lightly injured by a 16 year old attacker who was shot dead by security police at the Damascus Gate of the Old City, Jerusalem
• Clashes erupt at the scene between Palestinians and security forces
• A few hours later, at the same place, a Palestinian attacked and stabbed police officers moderately wounding two. A  20 year old police officer was also seriously wounded, and is still fighting for his life, as a result of 'friendly fire' when security forces shot at the assailant. 
• Hundreds of Gazan Palestinians riot at the border fence and succeed in breaking through into Israeli territory. Israeli security forces shoot 7 dead and around 60 are injured. The remainder were forced to return into Gazan territory.    
•  This evening at least 10 Gazan Palestinians break through border fence into Israel. (Ongoing incident)
• Around a 1000 Arabs riot at Kfar Qassem (ongoing)
• Hundreds of Jews demonstrate outside the Prime Ministers home in Jerusalem demanding tougher measures against Palestinian terror (ongoing).
• Missiles fired from Gaza towards Ashkelon shot down by Iron Dome south of the city.

This week in Israel
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4709446,00.html

If you wish to know more I can only recommend you follow the news updates on the web.  http://www.ynetnews.com/home/0,7340,L-3082,00.html

A Palestinian protester waves a knife and his national flag during a demonstration in support of Palestinians in the West Bank and against Jewish groups visiting the al-Aqsa mosque compunds, in Gaza City on October 10, 2015 (AFP Photo/Mahmud Hams)
http://news.yahoo.com/palestinian-stabs-2-israelis-jerusalem-shot-dead-medics-082719844.html

A masked Palestinian hurls rocks towards Israeli soldiers during clashes following the funeral of Mohammed Fares al-Jaabari on October 10, 2015, in the West Bank town of Hebron (AFP Photo/Hazem Bader)
https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=100911646940658232#editor/target=post;postID=4420024328621723047;onPublishedMenu=posts;onClosedMenu=posts;postNum=0;src=postname

 

The atmosphere in Jerusalem and indeed in all the Land is one of tension and fear. Fear that events are spiraling out of control and we are headed for another Intifada as random knife attacks perpetrated by teenagers become a daily occurrence in our streets, as youths riot and attack security forces and throw rocks and firebombs at passing vehicles, as mobs break through the border fence from Gaza, and rockets are fired into Israel. We are all wondering what will be, as each day it all seems to get worse. 

 

You might be asking what has precipitated this wave of terror? The answer lies with the Father of Lies. Various Muslim clerics and leaders have fabricated and perpetrated the vicious lie that Israel is planning to attack and destroy the Al Aqsa Mosque on the Temple Mount, and are calling for 'good Muslims' to take up arms to protect the Mosque. 

 

The current wave of unrest began when Muslim youths barricaded themselves inside the Mosque and attacked security forces and those coming onto the Temple Mount to pray.  In support of these actions, and the subsequent knifing attacks and riots,  Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen),  said on the 16 of September,

“We will not forsake our country and we will keep every inch of our land... Every drop of blood spilled in Jerusalem is pure, every shahid [martyr] will reach paradise, and every injured person will be rewarded by God.”The Al-Aqsa Mosque is ours. The Church of the Holy Sepulchre is ours as well. They have no right to desecrate the mosque with their dirty feet, we won’t allow them to do that,” http://www.timesofisrael.com/abbas-blood-of-martyrs-spilled-on-temple-mount-is-pure/

At the same time, Abbas tries to present a moderate face to the outside world, calling for Palestinian youth not to escalate the situation and instructing his security forces to calm the situation. Tonight however his Fatah (PLO) party is distributing official pamphlets, bearing Abbas' photo alongside that of Yasser Arafat. The pamphlet praises the 16 year old, Ishaq Badran, shot this morning after attacking two Jews calling him a ' hero shahid (martyr)' . The bottom of the pamphlet bears the words  “Eternal life and glory for our shahids” and “Our essence is sacrificing ourselves for al-Aqsa”.

