SUMMER OLYMPICS

 

 

Last weekend I sat up in the wee small hours of Saturday morning  to watch the live broadcast of the  Opening Ceremony of the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio. I even sat through the somewhat tedious parade of the more than 200 participating nations. Why? Its not so much that I am a big sports fan, but rather that the Olympic Games for me are a celebration of life, of health, of humanity. They are a demonstration of the beauty and excellence of the well-trained human body. But more than that, they demonstrate to me what humankind is capable of achieving, if we could only learn to work together. For this brief moment, nations can forget their divisions, celebrate their diversity and compete together in peace. I ask myself what could humanity achieve if we didn't waste so much of our energy and resources in fighting senseless wars?  

 

Israeli Olympic Delegation (Photo: AP)
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4838006,00.html

 

How sad I was therefore to read the next day of something that was the very antithesis of this. As the Israeli sports team was leaving their hotel for the Opening Ceremony they were directed to board a waiting bus. However as they tried to board, their entrance was blocked by the Lebanese delegation which was already on board. They did not want to share a bus with Israelis. The Lebanese delegation head, Salim al-Haj Nakoula, at one point blocked the Israelis by physically standing in their way. The organizers gave in to the Lebanese and provided a second bus just for the Israelis, and Nakoula became a hero in Lebanon. According to Ynetnews, the "The Al Mayadeen and Al-Manar news networks, both associated with Hezbollah, gave Nakoula praise, with the latter also interviewing him. Hezbollah supporters and officials praised him on social media, with one Al-Manar broadcaster tweeting, “The Israelis were sent away from the bus because normalization (with Israel) is not to be had in any form, and because the Lebanese identity (is that of) resistance. Be proud to be Lebanese.” http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4838006,00.html

 

What a shame that even at the Olympics these enemies of Israel get away with such behavior. One of the Israeli athletes, Udi Gal, wrote this on his Facebook page,

“How is it that they (the Games organizers) let something like this happen, and on the opening night of the Olympic Games? Isn’t this the opposite of what the Olympics represent and (don’t the actions by the Lebanese delegation) work against it? I cannot describe the way I feel. I’m enraged and shocked by this event.”  http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4838006,00.html

 

No wonder the Israeli delegation appeared somewhat subdued as they marched in the parade of Nations.

No wonder there is no peace in the Middle East.  I saw a video today that epitomizes the reason why peace between Israel and the Palestinians is impossible at this point in time. In this video a Palestinian father tries to get his 3-year-old son (erroneously stated to be 4-years-old in these videos below) to throw stones at Israeli border police, and calls upon them to shoot the little boy. Instead the soldier extends his hand in peace to the little lad who gives him a 'high five'. Not wanting to disobey his father no doubt, the poor confused boy eventually throws his stones harmlessly into a field. Take a minute to watch the video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JKkCgpKk4SI. For a fuller explanation take 10 minutes to view this video too https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gGdXjh8d0Gw . Here is Netanyahu's response https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j-kOwFA8xZ4.

 

This is the real tragedy of the Palestinian - Israeli conflict, that children  are being trained from the cradle to hate and kill and be killed. Amongst the Palestinians there exists a culture of death. Children are being educated in the values of marytydom and are being sacrificed by their own mothers and fathers. Why is the world not crying out against this terrible child abuse?

 

 In 1957, the former Prime Minister of Israel, Golda Meir, said this:

 “We can forgive the Arabs for killing our children. We cannot forgive them for forcing us to kill their children. We will only have peace with the Arabs when they love their children more than they hate us.”  Her words have never rung more true than they do today.

 

http://api.ning.com/files/0SEDixnlYokHk-Huesjq-lTblG0x0SoajGWndBFvPeqv*uqmVT-XI4-sjJuCNvJS40mxX3eqoRkrv0zHv8t0Xw__/250883_444398322251271_1028662905_n.jpg?width=737&height=424

I will never forget the words of a Gazan mother, who accompanied her son to Israel for life-saving medical treatments, during the latest Gazan war. She said " The difference between you and us, is that you (Israelis) honor life and we (Palestinians) honor death". 

 

Today I read in the paper of yet another incidence when Israel brought people from enemy nations, this time from Syria, for medical treatment. In this latest case 8 people, including two badly burned children, were evacuated by night across the border from a hospital in the Syrian town of Quneitra that had earlier been attacked by artillery fire from Assad's government forces. The injured were in a critical state and dozens of Israeli paramedics and soldiers put themselves at great risk to rescue these people. In the last three years 2,500 Syrians have been treated in Israeli hospitals. These people are treated free of charge and at the expense of the Israeli taxpayer, and when well enough returned to their home country.

