THE RUSSIANS ARE HERE - A NEW 'AXIS OF EVIL'

 

Life in Israel can be difficult and depressing at times, but it also has its compensations. When life gets too stressful I love to escape to nature and remind myself of the beauty of Creation and its Creator. I didn't update my blog last weekend because I took a little holiday in the Galilee. It was a wonderful break and we enjoyed the green winter landscape, the warm sunshine, the gentle rain, and Israel's marvelous wildlife. It was a wonderful reminder of the bounteous and beautiful land the LORD has given us. Here are a few of my photos to show you why I love this land so much:

 

An avocet catching his lunch - one of the 500 million birds that migrate over our skies twice a year





Some of the 70,000 Eurasian cranes that stop off  twice a year at Lake Agmon in the Huleh valley  to fuel up before and after crossing the Sahara, as they migrate between Europe and Asia, and Africa

Assorted ducks in the Huleh Valley

                 A giant rat? No, a Nutria - an introduced pest from South America - but they are so cute and photogenic, we love them anyway

A crane coming in to sleep in the last rays of  sunshine
 

The heavens declare the glory of God; And the firmament shows His handiwork.

Psalm 19:1

 

 Jerusalem has been a troubled city of late and there is much sadness and stress. However Jerusalem also has another side - one you don't see on the news.  It is so full of wonderful and interesting things to do and see, and so full of life. Yesterday I saw an example of the vitality of this city. Some young people had set up a music player in the street and were dancing the jive - just for the sheer joy of it.

 

 

 

The other night I managed to get away from work before the sun set, and I decided to take a stroll in the Gazelle Park nearby. This Park is a triumph of nature and human 'quality of life' values over materialism and consumerism. As the city grew a herd of  some 30 odd wild Mountain Gazelles became trapped in the middle of the city by the encroaching developments. Developers eyed the valuable land, and a great battle arose between them and the local people who loved this herd. The herd was decimated by the motorway constructed nearby and by frequent poaching, some say by the developers themselves, until only 4 gazelles remained. Nevertheless the gazelle-lovers never gave up and eventually the city fathers decided to dedicate this 'prime real estate' for the protection of the remaining gazelles and for the enjoyment of the people. Now this 50  or so acres of 'wilderness' is home to  an augmented herd of some 13 gazelles and  is open, free of charge, to all the citizens of Jerusalem. A deer-proof fence has been constructed around the reserve and a live-in guard protects them 24 hours a day. A stream, with a waterfall and several ponds, runs through the park, and paths  have been laid out. A large part of the area is set aside and closed to the public, for the use of the gazelles alone, but even so it is possible to see the gazelles at close quarters. When I was there that evening I stood down by the lake, quite still, for a few minutes and a group of some 4 young surrounded me, quite unafraid, enjoying the lush winter vegetation. One came to within about 3 meters from me. This photo was taken, on my phone, without a zoom.



 

 

 

 

I went home feeling uplifted and relaxed. What a wonderful city this is! But as you know there is quite another side to life here. The relentless terror attacks grind on. We are no longer surprised or even pay much attention to them, unless of course directly involved somehow. We seem to have a perception that the frequency of attacks is decreasing, but it may just be that they are receiving little press attention these days, even here.

 

Two weeks ago, three terrorists carried out a combined shooting and knifing attack at the Damascus Gate. Border policewoman, Hadar Cohen, aged 19, died of wounds she received. Another border policewoman was seriously injured and a young man lightly wounded in the attack.  The three terrorists were shot dead by security forces.

Hadar Cohen
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4761536,00.html

I have often commented on the biased and inaccurate reporting of events in Israel by the world's media. The picture below shows how the US TV network, CBS News, reported the incident. The headline does not even mention the fact that these Palestinians had just carried out a terror attack, nor that Hadar Cohen, a young woman just doing her job, had been killed, and other innocent people wounded. Perhaps the article did go on to speak about this but many people only read the headlines, and it is the headlines that have the greatest impact.

 

CBS headline on Jerusalem terror attack, before being changed. (Photo: Screenshot)
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4761809,00.html

 

In like vein here is how Al Jazeerra News tweeted the same incident:

 

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4761809,00.html

 

Again this week the UN human rights expert,  Makarim Wibisono, accused Israel of using excessive force against Palestinan perpetrators of terror. http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4765176,00.html

Although Israel may indeed commit human rights violations in its fight against the ongoing, relentless terror war, and there is always room for investigation and healthy criticism, we feel here that Israel is often singled out and held to a different standard than the rest of the world.  Perhaps that is fair enough since spiritually Israel is called to be an example and a demonstrator of God's justice and righteousness, nevertheless there is little understanding of the difficult balancing act we must walk, and the double-standard used against us hurts. 

 

 In war, civilians get hurt and human rights get violated. It has always been so and though it is horrible and regrettable, it is inevitable.  That said, I know of no other nation that takes such extreme measures to protect civilians of the enemy population as Israel does, often at great risk to her own civilians, and military and police personnel.

RUSSIA, IRAN AND SYRIA - the new axis of evil?

