Israel & Christians Today Newspaper October 2014

INTERNATIONAL VERSION October 2014 Edition www.c4israel.org info@c4israel.org CHRISTIANS FOR

ISRAEL INTERNATIONAL

Commentary & Analysis

Current News

Reflections

Good News

Israel & the Church/Nations

Inside Israel

Jewish Voices

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Rosh hashana HAPPY NEW YEAR

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Highlights Jewish New Year

2

Editorial: Rosh Hashana

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Australia Makes a Stand

3

Covenants and Kingdom 4 Daniel Shayestah

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Lance Lambert

9

Derek Prince

10

Aliyah

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Israel & Christians Today is the premier publication of Christians for Israel

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Current News

October 2014

Let the Current Year and its Curses End and May the New Year be Crowned with Blessings

By Yosef Livne, Israeli Ambassador to New Zealand Whilst I’m writing this, we are only a couple of weeks before the Jewish New Year will be ushered in.

As I am sure most of you know this period that culminates with Yom Kippur is not a business as usual time in our tradition. ___________________________________ This is a time for soul searching and accountability. It is more than anything else a period for repentance and assuming with sincere and devout open mindedness the balance sheet of our comings and goings in the previous year. ___________________________________ I believe that this year in particular, not only Jews ought to review their accomplishments and failures. I am convinced that many around the world as well as in New Zealand, need to engage in an even deeper process of double checking their attitudes over the last two months and take time to look deep into their souls and ask themselves some very poignant questions. In fact, introspection should be the rallying cry for the New Year.

Personally I can say without fear or doubt that sins have been committed against my people and against truth. And I’d like to take this opportunity to share with you my analysis and raise my voice, as did Emile Zola, the French writer and declare J'acuse!, I accuse!

For a period of 7 weeks, we have seen anti-Semitism raise its ugly head. As the Israeli people stood up as one to repel the constant attacks by the Hamas Gangsters, our enemies tried to infect the minds and hearts of people with distortions, lies and hatred. As exemplary students of George Orwell's novel "1984", the enemies of Israel have mastered the language of Doublespeak. Propaganda replaced facts and defamation displaced truth.

As we move away from the confrontations in and around Gaza, let us not forget the real reasons and facts that surround it.

One of the great discussions in Academia has been the issue of neutrality and objectivity in scientific research. Most agree that the choice of subject can’t be

neutral, but the essence of research, namely the methodology and transparency ought to be neutral and should not reflect personal views. In other words, there can be no shortcuts.

How sad it is that in the long weeks of the operation in Gaza, coverage in some media outlets ignored facts and they behaved as if theirs is a mission on behalf of one side and not the truth…

Let us examine the facts: The cease fire in and around Gaza may be a harbinger of a new dawn for the people on both sides of the border. We in Israel certainly harbor no ill feelings towards the people in Gaza. This has been our position all along. Israel withdrew from Gaza voluntarily in 2005. Our hope has been that the Palestinians living there establish a modern prosperous entity. Unfortunately, instead of successful agriculture, the fields of Gaza were planted with rocket-launchers and mortars - all aimed against the Israeli civilian population. Time and again the extremist terrorists of Hamas and their cohorts showered our communities with fire, leaving the Israeli government no choice but to take up measures to protect the population. ___________________________________ Let me make it very clear, if Gaza were not transformed into a bastion of aggression, we would not have taken any step against it. In fact, even under the difficult circumstances, Israel did not strangulate Gaza. ___________________________________ Over the past 4 years all goods were allowed into Gaza from Israel with the exception of weapons and a short list of dual-use items that can be exploited by terrorists. All the consumer goods that cross over as well as the quantities are determined by Palestinian merchants and depend primarily on market forces. For instance, in the period between January and May of this year 18,000 trucks carrying over 200,000 tons of supplies crossed over.

Moreover, in the same period 181,000 tons of cement, wood, gravel and iron crossed into the Gaza region from Israel.

Unfortunately much of it found its way into the construction of the offensive tunnels aimed at Israeli civilian communities.

Despite the constant threat from Hamas and other fundamentalist terrormongers, approximately 60, 000 individuals entered Israel from Gaza. Many came for medical purposes and were accompanied by family members. Others were businesspeople and merchants.

The Rafah Crossing into Egypt offered the people of

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Gaza the option to travel to Egypt and on to other countries.

You may also be interested to know that between July 8 and 27 August, the crossing points between Israel and Gaza remained open and some 5779 trucks crossed over.

Furthermore, over 4.5 million liters of Diesel for the Power station, 1.7 for U.N.R.W.A, over 4 million liters of petrol for transport and 4.8 tons of cooking Gas as well as 1000 tons of medical supplies. In the same period over 4000 people crossed over and close to 3000 left Gaza, most for health purposes. Journalists passed through as well as foreign nationals whose governments requested our help in their evacuation.

Have you seen any mention of these facts? Probably not! You, as well as many other people around the world were fed a diet of lies describing Gaza as a huge prison blockaded by Israel. The facts depict quite a different reality.

Let us remember that Operation “Protective Edge “came about as a direct result of on-going aggression by Hamas and its cohorts against the civilian population of Israel. Israel is like any other country, within its rights and indeed its responsibility under international law to protect its population from such naked acts of aggression. However, as a Western Democracy, Israel is bound by its core humanitarian values and the laws of armed conflict which means that we shall never target civilians and will strive to limit injury to civilians to the greatest extent possible.