 

 

A Syrian child being treated by Israeli paramedics prior to airlift to the hospital. His face is blurred out to protect his identity. http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4838412,00.html

 

With acts of kindness like this the culture of hatred, fear and distrust can be changed and there are many on both sides who are trying to change it. Arabs and Jews can learn to love one another. This is especially true for those who profess faith in Yeshua. He taught us to love our enemies. He taught us that in Him we are one. Just last week my (predominantly Jewish) congregation held a picnic with members of an Arab congregation that also meets in our hall. We shared our food, worshipped God singing in each other's languages, prayed for each other and just enjoyed each other's company under some shady trees in a park.  It can be done if there is a will. The only real hope for the Middle East, and indeed the world, is reconciliation in the Messiah, Yeshua. Only he has the power and the love to heal the wounds, turn hatred into love and war in to peace. In Isaiah 2:4 it says that,

 

 They shall beat their swords into plowshares,
And their spears into pruning hooks;
Nation shall not lift up sword against nation,
Neither shall they learn war anymore.

But this will only happen when,

 ...in the latter days
That the mountain of the Lord’s house
Shall be established on the top of the mountains,
And shall be exalted above the hills;
And all nations shall flow to it.

 

Isaiah 2: 2

 Meanwhile in Jerusalem the senseless violence continues, although the summer has so far been relatively quiet. Some months ago the police clamped down on the shooting off of guns and fireworks in our neighboring Arab villages,  but in the last couple of weeks we have seen a renewal of these activities. It is a cultural tradition amongst Arabs to shoot into the air and fire off fireworks to celebrate weddings and other happy occasions, however those bullets have to fall somewhere, and at times the fireworks,  including rockets often loaded with nails, are used as weapons. These weapons can be deadly. The Jewish neighborhood of Har Hazeitim, to the south and east of the Old City, is constantly being bombarded by Molotov cocktails, rocks and fireworks, fired from the neighboring Arab village of Ras el Amud. Residents of Har Hazeitim have erected a camera in an attempt to prevent these attacks. Here is a video taken by this camera last week as fireworks were being fired across an intersection at passing cars and at the police patrolling the area.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4836940,00.html

A story that has hit the headlines here this week is the revelation that the Evangelical aid organization, World Vision, has inadvertently been aiding terrorism against Israel. Their Gaza branch director, Mohammed El-Halabi, was arrested by Israeli security forces in mid-June and has admitted that he is in fact a Hamas agent that was infiltrated into the World Vision organization in 2005. Since that time he has orchestrated a sophisticated apparatus by which some 60% of funds donated to assist needy Gazan citizens has been diverted to support the terrorist wing of Hamas and used to  finance the digging of terror tunnels, the building of military bases and the purchase of weapons. This has amounted to some $US7.2 million per year.  You can read more about this on http://www.israeltoday.co.il/NewsItem/tabid/178/nid/29759/Default.aspx or

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4837539,00.html.

According to Israel's Shin Bet security services Hamas took advantage of the naivety of the well-intentioned World Vision organization. This reminds me of Jesus' warning to his disciples,

Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore be wise as serpents and harmless as doves.  Matthew 10: 16.  

There is no room for naiveté in the Middle East. Why are serpents considered to be so wise? Snakes in general do not have eyelids, and therefore they can never blink. They sleep with open eyes.  They are perpetually watchful.

The eye of a snake
https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/bc/db/8c/bcdb8c672038b8a3f75929b7c383ee86.jpg

We as Messianic or Christian believers need to understand the wickedness of the world we are living in. Sometimes we withdraw into a nice comfortable bubble, relating mainly to ourselves, and this can make us overly trusting and naïve. Western believers are especially prone to this and are often ill-equipped to deal with the dishonesty, cynicism and manipulations prevalent in Middle Eastern society.  We need the Holy Spirit to help us find the fine line between a healthy respect and trust for our fellow man and the necessity to be 'as wise as serpents' when dealing with fallen humanity. I personally find this the most difficult aspect of living in the Middle East and there have been many times when I have fallen prey to those who take advantage of my trusting nature.

I want to finish by drawing your attention to the situation in Russia. Recently the Duma (the Parliament) adopted proposed amendments to antiterrorism legislation which, if passed into law, will make it illegal to share the Christian faith with a nonbeliever, even in casual conversation, or in the privacy of your own home, without prior authorization from the government. This amendment, ostensibly aimed at preventing the spread of terrorism, would, if enforced, reintroduce the draconian restrictions on the freedom of religion that were present during the Communist era. The seriousness of this proposed amendment is explained in the following quote:

The new law will require any sharing of the Christian faith – even a casual conversation – to have prior authorisation from the state. This includes something as basic as an emailed invitation for a friend to attend church. Even in a private home, worship and prayer will only be allowed if there are no unbelievers present. Churches will also be held accountable for the activities of their members. So if, for example, a church member mentions their faith in conversation with a work colleague, not only the church member but also the church itself could be punished, with individuals facing fines of up to 50,000 roubles (£580; USD770; €700). There are also restrictions on the extent to which churches can have contact with foreigners; for example, any non-Russian citizen attending a church service would be required to have a work visa or face a fine and expulsion from Russia.

https://barnabasfund.org/news/christians-call-day-of-prayer-and-fasting-as-russian-government-introduces-draconian-soviet-era-restrictions-on-religious-freedom

The bill is now  in the hands of President Putin who has until the 20th of July to decide whether to make this bill law. Our Russian brothers and sisters in the Lord have called for national prayer and fasting, and we all need to stand with them in prayer against this terrible development.