 

In September last year I entitled a post "The Russians are Coming". Now they are here - well and truly ensconced in the Middle East, and with the support and blessing of the United States, the UK and Europe.

Before the arrival of the Russian forces in September last year, the Assad regime was on the brink of collapse. Assad's forces, together with their allies, Hezbollah and Iran,  had been fighting the various rebel factions  and ISIS piecemeal without any overarching military goal except to keep the rebels away from areas of economic or moral importance. This approach clearly was not working.

At this point Russia entered the fray, not because of any love for Assad, but in order to protect its own interests in the region. At first Russia adopted the approach of the USA which has been conducting pinpoint attacks on strategic targets while attempting to minimize civilian losses. This also clearly was ineffective.

Consequently Russia has recently changed its tactics and is now blanket bombing the cities and towns which are the strongholds of the rebel forces, with no regard to civilian losses. Those civilians who can are fleeing in huge numbers towards the Turkish border and are becoming trapped there as Turkey is refusing to allow them entry. Those who did not manage to escape are trapped in their cities as Assad's forces, together with Hezbollah and Iranian ground forces, surround and impose a siege on those cities, starving the survivors of food, water and medicines. This amounts to a form of ethnic cleansing.  http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4765389,00.html

A Syrian refugee camp in Jordan
http://i.imgur.com/L6uddjw.jpg

Syrian refugees streaming towards the  Turkish border
http://d.ibtimes.co.uk/en/full/1400299/turkish-soldiers-stand-guard-syrian-refugees-wait-behind-border-fences.jpg

 

Where is the outcry of the world against this? Why are the USA and Europe supporting the Russians? Do they not see that we now have a new 'axis of evil' arising in the Middle East, comprising Russia, Iran, Hezbollah and Assad's Syria?

This coalition is extremely dangerous for Israel and now it is gathering strength on our borders. The assessment here is that once Assad's regime is stabilized and empowered again in Syria, the attention of this coalition will turn to 'freeing the Golan' from Israeli occupation, and ultimately "freeing the Muslim lands of the abomination of Jewish settlement".

 

Just as scary is the fact that there is now rising up a new world power, comprising Iran, Syria, Hezbollah and Russia, under the leadership of Putin. This is a major shift in the balance of world power. The USA is weakening and has largely backed out of any significant role in the Middle East, and the UK and Europe are tottering under the weight of Muslim immigration and influence. The Western world seems to be caught up in materialistic hedonism, unaware that its way of life is under dire threat, as Islamic fundamentalism and jihad spreads unchecked in its midst. The Western world no longer seems to have the moral fiber to even protect itself.

 

Today I was studying the Book of Revelation. I learned that in the first verse of that book it says: "The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show His servants—things which must shortly take place".  I learned from a commentary by Siegfried Beck that the Greek word 'tachy', here translated as 'shortly', or in other translations 'soon', can also mean 'quickly'. Probably both meanings are intended. In other words the end-time events prophesied in the Book of Revelation  are not only near at hand, but when they happen they will take place quickly.

 

When I first came to believe in Yeshua (Jesus), back in the '70s, there was a strong belief in the imminent second coming of our Lord,  largely based on the verses that say:

Now learn this parable from the fig tree: When its branch has already become tender and puts forth leaves, you know that summer is near. So you also, when you see all these things, know that it is near—at the doors!   Assuredly, I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all these things take place.

Matthew 24: 32-34 

 

 We saw great significance in the restoration of Israel to her Land in 1948, and interpreted this event as the first tender leaves of the fig tree.  As time passed this expectation waned to some extent but there seems now to be a feeling amongst many of us that events are accelerating, and that the stage is being set up for the fulfillment of the end times prophesies, leading to the Second Coming of our Lord. The generation that saw the establishment of the State of Israel is now in its 70s or older, and will soon pass away.

 

I don't know whether such an interpretation is correct, and I don't know the timing of the LORD, but I do know that these things will take place, and we, like all the generations before us, need to live as if they are indeed imminent. We need to be like the virgins with their lamps trimmed and ready (Matthew 25). I am reminded of the song published in 1989 by Larry Norman "I Wish We'd All Been Ready". You can hear it on https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aPJpZdEOILQ

 

Here are the lyrics:



 

Life was filled with guns and war
And all of us got trampled on the floor
I wish we'd all been ready
Children died the days grew cold
A piece of bread could buy a bag of gold
I wish we'd all been ready

There's no time to change your mind
The Son has come and you've been left behind

A man and wife asleep in bed
She hears a noise and turns her head he's gone
I wish we'd all been ready
Two men walking up a hill
One disappears and one's left standing still
I wish we'd all been ready

There's no time to change your mind
The Son has come and you've been left behind

Children died the days grew cold
A piece of bread could buy a bag of gold
I wish we'd all been ready

There's no time to change your mind
The Son has come and you've been left behind

The Father spoke the demons died
How could you have been so blind

There's no time to change your mind
The Son has come and you've been left behind

I hope we'll all be ready. You've been left behind
I hope we'll all be ready. You've been left behind
I hope we'll all be ready. You've been left behind

http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/dctalk/iwishwedallbeenready.html

 

 

Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour which the Son of Man is coming

Matthew 25: 13

MAY WE ALL BE FOUND READY!

