Evil is on the move. Darkness is descending.
Yet God remains sovereign.
Joel Rosenberg (1)
After the big fire here in the Judean Hills, I headed off for a few days down in the desert. As I was passing just south of Beer Sheva I noticed a strange, and very bright light in the sky. Some 30 or so kilometers on, it was still there but by then I could see it was attached to a very tall tower, and there appeared to be ‘arms’ of light radiating from around it in the dusty desert air. The first thought that came to my mind was the Eye of Sauron (from the Lord of the Rings). Apparently I am not alone in making this association and it has indeed been dubbed Israel’s Eye of Sauron. It felt somehow very sinister.
Once I returned home I discovered that it was part of the new Ashalim Solar Power Station and the structure merely collects the light from some 55,000 mirrors and uses it to generate electricity. Even though I am all for solar power, and it really is nothing at all sinister, it was hard to shake that feeling as I continued my journey south.
I had made this journey into the desert because I was wanting some guidance concerning some personal decisions. I can hear the LORD more clearly in the desert and away from all the busy-ness of everyday life. On my first evening there I walked the path along the rim of the Machtesh and enjoyed the setting sun across its incomparable views. The next day I spent some very pleasant hours sitting in the shade of an acacia tree in a pretty wadi, communing with the little birds who visited me hoping for a tidbit (I didn’t disappoint), but I didn’t hear from the LORD.
(for more on the Machtesh, visit https://taliasjoy.com/2020/06/03/maktesh-ramon/ )
On my last evening at the Maktesh, I took a drive along the northern rim of the Maktesh and found a convenient rock on which to sit to watch the sunset. As usual, it was stunning. This time however it felt very different. As I watched the shadow creeping across the canyon floor, I was filled with a deep sense of dread. It felt ominous and threatening. There were some scattered bushes reaching their branches skyward and they caught the sun for a while, but one by one, the shadow blotted them out until all was dark.
I felt that this was a warning from the LORD. Darkness is creeping over the Land, and indeed the whole world, just as the Lord told us it would towards the end, not just in the world, but also in the church. Some believers here and there are holding out against the darkness but many are succumbing to the lies and wiles of the Enemy, and are ceasing to shine. My prayer for myself, and for you, is that we will not be snuffed out in the coming days of darkness when God judges the world, but will continue to shine as beacons in that darkness. May we all be found faithful until the end.
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?”
Jesus answered: “Watch out that no one deceives you. For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah,’ and will deceive many. You 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. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of birth pains.
“Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me. At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved. And 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: 3-13
I had not received the personal guidance I was seeking but the LORD had spoken to me. I came home with a deep sense of dread and horror about what was coming upon the world and upon us all. Time is short and soon it will be too dark to do anything but hide until the wrath is past .
Go, my people, enter your rooms
and shut the doors behind you;
hide yourselves for a little while
until his wrath has passed by.
See, the Lord is coming out of his dwelling
to punish the people of the earth for their sins.
The earth will disclose the blood shed on it;
the earth will conceal its slain no longer.
Isaiah 26:20-21
If you doubt my words, then just turn on the news. The world is gripped by a pandemic which looks like it is here to stay for the long haul, climate change is wreaking havoc around the world, bringing famine, floods and fires, the nations are at war, democracy is devolving into anarchy, and the church is falling into apostasy. Of course we should not be alarmed by such things. Yeshua (Jesus), the Prophets and the Apostles all warned us this would happen. We have long expected it but now the reality is upon us and it is difficult to know how to live in these days, knowing it will only get worse. Yet we should not despair, we who know Yeshua, as all this heralds His return and our ultimate salvation. If you do not yet know Him, call upon his name before it is too late.
When I said, “My foot is slipping,”
your unfailing love, Lord, supported me.
When anxiety was great within me,
your consolation brought me joy.