BOWLS OF INCENSE

 

Prayer is something  central to human life. Nearly all humans instinctively pray to some kind of higher being, even atheists pray when under threat of death, yet as Christian or Messianic believers do we really understand the power of prayer?

 

I do believe that the impulse to pray is a God given gift to all humankind, so why then do I find it so difficult to be constant and serious in my prayer life? I know I am erratic at best, often neglecting to pray until I reach some crisis point. I think one of the reasons, I and so many others, struggle with prayer is that we don't  really believe in its power. We often don't see the results immediately so ,when our prayers are answered, we don't remember or notice. Then what about all those  times when it seems that our prayers merely bounce off the ceiling without result? 

 

 The apostle Paul exhorted us to pray always saying,

 

Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.  And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Philippians 4: 6-7

 

What a great promise this verse holds. If we can only take all our worries and concerns to the Lord in prayer, we can know that perfect peace even in the most distressing of times. Yet how often do we experience this 'peace that passes all understanding'? Why do we allow the busyness of this world and its constant distractions to prevent us from praying as we ought? Why do so many of us, myself included, persist in trying to solve our own, and the world's, problems in our own strength?

 

I think one of the reasons I so often fail in prayer is that I often don't truly believe that my prayers matter.  Does God really hear my prayers? Why do I need to bring my worries to Him when He, the all-knowing God, must know about them anyway? And yet apparently He wants us to pray. That's a mystery.

 

In the Book of Revelation we see some answers. In two parts of John's revelation we see golden bowls of incense rising up before God and these are identified as the prayers of the saints.



 

 Then I saw in the right hand of the one seated on the throne a scroll written on the inside and on the back, sealed with seven seals; ² and I saw a mighty angel proclaiming with a loud voice, “Who is worthy to open the scroll and break its seals?” ³ And no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll or to look into it. ⁴ And I began to weep bitterly because no one was found worthy to open the scroll or to look into it. ⁵ Then one of the elders said to me, “Do not weep. See, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals.”

⁶ Then I saw between the throne and the four living creatures and among the elders a Lamb standing as if it had been slaughtered, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth. ⁷ He went and took the scroll from the right hand of the one who was seated on the throne. ⁸ When he had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell before the Lamb, each holding a harp and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. ⁹ They sing a new song:

“You are worthy to take the scroll
    and to open its seals,
for you were slaughtered and by your blood you ransomed for God
    saints from every tribe and language and people and nation;
¹⁰ you have made them to be a kingdom and priests serving^[our God,
    and they will reign on earth.”

¹¹ Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels surrounding the throne and the living creatures and the elders; they numbered myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands, ¹² singing with full voice,

“Worthy is the Lamb that was slaughtered
to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might
and honor and glory and blessing!”

¹³ Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them, singing,

“To the one seated on the throne and to the Lamb
be blessing and honor and glory and might
forever and ever!”

¹⁴ And the four living creatures said, “Amen!” And the elders fell down and worshiped.

Revelation 5

 

When the Lamb opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour. ² And I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and seven trumpets were given to them.

³ Another angel with a golden censer came and stood at the altar; he was given a great quantity of incense to offer with the prayers of all the saints on the golden altar that is before the throne. ⁴ And the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, rose before God from the hand of the angel. ⁵ Then the angel took the censer and filled it with fire from the altar and threw it on the earth; and there were peals of thunder, rumblings, flashes of lightning, and an earthquake.

Revelation 8: 1-5

https://i.ytimg.com/vi/WvJumQjvJTc/hqdefault.jpg

In the verses I have highlighted we can see how the prayers of the saints were mixed with fire from heaven and brought about acts of great power on Earth.  Our prayers, somehow, in a way I do not  fully understand, have prophetic power in the heavenly realm, and God uses these, mixed with his own power, to work great things on Earth. We should not therefore underestimate the importance and power of our prayers.

Some years ago I would often walk past a photography shop on my way to work. It  puzzled me as it was always closed and yet it had no air of abandonment about it. Then one night, coming home at a very late hour, I walked past this shop and was surprised to see lights shining inside. Then I saw several small children being taken into this shop. Suddenly it dawned on me that this was a place where child pornography films were being made. I prayed that God would destroy this shop and save the children from this abomination. I got a big shock the next morning when I read in the newspaper that a fire had broken out in the shop later that night and razed it to the ground. Thankfully all the people inside, including the children, managed to escape through a window. That shook me, and made me realize that I must not be casual about my prayers, they are effective and powerful.  We can never know what effect they may have.