It is in the spirit of our commitment to the rule of law that a professional and comprehensive examination of alleged violations of international law, including the laws of armed conflict has been initiated. A Fact Finding Assessment mechanism (FFAmechanism) has been established by the C.O. Staff of the Army. Its task is to investigate all the events that allegedly resulted in unanticipated harm to civilians.

The findings will be submitted to the Military Advocate General who in turn will decide whether there are grounds for

criminal investigation. The results of the investigation are subject to review by the State authorities as well as by the Supreme Court, sitting as the High Court of Justice, and are expected to be known within a short time frame.

Unfortunately, once more, the truth became prey to the blood thirsty pack of anti-Israeli and anti-Semitic wolves.

Even while Israeli towns and villages were being subjected to shelling, the so called Human Rights Council sent another proof of its long standing anti-Israel stance.

They already decided that a commission of inquiry to investigate the purported Israeli violations of international humanitarian law was to be established. The commission is headed by professor William Schabas, whose anti-Israeli views are known. He, along with the commission has already decided that Israel was guilty. Schabas called for P.M. Netanyahu to be tried as a War Criminal… So, while the council was quick to find the resources to establish a special commission, it has shown less concern over the fate and the sufferings of the people of Iraq and Syria. Their plight apparently deserves the attention of just two members of the Council’s staff.

Recent developments in the Fertile Crescent cast worrying shadows over our region. The march of fanatic forces cannot leave anyone indifferent. The forces of evil intolerance are not nurtured by respect for pluralism. Theirs is a banner of either their way or death. Their goal is to destroy and uproot anyone who is different. We know because we have been facing them for a long time.

Israel, it should be reiterated time and again, harbors no ill will towards the Palestinian people. It is our desire to see the cease-fire take hold and herald a departure from the violence of the past few months.

The talks in Cairo are to be resumed soon and may turn a new page in our immediate future.

How appropriate would it be if the title chosen for this article were to become a reality!

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Commentary

October 2014

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Rosh Hashana - A Time to Look at Ourselves

By Andrew Tucker, International Editor & Executive Director, Christians for Israel International On the eve of the Jewish New Year (Rosh Hashana) and Yom Kippur, Ambassador Livne (see article on page 2) rightly throws out a challenge to reexamine ourselves before God. This applies to us individually, but also to the nations of the world. After all, the nations bear a great responsibility before the Almighty in relation to the way they treat the Jewish people (see eg. Joel 3:2). __________________________________ As Christians, we need to ask ourselves questions like: are we standing in a right relationship to the Lord? Are we caring for the poor, homeless and weak?

Are we looking for the coming of our Lord and Saviour? Are we supporting our Christian brothers and sisters, especially those suffering persecution?

Last but not least - are we showing mercy and compassion towards the Jewish people (Romans 11:31)? __________________________________ The Gaza conflict presents us with a complex challenge in this respect. How should we respond to the daily images of homeless and injured Arab children in Gaza? Do we side with Israel or the Palestinians? Over 2100 Palestinians killed, many of them children, and massive destruction of homes and infrastructure, all create the impression of an unnecessary, unfair and disproportionate conflict.

It is, however, too easy to criticize Israel from the safety of our comfortable armchairs. We need to put ourselves in the shoes of Israel’s leaders. There has been alarmingly little analysis in the Western media of the background, the underlying causes and the broader context of the Gaza conflict. It is telling, for example, that the statistics of casualties on the Israeli side generally do not include the three teenage boys brutally murdered in July, while their abduction and slaughter was a key trigger

of Israel’s decision to take action. Equally there has been little serious analysis of Israel’s dilemma’s in dealing with the threats it faces. What alternatives did Israel have than to launch this offensive?

What would the world look like if Israel had not destroyed so many tunnels and terrorist networks in Gaza? In what way could they have been destroyed without collateral damage? Why does no-one talk about the support provided to Hamas by UNWRA, or the intelligence being provided by Israel to Western nations to help them fight terrorism? There has been much criticism of Israel, and few credible answers to these questions.

One thing has become clear. The Israel/Gaza conflict is not an isolated incident, and has implications for the whole world. Hamas is a terror organization that shelters a long list of other terror organizations including branches of Al-Qaeda and Islamic State. A core Hamas goal is dismantling of the state of Israel. Unfolding Hamas’ new strategy recently in the wake of the Gaza conflict, the leader of Hamas, Khaled Mashaal, emphasizes the use of international legal instruments to mobilize international support to weaken Israel. “We say to the world,” Mashaal proclaimed, “that this entity (i.e. Israel) has become a burden to the West and the East and the human community, an entity that is a burden on international Christianity and on Judaism in the world, rebelling against ethics and morality. The desire of some of the international powers to grant it a role has exhausted itself and come to an end - if it ever had a role at all. And it will no longer be suited to any role on behalf of the imperialist powers.” In other words, as Jonathan D. Halevi of JCPA has recently reported, “Hamas sees the legal instruments of the international community as a powerful means at its

disposal to pursue the delegitimization of Israel and invalidate its existence both for “ethical and moral” reasons and for its being a “burden” and “without (strategic) value” to the West”.

The truth is that, just as the Ebola virus cannot be contained in West Africa, antiWestern and anti-Jewish jihadist violence is not limited to Gaza, Iraq and Syria. Not only are Westerners (and others) being regularly beheaded in Iraq and Syria, we are seeing an increase of jihadist violence in the West. In September fifteen suspected Islamic terrorists were arrested in Australia (all of them apparently Australian citizens or legally resident in Australia) – accused of planning the abduction and beheading of innocent Australian citizens, in obedience to orders received from Australian-bred ISS leaders in Iraq. On the other side of the world, the mayor of Amsterdam has warned that – following a summer in which anti-Semitic incidents reached record levels in the Netherlands (as if all Jews are responsible for the deaths of Palestinian children!) – the atmosphere in his city is tense, and violence is likely to erupt if the conflict reescalates in Gaza. Thirty-five Amsterdammers have joined the ISS troops in Iraq or Syria, and there is growing radicalization in the city. The Dutch government is desperately trying to find tools to address the issue, but their hands are tied; suspected terrorists use every legal means at their disposal to invoke their rights to freedom of speech, religion and movement.

