Talia's Joy

WAR DAY 5

October 11, 2023 / admin

The Lord is my light and my salvation—
whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the stronghold of my life—
of whom shall I be afraid?

²When the wicked advance against me
    to devour me,
it is my enemies and my foes
    who will stumble and fall.
³Though an army besiege me,
    my heart will not fear;
though war break out against me,
    even then I will be confident.

⁴One thing I ask from the Lord,
    this only do I seek:
that I may dwell in the house of the Lord
    all the days of my life,
to gaze on the beauty of the Lord
    and to seek him in his temple.
⁵For in the day of trouble
    he will keep me safe in his dwelling;
he will hide me in the shelter of his sacred tent
    and set me high upon a rock.

⁶Then my head will be exalted
above the enemies who surround me;
at his sacred tent I will sacrifice with shouts of joy;
I will sing and make music to the Lord.

Psalm 27

It is Day 5 of the Israel-Gaza War. The first rush of adrenalin has worn off and now the sheer weariness of it all is beginning to set in. I am beginning to suffer from cabin fever, as we have been ordered to shelter indoors with doors locked. Unnoticed, autumn has arrived and we should be outdoors enjoying the beautiful cool, fresh weather, but no one can this year.

On Saturday morning, the 7th October 2023, at 06:30 hours, I woke to the sound of booms overhead. At first I thought it was my friend’s kids banging around upstairs, but when our sirens began to blare, I realized we were under attack. All that morning the sirens and booming continued as those lucky enough to have shelters took cover in them, and the rest of us (including myself), hunkered down in our safest room. I should explain that only those houses built after the Gulf War of 1991 have shelters, and the public shelters are too distant for most of us to be able to reach them in the 90 seconds we have before the rockets and missiles strike.

Shock and horror took hold as the news began to filter in. This was no ‘normal’ missile and rocket attack (yes, they are normal for us!), but something far, far worse. As the around 3000 rockets and missiles were flying into Israel that morning, some 1500 or more Hamas operatives and Gazan civilians were breaking through the perimeter fence around Gaza and infiltrating our southern regions, mercilessly murdering everyone they could, raping women, killing children, babies, and the elderly and infirm. They killed whole families. They also captured a still unknown number of hostages including children, babies and even aged Holocaust survivors, taking them back to the Gaza Strip. They massacred around 250 young people attending a music /rave festival in the desert while the remaining 2000 or so literally ran for their lives under fire. The full extent of the barbaric and demonic rampage is only now coming to light as Israel has at last managed to retake those communities. Whole families have been massacred and their bodies mutilated, children decapitated and the elderly murdered in their beds. We are not seeing this on the mainstream media in Israel in sensitivity to the families impacted and in order not to create mass panic. Some footage however is reaching the social media and foreign news. What I have seen is stomach turning. I have had to make a conscious effort not to watch these images.

Some are likening this to the 9/11 attack on the twin towers in the USA. With all due respect, this is nothing like it, it is much worse. In proportion to the population, the Israeli death toll of 1200 so far is approximately 10 times more than that of the 9/11 attack in the USA. But it is not about statistics or numbers however. This is not just an isolated terror attack, it is an ongoing, all-out war and it affects every Israeli in a very personal way. Towns and cities in the entire southern half of the country, up to about Hadera and Wadi Ara, and also in some parts of the north, have been hit by rocket and missile fire. So far 300,000 reservists and volunteers, men and women, have been called up, and the mobilization of an additional 360,000 is in progress. Every family and individual is impacted. For every person called up there is a family left at home, wives (or husbands and grandparents or other family members) coping with traumatized children in a war situation. All schools, universities, kindergartens and daycare centers are closed.

The economy has come to a halt with only essential services, such as supermarkets, pharmacies and gas stations still open. Even those businesses and services that are open, are barely functioning as many of their workers have been called up and supply lines have been broken. When I went to the supermarket on Monday the shelves were empty of fresh produce, meat, eggs and bread. Bottled water was disappearing fast. I saw one woman take the last can of baby formula. She was begging for more, but there was none. That evening the Home Front Command broadcast a warning telling us to stock up with enough food, medicine and water for at least 3 days. This caused a panic-buy that evening and now supermarkets are having to ration some items.

The hospitals are treating over 3000 injured as well as the normal load of the ill. Many doctors and nurses and other staff have been called up to fight. At least one hospital was hit by a missile and at least one other is in the process of moving its patients into the underground bunkers.

The airport, though repeatedly targeted, has not been hit as yet, but all foreign airlines are no longer flying into Israel (for insurance reasons apparently). Some countries are arranging special flights to rescue their citizens. The Israeli government has covered the insurance of the 3 Israeli airlines, El Al, Israir, and Arkia, which are still flying, and even putting on extra flights, in an attempt to ferry returning Israelis home.

I should also explain this phenomenon. Unlike in most places when war breaks out, Israelis do not flee abroad. On the contrary, Israelis who are abroad for whatever reason, even some of those living abroad, return in order to help their families or to join the armed forces. Israel is a family. We fight and squabble just like any other family, but when the family is threatened we come together. When your family is in danger, you just want to be there. This time, because of the Succot holiday, many were abroad on holiday or visiting family. Nearly all want to come home.

The great fear here is that war will open up on other fronts. Already there has been some sporadic fire across the border from Hezbollah in Lebanon and today, from Syria. Iran is repositioning equipment and troops in readiness for a potential attack via Iraq and Syria.

Last night President Biden broadcast a speech pledging US support for Israel. We have already received a huge supply of ammunition and other military equipment from the States. The USS Aircraft carrier, “the General Ford”, carrying around 5000 US fighters and +/- fighter jets and other aircraft, plus its accompanying warships, arrived off the coast of Israel. Another carrier strike group may also be ordered to reposition here in the next days. This show of strength is intended to send a strong message to Iran, Syria and their terrorist proxies, and it is hoped it will head off a regional conflict in which Israel will come under attack from every side. There is no intention of the US actively joining the battle, at this point anyway.

As I write Israeli forces are relentlessly attacking Hamas in Gaza. The goal is to destroy the Hamas military apparatus and bring down the Hamas political hold on the Strip. (This is not only necessary for our survival but ultimately for the good of the Gazan population as well). The roar of fighter jets overhead is continuous, there is active artillary fire, and preparations are being made for an imminent ground incursion.

At the beginning of the war, the international press was, on the whole, reporting events fairly sympathetically towards Israel, but as the casualties and damage in Gaza grows we are already seeing a swing. It could once again start to paint Israel as the aggressor against the ‘poor’ Gazans.

Already we are beginning to hear the old, familiar calls for proportionality and a ceasefire. It is important to understand that this is war. In war one doesn’t aim for ‘proportionality’, one aims to win. We are fighting for survival and this time, Hamas, crossed a red line. No one here wants another ceasefire, (we cease and they fire!) which at best last months or even just days. This time, we want to see Hamas crushed and removed from power, and we will not stop until this is accomplished. There will be civilian lives lost, much property destroyed and a terrible humanitarian crisis in Gaza. We don’t want this but we have no choice. I want the world to understand this. We are fighting for survival. We didn’t start this war. They have brought it on themselves.

Israel is not ‘occupying’ Gaza as the press loves to say. Israel withdrew every last settler and soldier from Gaza in 2005. Since then, especially since Hamas wrested control there, we have been forced to severely limit the import of goods and the passage of people in and out of the Strip, in order to prevent the smuggling of weapons. Nevertheless, thousands of Gazans have been allowed to cross into Israel every day in order to work and many were also coming for medical treatment, often given for free by Israeli hospitals. Since the current war started, Israel has switched off the electricity, water and fuel supplies to Gaza, and closed the border. This may seem unconscionable but why should we continue to supply them with these things which they use in the fight against us?

We also hear much talk about the ‘innocent civilians’ in Gaza. Although there are no doubt some ‘innocent’ in Gaza, the fact is that many of these so-called ‘innocent civilians’ have been complicit in supporting this horrendous Hamas regime and have participated in the brainwashing of generations of children in a violent culture of hatred against all Jews. As the early successes of Hamas in this war became known, we saw these ‘innocent civilians’ out on the streets celebrating and spitting on the Israeli hostages as they were paraded half-naked by their captors.

We do not know how all this will end or how long it will last or how many more people on both sides will die, be injured or traumatized. I do know that we will never be the same again. It is not the time to be pointing fingers but the time will come when some hard questions must be answered. How was it that we were caught by surprise? How was our intelligence so wrong? How were our border defenses so easily overcome? However I do know Israel will survive, because the Bible prophesies this and God has promised.

Many are asking why has God allowed this terrible thing to happen? I don’t know the answer, but I do know that He has his purposes and nothing man can do will stop them from being fulfilled. He will bring good out of this and He will protect and save Israel. But, I do think it is a wake up call, not only for Israel but for the whole world, and especially the church of true believers in the God of Israel. I have been much encouraged to hear of the mobilization of prayer intercession in many churches and groups abroad, even some who have until now not shown much interest in Israel. We are being called to get on side with God, to share in the spiritual battle for the kingdom of heaven which centers on Israel.

Here are some specific prayer points: Pray for:

the existential survival of Israel through which God is working out the end-time events leading to the ultimate redemption of the world. Satan is trying to destroy Israel and derail the redemption plan of God;
the leaders in the government and military, that they will come together in a Unity Government and make good decisions concerning the way forward;
the armed forces, army, navy and air force, and all the police, rescue workers and others on the front lines;
the protection of our infrastructure, electricity, water, and transport systems;
the injured, the bereaved and the hostages. Also for the many who are still desperately searching for their loved ones ( the exact number and identity of the hostages is not yet known, nor are all the dead identified);
the fearful and the traumatized. Many have experienced and seen horrendous things, and though they may have escaped physical injury, the psychological injury is grave. Seasoned soldiers, medics and rescue workers, and Zaka members (the organization that collects the dead and body parts) are saying they have never experienced anything so horrendous;
the functioning of the Christian churches and Messianic congregations in view of the fact that many of the leaders, including pastors and elders, are currently serving in the military, often on the front lines. Pray for their protection and for their families at home. So far I have heard of one believing soldier killed. There may be more;
all the believers both here and in the Gaza Strip that we will know God’s protection and comfort at this time. That we will not give into fear and anxiety, will support one another and be lights in our communities.
That the gospel will continue to go forth and that many in Israel and in the Gaza Strip and other Palestinian areas will be saved, and that God’s Name will be glorified.

Thank you for all who are praying with us. We need your prayers more than ever. I will close with this prayer which seems very apt:

REASONABLENESS LOST

September 12, 2023 / admin

I woke up this morning (12 September 2023) with the words of an old song by the 1980s group, Maranatha, resonating in my brain. One of the lines says, “The battle belongs to the LORD” and it seems very apt today. It is a fateful and momentous day for the state of Israel. This morning at 9:00 AM the 15 justices of Israel’s Supreme Court began their deliberations regarding the current government’s abolishment of the so-called “reasonableness clause” amendment to the Basic Law.

In my last post (23/08/23) I asked for prayer concerning this matter. The vote to abolish the clause was held the day after my posting and it passed 64-0, all the coalition MKs voted for it (even those few who had dared to speak out against it), and all of the opposition MKs boycotted the vote. Now we are in the ludicrous (if it wasn’t so serious) situation where the Supreme Court is meeting to decide whether to endorse, or veto, the change in the law, which essentially denies them the power to do so. The seriousness of the situation is demonstrated by the fact that, for the first time ever, all 15 of the Supreme Court judges will deliberate in this hearing, instead of the usual 3. The Guardian put it like this:

“Israel is now facing an unprecedented constitutional crisis in which the supreme court could strike down the legislation designed to curb its powers, and the government could choose not to comply“(1).