This week too, here in Jerusalem, we saw again the effective power of prayer. In my last post I wrote about the Tomorrowland Electronic Music Festival which took place in here in Jerusalem last Saturday. Much prayer went up here and all around the world against this demonic event. It worked. In an auditorium that seats 15,000 only 1,132 turned up and the concert was delayed about 1 1/2 hours because of technical problems with the satellite feed from Belgium, so most of the live-feed concert was missed.  You could say it was the greatest non-event of the year. It did not even get a mention in the following day's press. Hallelujah and thank you to all who prayed. For a fuller report go to: https://kehilanews.com/2016/07/25/update-on-prayer-about-occult-music-festival-tomorrowland-in-jerusalem/

God is all powerful and, for some reason I do not understand, He has decided to work through the prayers of his people. I thank you, all who pray for this nation, Israel, and the great work that God is bringing about through your prayers bringing the whole world to final redemption. We do not need to fear the attacks of the Enemy, which will come, but we do need to keep praying and working with God to overcome this Enemy and his works. Our prayers have more power than we can ever imagine.

This week in Jerusalem has been relatively quiet as we swelter under the full blast of the summer heat. At night the colorfully lit and decorated streets are full of families and groups of friends wandering about enjoying the cool air, or gathering at cafes, restaurants and parks. It all has a rather festive air. Today I visited my local shopping mall and saw there, to my amazement, what must be the tiniest ice skating rink in the world. The kids seemed to be enjoying it anyway.

Of course under it all the forces of evil are constantly trying to destroy our life here. Terror attempts continue though more and more are being thwarted, our borders are uneasy with the rumors of war, ISIS is on our doorstep and infiltrating the minds of our young Arab people,  and Iran is actively supporting it all. There is always tension and anxiety in the air, but Israelis are tough, resilient people who in spite of all not only survive but flourish.

Attacks by lone-wolf terrorists, in the wave of terror that began last October, are diminishing. We are seeing fewer attempts, and of those more and more are being thwarted. As of the end of June, 38 Israelis have been killed and another 290 injured, in some 2000 separate attacks, according to the figures released by the Shin Bet security services. In June there were only (!) 103 attacks compared to 620 at the height of the terror wave last October.

Why the drop? Of course I put it down to the power of prayer, but also we must give a lot of credit to our security forces, the police and soldiers, and vigilant civilians too. Fewer and fewer attacks are  successful and this in itself serves as a deterrent.  As Shlomo Brom, a retired Brigadier General and an analyst at the Institute for National Security Studies put it, "There is a limit to the number of even frustrated young people who are willing to give their life and to achieve nothing. So it makes sense that over time, the numbers of attacks are fewer and fewer.” Keep praying for attacks to fail, for the vigilance of our security forces and the general public. As the risk decreases so does our vigilance often and we cannot afford to let down our guard.
http://www.timesofisrael.com/israel-has-had-success-against-lone-wolf-terrorists-heres-how/

One of the terror wave hotspots has been road 443, the main road between Modi'in and Jerusalem, which has experienced dozens of attacks. This is one of just two main arterial links between Jerusalem and Tel Aviv region and about 15km of it passes through the West Bank. The road is is overlooked by Palestinian villages on either side, and runs near Ramallah. I used to use this road in preference to Highway 1 which is dangerously busy, winding and steep, made even more dangerous by long-term roadworks being carried out.  Since the terror wave began however I, like many others, have been avoiding travel on route 443. The speed limit on that road is 120kph and at that speed even a small rock hitting a windshield can be deadly. This week I was pleased to learn that the IDF will be stepping up its surveillance on this road by installing some 255 new day and night vision cameras and two more surveillance balloons to supplement the existing one. Some 50-70 combat soldiers already patrol the road at all times. Perhaps soon I will feel able to use that road again!
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4832520,00.html

Route 443
http://www.haaretz.com/polopoly_fs/1.671235.1439629479!/image/736903263.jpg_gen/derivatives/headline_609x343/736903263.jpg

Another topic for fervent prayer is the upcoming elections in the West Bank. In October both local and municipal elections will be held in the West Bank, currently controlled by the Palestinian Authority, and the terror organization, Hamas, has decided to participate in these elections in order to gauge Palestinian public opinion.  In addition Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip, will also be holding internal elections towards the end of the year. It would be a disaster for the Palestinian people if Hamas were to gain control of the West Bank as well as Gaza, but widespread dissatisfaction with the Palestinian Authority (Fatah) may make this a possibility. These elections could precipitate much internal unrest and social chaos in the West Bank and such conditions would encourage the growing influence of Day'ish ( ISIS), especially the amongst the dissatisfied youth. Of course Israel  would not be too happy to have Hamas in power in the West Bank.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4832520,00.html
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4832520,00.html

Finally here are some links to some YouTube videos you might find informative and interesting: 

 The Wall https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ph9g39muwo

Video about 10 misconceptions  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GdtGOY8T5XE

 What happens to aid money  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TJdQ7Bx0av4

Rejoice always,  pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

 

1 Thessalonians 5: 16-18

THE BLESSED PEOPLE

 

How can I curse
    those whom God has not cursed?
How can I denounce
    those whom the Lord has not denounced?...

