Tuesday, July 26, 2022
It has been a long time since I have updated my blog. This is because I have been wrestling with my website which I keep fixing, but then it has another problem the next day. I am beginning to suspect sabotage. So for now, I will switch back to using this Google Blog site. My apologies to anyone who has tried and failed to access my website.
The main purpose of this blog is to help you to pray more specifically for Israel and with knowledge. I thank you for all your prayers. Normally I focus on current events and try to connect them with Scriptural principles and the fulfillment of prophecy. I will continue to do that, but today I want to remind you of the most important prayer point of all, the need for the salvation of the people of Israel, and of course for all people, Jew, Arab, and Gentile alike. I, like many others, feel that time is running out, for some of us it is because of the natural aging process and the inevitability of mortality, but for all it is because of the approaching time of the end, when God will judge all mankind. I feel that the current breakdown of society, the wars, the pandemic and the climate emergencies may well be the beginning of the end.
The Apostle Paul said this of the Jews of his time,
But even to this day, when Moses is read, a veil lies on their heart. Nevertheless when one turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away.
2 Corinthians 3: 15-16
This veil remains to this day, not only covering the eyes of Jewish understanding but over all men and women who refuse to see.
What is the nature of this veil? It is the stubborn refusal to open one’s heart to Yeshua. For Jew and Gentile alike, the veil is lifted only when one turns to Yeshua. I was brought up in a sound, Bible-believing church and must have heard the gospel preached many times, but it was not until I got on my knees as a teenager and cried out to God for revelation of the Truth in Yeshua, that I began to see and to understand that revelation in the Holy Scriptures. It is the same for the Jew as for the Gentile. The Jews today have the Scriptures but they do not understand them, nor do they know of God’s salvation plan. Their eyes are veiled. They can see only dimly.
God spoke to the Prophet Isaiah saying,
“Go, and tell this people:
‘Keep on hearing, but do not understand;
Keep on seeing, but do not perceive.’
10
“Make the heart of this people dull,
And their ears heavy,
And shut their eyes;
Lest they see with their eyes,
And hear with their ears,
And understand with their heart,
And return and be healed.”
Isaiah 6: 9-10
Even so, Isaiah persevered and spoke God’s word to his people, even knowing they would not listen. We must do the same, whether they listen or not.
We might ask, why do they not listen? What is the nature of the veil today?
I think there are two main stumbling blocks for Jews today, one is religion and the other is history. Religious Jewish rabbis and scholars study the minutiae of the Scriptures through the cloudy lens of the Talmud, that is to say through the interpretations of the rabbis who went before them. They pick apart every nuance and word of these rabbis, and discuss them endlessly, but in so doing, miss the big picture. They seldom study the Bible itself and even ban the reading of certain passages, such as Isaiah 53, which point to Yeshua (Jesus) very clearly. The New Testament is forbidden. Jews who are not religious reject modern Judaism because of its empty ritualism, hypocrisy and the heavy burden of trying to keep the laws laid down by the rabbis, which go far beyond those commanded by God, in spite of God’s warning,
“Now, O Israel, listen to the statutes and the judgments which I teach you to observe, that you may live, and go in and possess the land which the Lord God of your fathers is giving you. You shall not add to the word which I command you, nor take from it, that you may keep the commandments of the Lord your God which I command you.”
Deuteronomy 4: 1-2
Jesus said of the religious leaders of his day,
They bind heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on men’s shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with their finger. They do all their deeds to be seen by men; for they make their phylacteries broad and their fringes long, and they love the place of honor at feasts and the best seats in the synagogues, and salutations in the market places, and being called rabbi by men….But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because you shut the kingdom of heaven against men; for you neither enter yourselves, nor allow those who would enter to go in…“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for you tithe mint and dill and cummin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law, justice and mercy and faith; these you ought to have done, without neglecting the others. You blind guides, straining out a gnat and swallowing a camel!…“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for you cleanse the outside of the cup and of the plate, but inside they are full of extortion and rapacity…“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for you are like whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within they are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness. So you also outwardly appear righteous to men, but within you are full of hypocrisy and iniquity.
Matthew 23: 4-7, 23-26, 28
Nothing much has changed.