JACK FROST CAME TO ISRAEL

God thunders marvelously with His voice;
He does great things which we cannot comprehend.
 For He says to the snow, ‘Fall on the earth’; Likewise to the gentle rain and the heavy rain of His strength.

Job 37: 5-6

 

Icicles dangle from a tree in Merom Golan (Eyal Zarin)
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4759568,00.html

In a week that left the eastern seaboard of the US buried under deep snow, and the UK and Europe fighting strong winds, rain and snow, we too here in subtropical Israel were not left out of winter's icy blast. Today thousands flocked to Israel's only skifield, on Mt Hermon, to enjoy the perfect skiing conditions but, for the second day running, congestion on the roads forced the gates to be closed only 3 hours after opening.

 

Here in Jerusalem this week there were many disappointed children (and adults too if we are honest), because the promised snow never arrived, apart from a few light dustings and flurries. It wasn't because it wasn't cold enough; it certainly was, with the thermometer not getting over 2 degrees C a couple of days, and going down to -4 one night, but the clouds kept going around us, which was all rather frustrating. This photo says it all - the word written on the window of a (very lightly) snow covered car Tuesday morning says 'achzavah' which in Hebrew means 'disappointment').

http://images1.ynet.co.il/PicServer4/2016/01/26/6778377/Redmail4_big.jpg

THE INTIFADA OF KNIVES continues...

 Even the biting cold this week was not enough to keep the terrorists at home. On Monday, 23 year old, Shlomit Krigman, went to her local grocery store in Bet Horon, just off the Modi'in-Jerusalem highway number 443.  In the parking lot, she and another woman were brutally stabbed by two Palestinian terrorists. The terrorists then tried to enter the store itself,  but were held off by shoppers wielding shopping carts, until they finally gave up and fled the scene.  A security guard shot and killed both terrorists.  Shlomit succumbed to her wounds the following day. The other woman, aged 58, was moderately wounded. Three homemade bombs were also found in the area but fortunately they had failed to detonate.

Sholomit Krigman would have celebrated her 24th birthday next week
http://www.timesofisrael.com/woman-24-dies-of-wounds-after-stabbing-in-settlement-market/

This cowardly and brutal attack on innocent women follows another which occurred about a week earlier, when a 15-year -old Palestinian boy attacked and killed a Jewish woman, Dafna Meir,  at her home in Otniel, in the Gush Katif settlement block south of Hebron. The woman, Dafna Meir, was the mother of six, including two foster children.  She was painting her front door when the boy attacked her. She struggled to prevent him attacking her children, and the screams of her eldest daughter, aged 17, apparently drove him off. He was later captured by police and admitted to the attack. He said he decided to murder a Jew after watching Palestinian TV where Israel was presented as a country that kills young Palestinians - a sad and dramatic demonstration of the dangers of the incitement of the Palestinian press. 

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4755421,00.html

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4757144,00.html

Dafna Meir and her husband Natan
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4755421,00.html



In stark contrast, Dafna's husband, Natan, speaking  of the family's emotions, said "We have no anger .... "I am not angry at anyone. We do not curse Arabs. We are not people who hate. That's not how Dafna and I educated the kids. I spoke with the children yesterday and didn't hear a single bad thing. I talked to them about what we will do now. It's not simple."

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4755421,00.html

As I am writing a report is coming in of yet another knifing attack, this time at the Damascus Gate into the Old City in Jerusalem. A 17 year old was lightly wounded in the attack and he said that his attackers were two Palestinians aged between 14 and 15 years old. This follows another attack on Wednesday when a 50 year old man was stabbed and seriously wounded in the neighborhood of Givat Zeev, in northern Jerusalem.  And so it goes on....

 

BDS IS ALIVE AND GROWING

Over the last weeks too we have seen more evidence of the BDS  (Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions) movement gathering strength against Israel.

On January 13th, the United Methodist Church became the latest Church organization to embrace BDS against Israel. 

 

The BDS movement grew out of the UN's 2001 Conference in Durban, South Africa, in which some 1500 NGOs crystallized a strategy of delegitimizing Israel accusing it of being an 'apartheid regime'. This decision explicitly called for the "complete and total isolation of Israel as an apartheid state" through the “imposition of mandatory and comprehensive sanctions and embargoes, the full cessation of all links (diplomatic, economic, social, aid, military cooperation and training) between all states and Israel.” http://www.ngo-monitor.org/article/methodist_and_ngos_join_forces_for_bds_immoral_and_harmful_to_peace

 

According to NGO Monitor, an NGO called "Who Profits"  leads these attacks. In 2014-2015, the donors supporting this group included Trocaire (a church group in Ireland), Fagforbundet (Norway, Labor Organization), the "Bread for the World"  (a church group based in Germany), "Medico International  (Germany),  ICCO (a church group in Netherlands), and  Nova  (funded by the Spanish government).