 

No misfortune is seen in Jacob,
    no misery observed in Israel.
The Lord their God is with them;
    the shout of the King is among them.
²² God brought them out of Egypt;
    they have the strength of a wild ox.
²³ There is no divination against Jacob,
    no evil omens against Israel.
It will now be said of Jacob
    and of Israel, ‘See what God has done!’

 

Numbers 23:  8, 21-23

Living in Jerusalem one can never forget that we are living in the very front line of the great spiritual battle between the LORD and Satan. Periodically Satan tries to destroy the work of the LORD and to bring a curse upon the people of Israel, just as Balak, King of Tzipor, tried to do when Israel was about to enter into the Promised Land after the Exodus. Balak hired a diviner or sorcerer, Balaam, to bring down a curse upon Israel, but to no avail. The LORD God of Israel, spoke to Balaam and told him that the  People of Israel were under God's protection and blessing, no curse of man (or Satan) would prevail against that.

Nothing has changed since Balaam's time. Today Israel is standing again at the Jordan, poised to enter into the 'promised land' of redemption and eternal salvation. And Satan is still trying to prevent that by bringing curses upon us, but he will not prevail.  He uses many tactics.  This week in Jerusalem we have seen two major spiritual assaults aimed at destroying Israel, but many have joined us in fervent prayer and  I do not believe these assaults will succeed.

On Thursday the annual Gay Pride Parade was held in the streets of Jerusalem. It is estimated that 25,000 people participated, the largest number yet. This is a terrible affront to God in this Holy City. The Bible clearly states that homosexuality is an abomination before God.

You shall not lie with a male as with a woman; it is an abomination. ²³ You shall not have sexual relations with any animal and defile yourself with it, nor shall any woman give herself to an animal to have sexual relations with it: it is perversion.

 

 

Leviticus 18:22- 23
 

If a man lies with a male as with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination; they shall be put to death; their blood is upon them. 
 

Leviticus 20:13



Marchers (Photo Gil Yohanan)
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4831631,00.html

This evening a second event, the "Tomorrowland" electronic music festival, is scheduled to take place in the new Payis stadium in Jerusalem (yes, the one that last year banned the ICEJ and all other evangelical or messianic organizations and events). This stadium can accommodate up to 15,000 people and is expected to be fully booked.  This festival will feature live streaming of the Tomorrowland festival in Belgium, and its organizers say they will create the 'very specific atmosphere' of the Belgium festival. This atmosphere is clearly occult and pagan in nature. The hypnotic rhythms of the music, the flashing lights and frenetic activity make rational thought and judgment impossible, and leaves people vulnerable to suggestion and evil influences.

I
 

http://photogallery.indiatimes.com/photo/21454200.cms

  

It seems significant that this evil festival is being held on this day, the 17th day of the Hebrew month of Tammuz, which is a fast day commemorating, among other disasters, the breaching of the walls of Jerusalem by the Roman army in 70AD.  We need to pray that the spiritual walls of Jerusalem will not be breached today. Pray, that as in Balaam's day, Israel will be covered by God's blessing. I take comfort in God's words to Abraham regarding Sodom and Gomorrah, when he said that He would not destroy those wicked cities if even 10 righteous men were found in them (Genesis 18). I know there are more than 10 righteous in Jerusalem today and therefore believe God will spare the city, though perhaps through many trials (as is prophesied). Please pray that the righteous in Jerusalem will stand strong and resolute in the face of the constant attacks we all experience.

It is very tragic that our city fathers have bowed down before the gods of this age and allowed these abominations to take place here in the Holy City. However it is far more tragic that the young people of Israel are being drawn into the  spirit and values of the increasingly pagan world of our times. One of the reasons I believe is that young people in Israel are presented with only two options. One is the medieval world of religious Judaism which focusses on myriads of man-made rules and prohibitions, and often comes across as narrow and intolerant. We saw that  in its most extreme form last year when a young 16-year-old girl was murdered during the Gay Pride Parade by a religious Jew. This world of religious Judaism is also permeated by superstitions and the occult. The other option is the hedonistic and tolerant world of New Age, a westernized version of pagan Hinduism,  and which appears much more attractive to a young person. How tragic it is that the average Israeli has little knowledge of their God and the treasures of the Bible, which offer a far better way. I was heartened yesterday to hear of one very courageous Messianic believer who, in her wheelchair, went to the Gay Pride Parade with a banner proclaiming God's love. She said she had many conversations with people who were curious about her message.  Please pray that more of us will have the courage to proclaim God's love and the 'better way' to the people of Israel.

What else has been happening in Jerusalem this week?
Last Sunday a major terror attack was thwarted in Jerusalem. Security personnel spotted a man acting suspiciously and discovered that he was carrying an explosive device and knives, and intended an attack on the Light Rail train on Jaffa Road. The man was arrested and the bomb defused.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4829354,00.html 

This week the Shin Bet, Israel's internal security service, released its situation report on the current terror wave. Since October 2015 there have ben over 300 attacks (not including Molotov cocktail attacks), of which 180 were stabbings, 90 were shootings and about 30 were car rammings. The majority of these attacks were 'lone wolf' attacks.  