The second reason for the veil is the historical relationship between Christians and Jews.
To most Jews the word Christian is virtually synonymous with the word anti-semite (Jew-hater), and they can hardly be blamed for such a view. All manner of atrocities have been committed against them in the name of Christ. There were the Crusaders, then the Inquisition and Expulsions, and the pogroms of Europe, just to mention a few. Most Jews believe that Hitler was a Christian, and the ambivalent and passive stand of the Church as Hitler committed genocide against them, is not forgotten. Nor is it sufficient to excuse this as being the acts of those who called themselves Christian but were not. Some of history’s greatest men of God, for example Martin Luther, were anti-Semitic. The Church has a lot to answer for in it’s treatment of the Jews! How could it be, that Christians who follow Jesus, himself a Jew, could hate Jews? I believe one of the main reasons is ignorance – of the Scriptures, ignorance of God’s plan for the Jews, and above all, ignorance of God’s love for His people, Israel.
There is also another component to this veil. For many Jews, especially here in Israel, Christianity equals Roman Catholicism or Eastern Orthodoxy. They see these big ornate churches full of people bowing down or kissing statues of Mary and Jesus, and they rightly equate this with idolatry. They cannot separate this from true Biblical Christianity.
Please pray for the lifting of the veil. It is very heavy and thick but there are signs of its weakening. More Jews believe in Yeshua today than at any time in history. There is increasing openness to the gospel, both here in Israel and in the Diaspora. Please pray for all those ministries, individuals and congregations who are faithfully preaching the gospel. One such ministry is called “One for Israel” which is reaching many by means of YouTube videos. There have been several attempts in recent times to shut them down, but so far the courts have upheld the principle of the freedom of religion which we enjoy here in Israel.
I would strongly recommend you watch this video about one such recent attempt
Now for some other news.
Biden’s visit
Last week US President Joe Biden visited Israel. During his stay he visited Yad Vashem (the Holocaust Museum and Memorial), appeared at the Opening of the Maccabiah Games (the Jewish Olympics), viewed Israel’s Iron Dome and the new laser-based antimissile system, and held meetings with Israeli and Palestinian leaders. Prior to his arrival a senior Israeli official told reporters that Biden’s trip to Israel would be an “unprecedented opportunity to change dynamics in the Middle East” (1). There was a lot of hype but the results of his visit have been somewhat disappointing. It was very low key. A document entitled ” The Jerusalem Declaration on the US-Israel Strategic Partnership” was signed. This document reiterates the bond between Israel and the US and commits both countries to ‘use all elements of national power‘ to keep Iran from obtaining a nuclear bomb (2). It said,
“Consistent with the longstanding security relationship between the United States and Israel and the unshakeable US commitment to Israel’s security, and especially to the maintenance of its qualitative military edge, the United States reiterates its steadfast commitment to preserve and strengthen Israel’s capability to deter its enemies and to defend itself by itself against any threat or combination of threats” (3).
Though not a strong promise of military cooperation in the event of war, nor a NATO-like treaty, it does send the message that the USA is still a player in the Middle East.
While in Jerusalem, Biden also visited the Augusta Victoria Hospital in East Jerusalem and donated to it $US100 million, saying it was “part of our commitment to support health and dignity [for] the Palestinian people” (4). This was the first time that a US president has set foot in East Jerusalem, outside the Old City. This is being regarded here as a political statement by the US administration recognizing Palestinian ties to East Jerusalem. Afterwards Biden also met with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas in Bethlehem. Initially the two leaders sought to issue a joint statement that would highlight the areas of agreement regarding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. However, Abbas’ insistence that such a statement would have to include recognition of East Jerusalem as the capital of the future Palestinian state made it impossible for Biden to agree, since it would violate the proclamation signed by Trump that Jerusalem is Israel’s capital (4). In the end both leaders issued separate statements.