According to the Jerusalem Post today (2) only 3 of the 33 cabinet ministers have committed to following the decision of the Supreme Court, and PM Netanyahu is not one of them. In fact, Netanyahu “has pointedly refused to say that he would obey the court if it strikes down this amendment to a basic law. Instead, he has suggested that if the court interferes with a basic law, it would exceed its authority“.

Such a position is dangerous, as it would put the government above the law. The same Jerusalem Post article goes on to say, “

In fact, if the court were prevented from striking down basic laws or amendments to them, then any government could pass any law it desired as a basic law, thereby precluding any judicial review. That situation, obviously, is untenable.Equally untenable is a government that does not listen to the court.

Not only is it untenable, it opens the door to anarchy, to a situation described in the Book of Judges where “everyone did what was right in his own eyes.” If the government does not heed the court’s decision, why should anyone else?

For more background you can read the following articles:

https://www.ajc.org/news/what-is-israels-reasonableness-legislation-and-why-is-it-so-contentious

https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/politics-and-diplomacy/article-758427

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2023_Israeli_judicial_reform#

It seems to me that whatever the Supreme Court decides we are facing the potential of chaos and anarchy. I am looking to the LORD for His solution, for I see none according to man’s ways.

The ‘Reasonableness’ amendment is just the first of a whole raft of proposed changes this government wants to make. One of the next judicial reform proposals is slated to be a change in the way Supreme Court judges are appointed. The current selection committee consists of 9 members made up of 3 existing Supreme Court judges, 2 representatives of the Bar Association, 2 Knesset members and 2 Ministers (3). Decisions are made by a simple majority.

The current government, however, feels that the system is biased against a right-leaning government as they can never gain approval since the other 5 members tend to be left-leaning. While this is a legitimate complaint, the proposed ‘repair’, would give the government complete control over the appointment of judges with 7 representatives out of 11 members. It seems to me that there must be a better way to appoint a balanced and fair representation on the Committee.

Another change on the agenda will be a law to allow the overthrow of virtually any ruling of the Supreme Court with a vote of just 61 MKs. In other words the sitting government (which must have a minimum of 61 MKs) will be able to overthrow any of the rulings of the Supreme Court, thus putting the government over the rule of law. There would be no protection from the abuse of power.

The coalition government has also put forward a draft bill which would allow them to appoint their own legal advisors and remove any obligation of the government to obey the advice of their legal advisors. This would substantially change the current system in which each ministry’s legal adviser falls under the supervision of the Attorney General so as to preserve their independence from political influence, and their advice is binding upon ministries (3).

In short, the reforms, if passed, will undermine the independence of the Judiciary and put the sitting government essentially above the Law. Opponents claim the checks and balances of a healthy democracy would be destroyed, potentially allowing the elected government to change basic laws unopposed thus abusing its power to its own ends.

Other proposed changes the current coalition government wants to introduce include, the “…Full annexation of the occupied West Bank, a rollback of pro-LGBTQ+ legislation, axing laws protecting women’s rights and minority rights, and a loosening of the rules of engagement for Israeli police and soldiers” (1).

Meanwhile weekly demonstrations against the current government continue to take place with hundreds of thousands turning out each time. This has continued now for 36 weeks (9 months!).

Thankfully these protests have not devolved into violence, except for a few minor scuffles with the police trying (sometimes in vain) to keep the roads open. The demonstrations represent a spontaneous protest, with no leaders as such, and represent the views of at least 50% of the population. The latest polls indicate that if an election were held today, the current coalition would win only 52 seats (4) – 9 short of the 61 needed to form a government, in short, they no longer have majority support.

Who are the people protesting? According to APnews,

“The anti-government protesters come largely from Israel’s urban middle class and include doctors, academics, military officers and business leaders. Netanyahu’s supporters tend to be poorer, more religious and include residents of West Bank settlements and outlying areas. Many are working-class Jews of Mizrahi, or Middle Eastern, descent who see themselves marginalized by an Ashkenazi, or European, elite”(5).

This represents a deep divide in Israeli society which is both racial, cultural, religious and economic. The terms ‘right wing’ and ‘left wing’ mean something very different in Israel compared to the US and other western democracies. It is much more complex.

It is illuminating to read the party manifesto (below) of the Otzmah Yehudit (Jewish Power) Party, led by Itamar Ben Gvir, and which holds 6 seats in the Knesset. Ben Gvir is the Minister of National Security, and he has already proposed changes including more ministerial control over police actions (he is already doing this), and the establishment of a National Guard, essentially his own para-military force.

Although some of these goals may seem, on the surface acceptable, even laudable, what they boil down to is far from acceptable. They would result in the expulsion and exclusion of all non-Jewish citizens and residents of Israel, including all non-Orthodox Jews, Muslims, Christians and Messianic believers who would not be defined as “Jewish” by Otzmah Yehudit. It would mean the annexation of all of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. The Temple Mount would come under Israeli law, the Muslim structures being destroyed and a Third Temple built. It would mean the abolishment of civil law, and halachic law (Jewish Religious Law) would be supreme under the auspices of a reconstituted Sanhedrin (Religious court). All educational institutions would have to follow far- right religious curriculum and ideologies.

I don’t believe that they could succeed with these plans at this present time, but there is a definite shift towards this ideology in a large sector of Israeli society, particularly amongst those who feel disadvantaged. At the same time extremism and violence at both ends of the political and religious spectrum is increasing, and threatens to boil over into uncontrollable violence. There is an atmosphere of fear, anxiety and uncertainty in all sectors. Israel is facing its greatest threat since the founding of the modern state, not from our enemies without, but from ourselves within.

There is much more I could write about, such as the increasing number of terrorist attacks, the alarming rise of violence in the Arab sector, attacks against Christians and Christian property, the security situation with Iran, Hezbollah and Hamas, the breakdown of Palestinian Authority in the West Bank, and so on, but in the interests of getting this published today, I will stop here.

You may be asking how to pray into this situation? That is a hard one, but here are my suggestions:

Pray for righteous leadership in Israel, according to God’s will.
Pray for the continued freedom of Christian and Messianic activity and the preaching of the gospel.
Pray against fear and anxiety, and that many would turn to the LORD and his Messiah at this time.
Pray for the leaders of the land, political, military, economic and spiritual, that they will repent and follow the LORD.
Pray especially for Netanyahu who has painted himself into a very uncomfortable corner. Pray he and his colleagues will act for the good of all the people of Israel and not just for their own personal interests.

Remember: The battle belongs to the LORD!!!

References:

JERUSALEM STAGGERS

July 23, 2023 / admin

Jerusalem staggers,
    Judah is falling;
their words and deeds are against the Lord,
    defying his glorious presence.
The look on their faces testifies against them;
    they parade their sin like Sodom;
    they do not hide it.
Woe to them!
    They have brought disaster upon themselves.

Tell the righteous it will be well with them,
    for they will enjoy the fruit of their deeds.
Woe to the wicked!
    Disaster is upon them!
They will be paid back
    for what their hands have done.

Isaiah 3: 8-11

Tens of thousands of protestors arrive in Jerusalem Saturday after marching from Tel Aviv https://static.timesofisrael.com/www/uploads/2023/07/WhatsApp-Image-2023-07-22-at-19.45.00.jpg?

I am much troubled this morning, and so I turned to my daily Bible reading and this is what I saw. It was not the comfort I was seeking! Today is a fateful day for Jerusalem and for Israel as a nation. My heart is torn and my knees are trembling. What have we done? God brought Jews from the ends of the Earth back to the Land of Israel, united us in a common vision of a modern State, we built a magnificent, successful nation with a stable economy and blessed the world with our daring innovations. But we did not give the glory to God who protected us and blessed us. Instead we became puffed up and full of pride in the work of our own hands. Now we are tearing our nation apart. Our enemies are rubbing their hands in glee, waiting for the right moment to pounce and destroy.

Today the final discussion will be held concerning the proposed Bill revoking the so-called ‘Reasonableness Doctrine’ and, some time in the next few days, the third and final vote will be taken. For the last 29 consecutive weeks hundreds of thousands of Israelis have taken to the streets in protest. As I write thousands are pouring into Jerusalem in a last ditch attempt to stop the passage of the Bill. They have set up a tent city in Sacher Park, and plan to stay as long as needed.

Thankfully the protests have not yet devolved into serious violence and rioting, though they have blocked major roads for hours on end and caused much disruption to daily life. The Histadrut (national labor union) has given the government a deadline of 4PM today to delay the vote, or else they will call out an open-ended national strike. Other professional groups, including medical personnel, are also threatening strikes. This would be a disaster. Of even more concern, is the increasing number of army volunteer reservists who are refusing to report for duty, now numbering over 10,000, including over 1100 air force pilots. This is undermining our defense capability and makes us look vulnerable before our enemies, even though we all know that if we were to come under attack, every one of those reservists would immediately report for service.

So what is all the fuss about? I will attempt to explain. The current government coalition, led by Bibi Netanyahu, is trying to reform the judiciary and in so doing has laid on the table a raft of proposed Bills. Whilst no one contests that some reform of the judiciary is needed, the proposed Bills, if passed into Law, will seriously undermine the independence of the Supreme Court and essentially put the sitting government above the Law. The two pillars of a successful modern democracy is an elected Parliament (in Israel called the Knesset) and a politically independent Judiciary. Those opposed to the proposed changes feel that they will destroy the independence of the Judiciary and so destroy Israel’s democratic nature, replacing it with a kind of religious ‘theocracy’ controlled by extreme, right-wing, ultra-orthodox elements. The current Bill is just the thin end of the wedge. If it passes, it will open the door for a whole raft of legislation which will oppress many sectors of society, including Muslims and Christians, and even non-Orthodox Jews.

The current proposed Bill will revoke the Reasonableness Doctrine which gives the Supreme Court the power to override laws passed by the Knesset if they are seen as unreasonable or contrary to the Basic Law. This is similar to the power of the King in the UK, or the Governor General in Commonwealth nations, to veto government actions. This is especially important in countries, like Israel, which lack a Constitution, in that it protects the country from the abuse of power by a government.

A recent example of the Reasonableness Doctrine in action occurred when Netanyahu decided to appoint Arieh Deeri, the leader of the Shas Party, as Health and Interior Minister despite his past criminal convictions. “Deeri, as part of his 2022 plea bargain, promised he would not return to public life. The High Court ruled that due to Deri’s criminal history – he has been convicted twice of crimes (2000, 2022) and served a stint in prison in 2002 – was “unreasonable in the extreme” and allowed the application of the reasonableness doctrine to disqualify him from serving as a minister” (1).

Many Israelis believe that the proposal to overthrow the Reasonableness Doctrine is intended to open the door for Deeri’s return to the Ministry and also to protect Netanyahu from expulsion from government if he is found guilty by the courts in any one of the four criminal court cases proceeding against him.

Supporters of the proposed reform say that the Reasonableness Doctrine is too subjective and gives the Courts an excessive power over the government. They may have a point, but it seems to me that the solution is to refine the doctrine rather than abolish it altogether. For a more detailed explanation see https://www.ajc.org/news/what-is-israels-reasonableness-legislation-and-why-is-it-so-contentious or https://www.timesofisrael.com/the-reason-for-reasonableness-a-doctrine-at-the-heart-of-the-overhaul-explained/

Last week Netanyahu was admitted to hospital after fainting and striking his head. They told us it was a result of dehydration but they fitted him with an heart monitor which yesterday detected an irregularity in his heart. Last night he had a cardiac pacemaker surgically implanted, and he says he will be present when the votes are taken. He is under extreme pressure (I sure would not want to be in his shoes) and has backed himself into a corner where he is being controlled by the extreme ultra-religious elements of his government coalition. He either has to go ahead and risk irreparable rifts in Israeli society which could lead to civil war, or he has to back down which would destroy his coalition and cause the government to collapse. In my opinion, the latter would be the preferable course of action but he is a proud man and will not want to lose face or lose power (though he has already lost his power, not to mention his reputation, as far as I can see). If you want to find out more about the nature of our current government I suggest you do a Google search under the names of Itamar Ben-Gvir, the leader of Otzmah Yehudit (Jewish Power) Party, the largest coalition partner, and Arieh Deeri, the leader of the Shas Party. You will see that our government is literally being led by criminals. May the LORD help us all.