 

It is very sad to see Christian churches and organizations being not only drawn into this movement but leading it. They are cynically being used by anti-Semitic jihadist forces to further their ends by destroying Israel. This is not a peace movement nor does it have the best interests of the Palestinians at heart. It poses as a humanitarian concern and plays on the sympathies of Christians and their concern for the poor and oppressed, but it is a wolf in sheep's clothing.  Its real agenda is very different.  The BDS is actually harming the Palestinians a great deal more than it is harming Israel. This is a time when Christians need to know God's heart and exercise great discernment.  We need to see past the headlines and try to understand the truth. The truth is that it is all part of the spiritual war being waged against God and His plan to rebuild Israel in order to bring about the final redemption of the world.  May we all be very careful about which side we find ourselves standing on in this war, and also realize that sitting on the fence is not an option either.

 

 Below is an English translation of the 2005 call of the Palestinian civil society (whoever they are) for BDS:

We, representatives of Palestinian civil society, call upon international civil society organizations and people of conscience all over the world to impose broad boycotts and implement divestment initiatives against Israel similar to those applied to South Africa in the apartheid era. We appeal to you to pressure your respective states to impose embargoes and sanctions against Israel. We also invite conscientious Israelis to support this Call, for the sake of justice and genuine peace. These non-violent punitive measures should be maintained until Israel meets its obligation to recognize the Palestinian people’s inalienable right to self-determination and fully complies with the precepts of international law by:
1. Ending its occupation and colonization of all Arab lands and dismantling the Wall 
2. Recognizing the fundamental rights of the Arab-Palestinian citizens of Israel to full equality; and
3. Respecting, protecting and promoting the rights of Palestinian refugees to return to their homes and properties as stipulated in UN resolution 194.
http://bdsmovement.net/call

 

Please note my highlighting. The goal is NOT peace between Israel and the Palestinians, nor just better rights and living conditions for them, but very clearly the ultimate goal is the total destruction of the State of Israel.

This week too 168 members of over 50 academic institutions in Italy signed a petition produced ‘in solidarity’ with the BDS movement,  and which called for a boycott of Israeli universities because of their 'complicity' in helping to develop military weapons, and their "utter lack of any serious condemnation” of government policy.  They singled out the Technion in Haifa which  carries out research on a wide-range of technologies and weapons 'used to oppress and attack Palestinians'.  They cited,as an example, the research being carried out at the Technion into tunnel-detecting technology  “developed specifically to maintain Israel’s siege on the Gaza Strip.”http://www.timesofisrael.com/dozens-of-italian-academics-call-for-boycott-of-israeli-universities/
This would be laughable were it not so serious.

HAMAS TUNNELS INTO ISRAEL
On Wednesday this week heavy rains caused the collapse of a tunnel killing seven Hamas operatives, and leaving four others missing.  Speaking at Friday prayers ahead of the funerals of the seven dead, Deputy Hamas leader, Ismail Haniyeh, openly admitted that his organization is "digging east of Gaza and conducting rocket tests west of Gaza on a daily basis" , and went on to say "We are continuing on the path of jihad and towards the territories' liberation. The resistance is in a state of preparation, improvement and equipping of all its weapons in order to be ready for any conflict with Israel".

During the last confrontation with Hamas in Gaza, the 2014 Operation Protective Edge, the Israel Defense Forces uncovered and destroyed 32 tunnels that had been dug under the border fence from Gaza into Israeli territory. Since the 'ceasefire' roughly a third of those tunnels have been rebuilt (while thousands of Gazans shiver out the winter in makeshift shelters because of a 'lack of concrete and other building materials'!!!) Israeli residents in the border towns report hearing tunneling activity under their homes on a daily basis. If this was your home, wouldn't you support the development of technology designed to find these tunnels???

Inside a Hamas tunnel (Photo: Reuters)  Note all the concrete!
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4759457,00.html

 



ANTI-CHRISTIAN VANDALISM

 

Last Sunday anti-Christian graffiti was found on the walls of the Dormition Abbey, a Benedictine monastery on the site where Catholics believe that the virgin Mary died. The monastery is just outside the walls of the Old City on Mt Zion.

Anti-Christian grafitti found on the walls of the Dormition Abbey in Jerusalem (Photo: Dormition Abbey)
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4755587,00.html

The caption reads "The revenge of the sons of Israel is yet to come...".  



  Graffiti reads "Death to the heretical Christians the enemies of Israel"
http://www.timesofisrael.com/jerusalem-church-defaced-with-anti-christian-graffiti/

Three Jewish youths, two aged 15 and the other 16 , have been arrested and charged.

Earlier this month, a 20 year old and another minor were charged with an earlier arson attack on the Dormition Abbey
in 2014, and setting fire to the Church of the Loaves and Fishes in the Galilee this past summer.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4755587,00.html

You might pass these acts of vandalism off as boyish pranks or mere hooliganism were it not that these boys belonged to the same Jewish terror organization that set fire to a Palestinian home in Duma in the West Bank, killing an 18 month old toddler and both of his parents. It is a sad and tragic thing that this phenomenon of extreme right wing Jewish terrorism exists at all. It is perhaps a result of the brutal and violent neighborhood in which we live, but it is not inevitable. Please join me in prayer that this movement will not spread but rather, the Jewish people will cling to their own high values of respect for human life and that we all will resist hatred and acts of revenge. Violence only breeds more violence, but love can overcome hatred. Jesus taught us not only to forgive and to pray for our enemies, but even to love them.