Just hours before Biden flew out to visit Saudi Arabia, the Saudi General Authority of Civil Aviation said it was announcing a decision “to open the Kingdom’s airspace for all air carriers that meet the requirements of the Authority for overflying” (5), thus opening its airspace to all flights in and out of Israel, and cutting flight length to the far east destinations such as India, Thailand, Australia and New Zealand by around 3 hours. Biden nearly undid all the progress being made in Saudi – Israeli relations by making a statement that implied this opening of the airspace was the result of Saudi – Israeli -US negotiations, thus demonstrating his tenuous grasp of Middle Eastern sensibilities. The Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud, consequently denied that any such negotiations with Israel are taking place. Israel and Saudi Arabia have no diplomatic relations, and the Kingdom does not recognize Israel as a state.
Biden’s statement as issued is below:
“Saudi Arabia’s historic decision to open its airspace for all civilian planes, including those flying to and from Israel, is an important step towards building a more integrated and stable Middle East region. While this opening has long been discussed, now, thanks to months of steady diplomacy between my Administration and Saudi Arabia, it is finally a reality. Today, I will be the first president of the United States to fly from Israel to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. As we mark this important moment, Saudi Arabia’s decision can help build momentum toward Israel’s further integration into the region, including with Saudi Arabia. I will do all that I can, through direct diplomacy and leader-to-leader engagement, to keep advancing this groundbreaking process” (6). Personally I feel that Biden’s visit was something of a non-event and not worth the millions of dollars spent on his visit and the disruption to life in Israel, especially here in Jerusalem. He came with a retinue of hundreds of staff, security personnel and journalists. On one occasion a cavalcade of some 60 vehicles, which he had brought with him from the US, transported him and his retinue a mere 400 m from the King David Hotel to the Waldorf Astoria Hotel (7). He also brought with him two presidential helicopters and six black hawk helicopters, which begs the question of why he could not have flown to Jerusalem in a helicopter. Instead, the main highway from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem was closed for several hours on two days and many internal Jerusalem roads were also closed during his stay, even for pedestrian traffic. This all caused massive traffic jams everywhere, and much disruption to normal life and commerce. People could not get to work, children could not get to school and normal life here was put on hold
Russia and Iran
Meanwhile Russia’s aggression against Ukraine grinds on, now into its 6th month. Yesterday (23 July) two missiles struck the port of Odessa, and two others landed in the sea nearby, less than 24 hours after Russia signed an agreement not to target ports, and to allow the clearance of mines, so that the millions of tons of wheat shipments trapped in Ukraine could be exported. Russia, of course, denied responsibility for the missile attacks. But who else??? The EU and the UN strongly condemned the attack. The UN secretary general said the grain deal signed by Russia, Ukraine and Turkey was imperative, and a UN spokesperson said that “these products are desperately needed to address the global food crisis and ease the suffering of millions of people in need around the globe” (7).
Israel imports 90% of its wheat from abroad and about 50% of that comes from Russia and 30% from Ukraine. So far we have not felt the shortage thanks to the fact that our government has a large stockpile stored for emergency use, but this will not last many months. Soon we may have to start tightening our belts – literally.
Both Ukraine and Russia are important trading partners for Israel. Al-Monitor (9) summarized the trade situation thus, “Based on annual trade figures by the Ministry of Economy and Industry, Israeli exports of goods and services to Russia amount to $1 billion per year, while imports from Russia come to $2.5 billion. Most of the Russian imports consist of fuel, minerals and gemstones, particularly diamonds. Israel’s major exports to Russia consist of agricultural products (26%), machinery and medical and optical equipment (41%), and chemicals. Half of Israel’s wheat imports originate in Russia, while another 30% come from Ukraine. Russia also provides Israel with a significant part of the coal used to power the country’s electrical stations. Israel gets the coal for a relatively low price, too.
Israeli trade with Ukraine is significantly less than that with Russia, amounting to under $800 million per year (the 2021 figures are still incomplete). Some 80% of that is imports, especially wheat and other agricultural products”.
As the war continues to progress Israel’s relations with Russia are deteriorating putting our economy at great risk. A special task force of senior officials representing several Israeli government ministries has been tasked with assessing Israel’s current stockpiles of wheat, coal and oil, in order to ensure that no real shortages occur. Alternative sources of supply are also being sought and negotiated.
Offsetting this to an extent is the economic boost resulting from the selling of our natural gas to the EU as they try to wean themselves from dependence on Russia. The amount we can sell to Europe is currently limited by the lack of a direct pipeline. Our natural gas is being piped to Egypt where it is liquefied and shipped by tanker to Europe. This limits the quantity we can export. Though a pipeline to Europe is planned, it will take years to construct.