One of the effects of all this turmoil is an increase in polarization, and the boldness of extreme elements particularly from the religious right. Two Messianic/Christian events were recently disrupted by ultra-Orthodox groups, who blocked entry cursing, pushing and assaulting those trying to enter. Priests, nuns, Christian pilgrims and tourists are routinely being assaulted on our streets, and churches vandalized (2). Although this sort of action is not new, it is increasing in frequency and severity. The Messianic Bible College of Israel in Netanya was also recently attacked by an arsonist but police are claiming she was just a ‘mentally disturbed’ woman.

It is not surprising these things are happening as the religious right government is creating an atmosphere of hatred against anyone who does not fit in their narrow definition of what it is to be Jewish. An ex-colleague of Ben Gvir, in a recent TV interview, explaining that Ben Gvir who was once deeply involved in the banned Kach movement, still believes in its ideology, but since getting into the government has learned to temper his words. Even so it is clear that his ultimate goal is to expel all ‘non-Jews’ from Israel, the West Bank and Gaza and establish a state under halachic rule (according to a strict application of the rabbinic interpretation of the Torah). If the proposed changes to the balance of power between government and the Supreme Court go through, there will be little to stop him.

There is much more I could say at this time, but time is critical and I want to ask you to pray fervently for God’s mercy on His people at this time – not because we deserve it, but for His name’s sake.

References:

ISRAEL IN CHAOS

March 27, 2023 / admin

Today, Monday 27 March 2023, will go down in history as the day Israel’s fate was sealed. We desperately need your prayers. Do not underestimate the power of your prayer. You can change history today.

The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain; and it did not rain on the land for three years and six months. ¹⁸And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth produced its fruit. James 5: 17-18

If you have turned on the news over the past few days you will see that Israel is in crisis, a greater crisis than any of the wars we have experienced or the terrorism we live with day by day or the Covid pandemic. Israel is imploding from inside. In the past hours our political crisis has reached a turning point and what happens in the coming hours will be decisive. I don’t want to go into all the political details as that would take a book and I don’t claim to know all of what has happened in the last months, however I will try give a brief rundown for you information.

The current government under Prime Minister Netanyahu is seeking to introduce a whole slew of laws and amendments, one of which , if passed would give the Knesset (Parliament) control over the appointment of Supreme Court judges and also the power to overrule any ruling of the Supreme Court, essentially putting the government over the Law. Although it is generally accepted that there needs to be some reform of the Judiciary, there is the feeling among many that this amendment to the Basic Law of Israel (the nearest thing we have to a Constitution) is being rushed through, without proper discussion and consensus, and stands to destroy Israel’s democratic system replacing it with a religious theocracy or even a dictatorship.

It is also generally believed that these amendments are being tabled primarily for personal reasons. Netanyahu is currently being tried on three counts of fraud and corruption, and if convicted, he not only would have to stand down from the Knesset, he would probably serve jail time. The leader of Netanyahu’s main coalition partner the Shas Party, Aryeh Deeri, who has already served a 4 year jail sentence for fraud and corruption, was also convicted of additional fraudulent activity about a year ago, and was only excused from serving additional jail time on the proviso he not sit in the Knesset, an agreement he has already clearly broken. The Supreme Court could have him removed and sent to jail, and this would bring down the coalition.

Needless to say, there is a great outcry on the streets. For 12 straight weeks there have been massive demonstrations against the Bill every Saturday night in all the major cities of Israel. There have also been other demonstrations during the week from time to time. These are the largest demonstrations ever seen in Israel. This last Saturday it was estimated that demonstrators numbered 250,000. For the most part these have been peaceful with only minor skirmishes with the police, as they have tried to keep control and prevent (unsuccessfully) the blockage of major roads.

This last Thursday night Netanyahu made a speech to the nation, hoping to calm the tension, but as the speech was deemed by many to be condescending and even insulting to those opposing the Bill, and as it containing factual inaccuracies, it actually had the opposite effect. In the speech he refused to heed the calls to put the law making process on hold so that proper discussions could be held and also to calm the people. On Saturday evening, one of his party colleagues, the Minister of Defense, Yoav Galant, broke ranks and made a public statement saying he was in favor of delaying the passing of the proposed law. The next day, yesterday, Netanyahu fired Galant, which has ignited much anger and protest. Last night thousands of people spontaneously went out on the streets of Israel to protest and blocked the main motorway through Tel Aviv, the Ayalon, for seven hours. To my eyes, many of the protestors this time were younger and more radical than in the earlier protests, breaking through the police cordon and setting fires in the roadway. Extremism breeds extremism!

The government planned to push through the second and third readings of this proposed Bill over the next couple of days. However in view of the outcry of last night, it was hoped that Netanyahu, in his expected speech this morning (Monday) would announce a ‘pause’ in order to calm the opposition. He has ‘delayed’ the announcement and as I write he and the other coalition leaders are in discussions. It appears that Deeri is threatening to leave the coalition, and so bring down the government, if Netanyahu makes such an announcement. Clearly, Netanyahu is no longer in charge.

In the meantime the leader of the Histadrut, the national labor union in Israel, Arnon Bar-David, made his own speech and called out an immediate, open-ended national strike. It is already starting. The airport is shutting down, with only landings permitted at the moment and I expect that landings will also stop once the planes in the air are safely on the ground. The hospitals have gone onto emergency services only, and even the major shopping centers and supermarkets are going on strike. Schools and universities are already out. It is going to be chaos if it isn’t stopped soon. We are only a few days away from the beginning of Passover and Easter, and Ramadan has already begun. Each day of strike will cost the country billions of dollars and threaten the economy which has already taken a serious hit.

The situation has now transcended politics. It is not a political ‘war’ it is a spiritual one. Satan is trying to derail God’s plan and the end time prophecies culminating in the return of the Messiah. If there is no Israel, then there is no return. I do not think God will allow this to happen of course, but if you are called by His name, you have responsibility and duty to pray against the rulers of the darkness that are coming against us to destroy us.

All this is taking place when we are already facing many security threats from Iran and its proxies, Hizbollah and Hamas, a rising level of deadly terror attacks and at the especially tense time of Ramadan, which this year coincides with Passover and Easter. I am sure our enemies are rubbing their hands in glee at our perceived weakness at this time, however should they stage an attack, I have no doubt that we would all come together and they would see how, deep down, we really are united in one thing at least – our survival.

Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. ¹¹Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. ¹²For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.¹³Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Ephesians 6: 10-13

The Body of Yeshua, made up of Jewish, Arab and Gentile believers, is also under direct attack. Last week two United Torah Judaism Members of the Knesset, Moshe Gafni and Yaakov Asher, tabled a proposed amendment to the Penal Law of 1977, which would make it illegal to solicit a person, directly, digitally, by mail, or online in order to convert his religion, the punishment being one year imprisonment; and if the person was a minor, the punishment is two years imprisonment.” For a full English translation of the proposal see (1) below.

This is not a new proposal. It has been tabled before every government since around 1990, but in the past, it was always quashed by the Supreme Court as it contravenes the Basic Law. When word got out to the evangelical world and caused an outcry especially in the USA, Netanyahu made the statement (2) on Twitter saying, “לא נקדם שום חוק נגד הקהילה הנוצרית. We will not advance any law against the Christian community.” I am not sure who constitutes the ‘we’ he is referring to. Gafni also tweeted on Twitter, saying

“הצעת חוק המיסיון הונחה כבכל תחילת כנסת ולא מקודמת בשלב זה, כך שהעיסוק בה כעת הוא לא רלוונטי. ( “The proposed ‘mission law’ was tabled as it has been at the beginning of every (new) parliament, but it is not being pushed forward at this stage, as it is at this time not relevant“- my translation)

Many believers here and around the world heaved a sigh of relief at these words, but I think we need to realize that Netanyahu is not really holding the reins in this government, and secondly we must not ignore those little words in Gafni’s statement – ‘at this time’. I suspect they will wait until our attention is directed elsewhere and sneak it through when we are not looking (as indeed they tried to do this time). If the proposed changes to the Supreme Court Law go through, then the Court could no longer block it as they have done in the past. Thank you for your prayers about this and please keep praying against it. Here we have the feeling that time is short for the gospel to go out freely here in Israel. Pray for us that we can make the most of the time remaining for us.

Satan is also trying to destroy the Body here causing division and dissension. Families are especially under attack. Last week there was a terrible event in Haifa that has rocked us all. The son of a well-known believing family attacked and killed his wife, while their three small children slept in the room next door. He turned himself into the police and is now in custody. It seems he was under the influence of alcohol at the time, but there had been previous violent incidents that had come to the notice of the police and social services. I have been a believer now for 53 years and I cannot remember a murder in our midst. We all ask how this could have happened. I do not know all the details, but please pray for the families involved. The sister of the man was killed during the Intifada in a bus bombing in Tel Aviv. She was only 14 years old. This family has suffered much.

There has been a huge surge in violence in Israel, particularly violence against women, with 24 women having been killed by their spouse in the last year. There was a Bill tabled in previous government which would have made it mandatory for a man convicted of domestic violence to wear an electronic ankle bracelet so he could be tracked. The current government, more interested in protecting men’s rights than women’s safety, had the Bill quashed a couple of weeks ago.

Another incident is causing division in the Body here is one involving a well known leader who has been a key figure in the One for Israel video outreach. He was fired last week after it was discovered he was dating another member of the team, just one month after his divorce had gone through. People are taking sides in this issue and it could cause a lot of division.

The writer of I Thessalonians had this to say regarding how we should live in the last days,

Therefore comfort each other and edify one another, just as you also are doing.

And we urge you, brethren, to recognize those who labor among you, and are over you in the Lord and admonish you, and to esteem them very highly in love for their work’s sake. Be at peace among yourselves.

Now we exhort you, brethren, warn those who are unruly, comfort the fainthearted, uphold the weak, be patient with all. See that no one renders evil for evil to anyone, but always pursue what is good both for yourselves and for all.

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

Do not quench the Spirit. Do not despise prophecies. Test all things; hold fast what is good. Abstain from every form of evil.

I Thessalonians 5: 11-22

Please pray for all the believers in the Land, that we will love one another, comfort one another and abstain for every form of evil. Pray especially for our leaders and their families.

But you, brethren, are not in darkness, so that this Day should overtake you as a thief. You are all sons of light and sons of the day. We are not of the night nor of darkness. Therefore let us not sleep, as others do, but let us watch and be sober.

I Thessalonians 5: 4-6

References

https://allisrael.com/full-text-read-the-english-translation-of-the-newly-proposed-legislation-to-outlaw-sharing-the-gospel-message-in-israel
https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/politics-and-diplomacy/article-735162

PURIM 2023

March 11, 2023 / admin

I have been somewhat remiss in updating my blog lately. I could say it is because I have been too busy (true) but it is largely because so much has been happening, it has seemed an impossibly daunting task. But here goes, I will try.

We have just celebrated the Festival of Purim in which we commemorate the events recorded in the Book of Esther. It is generally a fun time when children and adults dress up in costumes, eat Haman’s Ears cookies, and the Book of Esther is read in congregations amidst much noise-making and laughter. In some Orthodox circles there is even an injunction to ‘drink until you do not know’, though most people do not take this too literally (thankfully). This tradition however carries over to the so-called ‘Adloada’ (which translates as ‘until you don’t know’) which is a procession or street carnival held in almost every town, city and settlement in Israel on Purim.

Queen Esther leads the Adloada in Mevaseret Zion, 2023

This is the first time we have had an Adloada in Mevaseret since the beginning of the Covid Pandemic. It was lovely to see the families out having fun. For all that, it seemed to me that the joy was a little forced and the mood somewhat somber this year.