And there is more, much more - to concern us. The Ukraine/Russia conflict is not only a humanitarian disaster, it is a potentially the greatest threat to security in Europe since the Cold War. Not to mention the ongoing violence in Nigeria and Mali, chaos in Libya, outbreak of Ebola virus in West Africa, the “forgotten war” in

Afghanistan, etc.

One senses a growing fear in the free world. Fear results from uncertainty. We feel that our basic freedoms are being threatened, but we do not know how to respond. We do not understand the enemy (or we simply ignore his existence), so we do cannot develop a sensible strategy to defeat him.

Maybe the place to start is to try to better understand what is really going on.

Hatred of Jews and Christians, and Western democratic values in general, seems to be intensifying and spreading like a virus. What is driving this hatred?

Many point to Israel’s “occupation” of “Palestinian land” as the root of the problem. The reality is probably the opposite. While recognizing that Israel is not above the law, and must be held accountable for breaches of international law, the dismal condition of the Palestinians will only be improved when the root cause of the hatred against the Jewish people is addressed and removed.

And by the way, Islam does not have a monopoly on that hatred. __________________________________ All is not doom and gloom. Thank God we have hope. There are many wonderful things going on in the world that are not reported in the newspapers.

It is good to remember Jesus’s words when talking about the signs of His coming again - “And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draws nigh” (Luke 21:28). __________________________________ Let us face up to the challenges, but let us equally look to the Coming of the Lord as the fulfillment of our hopes, and the real answer to the world’s problems.

We wish all peoples of the world a happy new year. May it bring the peace and joy for which we all long.

Australia Makes a Stand

By Julie Bishop, Australian Foreign Minister, and George Brandis, Attorney General “The description of East Jerusalem as ‘occupied’ East Jerusalem is a term freighted with pejorative implications which is neither appropriate nor useful,” Attorney General George Brandis told the Australian Senate. He was speaking on Jerusalem Day, marking the 47th anniversary of the reunification of Jerusalem during the Six Day war in 1967.

The Arab world immediately threatened Australia with trade sanctions. Palestinian Authority Ambassador to Australia Isaat Abdul Hadi demanded that the policy be reversed or a complaint would be filed with the UN General Assembly.

The Palestinians are concerned that Australia’s shift in policy could prompt other nations to follow suit.

Throughout history Jerusalem has only been divided one time and that was during the 19 years between 1948 and 1967. But the Palestinian and their supporters says Israel’s presence in East Jerusalem is a violation of international law according to the Fourth Geneva Convention regarding

their protection of civilians in wartime. The Palestinian Authority sent an angry letter to the Australian government, accusing it of supporting Israel in “an internationally wrongful act.”

Earlier Australia’s Foreign Minister Julie Bishop said the same thing.

Her comments were that she rejected labelling the eastern half of Jerusalem as “occupied.” Moreover, she added that she does not support the popular anti-Israel terminology that defines the Middle East peace process. ___________________________________ Julie Bishop has also said that it was wrong to call Jewish settlements “illegal.” When told by a journalist that international law has declared them illegal, she replied, “I would like to see which international law has declared them illegal.” ___________________________________ Most people don’t know that Judea and Samaria were not the recognized sovereign territory of any other nation at the time Israel seized control of it.

Second, there is overwhelming historical and archaeological evidence that the area is part, and even the central part of the Jews’ ancestral homeland.

Bishop pointed out that the original intent of the Israeli Palestinian peace

process was to not prejudge a negotiated outcome, even in regards to settlements.

For the world to already condemn the Jewish settlements as “illegal” is a gross violation of that principle.

Israel, the other hand, welcomed the decision. “I applaud the Australia government for honesty and integrity in its treatment of the Israeli-Palestinian

conflict,” said Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman. He praised Australia for “avoiding populist statements that appeal to and flatter radical Islamic forces.”

Publisher’s comments – Australia deserves our praise for these forthright comments. I trust New Zealand’s Prime Minister and Foreign Minister have taken notice.

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Theology

October 2014

Covenants and Kingdom

By Rev. Willem J.J Glashouwer, President Christians for Israel International What is Replacement Theology?

The theory of Replacement Theology goes like this: The theologians in the Church said: Yes, once upon a time the Jews were the chosen people by God. But when they said NO to Jesus, God said NO to the Jews. His anger and His judgment came upon them. He removed them out of their land Israel and spread them around the globe. Over the centuries they suffered a lot – especially in the lands of Christianity – and you may pity these poor people, but let’s face it: didn’t they ask for it? Didn’t they shout in front of Pontius Pilate: “Let His blood be on us and on our children”? Matthew 27:25. So this is a warning to us all: this will happen to people who say NO to the Lord, and NO to His Anointed One! Consequently the Church often watched in silence what happened when the Jews were persecuted, or the Church was even actively involved in these persecutions during the last almost 2000 years. ___________________________________ And the theologians of the Church said: We - the Church - we have said YES to Jesus. So now we are the new chosen people of God, we are the new Israel, we Christians are the spiritual Israel - we, the Church, have replaced the Jews as the chosen people of God. ___________________________________ Now if you say such a thing, you are making God into a liar. You make God into a God that can break an oath. A God that said: I give everlasting promises to Israel, but then halfway changed His mind. God made covenants with Israel, all covered by an oath, all unconditional and all of them everlasting. If God does not keep His promises to Israel, how can we be sure that He will keep His promises to us?