Psalm 94: 18-19
AFGHANISTAN
Perhaps one of the darkest corners of the world right now is Afghanistan. No doubt you have all been following events there as thousands try to flee the Taliban and its coming imposition of strict Sharia Law. The CBN reports that there are at least 5-8,000 Muslim Background Believers (MMBs) in Yeshua in Afghanistan. Unless they are rescued, they face almost certain execution. Earlier this week a Christian organization, the Nazarene Fund, raised more than 28 million dollars to charter planes to evacuate MMBs and other at-risk people from Kabul. With this money they had some 20 planes ready to do the airlift. At first things went well and several planeloads left Kabul carrying at least 1200 people to safety by Tuesday (2). It was hoped that by the end of the week at least 7,000 would be rescued. However on Wednesday last week a plane had to leave Kabul empty because the refugees were unable to reach the airport (3). Now following the terrible suicide attack on Thursday it is even more difficult to get to the airport and the August 31st deadline is fast approaching. It seems certain that many will be left behind to face almost certain martyrdom in Taliban Afghanistan. We need to pray fervently for our brothers and sisters in the Lord. May the LORD rescue them or give them strength to stand firm to the end.
Rescue those being led away to death;
hold back those staggering toward slaughter.
Proverbs 24:11
Update: It is now the 31st of August and the last American soldier has left Afghanistan. Hundreds of American citizens, thousands of Afghanis who helped the US forces, and thousands of Christian and other minority groups are left behind to face their fate. The Taliban are now the governing power of Afghanistan. Do not be deceived by their words. A leopard may cover his spots for a time if it suits, but underneath, the spots do not go away. Already, behind the cameras, the Taliban are executing those that have aided coalition forces or that they see as infidels. Girls as young as 12 are being forcibly ‘wedded’ to Taliban fighters. When the cameras are silenced the massacres will begin and the rest of the people of Afghan will have to live under an oppressive and brutal regime, imposing a Medieval interpretation of Sharia Law. It is the women who will suffer the most.
Pray that the airport will reopen soon and some more people will be permitted to leave. There is little hope that people can flee via land borders. Where would they go? Pray for our brothers and sisters in the LORD, those that didn’t manage to escape, that God will open a way of escape somehow, or that He will give them the courage and faith to stand even until martyrdom if necessary. Pray too for those who did escape, leaving behind everything they have known, all their possessions and, in some cases, family members. Pray that the people of the free world, already suffering from ‘refugee fatigue’, will open their hearts to receive and provide for these people.
ISIS-K
The Afghanistan fiasco has also seen the re-emergence of ISIS onto the world’s consciousness. ISIS has never gone away, the ideology is strong and spreading, and it has just been waiting in the wings for another opportunity to establish its Islamic State. ISIS-K (the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant – Khorasan Province) has claimed responsibility for the horrendous suicide bombing at the gates of the Kabul Airport killing at least 170 Afghani and ex-pat refugees and 13 American military personnel, and wounding many more. Although the Taliban and ISIS-K have similar ideologies, ISIS-K believes the Taliban have compromised too much with the West. In other words, ISIS-K is even more brutal and extreme than the Taliban (if that is possible!). Although too small numerically to pose a real threat to the Taliban in Afghanistan, ISIS-K is carrying out these attacks in order to embarrass the Taliban and recruit new members from its ranks. It seems likely that in the coming days there may be further attacks on those trying to flee the country.
Update: Yesterday (30/08) the US forces intercepted 6 missiles that were fired at the Kabul Airport. ISIS claimed responsibility for the missile attack. The day before that the US forces had destroyed a car that was being loaded with explosives in preparation for a car bomb attack on the airport. According to intelligence reports there remains a threat of further attacks on the airport.
With the Taliban claiming victory over the USA, and the reappearance of ISIS on the world stage, fueling the confidence of all extremist Muslim groups, we can expect a further destablization of the Middle East and an increase in terror attacks worldwide.
GAZA
One of the groups celebrating the Taliban victory (as they see it) is Hamas. Hamas is once more stirring up trouble with Israel. Since the May confrontation between Hamas and Israel, indirect negotiations have been taking place to draw up the terms of a stronger ceasefire agreement. These negotiations are deadlocked leading to frustration on both sides. Since May Israel has maintained tight restrictions on Gaza, significantly limiting imports and exports and complicating the reconstruction. A little while ago, Egypt totally closed its border crossing to Gaza.
In recent weeks the tension on the border has been increasing once more. Several rockets have been fired into Israel, incendiary balloons have ignited fires, and there have been a series of demonstrations and riots at the border leaving at least 2 Gazans dead, including a 13-year-old boy. An Israeli soldier was also killed after being shot in the head through a hole in the border barrier on Saturday, 21st August, during a demonstration. Hamas’ deputy chief in Gaza, Khalil al-Hayya said, “Our mobilizing masses have come to announce that the path of the Sword of Jerusalem is renewed,” using their name for the May operations (4).