This is not surprising. Israel is facing what is probably the greatest threat to its existence since the founding of the State 75 years ago. We have survived many wars, two Intifada’s, missile and arson attacks, and innumerable terror attacks perpetrated by our enemies, but now we are facing the threat of self-destruction. There are even some who are warning of the possibility of a civil war.

For weeks now there have been around the country massive demonstrations, blocking roads and at times breaking out in scuffles with police. Demonstrators are expressing their opposition to the moves of the current government which they see as threatening the democratic system and human rights of Israel’s citizens, especially of women and minority groups. The central issue is the new Bill, that has already passed two readings in the Knesset, and which would give the government the power to appoint Supreme Court judges, and the ability to override Supreme Court rulings, essentially putting the government and Knesset members above the law. Israel’s democracy has been based on the independence of the judiciary as a check and balance on the government, and this Bill would seriously undermine this. There are many other issues too. It is too complex to go into all of them here.

With both sides accusing the other of undermining democracy and creating chaos and anarchy, there seems to be no way forward. The President of Israel has put forward an ‘outline’ of a compromise which he claims has the support of most of the Knesset ministers and the opposition, but the exact nature of this ‘outline’ and who supports it, is not clear.

Netanyahu is in an impossible situation. He can only remain in power if he has these small, extreme ultra-religious parties as coalition partners, and they will only stay in the coalition if Netanyahu keeps his promises to them. This means Netanyahu cannot back down on any of their demands without putting himself out of power. I don’t know how long the coalition can survive in such an atmosphere, but with no united opposition, the alternative is yet another election or anarchy.

Some have asked me how to pray into this situation. Here are some suggestions:

Pray that God will raise up godly politicians and leaders who truly have the welfare of the nation at heart and not their own personal power and wealth.
Pray that civil liberties will be maintained, especially the freedom of worship and the freedom to gather that we now enjoy. Currently believers in Yeshua can legally proselytize adults (over the age of 18), but that could all change under the current government.
Pray that the political divisions in our society will not cause division in the community of believers in the Land.
Pray against violence and the possibility of a civil war.

Iran

There is a danger that our enemies may see our internal struggles as a sign of weakness and might see this as an opportune moment to attack. If they do, they may get a surprise. If there is one thing that can unite Israelis, it is the imminent threat or an actual attack from outside.

Iran now has enriched uranium to 84%, just a step away from the 90% needed to make a nuclear warhead. The clock is ticking. The attempts to revive the 2015 Nuclear Deal with Iran have failed. The world has been distracted by the war in Ukraine and other matters. Iran has used this hiatus to strengthen its position. The Iranian regime is under attack at home and may see a war with Israel as a way to regain respect and status in the Muslim world, and the support of its people.

The US and Israel have been cooperating with preparations, and carrying out drills, for a military offensive to destroy Iran’s nuclear installations. Netanyahu has intimated that Israel is close to readiness for such an operation. He may see this too as a way to distract us from our internal dissension, and to maintain his hold politically.

Terrorism and the West Bank

The past months have seen a serious increase in terrorist attacks in Israel. At least 15 Israeli civilians have died in terror attacks since the beginning of the year. Just last evening (09/03) there were two attacks: one in which 3 young men on their way to a friend’s wedding were gunned down from behind at nearly point blank range in downtown Tel Aviv, and a bomb was planted in a bus in the town of Beitar Illit. Two of the young men suffered life-threatening wounds to the neck and spine and are still fighting for their lives. The third was shot in the face. The bomb on the bus was discovered in time and it was detonated by security forces without injury.

The number of attacks gives a false idea of the threat. Israeli security forces have managed to prevent thousands of potential and even imminent terror attacks. For months now they have been combing the terror nests of the West Bank arresting and at times killing those preparing attacks, and confiscating weapons.

The foreign press often carries headlines emphasizing the number of Palestinians killed by Israeli forces in the West Bank. They fail to point out that nearly all those killed have been in the process of preparing terror attacks on Israelis, and they opened fire on IDF soldiers who were trying to arrest them. Sadly, some civilians were also caught in the crossfire. They also fail to mention that the Palestinian terrorists intentionally target civilians, men, women and children. The IDF, on the other hand, tries very hard not to kill civilians and only targets known terrorist cells.

The West Bank is devolving into anarchy as the relatively ‘moderate’ President Mahmoud Abbas, is now aged 87 and ailing. When he resigns or dies he will leave a power vacuum. The Palestinian Authority is now very weak, and the terror organization, Hamas, which currently controls Gaza, is preparing to take over, with the support of Iran. It is infiltrating into Palestinian society and spreading its insidious ideology of mindless hatred and fear of Jews especially among the young and disaffected. They brainwash the young with inflammatory lies and propaganda and even run military training camps for children. These young people are then encouraged to carry out terror attacks and become martyrs, having been promised a reward in heaven. In the month of February, children as young as 13 and 14 carried out three terror attacks in Jerusalem using knives and guns. This is child abuse at its most extreme. Pray for these children, a whole generation, that are being brainwashed and for those who send them out to be killed in the name of Allah. They are all the victims of a Satanic lie.

Israeli Terrorists

Recently two young Jewish men travelling home by car through the Palestinian town of Huwara in the West Bank were attacked and killed. Later that night, hundreds of Israeli settlers attacked the town of Huwara, throwing stones into houses, and burning houses and cars, over a period of 5 hours. That this pogrom was carried out by Jews is shameful and deeply saddening. Afterwards, the far-right National Security Minister responsible for the Jewish settlements in the West Bank, Itamar Ben-Gvir responded to this attack saying, “I understand the hard feelings, but this is not the way, we don’t take the law into our hands…The government of Israel, the State of Israel, the IDF, the security forces – they are the ones who have to crush our enemies” (1) . Though Ben-Gvir has since tried to retract his statement, it is clear that his ultimate goal is to eradicate the Arab presence in the Jewish homeland.

The Earthquake in Turkey and Syria

I cannot finish without mentioning the terrible earthquake in Turkey and Syria. The horrendous level of destruction and the scale of the suffering is difficult to comprehend. That the earthquakes occurred during our worst winter storm of the season, with heavy rain and snow falling, and subzero temperatures, added to the suffering of survivors and hampered rescue efforts. Within hours Israel had sent a teams of search and rescue volunteers and a fully equipped and staffed field hospital, together with food, water and medical supplies. There are even reports that Israeli aid went in to the affected areas of Syria, but of course the Syrian government has to deny that, since we are still technically at war. Christian and Messianic aid organizations and churches in Israel have sent tens of thousands of blankets, coats, food and medical supplies.

The earthquake was felt strongly here in some areas, particularly in the north and along the coast. I saw a video taken in a 9th floor apartment in Hadera and the hanging lamp was swinging at least 1 meter each way. I didn’t feel it here near Jerusalem. As always, when these earthquakes hit our region, there is much talk about how unprepared we are for such an earthquake in Israel. It could have easily been us this time. According to the historical record we are overdue for a large earthquake so it is not a matter of ‘if’ but ‘when’. Following the earthquake in Turkey we had a series of tremblors here raising some concern. Things seem to have settled down for now. However should we get hit by an earthquake of comparable intensity we would see many of especially our older buildings crumble and fall and much loss of life. According to a report of the State Comptroller there are at least 600,000 buildings in Israel that would collapse in a significant earthquake. Buildings constructed before 1980 were not required to be built to withstand earthquakes.

Weather woes

The past months have seen many examples of extreme weather all around the world, floods, snowstorms, hurricanes etc. Israel has been blessed in that we have not experienced any weather related natural disasters lately. Our winter has been warmer and drier than normal. So far we have had only one significant storm system this winter. Here in the Jerusalem area we have had only 70% of our annual average rainfall so far and the rainy season is drawing to a close. There are signs of spring everywhere.

Almond trees in the mountains of Judah, from Ein Sataf, Feb 2023

Pray for the peace of Jerusalem:
    “May those who love you be secure.
May there be peace within your walls
    and security within your citadels.”
For the sake of my family and friends,
    I will say, “Peace be within you.”
For the sake of the house of the Lord our God,
    I will seek your prosperity.

Psalm 122: 6-9

References:

https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2023-02-27/ty-article/.premium/israels-ben-gvir-vows-to-crush-enemies-after-settlers-west-bank-revenge-riot/00000186-9262-db08-a986-de76609a0000

HANNUKA AND CHRISTMAS 2022

December 28, 2022 / admin

The Golden Gate and the Temple Mount from the Mt of Olives, 2022

And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”

Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,

“Glory to God in the highest heaven,
and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”

When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”

So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.

Luke 2: 8-20

Yesterday we celebrated Christmas. Others will celebrate Christmas on the 6 or 7th January.

I am sure that all my readers are familiar with the passage above which records that angels appeared to the shepherds in the fields just outside Bethlehem and announced the birth of the Messiah. But have you ever wondered why? Why did the angels chose to come to the shepherds, and why these particular shepherds and no others?

To find the answers we can start by going all the way back to the Book of Genesis.

Then they moved on from Bethel. While they were still some distance from Ephrath, Rachel began to give birth and had great difficulty. And as she was having great difficulty in childbirth, the midwife said to her, “Don’t despair, for you have another son.” As she breathed her last—for she was dying—she named her son Ben-Oni (son of my trouble). But his father named him Benjamin .

So Rachel died and was buried on the way to Ephrath (that is, Bethlehem). Over her tomb Jacob set up a pillar, and to this day that pillar marks Rachel’s tomb.

Israel moved on again and pitched his tent beyond Migdal Eder.…

As I was returning from Paddan, to my sorrow Rachel died in the land of Canaan while we were still on the way, a little distance from Ephrath. So I buried her there beside the road to Ephrath” (that is, Bethlehem).

Genesis 35 : 16-21, and 48:7

We see here that Jacob’s wife, Rachel (whose name means ‘ewe’ – a mature female sheep) gave birth to her son Benjamin on the road on the way to Bethlehem (also known as Efrat or Ephrath). Benjamin means ‘son of the right hand’ and his name may be a prophetic allusion to Yeshua, who now stands at God’s right hand (Acts 7:55). Rachel died in childbirth and was buried there.

We see too that Jacob (Israel) pitched his tent beyond Migdal Eder ( literally ‘The Tower of the Flock’). Towers were erected around fields as watchtowers to protect the sheep from thieves and predators, such as lions, bears and wolves. (Many of these towers can still be seen around Bethlehem today.) This tower however seems to have been a particular tower known as the Tower of Eder, just outside of Bethlehem, and many see a link between this and the Messianic prophecy in the Book of Michah, which says.

“And you, O tower of the flock,
The stronghold of the daughter of Zion,
To you shall it come,
Even the former dominion shall come,
The kingdom of the daughter of Jerusalem.”

Michah 4:8

Migdal Eder, Bethlehem https://biblethingsinbibleways.files.wordpress.com/2020/05/towerflock.jpg?w=300&h=224

In the days when Yeshua was born, the fields around Bethlehem were used to raise lambs for the Temple sacrifice. The shepherds who cared for these flocks were not just any shepherds, but priests assigned the critical job of caring for the sacrificial lambs. The lambs chosen for sacrifice had to be perfect, free of any blemish or injury, and they would be wrapped in swaddling cloths and laid in a manger to prevent any injury. It is no accident then that the angels announced the birth of the Messiah, the true sacrificial lamb, to these shepherds in the fields of the Tower of Eder outside of Bethlehem. You can see a video about this on https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mlmnLTCp22k. or on the video below.

It has been a long time since I have posted a blog entry. Somehow life has been full and busy over the past months, and inspiration lacking. However I do aim to rectify this now. There is no way I can address all that has happened in Israel over the past months, but I will try to touch on the main issues facing us now – in no particular order.

New Government.