You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust

Matthew 5: 43-48 

And  on an entirely different note - just to finish up - a picture of  an Israel which is a far cry from camels and deserts, or tanks and guns: a herd of wild deer foraging in the snow in  the forests of the Golan this week.

Odem Forest in the Golan Heights this week (Photo: Avihu Shapira)

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4757432,00.html

 

 

THE CHINESE ARE COMING!!!

 

Some time ago I wrote about how the Russians are gaining power in the Middle East and now the Chinese are coming, perhaps in fulfillment of the ancient prophecy of Isaiah regarding the times of the restoration of Israel:

 



Surely these shall come from afar;
Look! Those from the north and the west,
And these from the land of Sinim.”

 Sing, O heavens!
Be joyful, O earth!
And break out in singing, O mountains!
For the Lord has comforted His people,
And will have mercy on His afflicted.

 

Isaiah 49:12-13

 

What is the land of Sinim mentioned here by name?  From the grammar of the sentence it obviously refers to some land that is  far off, not in the north or west, but in the east or south, from Isaiah's reference point, the land of Israel. Some say it is the region of Sin, in the desert lands of the Negev but this is not 'afar'. Some say it could be the a reference to the region of Syrene which was in present-day Egypt, but again that is not really 'afar'. To many however it is considered to be a reference to the far-off land of China. The Hebrew word for China is Sin and  therefore the word Sinim, the plural form of the word, refers to the Chinese people.  ( What various commentaries have to say on the issue can be seen on  http://biblehub.com/commentaries/isaiah/49-12.htm ). 

 

Whatever the case, the Chinese Christian believers interpret it to refer to China. This week our congregation was greatly blessed by the visit of a Chinese pastor. I will call him Pastor C (not his real initial). He told us that in the 60 or so years since the western missionaries were forced to leave China, from the beginning of the Communist regime  to the present day, the Chinese church has grown to an estimated 80-120 million members. This easily makes it the largest national group of believers on the planet today. As the western church is declining, and large sectors of it turn their back on Israel, in the far east in China, Christian believers, taking the Bible prophecies regarding Israel literally and seriously,  are strongly in support of Israel, constantly praying for her and our little group of congregations here(numbering approximately a mere 15,000 believers in total) . What a comfort it is to know that such a large group of  believers, strong and tested after having survived the years of terrible oppressions, imprisonments and torture under Communist rule, are praying for us. Surely this fulfills the words quoted above "For the Lord has comforted His people".

 

Pastor C, who visited us yesterday, has visited Israel five times. The first time  he and 14 other Chinese pastors came to Israel they drove by car (!) from China, along the Silk Road, across Asia by land. It took them 40 days! Yesterday he came by plane and driving up the hills to Jerusalem  from the airport, the car he and his friends were travelling in was involved in a serious road accident, in the very inclement weather at the time.  The car was written off but none of its passengers were even slightly injured.  We regard this as a miracle.

 

As we all know, since the 1970s the Chinese government has begun to open the doors of its great land for trade, and today Chinese goods are found all over the world. China is one of Israel's most important trade partners today.  Pastor C told us that his government has a plan to develop the trade routes, and consequently increase its influence, along the ancient Silk Road which stretches from China across the nations of Central Asia to the Mediterranean and Europe.

 

The Silk Road, or more accurately the Silk Routes, consisted of an ancient network of roads and paths across Central Asia. It began to dwindle in importance around 700 AD as sea routes opened up. In recent years  however this network of railways and roads has been in the process of restoration and development. In 1992 the Eurasian Continental Bridge railway was opened, beginning in Lian Yun Gang city on the East China coast, and crossing Kazakhstan, Russia, Byelorussia and Poland, before reaching Germany and the Netherlands. This railway runs parallel to the Orient Express crossing Russia, and is linked to it. Now the current Chinese President, Xi Jinping, with the support and cooperation of President Putin of Russia, is placing the highest priority on the development of the new "World Land Bridge" along the Silk Routes, first establishing  and upgrading railways and roads, but also pouring billions of dollars into the development of water systems, the greening of the desert and investments in the development of the poor nations across this region http://www.ess.uci.edu/~oliver/silk.html#9 . I strongly recommend you watch the video about this on http://worldlandbridge.com/ .

 

The Ancient Silk Routes
http://factsanddetails.com/china/cat2/sub90/item50.html

 

With the  physical infrastructure  inevitably comes economic and cultural influence, both good and bad, in both directions. Already the western province of China, Xinjiang, is predominantly Muslim.