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4709292,00.html

 

Digital versions of the pamphlet were also posted on the official Fatah twitter account.

 

This outbreak of violence is not at all unexpected as an increasingly disaffected generation of Palestinians loses hope of a better future for their people. The Peace Process has stalled (who can talk peace with Abbas?) and the Palestinian youth has been poisoned from the cradle with hatred, rage and lies about the Jews. Add in the libel about the Al Aqsa mosque, rabid incitement by religious and political leaders, and violence is inevitable. It doesn't help that the world's press is quick to report the Palestinian version of events, and reports incidents in a very biased way, thus feeding a growing anti-Israel sentiment worldwide.

 

 An example of the kind of anti-Israel bias in reporting was exposed earlier this month when the BBC ran this headline: "Palestinian shot dead after Jerusalem attack kills two". Although factually correct, on the surface, notice how the wording emphasizes the shooting dead of a Palestinian rather than the fact that the Palestinian in question had just killed two innocent Jews. The headline thus effectively turned the terrorist into the victim, whilst sanitizing the killing of the Jews by depersonalizing the attack with the words "Jerusalem attack". Jerusalem did not attack the victims, the Palestinian terrorist attacked them!

 

Here are another couple of examples from the digital version of The Guardian newspaper, " In another attack, 19-year-old Palestinian Muhammad Saed Ali, from Shuafat refugee camp, in east Jerusalem , was shot dead after Israeli police alleged that he stabbed two police officers",  and "Earlier on Saturday, two Israeli men in their sixties were wounded when Israeli police said they were stabbed by Ishaq Badran, a 16-year-old Palestinian" . http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/oct/10/israel-protests-three-palestinians-killed-five-wounded-violence-escalates. Again these reports appear accurate but notice the words "alleged"  and "Israeli police said they were stabbed...". Such phrasing casts doubt on the veracity of the statements, thus undermining the legitimacy of the shooting of these terrorists by Israeli police.

 

 

It is difficult for people outside of Israel to weed out the truth from all the lies in the media. However it is important to read the newspapers and reports online with a discerning mind, and a Bible in one's hand. The Bible provides an anchor for truth, an absolute and infallible 'take' on events. True it is sometimes difficult to discern right from wrong, especially in the current conflicts which arise from extremely complex historical, political and religious perspectives, but nevertheless the Lord's perspective is clear and obvious to all who wish to know. Israel is a sinful nation, a stiff-necked people, who have rejected God's beloved son and Messiah, but nevertheless they are His Chosen people and the 'apple of His eye' (Zechariah 2:8). God again and again promises to protect Israel and destroy all those who rise up against her. He has never revoked those promises and he will honor them in the end. We cannot know what the immediate future might hold for Israel, but we do know her end. God will fight on her side and all her enemies will be destroyed.  The prophet Ezekiel spoke of the judgment that would come upon the descendants of Edom (Esau) for shedding the blood of the children of Jacob (Israel)

Son of man, set your face against Mount Seir; prophesy against it ³ and say: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I am against you, Mount Seir, and I will stretch out my hand against you and make you a desolate waste. ⁴ I will turn your towns into ruins and you will be desolate. Then you will know that I am the Lord.
⁵ “‘Because you harbored an ancient hostility and delivered the Israelites over to the sword at the time of their calamity, the time their punishment reached its climax, ⁶ therefore as surely as I live, declares the Sovereign Lord, I will give you over to bloodshed and it will pursue you. Since you did not hate bloodshed, bloodshed will pursue you. ⁷ I will make Mount Seir a desolate waste and cut off from it all who come and go. ⁸ I will fill your mountains with the slain; those killed by the sword will fall on your hills and in your valleys and in all your ravines. ⁹ I will make you desolate forever; your towns will not be inhabited. Then you will know that I am the Lord.