On 1 November Israel held its 5th General Election in the past 4 years. The previous election had led to the formation of a unity government with a coalition of eight political parties, with the leader of one, Naftali Bennett, and the leader of another, Yair Lapid, becoming alternate prime ministers. In April and May two of their Ministers of Knesset (MKs) resigned leaving them only 59 seats, thus losing their majority. On 20 June, Bennett and Lapid dissolved their government with Lapid acting as interim Prime Minister.

The Election of 1st November once more failed to give any one party an outright victory, but Netanyahu’s Likud Party gained 23.41% of the votes giving him 32 Knesset seats, more than any other party, and consequently he was given the mandate to try and form a coalition with at least the 61 seats needed to form a government. In the succeeding weeks Netanyahu has been frantically negotiating with the other right wing parties, some on the very extreme far-right, to gain his 61 seats. Two days ago, he announced that he had succeeded and on Thursday the 29th , he plans to have his government sworn in.

Normally I do not comment on Israeli politics but the trends we are seeing today are so disturbing that I cannot remain silent and I ask you all to pray for us.

In order to co-opt some of the far-right religious parties Netanyahu has agreed to give them powerful positions, and has promised support for new laws or amendments some of which undermine the existing Basic Law, which is the closest thing Israel has to a Constitution. Some of these amendments threaten minority groups and their rights. Although Netanyahu promises to keep these far-right, religious parties well reigned in, it seems to me unlikely he can do so without bringing down his own government.

Last Friday, 23rd Dec, the Times of Israel published (1) a list of twelve key points of the emerging deals of the incoming coalition and I summarize some of them here:

The far right Otzmah Yehudit (Jewish Power Party), led by Itamar ben Gvir, is demanding an end to the ban on individuals who incite racism from becoming members of the Knesset. The existing law, introduced in 1985, was used to prevent the racist Kach Party, led by Meir Kahane from returning to parliament. Ben Gvir is a disciple of Kahane.
The coalition is committed to supporting a reform of the judiciary and in particular introducing a so-called ‘override clause’ which would allow the Knesset to bypass or override any judicial rulings against legislation and government decisions. This would undermine the independence of the Judiciary and the courts, and put the government above the law.
The United Torah Judaism Party (UTJ) and the Religious Zionism Party have demanded amendments to the law to permit business owners, such as hotels, or others (including doctors) to refuse service on account of their religious beliefs. Under their proposed amendment, a hotel could refuse to host LGBTQ events or a doctor could refuse to treat a transsexual, for example. Though currently aimed to curb the increasing influence of the LGBTQ movement on society, such a law opens the way to discriminate against any event or person who is deemed unacceptable by the ultra-Orthodox community, threatening the freedoms and rights every non-Orthodox group. Such discrimination is illegal under the current law and incurs a large fine. The proposed amendment threatens the existing democratic nature of the State in which all citizens are guaranteed freedom of religion and equal rights.
According to the draft deal, the United Torah Judaism Party has secured an agreement to allow public funding for gender-segregated events, which the ultra-Orthodox party has claimed is respectful to its deeply religious constituents. Currently such funding would be against the law. This is just one aspect of a slew of demands to tighten Orthodox control over religious institutions and which apply their religious beliefs to civil affairs, education and welfare. They also seek an increase of government funding of religious yeshivot (schools for the study of the Talmud) and the revoking of steps recently made to encourage the conscription of religious youth into the army.
The current Law of Return permits any Jew or person with at least one grandparent of proven Jewish descent to become an Israeli citizen, so long as they do not practice any other religion. The Religious Zionist Party and the UTJ, want to tighten this law, and eliminate the ‘grandfather clause’, in order to ‘prevent the dilation of the Jewish character of the State’. They will also introduce changes to current law and practice by refusing to recognize conversions carried out by Reform or Conservative Rabbis. These changes would severely limit immigration, especially from Russia, Ukraine and the USA where many of those seeking to come to Israel are the children of mixed marriages, are secular or have been brought up in Reform or Conservative communities.

I could go on, but if you want to know more I recommend you read the article linked (1) below. I should emphasize that none of these things have yet happened and they may not happen, however I raise the concern that the coalition agreements are pulling the State of Israel towards a dark, racist, discriminatory Orthodox theocracy, a kind of Jewish Taliban. Some of these measures could potentially severely affect the freedoms of Christian and Messianic individuals, congregations and organizations, and all minority groups in the Land.

Netanyahu’s government is not waiting to be sworn in but is already changing laws.

Yesterday and today (27-28th Dec), the government voted in favor of 3 amendments or laws promised to Netanyahu’s coalition partners. These are nicknamed, the Deeri Law, The Shmotrich Law and the Ben Gvir Law

The Deeri Law lifts the ban on persons who have served or been given a prison sentence of more than 3 months within the last 7 years from being appointed to the Knesset. The passing of this law yesterday means that the leader of the Shas Party, Arieh Deeri, can now be appointed to the Knesset and be given a Ministerial position in spite of the fact he served a 3-year prison sentence beginning in 2000 for accepting bribes, and was recently indicted for fraud, money laundering and tax evasion. As part of a plea bargain, his charges were dropped to just tax evasion, and he was given a year’s suspended sentence and a fine, on the proviso he resigned from government. This new law means he can now be given a Ministerial position in the government in spite of his criminal acts.

The change in the law would also remove the threat to Netanyahu himself should he be convicted and sentenced for the charges for which he is currently being tried in court.

Justice Minister Gideon Sa’ar said the Deeri Law essentially makes the Knesset “lower the bar regarding membership in the government…The law is a bad law, a bad law that was extorted from the prime minister and damages the value of purity of public service, for personal reasons” (2).

The Smotrich Law creates a new position within the Defense Ministry which, under the terms of the coalition agreements, will put Bezalel Smotrich, the leader of the Religious Zionism Party, control over civil issues in the West Bank, including Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories and the Civil Administration (COGAT). A proponent of expanding the Jewish settlements and annexation, Smotrich will be responsible for the 450,000 Israelis and 300,000 Palestinians living in Judea and Samaria.

The current Defense Minister, Benny Gantz, expressed concern that creating this new position for Smotrich amounts to a “dismantling of the chain of command” that will “harm the functioning of our security system” (2).

The Ben Gvir Law expands the power and changes the title of public security minister to national security minister. The law will make the Israel Police subordinate to the government and give the minister the ability to set policy and decide on investigations. Itamar ben Gvir, the leader of the ultra-far right Otzma Yehudit (Jewish Power) Party will be the first National Security Minister and according to this new law, he will have power over the Israeli Police Force. Otzma Yehudit is the ideological descendant of the outlawed, racist Kach party and it advocates for the deportation of those who they consider to be the “enemies of Israel”. This may sound reasonable but their definition of ‘enemies’ is pretty broad and could well include Arabs, non- Orthodox Jews, Messianic believers and Christians, and other minority groups.

There are many other things I could write about – the Russian-Ukrainian War, the Iranian Threat, Covid-19 and so on – but I will stop here for now in the interests of actually getting this published any time soon. Please keep praying for Israel. We are entering dark days and the mood is somber. May the LORD use this to His glory and may the gospel go forth. I thank Him for the hope He has given us. He will have the last say. As someone once said ” The world is not falling apart, it is just falling into place” and God warned us in his Word that these things must happen before Yeshua returns.

As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately. “Tell us,” they said, “when will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?”

⁴Jesus answered: “Watch out that no one deceives you. ⁵For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah,’ and will deceive many. ⁶You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. ⁷Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. ⁸All these are the beginning of birth pains.

⁹“Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me. ¹⁰At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, ¹¹and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. ¹²Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, ¹³but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved. ¹⁴And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.

Matthew 24: 3-14

References:

https://www.timesofisrael.com/no-ban-on-racist-mks-annexation-yeshiva-funding-11-key-netanyahu-coalition-plans/?utm_source=The+Weekend+Edition&utm_campaign=weekend-edition-2022-12-24&utm_medium=email
https://allisrael.com/new-government-set-to-swear-in-on-thursday-after-passage-of-two-controversial-laws

THE VEIL

August 21, 2022 / admin

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.’

“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

Fire on the outskirts of Mevaseret, 8 June 2022

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

BEWARE THE WOUNDED BEAR

July 11, 2022 / admin

(Note: this update was written on 30 April 2022, and is the one that got deleted during my recent website issue. It is not the final version but I am republishing for the sake of completeness. A new update is coming soon)

It is Shabbat but I could not go to my congregation this morning because we are meeting outside today and it is very hot and windy. The air is full of dust and pollen. The cypress tree outside my window is ‘smoking’ as it sheds its pollen in clouds. After our late-lingering winter, Spring came late here too. This means that the peak pollen season is coinciding with the first of the sharavs – the hot, dry east winds from the desert.

The wet winter and late spring also means that the land has stayed green until now and the wildflowers and trees have put on a spectacular display. I am glad I was able to get out a few times to enjoy them.

Carob trees and a wildflower meadow in the Galilee, March 2022

White mustard and giant fennel on the Golan Heights . Gamla, 29 March 2022

Crown daisies , purple clover and everlasting at Dor Beach, 13 April 2022

I am sure that when Yeshua would retreat into the wilderness to pray, he would have sat amongst the glorious flowers and loved them just as I do. They speak to me of the glory of the LORD, who created all this beauty. It brings rest to my soul.

Yeshua said this, “Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these” (Matthew 6: 28).

We can learn from the flowers but what a pity we so seldom take a moment to contemplate them. What kind of God has made such beauty?

As I walked these fields and byways, I could not help but be struck by the contrast between their peace and beauty and the horrors of war and strife all around. How far man has fallen!!

A woman walks outside the damaged by shelling maternity hospital in Mariupol, Ukraine, on Wednesday, March 9, 2022. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
https://www.timesofisrael.com/eu-condemns-russian-bombing-of-mariupol-maternity-hospital-as-a-war-crime/

THE WOUNDED RUSSIAN BEAR

The war in Ukraine rages on and, after an embarrassing tactical retreat from the west of the country, the Russian forces are now concentrated in the east where they are attempting to take control of the entire Donbass region. The news this morning (30/4) is that Putin is poised to declare an all-out war, which would unleash the full might of his army. He has hesitated to do this so far, because it would totally destroy his false narrative about a mere ‘military operation’ to save Russia from the ‘Nazi’ Ukrainian threat. Such a move would also be unpopular with the Russian people as it would put them under martial law and a compulsory call up of reserves. They would also suffer dire economic consequences. If Putin goes ahead with a declaration of war, it will release the full force of his professional standing army, all his potential reservists, and his formidable weaponry. If, or perhaps I should say ‘when’, this happens, what will the Western nations do? Will they be able to stand by and watch Ukraine be totally obliterated? As long as we have thought the Ukrainians stood a chance of winning, we could continue our stance of non-involvement, but when the wounded Russian bear rages across the country, what will be the response of the world’s nations? Are we on the brink of World War III? Whatever happens, we will likely see more sanctions against Russia and a strengthening of Russia’s economic and military ties with those nations who are under its sway, especially Syria and Iran in the Middle East.

So far Israel has maintained its stance of supporting Ukraine while at the same time not angering Russia. It is becoming harder and harder to balance on this swaying tightrope. Israel has declined to send military aid to Ukraine, but it has provided a considerable amount of humanitarian aid to Ukraine, including a field hospital in Mostyska, 50 km west of Lviv. The hospital was staffed by 100 doctors, nurses and auxillary staff, from Israel. Over a period of six weeks this hospital has treated some 6,000 civilian patients, who could not receive assistance from the overstretched Ukrainian hospitals. Today the field hospital is closing down and staff returning home. Earlier this week, Israel’s Foreign Minister, Benny Gantz, Jerusalem will provide Kyiv with protective gear, including helmets and vests, for its rescue and emergency organizations. Israel has also helped to evacuate citizens and has absorbed at lead 15,000 Ukrainian and Russian Jews. On the street there is a groundswell of support for the Ukrainian people but there are some who have not forgotten the atrocities committed by the Ukrainians against the Jews during the Holocaust, nor their failure to stand with Israel in the United Nations in more recent years. There are also many Ukrainian and Russian Jews living in Israel, most of whom have relatives in either or both countries. Feelings are mixed and confused.