Replacement theology is a sin before God. With incredible consequences in the history of Christianity: rivers of Jewish blood were spilled in the last 2000 years in the lands of Christendom.

The Seven Unconditional Covenants made with Israel are: 1. The Abrahamic Covenant Genesis 12:1-3. (Isaac & Jacob, Genesis 17:7-8; 22:15-18; 26:1-4/23-24; Genesis 28:3-4/13-15; 35:9-14) 2. The Covenant of the Promised Land, or the Land of Israel Covenant, or the Land of Canaan Covenant Genesis 12:1, 13:14-17, 15:12-21, Deuteronomy 30:1-10, Psalm 105:7-11;

Leviticus 25:23; 1 Chronicles 16; Isaiah 43:5-8; Jeremiah 32:40-41 3. The Levitical Covenant, the everlasting priesthood of the tribe of Levi Numbers 25:10-13, Nehemiah 13:29, Jeremiah 33:19-23, Malachi 2:1-9 4. The Davidic Covenant, the everlasting kingship of the house of David 2 Samuel 7:10-16, Psalm 89, Ezekiel 37:24-25 5. The New Covenant Jeremiah 31:31-34, Luke 22:19-20 6. The Jerusalem Covenant Ezekiel 16; Isaiah 2:2-4, 4:2-5, 62:6-7 and 12, 65:17-19, Micah 4:1-3, Zechariah 2:12; 8; 12; Ezekiel 40-48; Psalm 132:13-14; Revelation 21-22:5 7. The Covenant of Peace Ezekiel 37:20-28 The one Conditional Covenant made with Israel is: 8. The Covenant of the Law, the Covenant of Sinai, the Mosaic Covenant, the ‘Old’ Covenant Exodus 19:5, 20:1-17, Deuteronomy 5 Deuteronomy 28:1-68, verses 1-14 has the formula ‘IF you will do this’ then ‘I will bless’; verses 15-68; but ‘IF you will not do this’, then ‘I will curse.’ One has to meet certain requirements in order to obtain the blessings of the Covenant of the Law. This Covenant of the Law, the Covenant of Moses is the ‘Old’ Covenant. The author of the book of Hebrews explains the difference between the ‘Old’ and the ‘New” Covenant.

After he has explained the beauty of the New Covenant, he concludes in Hebrews 8:13: “...By calling this Covenant ‘New’, He has made the first one [the ‘Old’ one, the Covenant of the Law] obsolete; and what is obsolete and aging will soon disappear.”

Jesus fulfilled the Covenant of the Law. By doing this that Covenant has become old, aging, almost disappearing. But the other 6 Covenants stand as a rock! And will stand, because they are everlasting, unconditional and covered by an oath of Almighty God Himself.

Let’s read for instance Psalm 105:7-11 “He is the Lord our God; His judgments are in all the earth. He remembers His covenant forever, the word He commanded, for a thousand generations, the covenant He made with Abraham, The oath He swore to Isaac. He confirmed it to Jacob as a decree, to Israel as an everlasting covenant: “To you I will give the land of Canaan, as the portion you will inherit.”

Israel does not exist by the grace of the United Nations, or by the grace of the United States of America, or by the grace of Russia, or Europe, or China, or Africa, or the Arab nations, or by the grace of Christianity or by the grace of Islam: Israel exists by the grace of Almighty God on the basis of an everlasting covenant to which He swore by Himself an oath that He will never break. He cannot lie, says Numbers 23:19. The return of the Jewish people

back to the Promised Land of Israel in our days shows us quite clearly God’s faithfulness to Himself ‘keeping the covenant of love for a thousand generations’.

We see with our own eyes how God keeps His Covenant.

Everything He promised to Israel, He will fulfill for Israel.

Everything He promised to the Church, He will fulfill to the Church. But we should not try to make an unholy mix of the two – as so often has happened in the history of the Church.

The Kingdom of God By claiming that the Church replaced Israel, the Church also lost sight of the Biblical concept of the Kingdom of God. When the Lord Jesus taught His disciples the beautiful prayer known as the Lord’s Prayer, He began like this: “...Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your Name, Your Kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:9-19).

What does He mean by praying for the Kingdom to come? Are we praying for a spiritual Kingdom in people’s hearts? That is certainly part of it. Paul says: “...For the Kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit” (Romans 14:1718). Through being born again, a person receives the Holy Spirit: “...Having believed, you were marked in Him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit” (Ephesians 1:13). And thus the Church is one form of the Kingdom of God, a community of people who through faith in Christ and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit serve Christ in the world. By words and deeds they help to establish signs of the Kingdom that is to come, just as He Himself did during His lifetime. He referred to His own miracles as “signs of the Kingdom” for they were bright spots in the darkness, examples and indicators pointing to the Kingdom yet to come. The sick were healed, the dead raised, the powers of nature under control, the hungry fed, the blind received their eyesight and the deaf their hearing and, yes, demons were cast out and sins were forgiven.

First the signs of the Kingdom in Israel were performed by Jesus the King Himself.

Then the signs of the Kingdom were seen in the whole world by the power of the Holy Spirit during the preaching of the Gospel of the Kingdom to all the nations of the earth, (Matthew 24:14). Signs and wonders, as pockets of light in a surrounding darkness.