Ezekiel 35 : 1-9  

 

And again the prophet Obadiah says these words against Edom,

“The day of the Lord is near
    for all nations.
As you have done, it will be done to you;
    your deeds will return upon your own head.¹⁶ Just as you drank on my holy hill,
    so all the nations will drink continually;
they will drink and drink
    and be as if they had never been.
¹⁷ But on Mount Zion will be deliverance;
    it will be holy,
    and Jacob will possess his inheritance.
¹⁸ Jacob will be a fire
    and Joseph a flame;
Esau will be stubble,
    and they will set him on fire and destroy him.
There will be no survivors
    from Esau.”
The Lord has spoken

Obadiah 15-18

 

 

 

Do not fret because of evildoers,
Nor be envious of the workers of iniquity.² For they shall soon be cut down like the grass,
And wither as the green herb...

 

For evildoers shall be cut off;
But those who wait on the Lord,
They shall inherit the earth.¹⁰ For yet a little while and the wicked shall be no more;
Indeed, you will look carefully for his place,
But it shall be no more.
¹¹ But the meek shall inherit the earth,
And shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.

¹² The wicked plots against the just,
And gnashes at him with his teeth.
¹³ The Lord laughs at him,
For He sees that his day is coming.

Psalm 37

Please remember us all here in your prayers. Prayer is effective and is greater than the sword (or a Kalashnikov). Pray for the Peace of Jerusalem and the safety of all her inhabitants, Jew, Arab and Gentile alike. Pray especially for the Palestinian youth who are being led as lambs to the slaughter by their leaders, who are inciting them to greater and greater violence, which can only bring calamity upon the Palestinian people. These 'great' leaders sit safely in their homes and send children to fight soldiers and cut down innocent old men, women and children. Then they call them 'brave martyrs' and 'heroes'. Above all pray for the salvation of many, Jew and Arab, that they might find the true peace of Yeshua, the only solution to the conflict. May the Lies of the Enemy be exposed and many turn to the way of Truth.

May Yeshua come soon!

 

  

 

 

 

 

DRY BONES

 

http://www.stmarystjames.org.uk/images/dry_bones.jpg

 

In my last two posts I have written about the miracle that is the modern state of Israel. But this week I have been reminded that Israel is  still a work-in-progress and far from complete in terms of the LORD's redemption plan. In the vision of the prophet Ezekiel he saw the Valley of the Dry Bones and the LORD said to him, " Can these bones live?", then He goes on to answer his rhetorical question, saying;

 

 “Prophesy to these bones, and say to them, ‘O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord! ⁵ Thus says the Lord God to these bones: “Surely I will cause breath to enter into you, and you shall live. ⁶ I will put sinews on you and bring flesh upon you, cover you with skin and put breath in you; and you shall live. Then you shall know that I am the Lord.”’”⁷ So I prophesied as I was commanded; and as I prophesied, there was a noise, and suddenly a rattling; and the bones came together, bone to bone. ⁸ Indeed, as I looked, the sinews and the flesh came upon them, and the skin covered them over; but there was no breath in them. ( Ezekiel 37: 4-7)

This well-known passage speaks, I believe, of this time when the LORD regathers the scattered people of Israel from the ends of the Earth and brings them back to the land, and restores the nation of Israel. First comes the regathering of the bones, bones coming together and sinews and flesh coming upon them, the physical resurrection, but at this point the bones are still without life, having no breath in them. In Hebrew the word for breath is ruach ( רוח) which can also mean spirit or wind.

God then goes on to tell Ezekiel ,

“Prophesy to the breath, prophesy, son of man, and say to the breath, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe on these slain, that they may live.”  (Ezekiel 37: 9)


So the physical body was quickened with the breath of life, yet it did not yet have the Spirit of the LORD indwelling, that would come later.

Therefore prophesy and say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “Behold, O My people, I will open your graves and cause you to come up from your graves, and bring you into the land of Israel. ¹³ Then you shall know that I am the Lord, when I have opened your graves, O My people, and brought you up from your graves. ¹⁴ I will put My Spirit in you, and you shall live, and I will place you in your own land. Then you shall know that I, the Lord, have spoken it and performed it,” says the Lord.’”  (Ezekiel 37: 12-14).