 

The Id Kah Mosque in Kashgar, spiritual centre of the town. Islam was one of the later imports along the Road, and now has a firm footing throughout Xinjiang.
http://www.ess.uci.edu/~oliver/silk2.html#2

The aim of Pastor C and the Chinese Church is to use this new 'Silk Route' to facilitate the spread of Christian faith amongst the Muslim peoples along its route. To this end they plan to open a center here in Jerusalem to train Chinese believers  in Hebrew and Arabic, and then send them back along the route with the gospel.

Many people shall come and say,
“Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord,
To the house of the God of Jacob;
He will teach us His ways,
And we shall walk in His paths.”
For out of Zion shall go forth the law,
And the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.

 

Isaiah 2:3

 

 

In my blog I am wont to talk a lot about the threats to Israel's existence and our battle against terror, but this week I read an article which provided some balance. This article, written by Josef Joffe, is a response to an earlier article, published in December 2015 in the same magazine, in which the author, Ron Rosenbaum stated,

I believe the State of Israel may not survive. That its days are numbered. I can hardly bear to say it. … But now the children of Holocaust victims and survivors and the children of those who came to Israel as refugees from pogroms in Islamic lands—now they too, face a future not merely bleak, but perhaps blank, empty, ended.

Joffe responds by reminding us that somehow Jews have survived for 5776 years,  against all the odds. He points out that Israel, although surrounded by enemy states numbering many millions, still has the best army in the Middle East, the greatest nuclear deterrent, and the highest standard of living.  In 2015 30,000 Jews immigrated to Israel, a 15 year high, and the birth rate is on average 3 children per woman, and this surely reflects a high level of belief that Israel has a future.
http://www.tabletmag.com/jewish-news-and-politics/196345/stop-worrying-about-israel

Joffe concludes by quoting Sholeim Aleichem,

“No matter how bad things get, you have to go on living, even if it kills you.”

This so truly sums up the Jewish attitude to life. Put that together with the promises of God,  and the prayers of all our supporters, and you have an unbeatable combination.

 Sing, O heavens!Be joyful, O earth!
And break out in singing, O mountains!
For the Lord has comforted His people,
And will have mercy on His afflicted.

 

Isaiah 49: 13

 CHRISTMAS IN JERUSALEM

For most Israelis Christmas Day is a working day like any other but I am not sorry to miss out on all the glitz and glitter, and the shopping madness of Christmas abroad. Instead, on Christmas Eve, after a lovely meal with friends, I attended the  annual carol singing service put on by the congregation of Christ Church, in the Old City.  It was very special.  In the understated British way, the church opened its doors for all and sundry with warmth and sincerity, welcoming us all in from the chilly night with warm mulled wine, soup and home-made Christmas cookies. In spite of the cold, and the fact that two Israeli citizens had been brutally killed just a stone's throw away the day before, a good crowd filled the church to overflowing and for several hours we sang and sang all those wonderful songs of Christmas. It was so simple and so real.

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At the Carol Singing in Christ Church, in the Old City

How good it was just to be with brothers and sisters in the Lord to celebrate this special event, the central point perhaps of all human history, the birth of the Messiah Yeshua (Jesus). The following day at my own congregation we sang some of those same Christmas Carols but this time translated into Hebrew. That too was special. Many Messianic believers refuse to celebrate Christmas as it is seen as a Gentile pagan festival. I understand this point of view, but I see it differently. I see the coming of our Lord, even if it didn't happen at this time of the year (and it almost certainly did not), as something worth celebrating. Why not then join in with  the brethren all over the world as we celebrate together. I choose to rejoice in the fact that even if many of the European traditions surrounding Christmas did originate with pagan religion, our Lord Yeshua has overcome all that, just as he took away our old lives, and gave us new life in Him.

 

On Boxing Day, feeling a bit sad as it was the first anniversary of the passing of my mother, I spent a pleasant few hours strolling around the Jerusalem Biblical Zoo, rejoicing in the beauty of life and God's creation. There I saw a group of ring-tailed lemurs all cuddling together in a ball and it made me think of  Psalm 133, which says:

 



 

Lemur 'ball' at the Zoo

 

 Behold, how good and how pleasant it is
For brethren to dwell together in unity!

 It is like the precious oil upon the head,
Running down on the beard,
The beard of Aaron,
Running down on the edge of his garments.
 It is like the dew of Hermon,
Descending upon the mountains of Zion;
For there the Lord commanded the blessing—
Life forevermore

Psalm 133

This affirmation of life and love stand in stark contrast to the words of death and hatred we hear every day here coming from the followers of the lying god of Islam. This week we passed the '100 days of terror' mark since the first knifing death, on September 14th, of the current terror wave.  Here are the cold statistics, as they appear on the Israel Defense Forces website: (as of December 25 )