Russia is making threats against Israel too.

Pray for the peace of Jerusalem:

May they prosper who love you.
Peace be within your walls,

Psalm 122: 6-7

Worship: John 3:16 in Hebrew, Arabic, Russian, English, Korean and Persian – YouTube

Ben Gurion Airport on the day before Passover 2022
https://www.israelhayom.com/2022/04/14/ben-gurion-airport-luggage-system-malfunction-causes-major-disruptions/

Free at last. No, I am not referring to the exodus from Egypt or the salvation from sin which we are celebrating at this time. I mean free at last from the travel restrictions that have kept Israelis home these past two years. Now we are free to travel abroad and we are doing it in droves. The picture above is the concourse of Ben Gurion airport one day before the Passover holiday began. Naturally, the luggage handling system broke down that day – hence the collection of luggage. I guess that means a lot of people will be celebrating Passover with friends and family abroad in their travelling clothes and minus gifts. This picture reminded me of a poster we saw around New Zealand, during the height of the brain drain in the ’70s as many kiwis headed for the greener pastures in Australia, which coincided with an energy crisis. The poster said, “Would the last one out, please turn off the lights”. When I look at this picture I can’t help wondering if anyone is left here, but I can assure you not everyone has left the country. I for example am still here. And I have no doubts that our beaches and parks will be jam packed over the coming Passover holiday, not to mention our roads. Another good reason for staying home.

The security situation in Israel is very tense this Passover. Over the past two weeks some 14 Israelis were killed by terrorists in a series of ‘lone wolf’ attacks, some claimed by ISIS and some by Hamas. Although it is not on the scale of a ‘terror wave’ such as we had during the two Intifadas, in which mainly bombs were used, this raises concern as machine guns are now readily available to the terrorists, supplied by Hamas and ISIS ( read Iran). Consequently the IDF has launched an operation to ‘deep clean’ the trouble spots in the West Bank, capturing terrorist cells planning attacks and mountains of arms and munitions. According to a 2020 estimate by the Knesset there some 400,000 illegal weapons around the country. In one bust alone, on 25 January, the police and the IDF captured four smugglers from East Jerusalem with 3 million shekels (about 1 mill US$) worth of weapons, including 39 pistols, 10 AK-47 assault rifles and four M-16 rifles (1).

During this last ‘wave’ of terror our leaders are exhorting all who have legal weapons to wear them on the streets, this because in these latest attacks it was bystanders who were able to neutralize the terrorists and prevent more deaths and injuries. It is not only the terrorists who are heavily armed these days, so are the criminal elements. There have been many violent incidents involving criminals using ‘hot’ weapons, especially in the Arab communities. No wonder it is starting to feel like the Wild West around here.

US$1 million worth of smuggled weapons captured near Bet Shean on January 25th https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/article-694523

https://www.milkenreview.org/articles/putins-rasputin

Tension has spiked today, the second Friday of Ramadan coinciding with Passover Eve and Good Friday. On Thursday Hamas called for ‘hundreds of thousands’ to come to the Temple Mount to pray today. Tension was increased by reports that an extremist Jewish group were planning to sacrifice a sheep on the Mount today. They have tried this over the past several years but have been prevented from doing so by Israeli security personnel.

According to a police statement (2) dozens of young Muslims began marching in the Temple Mount area carrying PLO and Hamas flags. They threw rocks and set off fireworks. Police waited until the end of Muslim morning prayers before entering the Temple Mount complex to disperse the rioters, some of whom were throwing rocks down on Jews praying at the Western Wall below. Later in the morning police entered the mosque and arrested some 400 rioters who were barricaded inside and were preventing those who wanted to pray there from doing so (2).

Putin’s Muse

Dugin became especially famous in Russia for the Neo-Eurasianist version of classical geopolitics. His book The Foundations of Geopolitics (published in 1997) outlined his political and ideological vision of Russia’s place in the world. According to Dugin, there is an irresolvable confrontation between the Atlanticist world (principally the United States and the United Kingdom) and Eurasia (predominantly Russia, Central and Eastern Europe and Asia) that resists US-led globalization and ethno-cultural universalization. This confrontation is also placed on the metaphysical plane: the alleged hegemony of Atlanticism and liberal democracy is interpreted as the triumph of the “age of vice”, while the Eurasian revolution that would establish the Russia-led Eurasian empire is understood as an advent of the “golden age”. The Eurasian ‘revolution’ is a rebellion against ‘wokeness’ and liberalism. It is seen as a return to conservative morality and true Christian values. As such, it might be supported by many Christians but its fascist and dictatorial leadership,and the brutal savagery of its military apparatus, such as we have already seen in Syria and are now seeing in Ukraine, is anything but Christian.

( Sorry, I lost the final version)

https://www.eurozine.com/putins-brain/

https://medium.com/intelligence-challenged/putins-rasputin-the-dangerous-mind-of-aleksandr-dugin-d02290ba6045

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/feb/22/putin-russian-president-ukraine-speech-western-diplomats-scrambling

https://www.ynetnews.com/article/b1e61100qn9 Putin wants teh Nevsky

Church

https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/israel-bought-this-land-for-35-million-in-oranges-russia-wants-it-back-612392 Ownership of Russian compound

https://www.tabletmag.com/sections/israel-middle-east/articles/russia-next-target-for-intimidation-could-be-israel

https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/article-704490

https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/article-694523

Is Putin Gog of Magog?

March 21, 2022 / admin

Why do the nations rage,
And the people plot a vain thing?
The kings of the earth set themselves,
And the rulers take counsel together,
Against the Lord and against His Anointed, saying,
“Let us break Their bonds in pieces
And cast away Their cords from us.”

He who sits in the heavens shall laugh;
The Lord shall hold them in derision.
Then He shall speak to them in His wrath,
And distress them in His deep displeasure:
“Yet I have set My King
On My holy hill of Zion.”

Psalm 2: 1-6

Just a few hours after I published my last blog post, Russia invaded Ukraine, on the 24th of February, 2022. Russian leader, Vladimir Putin, apparently thought his armies would take control of Ukraine in a matter of days, even telling his soldiers that the Ukrainians would welcome them as liberators. Instead, the Ukrainians are fighting back with all their heart and soul, and this war is now in its 26th day. Russia apparently miscalculated the determination and loyalties of the Ukrainian people. Nevertheless the Russians are making slow but steady progress towards the capital Kyiv* using their brutal and barbaric tactic of surrounding cities and towns, and subjecting them to a deadly and destructive barrage of rockets and missiles. They have shelled hospitals, churches, schools and residential buildings in order to bring the civilian population to the point of surrender. They have cut off humanitarian aid and escape routes. They have attacked fleeing civilians without mercy. What other atrocities are they willing to commit? Will they unleash their chemical, biological or nuclear weapons?

No one knows how many Ukrainians, or Russian soldiers, have been killed or wounded, but over 3.5 million Ukrainians have already fled across the borders and even more are internally displaced. Neighboring countries have generously opened their borders and are scrambling to take care of the refugees, most of whom fled at a moments notice with nothing but the clothes on their backs. How long will they be able to take in all these people, and will the nations of the world be willing to absorb and care for all these destitute and traumatized refugees?

The Western nations have failed to take up arms to help the Ukrainians, for fear of an escalation which could lead to World War III. By not stepping in to help Ukraine in the field of war, the West has been exposed as morally bankrupt , politically weak, and militarily paralyzed, an image that only nurtures and encourages those like Putin who have expansionist dreams. The failure to confront Russia in Ukraine may well lead to World War III in any case. Meanwhile, Ukraine has been left to fight alone. It has held out far longer than anyone could have expected, but can it win against the massive and well-equipped fighting machine of Russia?

People look at the gutted remains of Russian military vehicles on a road in the town of Bucha, close to the capital Kyiv, Ukraine. Photograph: Serhii Nuzhnenko/AP https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/mar/05/russia-ukraine-war-what-we-know-on-day-ten-of-the-russian-invasion

No doubt we are all following the unfolding of events. We have no choice as our news outlets are reporting almost nothing else (here, the massive floods in Australia did not even get a mention). Reading the reports, one cannot help wonder what it is that is motivating Putin. Many have said that he is just a madman who has lost his sanity. Not so. The Israeli Prime Minister, Naftali Bennett, met with Putin on the Shabbat of the 4th of March, and came home claiming that Putin was totally rational according to his (Putin’s) understanding and world view. So, what is it, this world view of Putin’s?

I came across an article (1) about Putin’s link with the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC) and it reveals a deep spiritual motivation in launching this war against Ukraine. If you, like me, are fairly ignorant of Russian history and the Russian Orthodox Church, this article should be required reading. It puts the war in a wholly different light. Putin is not just an egotistical psychopath , but rather he sees himself as a Messiah-like figure restoring the historical Holy Russia – a restored Russian empire with the Russian Orthodox Church at its core- and saving Christianity from the depravation of the post-Christian West.

Vladimir Putin was born in 1952 during the Soviet Era when the ROC was severely proscribed and Christians persecuted, and his mother risked much by having him secretly baptized. It is also interesting that he was named Vladimir. In the year 988 the Viking Prince Woldemar, converted to Eastern Orthodoxy and changed his name to Vladimir. According to the now-dominant view of Russian history, Saint Vladimir was the founding father of the first Russian state, the Kievan Rus’, and the Russian Orthodox Church. This marriage of church and state formed the core of Russian civilization. The capital of Vladimir’s State of Rus’ and the center of the Russian Orthodox Church was Kiev (2).

Having been brought up and indoctrinated in this view of Russian history it seems to me that Putin sees himself as the new ‘Vladimir’ who will restore the symbiosis of state and church leading to a restored Holy Russia. This Holy Russia will preserve Christianity, as he understands it, and protect it from the degenerate Western post- Christian influence. Obviously there is no place for the westernized, secular, democratic state of Ukraine in his world view. Putin sees Ukraine and Kyiv as the very physical and spiritual heart of his restored Russian Empire. This explains why Putin is so horrified by Ukraine’s overtures to the EU and NATO. In his understanding, Ukraine, and especially Kyiv (Kiev) is the heart not only of Russia the State but also of Russian Orthodoxy and true Christianity.

This also explains why the Patriarch of the Russian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Kirill, has not spoken out against Putin’s humanitarian atrocities and the war. Just hours before the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Patriarch Kirill gave a speech praising Russian military personnel, saying, “We live in peacetime, but we know that even in peacetime there are threats. Unfortunately, even at the moment there are threats – everyone is familiar with what is happening on the borders of our Fatherland. Therefore, I think that our military personnel cannot have any doubts that they have chosen a very correct path in their lives. Because by following this path, you are protecting the people even without any military action.” (3).

When Russia invaded Ukraine, Patriarch Kirill, a close friend of Putin, gave a sermon in which he emphasized the God-given unity of Ukraine and Russia, and denounced the “evil forces” in Ukraine that are out to destroy this unity. In a later sermon, on March 6th, he invoked the intercession of Saint Vladimir and Sergei of Radonezh (another of the ROC’s most venerated saints), and he called on God to “prohibit and overturn the designs of the foreign pagans who want war and are gathering troops against Holy Russia” (1). He then called on God to bless the Russian soldiers sent to protect Russian Orthodox Christians in the Donbass region (Eastern Ukraine) who he claimed have been suffering oppression and persecution for eight years. He (Kirill) appears to believe that “Holy Russia is engaged in an apocalyptical struggle with the Godless West about the future of mankind” (1). Putin, strongly influenced by the ROC and the Patriarch Kirill, believes he is embarking on a God-sanctioned holy war to save Christendom. This makes him far more dangerous than a mere madman. Driven by such an ideology he will not be open to compromise or retreat.