I believe then that the restoration of Israel will take place in three stages, first the regathering and joining together of the 'dry bones',  then the quickening of life, and only after that the spiritual restoration when the Spirit of the LORD will be put in to the people. I believe that the first and second stages are in progress today but we have not yet seen the third. There are those that say that the present state of Israel cannot be of God's doing because it is a sinful nation, full of idolatry, evil practices, and corruption. However I believe this reasoning is flawed. Nowhere in the Bible does it say that God's regathering of the 'dry bones', requires prior repentance. Quite the opposite in fact.

Therefore say to the house of Israel, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “I do not do this for your sake, O house of Israel, but for My holy name’s sake, which you have profaned among the nations wherever you went. ²³ And I will sanctify My great name, which has been profaned among the nations, which you have profaned in their midst; and the nations shall know that I am the Lord,” says the Lord God, “when I am hallowed in you before their eyes. ²⁴ For I will take you from among the nations, gather you out of all countries, and bring you into your own land. ²⁵ Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean; I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols. ²⁶ I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. ²⁷ I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them. ²⁸ Then you shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers; you shall be My people, and I will be your God.  (Ezekiel 36: 22-28)

God does not restore Israel because we deserve it, and we clearly do not, but because of His Name. He will, for the sake of His Name, gather Israel from the nations and restore them to their own land, and then, and only then, will he sprinkle them clean, and cleanse them, putting a new heart and a new Spirit within them.

Until that day, we cannot expect Israel to be any holier than any other people since we do not yet have the indwelling Holy Spirit. Little wonder then that Israel as a nation is far from perfect and suffers from many of the ills common to lost mankind.

As I mentioned earlier, over the last few weeks something has occurred which has brought this home to me; we have seen violent riots in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv. Twelve protestors and 56 police were injured in the Tel Aviv riot, and 46 protestors were arrested. These were sparked by the release of  CCTV footage showing a young Ethiopian Israeli man, dressed in army fatigues, being  beaten up by two  Border Policemen for absolutely no reason except that he was Ethiopian. You can see this disturbing footage on https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yiwxiFOkndA&oref=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DyiwxiFOkndA&has_verified=1. The policemen in question have been suspended but for the Ethiopian community in Israel this was the last straw, and they took to the streets in anger. Sadly their protests devolved into violence.

Protesters and police clash in Tel Aviv. 'Violence is not the answer.' (Photo: AFP)
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4655330,00.html

The Ethiopian Jews, who call themselves Beta Israel (the house of Israel) claim to be descendants of the Tribe of Dan, which fled the Roman sacking of Jerusalem in 70 AD via Egypt and eventually arrived in Ethiopia. In the nineteenth century many converted to Christianity but maintained their connection to their Israelite forefathers, keeping Mosaic laws and practices. They also dreamed of returning to Israel one day.

 

When they first made advances to the Israeli government they were ignored or rejected, but eventually rabbinic opinion about their eligibility for Israeli citizenship turned and in 1975 the Chief Rabbinate officially recognized them as Jews, which opened the doors for their immigration.

 

Ethiopian immigration to Israel had begun in 1934 but remained a trickle until the Rabbinate decision made possible the first wave of mass immigration beginning in 1979. Thousands of Ethiopian Israelites walked to the Sudan from where they were to be transported by the Israeli government to Israel. Around 50% perished along the way from starvation, dehydration, illness, and attacks by bandits. Between 1983 and 1985 thousands arrived in Sudan where they lived in camps awaiting rescue. Many also perished in these camps. In 1984 around 14,000 Ethiopians were airlifted to Israel in Operation Moses. In 1991 another large group of over 14,000 were airlifted to Israel from Ethiopia in the course of 36 hours. Since then there have been a number of smaller waves of immigration and it continues today. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethiopian_Jews_in_Israel#First_wave_.281934-1960.29   By the end of  2013 there were some 135,500  Jews of Ethiopian descent living in Israel,  85,900 of whom were born in Ethiopia and 49,600 born in Israel.http://www.jpost.com/Israel-News/CBS-report-135000-Ethiopians-living-in-Israel-at-end-of-2013-382266.