• 99 Stabbing attacks
• 35 Shooting attacks
• 21 Car Ramming attacks

https://www.idfblog.com/blog/2015/11/25/live-updates-terror-strikes-israel/

Here is a summary of attacks over just the last two weeks:
December 26
4:20 P.M. – Palestinian rammed car into IDF forces south of Nablus, wounding a soldier. Forces responded and shot the assailant.
December 25
4:55 P.M. – Attempted car ramming attack in Silwad. Assailant shot.
December 24
10:30 A.M. – A Palestinian armed with screwdriver approached checkpoint near Hebron and attempted to stab forces. Forces responded and shot perpetrator.
9:20 A.M. – A Palestinian armed with a knife stabbed two people in Ariel. The two victims were security personnel. They respond and shot assailant.
December 23
1:20 P.M. – Two assailants stabbed 3 Israeli civilians near Jerusalem’s Jaffa Gate. 2 people succumbed to their wounds. Assailants shot.  (Note: a third died later)

 

December 20
10:00 P.M. – A gunman shot at IDF forces, damaging a military post near Hebron.
1:00 P.M. – Assailant attempted to stab soldiers in Hebron. Assailant arrested and evacuated for medical treatment.
December 19
4:20 P.M. – Palestinian stabbed 3 Israelis in Raanana. Assailant arrested.
December 18
4:45 P.M. – Car ramming attack thwarted during violent riot near Ramallah. Assailant shot.
3:20 P.M. – Palestinian assailant attempted to ram vehicle into security forces at Kalandia Crossing. Assailant shot.
December 17
11:30 A.M. – Palestinian with knife attempted to stab forces after being approached for questioning. Perpetrator shot.
December 14
7:00 P.M. – Israeli woman wounded after rocks were hurled at her vehicle near Beit Arye.
3:30 P.M. – Driver rams vehicle at pedestrians at entrance to Jerusalem, injuring 11. An ax was found in car. Assailant shot.
https://www.idfblog.com/blog/2015/11/25/live-updates-terror-strikes-israel/

Since this list was published there have been a number of additional attacks, the latest being yesterday (1 January) when a gunman opened fire on people celebrating a birthday in a street-side bar in Tel Aviv . Two young men were killed outright and a further six injured. The attacker, a 29-year old Arab from the Wadi Ara area, has not yet been captured.

Apart from the ongoing so-called "Intifada of the Knives" Israel continues to face threats from several other sources.

Hezbollah in the North

A few days ago, Hezbollah leader,  Hassan Nasrallah threatened a revenge attack on Israel for the assassination of Samir al-Kuntar, a senior Hezbollah official, the previous week in Beirut. Although a rebel group in Syria claimed responsibility, Nasrallah remains convinced that it was carried out by Israel, and he said,
"The response for the assassination of al-Kuntar is coming, there’s no doubt. The Israelis have a reason to be worried, in the border area and outside it,”  and  added that the response was “now up to the resistance fighters.”
https://www.rt.com/news/327216-nasrallah-vows-vengeance-israel/

ISIS in the North, East and South
 



 The ISIS (Dai'esh) leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, also threatened Israel in an audio recording released on Saturday (26th Dec), saying "The Jews thought we forgot Palestine and that they had distracted us from it, ... Not at all, Jews. We did not forget Palestine for a moment. With the help of Allah, we will not forget it… The pioneers of the jihadist fighters will surround you on a day that you think is distant and we know is close. We are getting closer every day." 

 http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4744423,00.html

This last week senior IDF officials warned that an ISIS-affiliated group, located in Syria about 15 km from the Israeli border, may be planning a large scale attack on Israel. This group of about 600 fighters possess a large arsenal of weapons, including anti-tank missiles, car bombs, machine guns, tanks and APCs.  http://www.breakingisraelnews.com/57591/idf-serious-isis-threat-massing-israels-northern-border-israel-news/#qAsXyqvOtohS24s2.97

Meanwhile this week there have been further revelations of the awful depth of depravity promoted by ISIS leaders. In May this year US Special Operations Forces in the course of a raid targeting a top Islamic State official in Eastern Syria uncovered a 'treasure trove' of documents and data belonging to ISIS. Two significant Fatwa's (official religious rulings) brought down by the Islamic State's Research and Fatwa Committee were among these documents.  Fatwa 68, made in January 2015 , states that the harvesting of organs from living 'apostates' in order to save the life of a Muslim is permissible. It says:

"The apostate's life and organs don't have to be respected and may be taken with impunity,...

  Organs that end the captive's life if removed: The removal of that type is also not prohibited."

The term 'apostate' is not defined in this Fatwa but the Islamic State has killed or imprisoned non-Muslims, such as Christians, Shiite Muslims, and even Sunni Muslims who don't follow its extremist views. This document does not give proof that such organ harvesting is in fact taking place, but even before it came to light there had been allegations made of such an abomination occurring.

