Month: September 2020

See, I have refined you, though not as silver;
    I have tested you in the furnace of affliction.

Isaiah 48:10

HEATWAVE

It’s hot!! Israel seems to have been thrown into a ‘furnace of affliction’ in these days. We are in the middle of a very long heatwave which has lasted 13 days already already and there is no end in sight. On Friday (04/09) Jerusalem recorded a maximum temperature of 42.8 degrees Celsius (109 F), the highest ever recorded here (1). It was even hotter around the Sea of Galilee and in the Jordan Valley, with Tiberias recording 51 degrees (124F) (1). In Eilat the thermometer reached 48.9 C. The day before had been only one degree cooler. Since then the temperature has been hovering in the mid to high thirties here in Jerusalem. Temperatures have been slightly lower along the coast but, with the high humidity there, the heat stress is similar, if not higher. At least two people have died from heat stroke and hundreds treated for dehydration or heat stroke.

Every day I thank God for my little apartment which seems to stay amazingly cool thanks to its semi-subterranean location, thick concrete and stone walls, and surrounding shade trees. I have only rarely needed to turn on the air conditioning. I am also glad that I have been able to stay indoors most of the time. I am also thankful we here have had no power cuts, though there have been some elsewhere. Needless to say the electrical system is at times overloaded as everyone is running fans and air conditioners.

As unpleasant as this heat is, it is nevertheless the least of our worries these days.

CORONA CHAOS

Today (16/09) Israel broke another record, the highest number of confirmed new infections of the Covid-19 virus in a single day, 5,523. This brings our total number of cases so far to nearly 166,794 and our death toll to 1,141 (2). Our infection rate per capita is now the highest in the world!! Last week someone put 1019 empty chairs in Rabin Square in Tel Aviv to represent the death toll at that time, and the people who will not be joining their families for the High Holy Day celebrations this year (2). It’s a sobering sight.

A new word has been added to our Hebrew vocabulary of late – l’zigzag – meaning to zig zag! It is used to describe our government’s policies regarding the corona virus outbreak. One day they make a decision and the next day they reverse it. This vacillation has reduced our faith in the government to near zero. No one knows what the regulations will be at any specific time, and this makes running a business or even a home, never mind a whole country, very tricky.

Last week for example, it was announced that some 10 towns would be put into total lockdown in view of their high infection rates. Most of these towns were either predominantly ultra-orthodox or Arab, and many of their residents felt they were being unfairly singled out on the basis of prejudice. Consequently the religious factions pressured Netanyahu who zigzagged and cancelled this decision. A new decision was announced which put some 40 towns or suburbs under a night-time curfew instead. This curfew means that from 7PM to 5PM the following morning people cannot move more than 500 m from their homes and all businesses are closed. Although the curfew is still under effect in these areas, compliance is very low. The intention is to stop all weddings and other large gatherings from taking place, and police have begun breaking up such gatherings and fining those organizing or hosting them. According to the current rulings gatherings of more than 10 indoors and 20 outdoors are banned, but many people, especially the ultra-orthodox and Arab sectors have been holding gatherings of hundreds of people, which is likely to be at least one of the reasons their infection rate is so high.

DEMONSTRATIONS AND ANARCHY

One group that continues to ignore the regulations are the 10-15, 000 mostly secular people who gather each Saturday night in Jerusalem, outside the Prime Minister’s home, to protest the government’s handling of the crisis, the economic situation, violence against women, racial prejudice, and a whole raft of other causes. Smaller numbers also demonstrate in other parts of the country. These demonstrations have been ongoing for 12 straight weeks so far and at times have degenerated into violence, between demonstrators, the counter-demonstrators and the police.

I find it hard to understand why they are allowed to demonstrate in large numbers contrary to regulations while it is not allowed for others to pray together, or hold weddings or other gatherings, in numbers greater than 10 indoors and 20 outdoors. Why is the democratic right to demonstrate held in higher regard than the right to pray? Such inconsistencies also serve to undermine public faith in the government and the rule of law. We are seeing a disturbing rise in lawlessness and anarchy in Israeli society, as is occurring elsewhere too.

Although most of the issues raised by the demonstrators are legitimate concerns and need to be addressed, I do ask if this is the way to do it? It is easy to criticize but what solutions do they offer? You can bring down a government but what will you put in its place? Anarchy?

I would also like to ask them that with all their supposed social conscience, why have they so little consideration for the people who live in the area who suffer from the noise, the closure of roads and the disruption to access to their homes week after week? Not only that, they blame the government for the mishandling of the crisis, but it is not the government directives that have failed, but our failure to obey them, that has brought us to this point. The protestors themselves are gathering in large numbers, without masks or social distancing, against the governmental guidelines and they themselves are creating the conditions that promote the spread of the virus. This is just hypocrisy.