 

Integration of these Ethiopian Jews into the mainstream of Israeli society has been difficult from the beginning. Most of the new immigrants came from rural areas, where they knew neither electricity nor running water, had little or no education, were illiterate in their own language, and did not know Hebrew. In short they were ill equipped for coping in a modern, competitive capitalist society. A report published by the Bank of Israel in 2006 painted a bleak picture:

 

• The incidence of poverty amongst Ethiopian families is estimated at about 51.7% compared with 15.8% in the general Israeli population.
   
• The rate of participation in the labor market is about 65.7% amongst adults compared with about 82.5% in the general Israeli population.
• The rate of unemployment amongst Ethiopians is estimated at about 13.2% compared with 7.4% in the general Israeli population.
• The monthly income per capita is estimated at about 1,994 New Israeli Shekels amongst Ethiopians compared with about 3,947 New Israeli Shekels in the general Israeli population.
• Students awarded the Bagrut Certification is estimated at about 44% of Ethiopians compared with about 57% in the remaining Israeli population. Only about 34% meet the requirements needed for higher education, compared with about 83% of the Israeli population.
• About 21.7% of Ethiopian immigrants are holders of high school and higher education, compared with about 49.2% in the general Israeli population. About 20.4% of Ethiopian immigrants are not holders of a basic education, compared with about 0.9% from the general Israeli population.
• In the 2002-2003 school year, the rate of criminal charges brought against 12-20 year old Ethiopian immigrants was 4.6%, twice as high as the number of criminal charges brought against the equivalent age group from the remainder of Israeli society.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aliyah_from_Ethiopia#Eligibility_of_Beta_Israel_Ethiopians_for_Aliyah

 

In addition to this economic disadvantage, Ethiopians also face discrimination when it comes to finding an apartment or a job. Sad to say there exists a high degree of racism within Israeli society.  I remember when I first arrived in Israel I expected a degree of culture shock, but what shocked me most was to discover that find that many Israeli Jews were racist, and discriminated between the various cultural groups within Israeli Jewish society.  I remember well telling a friend on my kibbutz that I was working with a nice old man, Ezra, in the kitchen. Her response was a snort of disgust and a comment about "cushim" the Hebrew equivalent of "nigger". I was puzzled at the time as he was no darker than many others in the kibbutz, but I later learned he was of Eastern background, an immigrant from Iraq. Askenazi Jews (of European descent) look down on Mizrachi (or Eastern) Jews. I was deeply saddened that Israeli Jews, who themselves had suffered so much from prejudice and discrimination, make such distinctions within their own people.  In subsequent years I have again and again encountered these kinds of prejudices. Every new immigrant group tends to suffer from it when they first arrive. Unfortunately the Ethiopians have suffered the most, being unable to blend in easily, and having little political clout with which to protect themselves. I fully believe their claims of discrimination and racism, and it is no wonder they have been provoked to demonstrations and violence. I hope that they will find a better way to speak out but I do understand their frustration and anger.

 

We as a society must do better, much better! God said he would gather in the whole house of Israel, that is to say  not only the Jews (of the tribe of Judah and some from the Israelite tribes who returned from the Babylonian Exile) but also the  'lost' tribes of Israel that were scattered far and wide during the Assyrian conquests.