And ultimately the Kingdom of peace and justice worldwide, when the King will again be among us and will sit on the throne of His father David and rule over the House of Jacob - Israel and peace will flow forth from Jerusalem and the nations will train for war no more, (Isaiah 2:2-4). And of His Kingdom there shall be no end, because He was resurrected from the dead and lives forever.

Kingdom and Israel And that visible Kingdom will be inseparably bound to Israel. Because the Angel Gabriel had promised to His mother Mary in Luke 1:30-33: “...the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give Him the throne of His father

David, and He will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; His Kingdom will never end.”

The first part of the promise of the Angel Gabriel has been fulfilled literally.

He was born as the blameless, spotless Lamb of God, to take away the sins of the world. God was His Father and Mary was His mother. The Holy Spirit came over her and she, a virgin, became pregnant. Why should the second part of the promise of the Angel Gabriel not be literally fulfilled? One day He will sit on the throne of His father David - and that throne stood in Jerusalem.

One-day He will rule among Jacob = the 12 tribes of Israel. And of His Kingdom there shall be no end. One day peace will flow forth from Jerusalem and cover the earth and the nations will train for war no more, according Isaiah 2:2-4 and many other prophecies.

After the Lord Jesus had completed His work on the cross and given His precious blood for the sins (plural) of the world; after He had broken the power of sin (singular), defeating the devil and his powers of darkness; after His triumphant resurrection, and immediately before His ascension, His disciples excitedly asked: “...Lord, are You at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?” The Lord Jesus did not answer “What a dumb question! Do you still not understand that it is not about an earthly Kingdom in which Israel will have a prominent place, but that it is all about a heavenly, a spiritual Kingdom?” No. All He said was: “...It is not for you to know the times or the dates the Father has set by His own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria and to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:6-8). These were His last words before the enveloping cloud of God’s (Shekinah) glory (Luke 9:34-35) took Him away.

May the King of kings and the Lord of lords come soon back to Jerusalem to establish His Kingdom of Peace and Righteousness – Isaiah 2:2-4: “In the last days the mountain of the Lord’s Temple will be established as the highest of the mountains; it will be exalted above the hills, and all nations will stream to it. Many peoples will come and say, “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the Temple of the God of Jacob. He will teach us His ways, so that we may walk in His paths. The law will go out from Zion, the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. He will judge between the nations and will settle disputes for many peoples. They will beat their swords into ploughshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore.”

Rev. Willem J. J. Glashouwer is the President of Christians for Israel International and Honorary President for the European Coalition for Israel.

Israel and the Church

October 2014

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GPC Conference in Krakow (PL): Jan 25-29, 2015

By Harald Eckert, Chairman Christians for Israel International

"Comfort ye, comfort ye, my people, says the Lord!" is the central theme of the GPC Conference in Krakow/Auschwitz (Poland), January 25-29, 2015.

“Comfort ye, comfort ye, my people, says the Lord!”

In this deeply moving verse from Isaiah 40:1, the God of Israel exhorts us as non-Jewish believers to comfort His people, who have gone through so much suffering. On Jan. 27, 1945, the Auschwitz Concentration Camp was liberated, where over a period of only 3 years, more than one million Jews were systematically and brutally killed. Auschwitz came to symbolize the Holocaust, during which 6 million of the 13 million Jews living in Europe at that time perished between 1940 and 1945 - exactly 70 years ago. In 2005 - 2006 the European Union as well as the United Nations established January 27th as the official Holocaust memorial day.

Hatred of the Jews within the Christian Church in Europe (both Catholic and Protestant) was a major factor in preparing the way for the Holocaust. Starting with the early church fathers and carried on by the great reformer, Martin Luther, replacement theology, whose premise is that God had rejected the Jews because they rejected Jesus, had permeated the European Church. Not only the church, but also most European nations were united in their dislike, mistrust, even hatred of the Jewish people. Most others were simply indifferent to their plight. These attitudes were particularly strong in Germany and helped usher Hitler into power and pave the way for his “final solution” – the Holocaust.

On Jan. 27, 2015, we, a representation of the praying and repentant church in Europe, invite praying Christians around the world to join us in crying out to the Lord, the God of Israel, in the spirit of Daniel chapter 9. May we together confess and repent of the sins of our fathers! May we turn from our evil ways, past and present! May we learn from History and nurture a warm, loving and compassionate heart toward the Jewish people in light of what they have had to suffer! May we allow God to transform us as praying Christians and Christians in responsibility to be far more sensitive, far more watchful and far more alert regarding the plight of His People! And may He increase our anointing to rise up and take a stand on behalf of the Jewish people and the Nation of Israel in our day and in our generation – particularly as we see the Jews threatened with a second Holocaust by the overt hatred of the Muslim world and ever growing antisemitism worldwide.

As European ministries, dear brothers and sisters around the world, we warmly invite and strongly encourage you to send your national delegations of prayer leaders and leaders in your churches to the GPC-Conference in Krakow, Poland (Jan. 25-29, 2015) marking the beginning of the 100 days of prayer (and partial fasting).

Conference Details: Travel By air: Krakow International Airport (Poland).

Good connections by train and car.

In the city: Taxi or public traffic system.

Contact Email: info@100-days.eu www.100-days.eu

Financial Support Accommodation

The Program: January 25: January 26:

January 27: January 28: January 29:

Arrival, first meal (dinner) and first evening session.

Bus brings us to Auschwitz Concentration Camp. Late morning: Guided tour of Auschwitz. Lunch with German-Polish-Messianic Intercessory Conference. Prayer meeting at the "selection" area of Birkenau. Drive back on bus. Evening meeting.