Since January this year the Shin Bet and the Israeli security services have prevented 240 major terror attacks, including stopping 11 suicide bombers, 10 kidnapping attacks and more than 60 other attacks similar in nature to the Sarona Market attack in Tel Aviv.  Most of these attacks were planned by Hamas.

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4829502,00.html

Another feature of the  current terror wave is the large number of attacks carried out by women. The report revealed that more than 40 women carried out, or attempted to carry out, terror attacks. In almost every case they were doing it to restore family honor, in order to atone for something they had done to bring their families shame. In some cases male family members brought these women to the site of the attack. This is a sad new twist to the old problem of honor killings of women in Arab society.
 
 Yesterday news came in of yet another Israeli child who died as a result of inadvertently being left in a car. In our heat it takes little time for a child to die in such situations, and just this summer alone, 4 children have died in this tragic way.  In figures released by  the organization 'Beterem - Safe Kids Israel', there have been 400 such cases, involving 449 children, in the last 8 years. Twenty two of these incidents ended in at least one death. One must ask why this type of accident is so prevalent here in Israel? These are not bad or negligent parents or caregivers,  in most cases, but perhaps just overstressed and overly busy ones. http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4831911,00.html


 The situation on our northern border continues to be tense. On Sunday the sirens sounded in the Golan Heights as a Syrian drone penetrated Israeli airspace.  Patriot missiles were fired but failed to bring down the drone which returned to Syria.



Contrail of Patriot missile fired from Safed (Photo: Safed Municipality)
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4829556,00.html

Now to end with some good news.  Recently the Messianic  Pro-Life organization, Baad Haim, was presented with an award from the Israeli Government  for its “significant contribution to the protection of mothers and children.” It is a great honor to receive such an award and it is a significant indication that Messianic organizations are beginning to become an accepted part of Israeli life.  Perhaps one day soon our message will also be accepted!


  Leaders of Baad Haim receiving the award in the Knesset.  http://www.israeltoday.co.il/NewsItem/tabid/178/nid/29610/Default.aspx 

After all, as Balaam the prophet said:

The Lord their God is with them;
    the shout of the King is among them.

Numbers 23:21

 

The word translated here as 'shout of the King' is " truat melech" (וּתְרוּעַ֥ת מֶ֖לֶךְ)  which could be better translated as 'the trumpet proclamation of a king'. In Balaam's day Israel had no king so this is clearly a reference to a future time when the trumpet or shofar will proclaim the coming of a king, the King, melech Israel, Yeshua HaMasiach.

 

HALLELUJAH!

SIMMERING SUMMER
 

Summer is now in full swing in Jerusalem. The schools are on vacation and the streets are full of tourists, while the locals are flocking to the pools or the cool shopping mall, or just hiding from the heat indoors. However if you do venture into the city streets you are in for a delight. Many of the streets are brightly decorated with fun and colorful displays. Here are some of the things you might see:

 

Colorful parasols decorate a Jerusalem street

https://rjstreets.com/

 

https://rjstreets.com/2016/07/06/have-you-seen-jerusalems-new-colors/ben-yehuda-decorated-028b/#main

Jerusalem is a city full of quirky imagination, creativity, color and the joy of life.





A kind of quiet settles over Jerusalem  in summer as the heat drives us indoors. Many of the city's inhabitants travel abroad to visit family, take vacations or just to flee the heat. Tourist numbers drop. As a result Jerusalem takes on the appearance of a sleepy, peaceful town. However we can never forget that just below the surface violence is simmering away and could at any moment boil over.

This week I read an article which claimed that Israel's real enemy was not Iran or the Palestinians but the idea of 'the Crisis' itself. It pointed out that,

"serious indignation is reserved only for the one true topic worthy of attention: The Crisis, a perpetual feeling of imminent doom that dominates the hearts and minds of leftists and rightists alike".

As a consequence a whole plethora of serious internal social issues are overlooked or ignored, and this has the potential of destroying Israel from inside. Some of the issues the article mentioned were :

" the soldiers in the asbestos-ridden tanks; the young Arab women and children in Umm al-Fahm, pushed by stupid neglect right into the arms of Islamic fundamentalists; the barely functioning police; the medical interns who are struggling with 26-hour shifts when their colleagues in Europe and America typically work between 12 and 16 hours at a time; the students down south who, unlike their peers in wealthier communities elsewhere in Israel, are repeatedly falling behind in math and other core subjects; the 150,000 toddlers who attend unsupervised day-care centers and receive abysmally unhealthy lunches; the residents of Jerusalem, many of whom are Arabs or fervently Orthodox Jews, more than half of whom are currently unemployed; the tens of thousands of Arab and Bedouin children in the Galilee and the Negev who benefited from three mobile libraries that the Ministry of Culture, for some reason, chose to shut down". 

http://www.tabletmag.com/jewish-news-and-politics/204146/israels-enemy-is-crisis-itself

And I could add many more neglected social issues - the fact that 1/3 of Israeli children still go to bed hungry, the gulf between the rich and the poor, the neglect of the elderly, the sick and the handicapped, the failure to get reparations to the desperately needy holocaust survivors, the teachers who get paid a pittance while being expected to teach 30-40 children in the classroom, the understaffed hospitals run by exhausted and underpaid doctors and nurses, and so on.
 