 

 Again the word of the Lord came to me, saying, ¹⁶ “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.’ ¹⁷ Then join them one to another for yourself into one stick, and they will become one in your hand.¹⁸ “And when the children of your people speak to you, saying, ‘Will you not show us what you mean by these?’— ¹⁹ 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.  (Ezekiel 37: 15-22)

The so-called 'lost' tribes of Israel are not lost to God. He knows where each one is. He said he would gather them in  and he is beginning to so.  The Ethiopians are only one such group. Others have been discovered and some of these  are already in Israel.  The Bene Israel, a group whose DNA profiles identify them as descendants of the Cohanim (Priests), emigrated to Israel in the 1950s from India. The Bene Menashe, who believe they are descendants of the Tribe of Menashe, are from the region around the border between Myanmar and India, are recognized by some authorities as Israelites. Around 1700 have already immigrated to Israel. Another 7,200 are still in India. Other groups such as the Lemba in southern Africa have many customs similar to those of the house of Israel and have been DNA tested and found to have Semitic origins. http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/136374#.VU-Ncpt01LM  In the coming years we can expect more and more of these groups to be found and brought to Israel. We must be open and ready to receive these 'long lost' brothers. Please pray against the spirit of racism and prejudice in this land.

Return, O backsliding children,” says the Lord; “for I am married to you. I will take you, one from a city and two from a family, and I will bring you to Zion. ¹⁵ And I will give you shepherds according to My heart, who will feed you with knowledge and understanding.¹⁶ “Then it shall come to pass, when you are multiplied and increased in the land in those days,” says the Lord, “that they will say no more, ‘The ark of the covenant of the Lord.’ It shall not come to mind, nor shall they remember it, nor shall they visit it, nor shall it be made anymore.
¹⁷ “At that time Jerusalem shall be called The Throne of the Lord, and all the nations shall be gathered to it, to the name of the Lord, to Jerusalem. No more shall they follow the dictates of their evil hearts.
¹⁸ “In those days the house of Judah shall walk with the house of Israel, and they shall come together out of the land of the north to the land that I have given as an inheritance to your fathers.Jeremiah 3:14-18

 

 

One of the problems I encounter when writing this blog is that events are happening so fast I cannot keep up with them. I had intended to write about the new Israeli government but others have done so in depth therefore I will not do so at this stage. YOu can read all about it on the internet. Here are some articles to get you started:

 

 http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4655837,00.html

 

 

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4655563,00.html

 

Yesterday was Jerusalem Day, the day we commemorate the reunification of Jerusalem in 1967.  I also wanted to write about that but one of my friends has done so very eloquently on her blog so I will just do a cut and paste job (with her permission) for you here.

Greetings from the Land of Israel where we have  celebrated today the 1967 reunification of the city of Jerusalem with YOM YIRUSHALAYIM (Jerusalem Day). 

Jewish youth gather outside Damascus gate on 'Jerusalem Day,' May 17, 2015.. (photo credit: MARC ISRAEL SELLEM/THE JERUSALEM POST)

Minor clashes with some Arabs broke out as expected when the annual flag carrying procession paraded through the Old City including the Muslim Quarter to reach the Western Wall Plaza. 

The large majority of people (mainly youth) who participated in this march, however,  sang and danced joyfully because of  their love for Jerusalem.

This day was declared a national and minor religious holiday by The Chief Rabbinate of Israel to publicly praise God for giving Israel the victory in the Six-Day War.   Finally, after 2,000 years, the fervent prayer of "Next Year in Jerusalem” had been answered.  Jerusalem has always remained central to the heart and soul of the Jewish people.

In 1978, at the Camp David ‘peace talks’, US president Jimmy Carter  pressured Israeli prime minister Menachem Begin to sign a document stating that he would agree to put the final status of Jerusalem on the bargaining table.  

Begin refused, explaining to the American president,

 “I understand that we may sacrifice a limb to save an entire body. But Jerusalem is Israel’s heart, the focus of our mission.

 http://www.jpost.com/Not-Just-News/Jerusalem-Day-City-of-peace-403116

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As the Psalmist declared, "If I forget you, O Jerusalem, let my right hand forget its skill!  If I do not remember you, let my tongue cling to the roof of my mouth - If I do not exalt Jerusalem above my chief joy."  (Psalm 137:5-6)

Jerusalem has been conquered by many foreign nations over the centuries; but God in His mercy has restored Jewish sovereignty over the city of Jerusalem.  
This could be extremely significant in the prophetic timetable.  It may mean that the 'Times of the Gentiles' has been fulfilled and we are very close to Yeshua's return.
"Jerusalem will be trampled on by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled." (Luke 21:24)

A word within the name Yerushalayim is l’hashlim להשלים  which means to ‘complete, reconcile or restore’.  If something is in need of completion or restoration, it means that something is missing, damaged or destroyed and in need of repair .