LOCKDOWN AGAIN

At the end of this week the High Holy Days begin, with Rosh HaShanah (Feast of Trumpets), followed by Yom Kippur and then Succot (the Feast of Tabernacles). It is customary for extended families and groups of friends to gather together for celebratory meals at this time, and large numbers to gather at synagogues to pray. It is also the time, in normal times, when many take their annual holidays and travel abroad. This year it will all be different. In view of the rapid increase in infection rates we are experiencing the Cabinet has now approved a three week lockdown for the whole country over the High Holy Days, starting this coming Friday at 2:00 PM, the Eve of Rosh Hashanah, until the end of Succot. There will be no large gatherings for prayers, no extended family meals, no trips abroad and no internal tourism either.

The specter of another lockdown is very depressing. We spent Passover this year in lockdown and now it looks like we will also spend the coming High Holy days also in lockdown. Its a bit like saying to people in the West that Christmas, Thanksgiving and Easter are cancelled this year. However this is the price we are paying for the public’s refusal to take the virus seriously and obey the regulations. It is also the price we pay for the politicization of the crisis which has led to the failure of politicians to listen to the health professionals, even the government-appointed “Corona Czar”, and the tendency to put self-serving electioneering considerations before public welfare.

With the number of new cases skyrocketing, I have noticed that people are being much more careful about infections. At the supermarket today, I saw that a number of people were for example wearing latex gloves again as we did during the first wave. The supermarket was crowded with people stocking up on food and supplies both for the upcoming Rosh Hashanah holiday and for the lockdown, but there was no panic buying and no shortages as occurred in the first lockdown. Are we getting used to this new way of life?

I do pray that we, the public of Israel, will obey the government restrictions and directives this time around. If not, then it will all have been for nothing. The lockdown is perhaps our last chance to get this outbreak under control and the alternatives are horrendous. May people realize that it is not a punishment but an attempt to protect us all. May the LORD have mercy on us all.

CONSPIRACY THEORIES

We must no longer be children, tossed to and fro and blown about by every wind of doctrine, by people’s trickery, by their craftiness in deceitful scheming.

Ephesians 4:14

All the uncertainty, confusion and hardship engendered by the situation creates a high level of anxiety and a strong desire to ‘make sense of it all’, a recipe for the spread of conspiracy theories. A conspiracy theory is a belief that some covert but influential organization, with malign intention, is responsible for a circumstance or event. These offer an alternative to the mainstream explanations and are unsubstantiated by any facts or evidence, and often promoted by anonymous persons citing anonymous sources. They often appeal to those attracted to the idea that they possess secret knowledge not known to the masses.

The danger of conspiracy theories is that they spread as if they were fact, and in today’s world, all the faster because of our social media. It concerns me greatly that many Christians or Messianic Believers are buying into such theories. We should be the ones setting an example, not repeating slander or gossip, not giving into anxiety and fear, and instead basing our beliefs and opinions on fact and truth. We need to exercise sound discernment based on the Bible and its teachings. Unfortunately many today do not know what the Bible says and neglect to study it. Such people are prey to every teacher or preacher of every wind of doctrine and every theory. What is more, conspiracy theories lead to a break down of law and order, and encourage the non-compliance with the government directives that are intended to slow or stop the spread of the virus, thus exacerbating the problem. Some churches have become the center of virus outbreaks because they refused to obey governmental directives. What kind of witness is this? The Bible clearly teaches that we should obey the authorities, the only exception being if they try to stop us preaching the gospel.

Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God.  Consequently, whoever rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves. 

Romans 13: 1-2

Someone recently sent me a video (4) made by a pastor of a church in the USA and he claimed that the corona virus pandemic was not a pandemic since it had killed far fewer people than at first predicted. Clearly he does not understand the meaning of the word ‘pandemic’. It is not to do with the number of fatalities, it is defined as ” the worldwide spread of a new disease”. Clearly the current covid-19 outbreak has spread to nearly every country in the world, and therefore by definition is a pandemic.

There is also a disconnect in thinking in his kind of reasoning. He, and others like him, say that because the number of deaths (so far anyway) is way below that originally feared, then the pandemic is either not real (and just some conspiracy) or not as serious as was first thought. This is illogical since it may well be that it is the lockdowns and other measures taken, such as the wearing of masks and increased hygiene, that have limited the seriousness of the pandemic to date. No one knows what would have happened had we not taken these defensive measures, and furthermore we may yet see a huge increase in the spread and effects of the virus. It is not over yet and many countries, like Israel, are seeing a serious increase in the infection rate as a second wave hits. What is more, if the rate of infection continues to rise, as it is doing in most parts of the world, and the hospitals become overwhelmed we will yet see a large increase in the number of fatalities. In Israel two major hospitals are already at capacity and have closed their doors to new corona cases. It is not the lack of beds or equipment, we have plenty of those in Israel, but it is the lack of trained doctors and nurses that is the limiting factor. Many of the corona ward personnel are on the verge of collapse from exhaustion, and some are falling ill themselves.