I think this article made a good point that perhaps one of the important consequences of terror and war is that important social issues are overlooked. Its the tyranny of the urgent over the important, or the immediate threat over the one we can push off to another day. It is however also true that in spite of the ever present 'Crisis' Israel has accomplished much. Take a drive around the country and you will see growing towns, green fields and vibrant agriculture, burgeoning industry, and a lot of happy and healthy people enjoying life. 




A Tel Aviv beach in Summer
https://www.facebook.com/ynetenglish/photos/a.384316348269521.94744.129653250402500/1204468559587625/?type=3&theater

 

I read just this week about the new Tel Aviv - Jerusalem railway that is currently being constructed.  When it opens, in about 2  years time, it will carry trains travelling at 160 km/h, departing 4 times an hour, bringing passengers between TA and Jerusalem in only 28 minutes. The dual track will pass over Israel's largest bridge ( 1,250 m long), its highest bridge (95m) and the longest  tunnel (11.6 km) in the Middle East. It also incorporates a nuclear fallout shelter for 2000 people at its Jerusalem end (may we never need it!). Not a bad effort for a tiny country living in the shadow of constant Crisis!http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4825986,00.html  

The longest bridge

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4825986,00.html

That said, it is inescapable that we must always put our national security first. We can have no social stability or improvement without it. I fear that as a nation we are suffering somewhat from crisis fatigue. We have heard for so many years about the Iranian threat, the threats from our neighboring countries, the threats from Hezbollah, Hamas and ISIS,  and the threat of ongoing terror, and as a result we have become a little complacent and disinterested. This is natural. One cannot live in  constant state of anxiety and fear. One becomes to some extent habituated, as you do to an unpleasant odor or sound. I do fear however the risk of becoming complacent and failing to prepare for the 'next war'.

For years we have been listening to the rhetoric of Iranian leaders, and their constant threats to destroy Israel. Its like an annoying background hum that you eventually just tune out.  It is tempting just to ignore it, to get lulled thinking it will never happen. However just this last Friday, during violent anti-Israel demonstrations in Iran on their Al-Kuds (Jerusalem)  Day, the Deputy Commander of Iran's Revolutionary Guard, General Hossein Salami, proclaimed that,

“Hezbollah has 100,000 missiles that are ready to hit Israel to liberate the occupied Palestinian territories if the Zionist regime repeats its past mistakes,”. He continued saying, "Today, the grounds for the annihilation and collapse of the Zionist regime are [present] more than ever". And he boasted "tens of thousands of destructive long-range missiles” are aimed at Israel from Islamic territories".

http://www.breakingisraelnews.com/71142/iranian-commander-100000-missiles-poised-strike-israel-arab-world/#1fO3OOxQXdsyw4Cp.97

A statue depicting the US Statue of Liberty decorated with a Star of David on its head is set ablaze by Iranian protestors during a parade marking al-Quds (Jerusalem) Day in Tehran on July 1, 2016. (Atta Kenare/AFP
http://www.timesofisrael.com/iran-holds-annual-anti-israel-rallies-to-mark-al-quds-day/

There are no grounds for complacency in the face of such rhetoric. The IDF is busy planning for the next war and last Sunday realistic drills were held recreating a massive missile attack on civilian areas in the north and in the south.  Since the War of Independence in 1948 there have been very few civilian casualties in the many wars we have fought, for example in the 1967 Yom Kippur War there were no civilian casualties (though 2,500 soldiers died) and in the 2014 Gaza war only 6 civilians were killed. Even the Scud Missiles of the 1991 Gulf war killed only two Israelis directly (though another 11 died from heart attacks or the incorrect use of the gas masks).

An Israeli family in a Safe Room during a scud attack in the 1991 Gulf War
http://mfa.gov.il/MFA/AboutIsrael/History/Pages/The%20Gulf%20War%20-%201991.aspx

We all know that in the next war however,  if Hezbollah succeeds in releasing even a portion of its massive arsenal of missiles and rockets, we can expect massive civilian casualties and the IDF are putting evacuation and defense plans in place for the population in the north and south especially. However these will inevitably be sadly inadequate. Many, many homes in  Israel do not  yet even have safe rooms or bomb shelters within reach.  