                                                                                                   Stepped Stone Structure, City of David

Jerusalem has been destroyed by conquering nations and re-built forty times!  In fact, the Old City of Jerusalem today sits upon hundreds of feet of rubble – the ruins of its former destruction. 

The story of Jerusalem is the story of all humanity.  God is in the business of completing, restoring and rebuilding; He takes that which is broken or ruined and makes it whole and complete once again.

In the book of Joel, God promises to restore (l'hashlim) that which the locust have eaten (Joel 2:25).

 In the story of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:8-10) Yeshua tells us of a man who became totally broken, having  squandered his inheritance on wine, women and song; and yet his father (Abba) restored him to the family as a beloved son.

The people of Israel are rejoicing over the restoration of Jerusalem; but like the older brother in the story of the Prodigal son, there are some who do not wish to join in the party. Although any people will be singing, dancing and rejoicing in Israel on Jerusalem Day, not everyone is so happy about it and tensions run high in the Holy City on this day.

 

A petition by left-wing groups to prevent the traditional flag-bearing march to parade through the Muslim quarter of the Old City of Jerusalem was rejected by the High Court of Justice. As a gesture of goodwill,  some of the Jewish people handed out flowers to the Arab residents of the Old City and East Jerusalem to "show them the beautiful face of Judaism." 

In the end times, Jerusalem will be at the center of the battle, as all nations will come against her; but they will end up only injuring themselves.

" Adonai …declares: 'I am going to make Jerusalem a cup that sends all the surrounding peoples reeling. Judah will be besieged as well as Jerusalem. 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. All who try to move it will injure themselves'" (Zechariah 12:1-3).

This is when Yeshua will return to defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem  He will establish Jerusalem as the capital of His eternal Kingdom of righteousness, peace, and justice. 

"So will the Lord of hosts defend Jerusalem.  Defending, He will also deliver it; Passing over, He will preserve it."  (Isaiah 31:5)

 Jerusalem today may still be full of strife as nations fight and argue over who will get a piece of her; and there is still much weeping in her streets because of continual terrorist attacks; but God’s Word promises that one day, the people of Jerusalem will truly rejoice, and weeping shall no longer be heard in her.

 "I will rejoice in Jerusalem, and joy in My people; the voice of weeping shall no longer be heard in her, nor the voice of crying." (Isaiah 65:19)  

 

Thank you so much for standing so strongly with us for a united Jerusalem! We so deeply appreciate your fervent prayers and generous support!  Thank you for being faithful 'Watchmen on the  Walls'.

"I have set watchmen on your walls, O Jerusalem; they shall never hold their peace day or night, You who make mention of the Lord, do not keep silent, and give him no rest till He establishes and till He makes Jerusalem a praise in the earth."  (Isaiah 62:6-7)

 We are so thankful to those who pray for the peace (shalom) of Jerusalem.  “Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: May they prosper who love you.” (Psalm 122:6)

 

In the attached study on Jerusalem Day you will discover the meaning of some of the biblical names for Jerusalem; and how the prophetic destiny of this Holy City is hidden within her Hebrew name!  May this study be a blessing, encouragement and inspiration to you and others. Please feel free to share.

Blessings & Shalom,

 

 

Hannah Nesher & family

www.voiceforisrael.net

 

P.S. You may enjoy listening to Ofra Haza sing this beautiful song, Jerusalem of Gold (Yerushalayim shel Zahav) with English translation and beautiful photos of Jerusalem

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JH8gtdDA5x0