The Patriarch Kirill and Vladimir Putin
https://www.nationalreview.com/2022/03/the-scandalous-silence-of-moscows-patriarch/

It should be noted that the Patriarch Kirill does not have the support of all the ROC leadership and according to the Reuters analyst, Philip Pullella, the “Russian Patriarch Kirill’s full-throated blessing for Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine has splintered the worldwide Orthodox Church and unleashed an internal rebellion that experts say is unprecedented” (4). It has also driven a deeper wedge between the ROC and the Roman Catholic Church, and the Pope has openly attacked Kirill’s stance and the Russian invasion.

You may be wondering where Israel stands in all this? It’s standing on a tightrope. Ksenia Svetlova, director of the Israel and the Middle East program at the Mitvim Institute for Regional Foreign Policies, and a prominent commentator in the Hebrew media on the progress of the war, put it this way:

… Israel is walking on thin ice. It still tries not to anger the Russians, but at the same time to indicate to the West that it’s still part of the collective West. From the position that Israel is taking, it’s actually unclear where we are….

Israel cannot afford to anger Russia. We have Russian weapons and troops right on our border in Syria. We depend upon Russian cooperation in carrying out attacks against Iranian arms shipments to Hezbollah forces in Syria and Lebanon. Israel is also home to large numbers of both Russian and Ukrainian immigrants, many of whom still have close ties and family members in those countries. There are also still a very large number of Jews living in both Ukraine and Russia. Israel therefore is attempting to remain neutral and is even trying to act as an intermediary between the sides, in the hope of bringing an end to this senseless war.

Israel has taken in about 10,000 Ukrainian refugees including around 8000 non-Jews (5) and is preparing for up to 100,000 Jewish immigrants from both the Ukraine and Russia. We are a small, already overcrowded country with a dire shortage of housing. There is a limit to how many people we can absorb. There is a hot debate occurring around our immigration policies. On one hand Israel wants to preserve the predominantly Jewish demographic, but it also wants to welcome and show compassion to the non-Jewish refugees, especially those who have family members living here already. It’s a difficult dilemma.

Israel has been criticized severely, especially by the Ukrainian President and the Ukrainian Ambassador to Israel, for not providing military assistance and weapons systems, especially defensive anti-missile batteries. Yesterday (20 March) the Ukrainian President Zelensky, in a scathing speech (6) live streamed on Israeli media, drew a parallel between what is happening in Ukraine and the Holocaust in an effort to shame Israel into sending them more weapons. Such a comparison did not go down well here. HIs speech may well have been a misstep but nevertheless most Israelis support the people of the Ukraine and are determined to help as much as possible, but without jeopardizing our own security. Israel simply cannot afford to send Ukraine weapons, as we may very soon need them ourselves. I am not sure why Ukraine even expects this of Israel, as surely there are other countries far better able to provide military support.

Just 4 days after the invasion, on the 28th of February, Israel shipped 100 tons of humanitarian aid to the Ukraine in just one day. This shipment included 17 tons of medical equipment and medicine, water purification systems intended to supply 200,000 people, emergency water supply kits to supply 100,000 people, winter tents to house 3,000, 15,000 blankets, 3,000 sleeping bags, and 2,700 winter coats (7). Israel is in the process of setting up a $6.4 million field hospital in Western Ukraine (8), a venture it has coordinated with Moscow providing its coordinates so that it will not come under attack (9).

IS PUTIN GOG OF MAGOG?

in view of these events many Christians are asking, ” Is this the beginning of the War of Gog of Magog as prophesied in Ezekiel 38-39, and is Putin Gog?”.

Now the word of the Lord came to me, saying, “Son of man, set your face against Gog, of the land of Magog, the prince of Rosh, Meshech, and Tubal, and prophesy against him, and say, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “Behold, I am against you, O Gog, the prince of Rosh, Meshech, and Tubal. I will turn you around, put hooks into your jaws, and lead you out, with all your army, horses, and horsemen, all splendidly clothed, a great company with bucklers and shields, all of them handling swords. Persia, Ethiopia, and Libya are with them, all of them with shield and helmet; Gomer and all its troops; the house of Togarmah from the far north and all its troops—many people are with you.

“Prepare yourself and be ready, you and all your companies that are gathered about you; and be a guard for them. After many days you will be visited. In the latter years you will come into the land of those brought back from the sword and gathered from many people on the mountains of Israel, which had long been desolate; they were brought out of the nations, and now all of them dwell safely. You will ascend, coming like a storm, covering the land like a cloud, you and all your troops and many peoples with you.”

Ezekiel 38: 1-9

Many have tried to interpret this prophecy and determine the time of its fulfillment. One of the mistakes many have made is to confuse this war with the war mentioned in Revelation 20: 7-10.

Now when the thousand years have expired, Satan will be released from his prison and will go out to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle, whose number is as the sand of the sea. They went up on the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city. And fire came down from God out of heaven and devoured them. The devil, who deceived them, was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and the false prophet are. And they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.

The war in Revelation 20 comes at the end of the Messiah’s thousand year reign (the Millenium) and is a war of all the nations which will come up against Jerusalem immediately prior to the Final Judgement. Here, ‘God and Magog’ is not necessarily to be taken literally. It may be a metaphor. It will be a war like the war of Gog and Magog, but involving a different cast of nations and occurring at a different time. Notice the grammatical difference between the ‘Gog and Magog’ in Revelation and ‘Gog of the land of Magog’ as is written in Ezekiel.

The Ezekiel prophecy tells that the war in which Gog of the land of Magog and a confederacy of nations attack the regathered people of Israel, living in peace and dwelling safely, and which will occur ‘in the latter years‘, but it does not give a specific time in relation to other end time events. Clearly it speaks of the regathering of the people of Israel and we are living in that time, but are we living in peace and dwelling safely? You could say we are not since all around us there are those who want to destroy us, but on the other hand, we are living normal lives in unwalled villages and cities as if we had peace.

The other question remains the identity of Gog of the land of Magog. Where is the land of Magog? There are many theories but the majority of commentators seem to identify it as Russia, because Gog is also described as the Prince of Rosh, Meshech and Tubal, and the armies of Gog come from the far north (Ezekiel 38:15). The similarity of the word Rosh and Rus’ (the ancient name of Russia) lends strength to this theory, however The ‘Prince of Rosh’ could also be correctly translated as the Chief Prince, as in some translations, because in Hebrew “rosh” means “head”.

At this time it is impossible to say if this current war in Ukraine is the beginning of the war of Ezekiel 38, but it seems possible, even probable, that is a step in that direction. Putin has great dreams of a restored Russia that would ultimately include all the states of the former USSR. He has already established his hegemony over Belarus, and the Crimea, and he is now trying to conquer Ukraine. What country will be next?

https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/what-countries-made-up-the-former-soviet-union-ussr.html

If Rosh is Russia, then what are Meshech and Tubal and the other nations mentioned in the confederacy? The map below (10) identifies the confederate nations as Meshech and Tubal as being in southern Russia, Gomer is Ukraine and Eastern Europe, Togarmah is Turkey, Persia is Iran, Put is Libya and Cush is Ethiopia and the Sudan.

This confederation does not yet exist but it is possibly in the making. Russia is not only invading Ukraine but simultaneously it is developing deep military and economic ties with Iran and Turkey. Eritrea (northern Ethiopia) voted in favor of Russia in the recent UN vote concerning the invasion of Ukraine, as did Syria. Russia has strong economic ties with Libya and the Russian-backed private military force, Wagner, already has a strong presence there (11, 12).

Another confederation appears to exist in the Ezekiel prophecy, that of Israel together with Sheba, Dedan and Tarshish (Ezekiel 38: 13), which are modern day Saudi Arabia and the Gulf States. In recent times Israel has already formed an alliance with some of these states, and is in the process of doing so with others.

In summary, I would not claim that Putin is Gog, but I would say that the nations are making alliances that may be aligning the nations in preparation for such a war as described in Ezekiel 38 and 39.

MEANWHILE IN IRAN

While the world is preoccupied with the Russian invasion of Ukraine, talks are continuing between the USA and Iran in an effort to reinstate the 2015 nuclear deal. There is much concern in the Middle East about the outcome of these talks. Even if nothing is ever signed, the talks are buying the Iranians time to develop their nuclear weapons.

Today (21/03) Israeli Prime Minister, Naftali Bennett, met with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi (UAE), Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, in Sharm-e-Sheik in Egypt. Apparently this meeting was prompted by the news that the USA may remove Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps from its list of terrorist organizations in return for promises not to harm American citizens. The Revolutionary Guards are the largest and most powerful terrorist organization in the world, and Iran’s promises are not worth the paper they are written on. The USA has already removed the Iran-backed Houthis, the rebel force in Yemen, from their list of terror organizations, and both Saudi Arabia and the UAE have been repeatedly targeted by the Houthis in recent months.

PRAYER POINTS

It is always difficult to know how to pray in times of war. Does God take sides? What is His plan and what is He accomplishing? We do not want to pray in opposition to His plans but here are some ways we can always pray:

Pray for the going forth of the gospel and that many will turn to God.
Pray for the local believers, for their protection and sustenance and that they will keep the faith and shine as lights to their neighbors. Pray especially for the pastors and leaders, who have a heavy responsibility in such times.
Pray for the leaders of the nations that they will do the will of God and make righteous and wise decisions.
Pray for the civilians and soldiers on all sides. They are all human beings who need salvation. God does not want anyone to perish (2 Peter 3:9)
Pray for God’s guidance concerning ways we personally can help those in need.
Pray for our enemies, as Yeshua (Jesus) taught us (Matthew 5: 44-45). Pray they will repent and be saved.

Kiev or Kyiv? Have you been wondering why the media are calling what used to be Kiev, Kyiv, and why it is no longer in THE Ukraine but just Ukraine? Apparently Kiev ( key-ev with the emphasis on the ‘ev’) is the transliteration from the Russian, while Kyiv (kyiv – one syllable, short i, with emphasis on the beginning of the word) is the transliteration from Ukranian. Also ‘the’ indicates a region of a larger country whereas just plain Ukraine indicates a nation. So now it is PC to say Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine (unless you support Putin that is?) rather than Kiev the capital of The Ukraine.

References:

https://news.ucr.edu/articles/2022/03/09/missing-piece-about-putin-and-ukraine
http://countrystudies.us/russia/38.htm
On February 23, 2022, on Defender of the Fatherland Day, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia laid a wreath at the tomb of the Unknown Soldier in the Alexander Garden near the walls of the Moscow Kremlin. http://www.patriarchia.ru/db/text/5903402.html
https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/ukraine-invasion-splits-orthodox-church-isolates-russian-patriarch-2022-03-14/
https://www.timesofisrael.com/ukraine-russia-targeting-jewish-sites-what-else-must-happen-for-israel-to-help/
https://www.timesofisrael.com/full-text-ukraine-president-zelenskys-speech-to-israeli-lawmakers/
https://www.timesofisrael.com/100-tons-of-humanitarian-aid-en-route-from-israel-to-ukraine/
https://forward.com/fast-forward/483999/israel-field-hospital-in-ukraine-named-after-golda-meir/
https://www.i24news.tv/en/news/ukraine-conflict/1647581674-report-israel-coordinated-field-hospital-in-ukraine-with-russia
https://cccbucks.org/sermons/prophecy-update-israel-the-world-gods-plan/
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/1/29/what-next-for-world-powers-in-war-torn-libya
https://edition.cnn.com/2021/01/22/africa/libya-trench-russia-intl/index.html

NEW LIFE

February 23, 2022 / admin

Arbutus tree regrowth, Har HaTayasim, Jan 2022

A few weeks ago, on an exquisitely beautiful winter’s day, I took a stroll on Har HaTayasim (The Mountain of the Airmen). This hill was burned in the big fire last summer and I was curious to see what was happening there. I was thrilled to see much evidence of recovery. Nearly every tree exhibited fresh growth from the roots. I saw Arbutus, Oak and Mastic trees all growing new shoots from their roots, and many annual grasses and geophytes (bulb plants) poking through the ash.