Daytime: Teaching, information, prayer. Evening: Special commemoration evening with Jewish/Israeli and official German/Polish guests and our delegation.

Beginning the 100 days of prayer: Sharing the vision, teaching, times of prayer.

Evening: "What do we take home with us and where do we go from here?"

Final breakfast and departure.

Accommodation Hotel IBIS (**)

Hotel KOSSAK (****)

Hotel NOVOTEL (****)

There are 3 hotels of different price categories (two-star to four-star) available. All 3 hotels are located about 1.5 km from the conference center (20 minute walk) and 1 km from the old city center (10-15 minute walk).

The price varies: Ÿ from US$46 to US$92 for a single room incl. breakfast & Ÿ from US$66 to US$106 for a double room incl. breakfast before Dec. 1, 2014.

Afterwards: According to availability.

Christians for Israel - Germany International Bank Account Number: DE79 5205 0353 0140 0028 87 Swift-Bic.: HELADEF1KAS

Book

Conference fee Including lunch, dinner, bus to Auschwitz and back to the conference venue Ÿ US$150 / person before Dec. 1, 2014 Ÿ US$180 / person after Dec. 1, 2014.

Translation Conference language is English. Technology is available for headsets and simultaneous translation. Translator must be provided.

Cost: US$100 per language plus US$15 per headset/user.

Amount to be paid at the conference.

Price per night for SINGLE occupancy 140 PLN (around US$46)*

270 PLN (around US$88)*

Clothing 282 PLN (around US$92)*

Price per night for DOUBLE/TWIN occupancy 200 PLN (around US$66)* www.accorhotels.com/gb/ hotel-3710-ibis-krakowcentrum/index.shtml

290 PLN (around US$96)*

324 PLN (around US$106)*

Registration

www.hotelkossak.pl

www.novotel.com/gb/ hotel-3372-novotel-krakowcentrum/index.shtml

For further information and online registration please go to our website (from Oct. 1 onward): www.100-days.eu

*In order to qualify for the special hotel rates, each person or group will need to contact the hotel individually quo ng the SPECIAL CONFERENCE BOOKING CODE and/or the name of the conference (GLOBAL PRAYER CALL).

Hotel IBIS booking code: 203297

It is winter in Poland. Especially for the Auschwitz/Birkenau visit (Jan. 26) you will need warm winter clothing.

Hotel KOSSAK booking code: BE311/K

Hotel NOVOTEL booking code: 37955

Questions Kasia Kucharska. Email: kucharska@eliabroad.org Ph: 0048 50177 48 95

with contributions from: Harald Eckert Rev. Willem Glashouwer Derek Prince † Rev. Rick Ridings Dr. Wolfgang Schuler Andrew Tucker

06

Good News

October 2014

Déjá Vu for Many in Europe

By Lynley Smith This may be Hungary’s last chance.

This is the comment of Hungarian believer Andrea Simonyi as she works tirelessly to counteract the rising tide of anti-Semitism in her country.

Indeed it may be the last chance for much of Europe (if we are to avert a return to the anti-Semitic conditions of pre-war Europe) as right wing nationalist parties begin to gain electoral traction and support across Europe; starting with Greece (Golden Dawn Party), France (National Front), UK (British National Party), Hungary (Jobbik Party) and many more. Concomitant with this is the steady rise in anti-Semitism.

The European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights uncovered some sad statistics in a survey published in October 2013. Of 5100 Jews surveyed in nine European countries, 22% said they would avoid visiting places and wearing symbols that identified them as Jews. We can see why after the murder of four people in the Brussels Jewish Museum in May this year. A full 91% of Hungarian Jews interviewed (500 in all) said they saw anti-Semitism rising in their country and 30% of those Jews had experienced it themselves. The statistics of other countries were not much better, led out

by France at 88%, Belgium (87%) and Sweden (80%). About 75% of those surveyed said they didn’t bother to report anti-Semitic incidents because it was useless to do so.

In the ADL (Anti Defamation World Wide League) Global 100 survey released in May, 2014, of 53,000 people in 102 countries, findings were even more serious, showing a worldwide lack of support for the Jews. Revealed: 26% of those surveyed showed deeply antiSemitic feelings; of those, over 70% had never met a Jew; 35% of those interviewed worldwide had never heard of the Holocaust; 24% of professing Christians were anti-Semitic.

It is in this setting that I took on the task of telling the story of a distant relative of mine, Scottish missionary Jane Haining, who died sacrificially in AuschwitzBirkenau Concentration Camp during World War 2, for the sake of the Hungarian Jewish children she was caring for in Budapest.

As if by divine appointment, I met Andrea as I travelled across Europe to research the story.

Andrea heads up an initiative called Fountains of Hope, which is attempting to bring reconciliation between the Jewish community and the church and secular

communities in Hungary through a series of talks aimed at educating Hungarians to the truth about the involvement of their country in the war. (These were funded for a few years by the European Union, but funding stopped suddenly in 2012.) The journey to reconciliation would necessarily involve acknowledgement of what had occurred, repentance and forgiveness and finally embracing each other in true reconciliation.

Andrea was so taken by the story of this missionary’s immense courage, faith and understanding of God’s unchanging heart of love for the Jews, that she told me that “Jane’s life is the ultimate example of what we, with all our efforts, are trying to show – what Jesus meant by love.” Since then she has used the story in her work as an example of how things are meant to be.

Jane’s story is effectively a parable of what Christ did on the cross for us, showing us the ultimate meaning of love.