Over the last few days there have been nightly border riots instigated by the ‘night confusion units’, which are not officially tied to Hamas, though they could not operate without their approval. During these riots, burning tires and explosives are lobbed towards Israeli soldiers. For some reason, in spite of these actions, Israel has in recent days agreed to allow Qatari money to enter Gaza and has relaxed limitations on the fishing zone. On Monday this week Israel also allowed the entry to Gaza of 30 truckloads of cement, 120 trucks of gravel and 15 trucks of steel (5). These conciliatory actions are intended to cool the escalation and prevent all out war, but I fear they may have to opposite effect of encouraging violence against Israel by rewarding the rioters for their actions. It seems a dangerous path we are treading.
CORONA IN ISRAEL
Today, 1 September, 2.5 million Israeli children returned to school, in the midst of our worst wave of coronavirus infections to date. Yesterday two milestones were passed. In just 24 hours more than 11,000 new cases were reported, the highest daily increase since the beginning of the pandemic, and the same day we passed 7,000 deaths, 500 of which occurred in August alone. Over the last 7 days Israel has had the highest number of new infections per capita in the world, according to the figures published by Oxford University (6). And this is in spite of the fact that Israel has vaccinated around 70% of its population with at least 2 shots. Over 2 million Israelis have also been given a third booster dose.
(Photo: Roi Rubinstein) https://www.ynetnews.com/article/hyv445hbt
You may wonder why our infection rates are so high in spite of our vaccination program. There are a number of reasons. One is that many Israelis were permitted to travel abroad this summer and many returned with the virus, in spite of quarantine and other requirements. Another is ‘corona fatigue’ amongst the population. Many are tired of all the confusing regulations, which change on an almost daily basis, and are simply choosing to ignore them. There is very little enforcement. Israelis are very gregarious and like to congregate socially in large numbers. Then thirdly there are the 30% of the population, including all the children under the age of 12, who have not been vaccinated, and this sector acts as a reservoir for the spread of the disease. The Delta variant is much more infective than earlier variants, and the vaccines are not 100% effective against the transmission of the virus. Some fully vaccinated people are falling ill, though data is indicating that they are 6x less likely to suffer serious illness if they do. The situation is bad, but I dread to think what it would have been had we not had the vaccinations available.
ROSH HASHANA
This coming week, from sundown on Monday until sundown on Wednesday we will be celebrating Rosh Hashana, the Jewish New Year. This festival involves the congregation of large numbers of people in synagogues and at the Western Wall, and the gathering of families and friends for festive meals. You can read more about the significance of this festival for Jews on https://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/4762/jewish/What-Is-Rosh-Hashanah.htm. In the past an estimated 100,000 people attended the Shleichot prayers, which take place on the afternoon and through the night of the first day. This year attempts are being made to limit the size of the crowds but even so, it represents a potential hotbed for the transmission of the coronavirus.
HOPE IN THE LORD AND REJOICE ALWAYS
I raised the question earlier of how we must live in these dark days. We must continue to run the race with perseverance and diligence. We keep close to our Lord, praying fervently and studying his Word. We push on to the goal that lies before us, the upward call of the Messiah (Philippians 3: 14). One of my favorite passages in the Bible is this, and it gives us excellent advice:
Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!
Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand.
Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things. The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you.
Philippians 4: 4-9
References:
- Joel Rosenberg https://allarab.news/why-do-afghani-christians-believe-they-face-genocide-from-the-taliban-and-how-can-we-pray-for-our-brothers-and-sisters-in-harms-way/
- https://www1.cbn.com/cbnnews/2021/august/after-raising-over-28-million-to-rescue-afghan-christians-glenn-beck-shares-incredible-update
- https://www1.cbn.com/cbnnews/israel/2021/august/israel-based-org-nbsp-helps-send-rescue-flights-to-kabul-to-save-as-many-souls-as-we-can
- https://www.timesofisrael.com/17-gazans-said-injured-in-clashes-with-israeli-troops-at-renewed-border-protests/
- https://www.timesofisrael.com/palestinians-riot-along-gaza-border-for-4th-night-after-israel-allows-goods-in/
- https://www.timesofisrael.com/schools-set-to-open-with-israels-per-capita-covid-rates-among-worlds-worst/