A Haifa building damaged in a rocket attack during the Second Lebanon War in 2006. Nir Kafri
http://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/1.72971

 

 

 

Analysts say that in the next Lebanon War

Israel could see 1,500-2,000 rockets shot across its borders per day, compared to the 150-180 per day  we experienced in the Second Lebanon War of 2006. Todays rockets and missiles are more sophisticated, can be aimed more accurately and reach much greater distances - reaching every part of Israel - than those we saw in the Second Lebanon War.

Israel has also greatly increased its attack and defense preparedness but there is no way we could stop a barrage of rockets of such dimensions, and massive civilian casualties are expected. 

 

 Reports are coming in that Hezbollah forces have already amassed along the Israeli border taking over civilian homes in which they have hidden military equipment and weapons. http://observer.com/2016/07/third-lebanon-israel-war-not-if-but-when/. It is believed that Hezbollah now maintains a sizeable army of 40,000 to 45,000 soldiers evenly divided between conscripts and reservists.

 http://www.jpost.com/Opinion/JPost-Editorial-Ten-years-later-459790

 

 

 

 

Homes in southern Lebanon occupied by Hezbollah forces and separated from Israel only by this wire fence
http://observer.com/2016/07/third-lebanon-israel-war-not-if-but-when/

It is important to understand that Hezbollah is essentially the striking arm of Iran. A colonel and brigade commander of the IDF put it this way,

"You also have to realize, that Hezbollah is the outpost of the Iranian empire. Iran does not govern Lebanon, but it controls Lebanon. Don’t be fooled.   This, out here, [pointing to Lebanon] is not Lebanon—it’s Iran.”

Earlier this month, the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) commander Hossein Salami declared at a sermon  “Today, more than ever, there is fertile ground—with the grace of God—for the annihilation, the wiping out, and the collapse of the Zionist regime. In Lebanon alone, over 100,000 missiles are ready to be launched.”  When it serves Iran's interests the command will be given and these missiles will “pierce through space, and will strike at the heart of the Zionist regime,” preparing the ground for its great collapse in the new era.”  He also said that  “Tens of thousands of other high-precision, long-range missiles … have been placed in various places throughout the Islamic world. They are just waiting for the command, so that when the trigger is pulled, the accursed black dot [Israel] will be wiped off the geopolitical map of the world, once and for all.”

http://observer.com/2016/07/third-lebanon-israel-war-not-if-but-when/

 

At the same time as war preparations are being made in the north of Israel so too is the tension along the Gaza border continuing to build. Just this week a rocket hit a kindergarten in one of the southern towns. Fortunately no one was in the building at the time and only two people were slightly wounded. Hamas however is continuing to dig tunnels, arm and train its forces preparing for the next Gaza war.

 

Meanwhile civil unrest is growing in both Gaza and the West Bank as various factions express dissatisfaction with the current regimes. This could result in a chaotic situation in the Palestinian areas as warring factions vie for power such as we see in Syria today. http://www.brecorder.com/market-data/rates-a-schedules/118/65012/ 

 

All in all there is no room for complacency. Please pray for Israel. Our enemies outnumber and outgun us enormously but we have the LORD God Almighty on our side.

 

 

For the day of the Lord upon all the nations is near;
As you have done, it shall be done to you;
Your reprisal shall return upon your own head.
¹⁶ For as you drank on My holy mountain,
So shall all the nations drink continually;
Yes, they shall drink, and swallow,
And they shall be as though they had never been.

 

But on Mount Zion there shall be deliverance,
And there shall be holiness;
The house of Jacob shall possess their possessions.
¹⁸ The house of Jacob shall be a fire,
And the house of Joseph a flame;
But the house of Esau shall be stubble;
They shall kindle them and devour them,
And no survivor shall remain of the house of Esau,”
For the Lord has spoken.

¹⁹ The South shall possess the mountains of Esau,
And the Lowland shall possess Philistia.
They shall possess the fields of Ephraim
And the fields of Samaria.
Benjamin shall possess Gilead.
²⁰ And the captives of this host of the children of Israel
Shall possess the land of the Canaanites
As far as Zarephath.
The captives of Jerusalem who are in Sepharad
Shall possess the cities of the South.
²¹ Then saviors shall come to Mount Zion
To judge the mountains of Esau,
And the kingdom shall be the Lord’s.

 

Obadiah 1: 15-21

 Finally: here are some links to some interesting videos and articles you may be interested in seeing:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aYMviMHH0nc  "Inventing the Palestinian People"- video about the origin of the Palestinians.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5zNcXMXy1Jw  "Palestine Festival for Childhood and Education" - video about the hate education and brainwashing of Palestinian children.
 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DSwifGaSYaA  Philistine Cemetery found at Ashkelon - archaeological discovery

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4826103,00.html   Israel trauma center "Natal" - overwhelmed by those needing trauma counseling and help.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YKEgjeCbgWQ  video about Jerusalem


http://www.jpost.com/Israel-News/CNN-explains-U-turn-to-list-Tel-Aviv-terror-attack-in-graphic-459772 - article about biased reporting by CNN


http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4826913,00.html  - Talpiot bus terrorist sentenced