I had the privilege in April and June this year to travel to Hungary, Belgium, UK, and USA, doing talks wherever I could find an audience, telling people about Jane Haining and that, just as in Jane’s life time, we are in serious times; that there is no “fence to sit on” when it comes to the question of the Jews and anti-Semitism; that we are either for God’s chosen people, or we are against them. On an amazing God-directed journey, I shared this with Jewish groups in Budapest and Virginia USA (where the message of God’s undying love for them, as seen in Jane Haining’s life, brought tears to their eyes), in churches, to secular groups in libraries and to secondary school students in UK. During my time in Hungary, where antiSemitism has been endemic for centuries, I witnessed something that gave me great hope. German believer Jobst Bittner had organised a March of the Living event, with the help of Andrea and others. This march is a commemoration of the death marches from the concentration camps at the end of WW2 and of those who lost their lives in them, and a statement of solidarity with the Jewish people. It was reported in the media that 25,000 people attended the march – Jews, Christians and secular people. A march held two years ago drew only 10,000. Something significant is happening.

To explain this phenomenon, I refer the reader to a book by German Christian Jobst Bittner, Breaking the Veil of Silence.

Bittner explains how a curse will fall upon the land and community that sheds Jewish blood. Of course that has happened in Europe as a result of the Holocaust. The Bible says (Exodus 34:7) that God visits the curse invoked to the third or fourth generation – we are there now! Children of the perpetrators of the Holocaust atrocities were unable to ask their parents about those war years – the perpetrators were unwilling to divulge the truth. The grandchildren likewise were not free to ask their grandparents.

Jewish Festival held in the centre of Brussels one week after the slaying of four people at the Brussels Jewish Museum. Large numbers of Christians and others attended in solidarity to the Belgian Jewish community. May, 2014.

becoming aware that something is going on However, we are in the times of the great grandchildren and the perpetrators are in Europe and they are becoming uneasy mostly dead. This generation is free to find (this includes some secular people). School out the truth of the past for the first time students want to hear about the war years. and act upon it. The curse can be lifted.

There is a strange fascination with the The truth can finally be told. What I sensed Holocaust. There is a sense of urgency and in Europe and particularly in Hungary, was a need for an explanation. It can no longer a new season. While negative things have be dismissed as history or irrelevant. It been happening in Europe, amazingly good seems the matter must be dealt with one things have also been happening. way or another. Why? I believe God is The Hungarian government declared moving to bring the nations to a point of 2014 to be a year of commemoration of the decision. There is a sifting of nations and Holocaust, providing funding for many people taking place. Each will have to artistic and research projects related to the choose where they stand on the issue of war years. That in itself is astonishing. Of course it has opened an enormous political Israel and God's chosen people.

Lynley Smith is a New Zealand journalist Pandora’s Box as opposing factions attempt and passionate supporter of God’s chosen to tell their version of the war years. God is people. Her book from Matron to Martyr was moving very powerfully and the future of published in USA in 2012 and she has since the nation hangs in the balance. taken its powerful message of God’s love for And there in the middle of all this is my the Jews and the church’s responsibility in this book, to be published by a secular publisher to Jewish, secular and Christian audiences in New Zealand and across Europe. in Hungarian in October this year, telling the powerful story of one woman's stand against antiSemitism to the death. God has even provided a government funded launch for it complete with media attention, in conjunction with a secular Hungarian made DVD. Astonishing!

In other countries, I sensed Seven of the 25 Holocaust survivors who attended a talk by Lynley Smith a similar opening (back row) in Budapest, April, 2014. They were greatly blessed to hear of up in the spiritual God’s love for them. Five of them knew Jane Haining personally, as they realm. People are had been students at the Scottish Mission school.

Israel and the Church

October 2014

07

On Islam and Freedom

By Daniel and Cindy Shayestah

What Does Israel Have to Do With Us? On 15th May, 2011, Israel was surrounded by thousands of Arab Muslims from the borders of Lebanon, Syria and Gaza the day of Israel’s establishment as a country in 1948. The angry Muslims attempted to breach the border, chanting Yawm an-Nakbah, meaning “the day of disgrace” or “tragedy” in Arabic. Western media portrayed this event as merely political, missing the true motivation behind it. This article aims to shed some light into why this and similar events have been occurring throughout history, even prior to the establishment of Israel.

This protest reminded me of a similar one the Islamic prophet, Muhammad, undertook against Jews fourteen hundred years ago; a legacy for his faithful Muslims: Narrated Abu Huraira: While we were in the mosque, Allah's Apostle came out and said, "Let us proceed to the Jews." So we went out with him till we came to Baital-Midras. The Prophet stood up there and called them, saying, "O assembly of Jews!

Surrender to Allah (embrace Islam) and you will be safe!" They said, "You have conveyed Allah's message, O Aba-alQasim" Allah's Apostle then said to them, "That is what I want; embrace Islam and you will be safe." They said, "You have conveyed the message, O Aba-al-Qasim."

Allah's Apostle then said to them, "That is what I want," and repeated his words for the third time and added, "Know that the earth is for Allah and I want to exile you from this land, so whoever among you has property he should sell it, otherwise, know that the land is for Allah and His Apostle."

(Sahih al-Bukhari Volume 9, Book 92, Hadith 447).

Like prophet, like followers! The tone of the message the Muslims carried with themselves to the borders of Israel was the threat of utter destruction, just as the message of Muhammad resulted in the destruction of the Jewish community in Saudi Arabia so many years ago.