Also of concern that, as a result of western sanctions against it, Russia is now turning to Iran for support and trade, in what The Hindu (news report) dubbed a ‘coalition of the sanctioned‘ (10). Just days after Biden’s visit to the Middle East, Russian President Vladimir Putin travelled to Teheran where he met with Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, and President Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey. Prior to Putin’s arrival in Teheran, Russia and Iran signed a “$40 billion energy memorandum of understanding where Russia’s Gazprom would work with the National Iranian Oil Company in developing energy fields and building LNG projects and pipelines” (10). The US has also claimed that Russia is seeking to purchase armed drones for deployment in its war against Ukraine. With Erdogan, Putin discussed the situation in Syria and the export of wheat from Ukraine.
As Russia continues its war in Ukraine and courts relationships with Iran, Syria and Hezbollah, the relationship between Russia and Israel is beginning to unravel. Earlier this month, Russia ordered the Jewish Agency to shut down all its operations inside Russia. The Jewish Agency works closely with Israeli governmental agencies to assist Jews wanting to make aliyah (immigrate) to Israel. This is creating a diplomatic crisis. Israeli officials who wanted to go to Russia to discuss this issue were denied visas. Since the outbreak of the war with Ukraine there has been an upsurge in Jews making aliyah from both Ukraine and Russia, but even though thousands of others in Russia have completed their paperwork, they have not yet been able to leave because of the difficulty of obtaining flights. Many international airlines have stopped flying to and from Russia because of the sanctions. A senior source in Russia’s Jewish community told the Jerusalem Post that ” People from the Jewish community have been feeling the Iron Curtain settling on them, and they fear the won’t be able to escape the country“. Another source said that “a number of Jews have said that the Russian authorities are trying to arrest them and that they fear for their lives” (11).
For more on the breakdown of relations between Russia and Israel I would recommend you watch this video which explains it very clearly and in prophetic context;
Since the outbreak of the civil war in Syria in 2011, Israel has carried out hundreds of attacks on Hezbollah and Iranian targets in Syria. Though Russia is aligned with the Assad regime in Syria, Iran and Hezbollah, it cooperates with Israel to avoid Russian troops and bases from being inadvertently hit. It is very important for Israel to be able to continue these strikes in Syria in order to prevent the arming of Hezbollah with precision missiles supplied by Iran.
Today (26/07) Hezbollah’s leader in Lebanon, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, boasted once again that “All land and sea targets of Israel are in the range of Hezbollah missiles“, and that Hezbollah “has the ability to prevent Israel or companies from extracting gas from the Karish gas field” (12). Earlier this month (02/07) Hezbollah fired 3 Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (drones) at the Karish Gas Field, which it claims belongs to Lebanon. One of the drones was shot down by an Israeli F16 fighter jet and the other two by missiles fired from a Navy ship (13). The Hezbollah leader today also said that if the Karish Gas Field begins production in September, as is planned, “we will have a problem”.
Israel is having to deal with a new kind of weapon, drones. Drone warfare is now a reality. Nasrallah also boasted today that “we have drones that can evade the enemy; a number of drones in recent years entered parts of the Galilee and returned without being shot down” (14). Israel, too, has drones of course and last week the IDF announced that it has used drones to attack targets in Syria. Israel has also developed a laser-based antimissile system, called Iron Beam, that can identify and shoot down drones, such as those used by Hamas in Gaza. This is a 5th level of anti-missile defense which can also shoot down rockets, missiles and mortars fired from a short range (up to 7km), which is too close for the other defense systems to deal with.
Iran continues to enrich uranium with the intention of making a nuclear bomb. According to the International Atomic Energy Agency Iran now has sufficient enriched uranium to make a bomb (15). It now has around 43 kg of uranium enriched to 60%. Though some of this would be lost during further enrichment to the 90% needed for a bomb, the IAEA considers it to be enough to make an explosive device. Iran denies its intention to make a bomb but there is no peaceful use for enriched uranium over 4%. These ‘facts on the ground’ make any return to the the 2015 nuclear agreement impossible. Under that agreement Iran was not permitted to enrich uranium above 4%. Consequently the stalled negotiations to restore the agreement are doomed.