I believe the only hope to regain control of the situation is if people comply to the lockdown and other measures that are designed to protect us, but unfortunately the spread of conspiracy theories, the governmental zigzagging, and the selfishness of the “Me – first and only” generation(s?) are working against us.

THE NEW SCHOOL YEAR

Here in Israel the new school year began for most schools on the 1st of September. Only kindergartens and grades 1-3 are functioning on a normal schedule. In the higher grades, students are attending school two days a week and alternating that with online learning at home. No more than 18 students may be in a classroom at a time. I am so glad I am no longer teaching. I cannot imagine how hard it must be for the teachers trying to juggle classes and online learning at the same time. Now the schools are all going to be closed from tomorrow for at least a month.

https://static.timesofisrael.com/www/uploads/2020/07/F200708ZEL04.jpg

THE NEW MIDDLE EAST

Recently, even in the midst of all this corona chaos, a new middle east reality is emerging. On the heels of the horrendous explosion in Beirut, the fall of the government there and the consequent undermining of support for Hezbollah in that country, a surprise announcement was made recently of the signing of a peace treaty between Israel and the United Arab Emirates. What is more, even as I am writing our prime minister is in the USA to formalize an agreement between Israel and Bahrain. Who would have thought this could happen? Will Oman and the Sudan be next? What about Saudi Arabia, which although they say they will not sign any such agreement, has already permitted direct flights over its airspace between Israel and the UAE. Not only is this realignment strengthening Israel’s military presence in the Middle East it is opening up lucrative markets for all the countries involved. This might go far in redressing the economic losses we have experienced due to the corona virus.

The Palestinians are furious. They called for a meeting of the Arab League to denounce the agreement but it failed to do so. This was a serious blow for the Palestinian cause, and probably signals its defeat. Whatever the case, these agreements shatter the myth of Arab Unity and the Middle East is realigning into two power blocks, an US/Israel led coalition of ‘moderate’ Sunni states in opposition to a Russian/Iranian/Turkish led coalition. Last night, even as the US, Israel, the UAE and Bahrain were signing the new accords, the Palestinians in Gaza fired a volley of 13 rockets into Israel, striking a shopping mall in Ashdod. Two Israelis were injured, one of whom, a 62-year-old man is now in serious, but stable, condition. In retaliation Israel bombed a number of Hamas military installations in the Gaza Strip. It will be interesting to see what happens next.

THE COMING OF THE LORD

In times of turmoil, crisis and upheaval such as the whole world is now experiencing it is natural to ask whether this is the beginning of the end times, the time prophesied in the Book of Revelation. I have heard recently many teaching one thing or another, often contradicting each other, regarding the interpretation of events. I, like many others, feel that things are indeed coming to a climax but want to sound a word of caution. Do not be easily shaken. Keep calm and study the word of the LORD. Contrary to some of the teachings and prophecies that are abounding these days, the coming of the Lord Yeshua will not happen at a time of a worldwide restoration or revival in the church, but rather it will be preceded by a time of apostasy in the church. Many will fall away and be led into delusion and will believe the lies of Satan. I suspect we are living in these times as predicted by Paul in his letter to the Thessalonians,

Now, brethren, concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him, we ask you, ² not to be soon shaken in mind or troubled, either by spirit or by word or by letter, as if from us, as though the day of Christ had come. ³ Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition, ⁴ who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God.

⁵ Do you not remember that when I was still with you I told you these things? ⁶ And now you know what is restraining, that he may be revealed in his own time. ⁷ For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only He who now restrains will do so until He is taken out of the way. ⁸ And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will consume with the breath of His mouth and destroy with the brightness of His coming. ⁹ The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, ¹⁰ and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved. ¹¹ And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie, ¹² that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.

II Thessalonians 2: 1-12

Please pray against the forces of deception and the lies. We here in Israel are not exempt. Many are being led into strange doctrines that contradict what is written in the Scriptures. May we all cling close to God in these times and pray that the Holy Spirit will help us rightly interpret the Word and the times, and we will be protected from the delusion that is coming, and already is, in the church.

References:

1. https://www.timesofisrael.com/hottest-day-in-israeli-history-as-eilat-and-jerusalem-record-unprecedented-highs/ https://www.ynetnews.com/article/HJFIaOFQP https://www.timesofisrael.com/jerusalem-bakes-under-record-setting-temperatures-with-more-on-the-way/
2. https://www.timesofisrael.com/schools-to-close-a-day-early-as-over-5500-virus-cases-confirmed-in-24-hours/#gs.fr7b8l
3. https://www.timesofisrael.com/1019-empty-chairs-placed-in-tel-aviv-square-to-protest-coronavirus-dead/
4. https://youtu.be/CdZbS0xC9q4

5. https://www.timesofisrael.com/israels-lockdown-rules-effective-from-september-18-at-2-p-m/#gs.folk5l