Regrowth in the Arbutus grove with Eitanim Hospital in the background. January 2022

Since I took those photos we have had an abundance of good winter rain and even a snowfall of some 10-20 cm here in the Judean Hills. The snow lasted only a short time but its meltwater replenishes the water table better than the rain that often runs off very quickly. We are very grateful for every drop and flake that falls, and also that we escaped some of the extreme storm damage and disruption experienced in Turkey and Greece in the same storm, and elsewhere around the world this winter. Although highway 1, from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, and all other main access routes to Jerusalem, were closed for the night, the city council with its 250 JCR tractors managed to keep most of the internal roads in Jerusalem functioning (We don’t have snow ploughs).

My car – not going anywhere! 10AM 27 Jan 2022 (the snow had half melted by then)

The snow cheered us all up for a couple of days. It is a relatively rare phenomenon here and we all enjoy it, some people coming up to stay in Jerusalem just so they could play in the snow. Of course it is especially loved by the children. One of my friends even got his children up at 3AM in the morning so they could see the snow falling and build a snowman, just in case it had all melted by morning. For some of them it was their first snowfall. At the very least, it gave us all something to talk about other than the coronavirus.

OMICRON IN ISRAEL

This month we have experienced the 5th wave of the virus, the very virulent Omicron variant, which at its peak was causing around 80,000 new confirmed cases per day, and probably a similar number of unreported cases. Authorities reckon that we are past the peak and the number of new cases per day is dropping, but nevertheless we passed some sobering milestones this past week. Two days ago (21/02) we passed 10,000 deaths, since the beginning of the pandemic. This means a death rate in Israel of 1 for every 900 people in the total population, putting us about 47th in the world, even though our infection rate was the highest in the world for a while. This is a testimony to the quality of our medical care and the heroic service of our medical staff.

According to the Times of Israel (1) yesterday (22/02),

“There were 2.2 million confirmed Omicron infections in Israel, but epidemiologist Eran Segal estimated on Friday that the actual number of cases was far higher — around 4.5 million, close to half of Israel’s population of over 9 million.

Around 70 percent of Israelis have been infected with the coronavirus since the start of the pandemic, or around 6 to 7 million people…

Now, the wave of the omicron variant seems to be declining but already its successor is upon us, with over 300 confirmed cases already. It is believed to be even more infectious, but no more likely to cause serious illness, than the omicron variant, although indications are that it can bypass the vaccinations.

Even with large numbers of people still testing positive the authorities are easing more and more regulations in order to keep the economy going. Many businesses and services are struggling to maintain their functioning as staff are either testing positive or having to go into quarantine along with family members. There was at least one day recently when several train lines had to be closed because there were insufficient staff to run them. This caused unusually long traffic jams. The hospitals too are struggling to maintain adequate staff levels, especially in the corona wards. At the peak there were more than 1300 patients in ICU,, which is really more than hospitals can cope with.

In the midst of all this we started our new school semester with 50 kids arriving from the USA. They all had been vaccinated and tested negative when they arrived. Our first two classes were on Zoom because of the snow. This last week we met them face to face for the first time, but after only two classes, some of the students started to feel ill. Now quite a few of the staff and students are ill with covid or have tested positive, including 6 of my 12 students, 5 of our 6 madrichim (the live-in counsellors who look after the kids) and now my boss has also succumbed. (update 19/02 all are recovered now and this weekend they all went for a trip to Eilat).

Somehow, by the grace of God, I seemed to have escaped infection, but it was a struggle trying to teach simultaneously in the classroom and on Zoom, especially since one of the school internet cables failed in the storm and the internet keeps overloading, so I have students popping in and out every few minutes. My ancient laptop is not working and I am Zooming on my phone which is also not ideal. Add to that the necessity of trying to teach with a mask which is aggravating my asthma. Its all a bit of a challenge but compared to what some others are having to deal with, especially hospital staff, I have it easy.

Two weeks ago I attended the funeral of a friend, H. V, whom I have known for more than 40 years. In spite of all the restrictions, and the 5th wave, around 200 people attended his funeral, a reflection of the number of lives that had been influenced by this quiet, unassuming man of God, who was a brilliant Bible scholar and teacher, as well as an exemplary husband, father and grandfather, He suffered chronic illness for many years but it was the Covid that brought about his demise. In spite of his poor health he was always able to smile and say a gracious word. It is his beautiful smile and gentle demeanour that I shall remember. His life was a great example and an encouragement for us all. He ran the race all the way to the end.

One of the members of my housegroup, J, currently residing in New York, is fighting Covid too. It has been hard to get information about his condition as we are not family members. Thankfully one of his contact people in the States has been keeping us informed, but even she is finding it hard to get reports from the hospital because the staff there are so overwhelmed. The last report we heard was encouraging. After nearly 6 weeks in an induced coma and intubated, he unexpectedly regained consciousness when the medications were stopped, and was even able to communicate with eyes and hands. Also, amazingly, his one kidney has begun to function again. Even the doctors are saying it is a miracle. We feel our prayers are being answered but we have had no further news for around 10 days now. Please keep praying for his complete recovery and that he could even come back to us in Israel and continue his music ministry with Holocaust survivors, schools, soldiers and others.

But I will sing of Your power;
Yes, I will sing aloud of Your mercy in the morning;
For You have been my defense
And refuge in the day of my trouble.
To You, O my Strength, I will sing praises;
For God is my defense,
My God of mercy.

Psalm 59: 16-17

THE YEMEN CIVIL WAR

The almost-forgotten civil war in Yemen has hit the headlines here recently, first when the Houthi leader threatened to fire missiles at Israel and secondly when missiles were fired at Dubai when the Israeli President. Isaac Herzog, was making the first ever Presidential visit to the United Arab Emirates.

The Yemen Civil war began in 2014 when the Shiite insurgents, the Houthi rebels rose up against the Sunni government and seized the capital city, Sana’a. Since then a terrible war has been raging resulting in the worst humanitarian crisis in the world. At least 100,000 civilians have been killed and at least another 150,000 have died as a result of starvation and disease. Four million people have been displaced and an estimated 24 million are in dire need of assistance (3).

In 2015 , a coalition of Gulf states led by Saudi Arabia launched a campaign of economic isolation and air strikes against the Houthi insurgents, with U.S. logistical and intelligence support. This has resulted in many missile attacks on Saudi Arabia and the UAE over the succeeding years. With Iran supporting and arming an ever stronger Houthi army this war is threatening to spill over the wider Middle East and may soon involve Israel as well.

THE UKRAINE

The headlines this week concern the events unfolding in the Ukraine. I am sure you are getting plenty of news about this in your own countries so I will not repeat that. Here is Israel we are watching the situation with concern. There are about 15,000 Israeli citizens living in the Ukraine and at least 75,000 Jews eligible for Israeli citizenship. The government is encouraging our citizens to leave while they can, and is calling for the remaining Ukrainian Jews to immigrate to Israel. Last week several additional planes flew to the Ukraine to transport people back to Israel, but some flew back almost empty. It seems many are reluctant to leave and think that if it becomes urgent, they will be able to escape overland. I pray they will not leave it too late. Authorities are preparing for a massive wave of immigration from the Ukraine.

Last Sunday (20/02) about 75 Jewish immigrants from the Ukraine landed in Israel Sunday afternoon on a preplanned flight of International Fellowship of Christians and Jews (IFCJ), the Jewish Agency and the Ministry of Immigration and Absorption, and were received by employees of the Ministry of Immigration and Absorption at Ben-Gurion Airport (4).

Israel is walking a delicate line in this situation. We have a fragile relationship with Russia and depend upon their military cooperation in order to carry out operations against Hezbollah and Iranian targets in Syria and Lebanon. We are also concerned about Russia’s support of Iran and other terrorist bodies. For this reason, I think Israel will try and stay out of any forthcoming military actions. I expect we will come under sharp criticism for doing so, but our situation is vulnerable from many directions. Of course, we are all praying that there will be no military confrontation between Russia and the NATO nations, but as the days go by it is becoming more and more tense. Such a war could bring the whole world into chaos and a possible World War III.

IRAN

While the world is distracted with the Ukrainian crisis, the talks in Vienna between Iran, Russia, China, France, Germany and Britain aimed at reinstituting the 2015 nuclear deal are nearing a conclusion. It is expected that in the next few days some deal will be signed. No one outside the Vienna hotel knows exactly what this deal will contain. According to #Gravitas there may be 4 key parts to the deal, namely

Iran will not enrich uranium past 5%
Iran must release all Western prisoners
In return, the West will unfreeze Iran’s reserves worth $7billion
There will be a gradual lifting of sanctions.

If this is true, it is an incredibly weak deal from our point of view. Iran boasts that it has already enriched uranium past 40% and can soon reach the 90% needed for a nuclear weapon. Releasing Iranian funds and lifting sanctions will merely make more money available to its proxies, Hezbollah, ISIS, the Houtis, Hamas and the other terror organizations it supports. Israel opposed the original 2015 deal because it was weak and had too short a time frame, but according to our PM, Naftali Bennet, it seems likely this new deal will be even weaker. Like the 2015 deal it fails to address the credible military threat to Israel and other nations of Iran’s long range missile development, and its support of terrorist and militant groups. The limitations on Iran’s nuclear development under the 2015 deal expires in just two and one half years and Israel is concerned this deadline will not be extended in the new deal. It remains to be seen just what the deal will contain, but it seems likely to favor Iran far more than Israel and the west. This can only lead to greater instability in the Middle East and the world as a whole. Naftali Bennet has clearly stated that “Israel will not accept Iran as a nuclear threshold state” and “Israel will always maintain its freedom of action to defend itself) (6).

The nations plot and make plans –

But You, O Lord, shall laugh at them;
You shall have all the nations in derision.
I will wait for You, O You his Strength;
For God is my defense….

And let them know that God rules in Jacob
To the ends of the earth. Selah…

Psalm 59: 8-9, 13

EARTHQUAKE READINESS

In recent weeks Israel has been rocked by quite a number of small earthquakes in the north, raising anxiety levels, and once more causing many to express concern about our lack of preparedness. Historically Israel has been hit by a major earthquake about every hundred years. The last big quake, measuring 6.2 on the Richter scale, was in 1927 centered in Jericho and it killed around 500 people. In 1837 a 6.5 magnitude quake centered near Safed, and a subsequent landslide, killed and estimated 6-7,000 people. Israel lies on the subduction zone of the Arabian and African plates on the Great African Rift Valley.

It is estimated that at least 80,000 residential buildings in Israel would collapse in a major earthquake. Many of the older buildings are already crumbling and unsafe, even without an earthquake. Every time there is a small quake authorities express their concern but little ever seems to be done.

In 2005, Israel passed the ambitious national TAMA 38 plan, which aimed to reinforce more than 150,000 residential buildings across the country. Of the 7 billion shekels allocated for this project only 5 million was ever transferred as of 2020 according to the Housing and Construction Ministry and only a few thousand buildings have been reinforced (6).

One new provision is the addition of an earthquake warning siren to our Civil Defense phone app. This would give us from 3-30 seconds warning, should a major quake be detected. It is thought that this might give some people, especially those not close to the epicenter, a chance to get outside in time – not very reassuring in my opinion. The Home Front Command has trained some 75,000 students to act as first earthquake responders and provide aid until professional rescue workers arrive.

The time is not yet, but we know that in future there will be at least two great earthquakes in this area, as is prophesied in the Book of Revelation.

In the same hour there was a great earthquake, and a tenth of the city fell. In the earthquake seven thousand people were killed, and the rest were afraid and gave glory to the God of heaven.

Revelation 11: 13

And there were noises and thunderings and lightnings; and there was a great earthquake, such a mighty and great earthquake as had not occurred since men were on the earth. Now the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell.

Revelation 16: 18-19

REFERENCES