Israel’s Government Collapses AGAIN!
On July 1 Yair Lapid was sworn in as Interim Prime Minister after Naftali Bennet stepped down and the Knesset (Parliament) was dissolved. Bennet’s government had survived a year, far longer than anyone really expected. In my opinion his government was doing a fairly good job given the circumstances, but his coalition had a majority of only one seat in the Knesset and when one person walked out the government was no longer viable. New elections (our 5th in 4 years!!) are scheduled for the 1st of October.
Summer in Israel
Summer is truly upon
us in Israel- hot, dry
and hosting millions of jellyfish in the sea. So far, we have escaped the extreme heat waves, and the consequent wildfires, afflicting the countries around us, Europe, Asia and North America. We did have one fire that threatened Mevaseret but it was controlled before it entered the town. I feel like we are living in a little bubble of blessing. Please pray this will continue. The schools are out, the children are in summer camps and many families are travelling abroad after more than 2 years of confinement because of the Pandemic. The tourists are also beginning to return. This, of course, is resulting in chaos at the airports, just like in other parts of the world. Ben Gurion Airport authorities say that they are short 1300 staff and this is resulting in long queues and a mountain of lost luggage.
The airport is not the only industry suffering from a lack of labor. Many industries that laid off staff during the Pandemic and now unable to resume normal operations due to a lack of staff. The unemployment rate stands at 3.3%, the lowest ever, and down from the 25% at the height of the lockdowns. Where did all the workers go? I think many decided to take the opportunity of the lockdowns to retrain and get better paid jobs, or open their own small businesses.
The Covid Pandemic is not over but, in general, people are behaving as if it is. We had a 6th wave of infections in June and July which reached an infection rate of over 14,000 per day at its peak, but it has now receded to around 6,000 as of yesterday. In Israel, as in other countries, there is a kind of pandemic-fatigue and most people are just ignoring all precautions and getting on with life. We are adjusting to a ‘new normal’ where we are learning to live with the virus amongst us. Of course those who fall ill, especially those with serious symptoms, are not so blasé. Deaths are still occurring. As of yesterday the official death toll due to the virus in Israel stands at 11,300 including the 9 that died that day.
When I shut up heaven and there is no rain, or command the locusts to devour the land, or send pestilence among My people, if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land. Now My eyes will be open and My ears attentive to prayer made in this place.
2 Chronicles 7: 13-15
References:
1. https://www.timesofisrael.com/biden-visit-proves-a-far-cry-from-israels-fanciful-expectations/
2. https://www.timesofisrael.com/biden-lapid-to-sign-jerusalem-declaration-a-platform-for-us-israel-cooperation/?utm_source=The+Daily+Edition&utm_campaign=daily-edition-2022-07-13&utm_medium=email
3. https://www.jpost.com/international/article-712461
4. https://www.timesofisrael.com/how-israel-nearly-turned-bidens-east-jerusalem-visit-into-a-diplomatic-incident/
5. https://apnews.com/article/biden-iran-jerusalem-israel-saudi-arabia-e3e33473723626b19c9b35ab1a3ce119
6. https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2022/07/15/statement-by-president-biden-welcoming-the-opening-of-saudi-airspace-to-israel/
7. https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/biden-said-to-be-travelling-through-jerusalem-in-60-vehicle-motorcade/
8. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-62276392
9. https://www.al-monitor.com/originals/2022/03/israels-trade-ukraine-russia-be-affected-conflict
10. https://www.thehindu.com/opinion/editorial/a-coalition-of-the-sanctioned-the-hindu-editorial-on-russia-and-iran/article65666244.ece
11. https://www.jpost.com/diaspora/article-711227
12. https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/article-713053
13. https://www.timesofisrael.com/idf-says-it-shot-down-3-hezbollah-drones-heading-for-karish-gas-field/
14. https://www.ynetnews.com/article/rjygyz629
15. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iron_Beam
16. https://www.forbes.com/sites/joewalsh/2022/05/30/iran-now-has-enough-uranium-for-nuclear-weapon-un-watchdog-reportedly-says/?sh=15b9961f6b51