A second Fatwa, number 64, gives a detailed ruling on when and how ISIS "owners" of female captive slaves may or may not have sex with them. The fact that the Islamic State systematically enslaves and condones the rape of captive women is well documented. This Fatwa does not prohibit this practice but rather endorses and justifies it, while specifying some limitations on permitted intercourse.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4744261,00.html
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-islamic-state-sexslaves-exclusive-idUSKBN0UC0AO20151230
A translation of the Fatwa can be read on http://graphics.thomsonreuters.com/doc/slaves_fatwa.pdf

 

A wide number of military powers are actively fighting ISIS and it is hard to get a coherent picture of what is actually happening on the ground.  A US-led coalition has carried out thousands of air strikes against ISIS in Iraq, Syria and Lebanon. In addition a Russian-led coalition, an Egyptian-led coalition and an alliance of many Arab nations are all actively engaged in fighting ISIS, creating a confusing mosaic of who holds what and where in the MIddle East. An up-to-date map, as of 1 January 2016, can be viewed on Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:Syrian,_Iraqi,_and_Lebanese_insurgencies_detailed_map

For a summary of who is doing what the following article gives a summary, from a somewhat American biased viewpoint

http://fox6now.com/2015/11/20/war-against-isis-whos-doing-what/

 

The question remains - are these attempts sufficient to destroy the threat of ISIS both here in the Middle East and elsewhere? There have been some victories.  Last week Islamist fighters were given free passage out of the Yarmouk Palestinian Refugee Camp in Syria in a deal brokered by the UN. This camp once housed 170, 000 Palestinians, who were caught between ISIS and other Islamist groups fighting against the Syrian regime and various rebel groups. ISIS eventually took over the camp and essentially besieged it. Most of the inhabitants fled or were killed by the fighting, disease and starvation. Only 5,000 remain. The 'freeing' of this camp is a small and somewhat hollow victory it would seem, but perhaps a ray of hope.

An apocalyptic scene as survivors in the Yamouk camp queue for food
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4744324,00.html

Hamas in the South

 

Last night  (1 January) missile alert sirens sounded once again in the south of Israel as a volley of at least 4 missiles were fired from Hamas-held Gaza Strip. At least two of the missiles landed inside the Gaza Strip but two landed in Israel in open areas causing no casualties. These ongoing attacks remind us that Hamas still represents a serious threat to Israel.  This past week the IDF (Israel Defense Force) carried out exercises in the south in preparation for the horrifying potential scenario of a school being captured, and children held hostage, by a infiltration of  Hamas terrorists from Gaza.

IDF troops simulate a rescue of school children hostages
https://www.idfblog.com/blog/2015/10/15/parents-worst-nightmare-terrorists-infiltrating-schools/

Hamas has publically admitted that it has instructed sleeper cells in the West Bank to carry out suicide bombings inside the Green Line (in Israel proper). So far this has not happened but recently Shin Bet and the IDF captured and arrested members of one such cell in Abu Dis (an Arab village near Jerusalem which I can actually see from my apartment!) and which was close to carrying out an attack. They also uncovered a lab in which they were manufacturing explosives. http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4746811,00.html

 

Happy New Year ?
 

This is the situation as we enter the new year of 2016. What will it bring?  That I cannot answer but I do know that God is still in control and in spite of the threats all around and even within us, Israel is much beloved of God, and He has said that he who harms his chosen people will be destroyed. We cling to these promises and continue to trust in the LORD God of Israel.

 

 Now also many nations have gathered against you,

Who say, “Let her be defiled,

And let our eye look upon Zion.”

 

 But they do not know the thoughts of the Lord,

Nor do they understand His counsel;

For He will gather them like sheaves to the threshing floor.

 

Micah 4: 11-12

 

 

And now for a little light relief....  
 

An ostrich was found taking a stroll in the Jerusalem neighbourhood of Gilo.  Unaware of the danger of approaching a large animal whose kick can kill a man, some people posed for selfies and children came out of a nearby school to pat it. Fortunately the ostrich did not attack and was eventually captured by the city veterinary services and the owner. The owner will be charged with keeping a protected wild animal without a license. The ostrich meanwhile has now found a new home in the Biblical Zoo.  Ostriches once roamed the wilderness in Israel but have been extinct  in the wild here since the 1920s. Attempts to reintroduce them to the Negev have so far failed.  

An ostrich takes a stroll down the street in Gilo, Jerusalem
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4745056,00.html

In the Bible ostriches are often linked together with jackals, beasts of the desert, and are a symbol of abandonment. For example, Isaiah prophesied of the fall of Babylon saying,

And Babylon, the glory of kingdoms,
The beauty of the Chaldeans’ pride,
Will be as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah.
²⁰ It will never be inhabited,
Nor will it be settled from generation to generation;
Nor will the Arabian pitch tents there,
Nor will the shepherds make their sheepfolds there.
²¹ But wild beasts of the desert will lie there,
And their houses will be full of owls;
Ostriches will dwell there,
And wild goats will caper there.
²² The hyenas will howl in their citadels,
And jackals in their pleasant palaces.
Her time is near to come,
And her days will not be prolonged.”

Isaiah 13: 19-22

 

 But speaking of the restoration of Israel, the LORD had this to say:
 

 Behold, I will do a new thing,
Now it shall spring forth;
Shall you not know it?
I will even make a road in the wilderness
And rivers in the desert.
The beast of the field will honor Me,
The jackals and the ostriches,
Because I give waters in the wilderness
And rivers in the desert,
To give drink to My people, My chosen.
 This people I have formed for Myself;
They shall declare My praise

Isaiah 43: 19-21.



An ostrich in the Hai Bar Reserve near Eilat