Hatred towards Jews is not a new, or only political, movement in Islam; it is deeply rooted and goes much further back than the 15th May, 1948, right to the beginning of Islam. The homes, land and wealth of those Jews who do not embrace

Islam, belong to Muhammad and his community (the Umma in Arabic), in accordance with a creed established in the Quran in the seventh century AD: He (Allah) gave you (Muslims) their lands (i.e. of the non-Muslims), and their dwellings, and their wealth, for an heritage – even a land on which you had never set foot: for the might of Allah is equal to all things (Q33:27).

Since the rise of Islam, this creed has been put into practice whenever pious Muslims reach power or have significant roles in Islamic countries. This was the reason that Muslims captured Israel after the death of Muhammad and paved the way for future clashes and blood-shed.

Islam is an anti-Semitic religion. It gives the right to every Muslim to take Jewish property by reciting the command of Muhammad to Jews: that the earth belongs to Allah and they must therefore be exiled from their homes and lands. This means that for Jews to prosper means disgrace and shame for Islam.

The root of this hatred goes deep and even the great initiatives and dollars of the West cannot extinguish the fire of Muslim hatred toward Jews or create peace in the area. For Muslims, Israel is not legitimate.

It does not have a history in their history books or a map in their geography books. It does not even exist in their airline magazine maps. This obvious denunciation of the geographical Israel has been evident since its establishment in 1948. This has been ongoing partly due to the poorly designed foreign policies of western countries and the United Nations, who have chosen silence and indifference instead of meeting their international responsibility and demanding that principles of reciprocity be applied in the interests of peace.

Not only are Muslims taught to reject peace with Jews, but also to reject Jews themselves, and to destroy their interests wherever conditions are ripe. The whole philosophy of the PLO and the rise of Yasser Arafat were based on the Islamic belief that Jews ought to be fought against and humiliated until they embrace Islam.

The invasions of Israel have not been because Muslims were oppressed by Jews or their lands were seized. Of course, Islamists need to paint their movement in this way in order to convince leaders in the West who were ignorant of this fact. They are claim victimhood in order to appear morally righteous in the eyes of the western media. This is ironic, as it is the absence of oppression which allows their

propaganda to flourish. To increase the effectiveness of their work, they have aligned themselves with anti-JudeoChristian socialist supporters in the west who have decided to embrace the Islamists, whom they regard as the 'working class'.

These Western allies of Islamism reject democratic values - and the free-market economy - for the sake of establishing their own anti-capitalist socialism. However they are unaware that if Islamists come to power, they will persecute socialists also (as occurred in Iran after the 1979 Revolution). ___________________________________ Islamists are not allowed to use any factual reasoning in their approach to non-Muslims or in their opposition to Israel. Islam has stripped their life of any reason. No logic or intellectual coherence works for them; all that is left to them are contradictory and belligerent assertions. ___________________________________ Read what Allah says in the Quran: (Moses said to his people): O my people!

Enter the holy land (Palestine) which Allah has assigned to you, and turn not back (in flight) for then you will be returned as losers. They said: "O Musa (Moses)! In it (this holy land) are a people [Palestinians] of great strength, and we shall never enter it, till they leave it; when they leave, then we will enter." Two men of those who feared (Allah and) on whom Allah had bestowed His Grace [they were Yusha' (Joshua) and Kalab (Caleb)] said: "Assault them through the gate, for when you are in, victory will be yours, and put your trust in Allah if you are believers indeed." (Q.5:21-23 Noble Quran).

Even the Quran says that Israel belongs to Jews, not the Palestinians, for eternity. If the Quran does not give them any rights to land, then how have Jews been able to occupy land that they were not entitled to in the first place? This is where Islamists have been able to deceive many of their own followers, as well as westerners, due to their lack of knowledge in this matter, convincing them that the solution to war in the Middle-East is the division of Jerusalem. It is sad that many western politicians see this Islamic manipulation as great wisdom. The lack of knowledge about Islam is breathtaking in the West. The West does not yet see that Islam is a religion of confusion and invasion.

Hopefully, this article has shed some light on the religious nature of what has been viewed as a purely political event.

What is being discussed here is deeper than just surface level politics. The implications of events taking place in Israel today will influence every aspect of our lives.

You may also hold the view that the Israel-Palestine struggle is purely political, yet consider this: in Islamic doctrine – according to some scholars – when the occupation of Israel is achieved, it will be used as the center of its power, through which the Islamization of the world will be achieved.

What Then Is Our responsibility?

As members of the world community, we realize the importance of our right to protect our own borders. If any country’s freedom is threatened, we need to defend and uphold their freedom against such actions. Knowing that the Islamic doctrine of occupation begins with Israel and then extends to all other countries, we should combat this threat before it takes place.

Many Muslims are unaware that this impending war will also bring disaster and struggles upon themselves. Many lives will be lost on both sides. It is our obligation to create awareness among them to prevent increased support for radical Islamists and their destructive doctrine.

For those of us who are believers in the Lord Jesus Christ, we know that we have been shown grace in receiving the peace that lasts for all eternity, through the ultimate sacrifice that was given to us through God’s son, Jesus. Yet, we know that in this world, war and disunity will reign until Jesus returns to end all injustice. Until this time comes, let us pray fervently to the Lord that He uses us as instruments to shine His light to Jews and Muslims alike; so that their hearts receive the peace that comes from knowing Christ as their Savior. Only then, will Israel be a place of peace.

Dr Daniel Shayestah was born into a Muslim family in Northern Iran. He became a radical Muslim leader and teacher of Islam in the militant Free Islamic Revolutionary Movement, closely supporting Ayatollah Khomeini. However, after falling out of favor with Khomeini’s political group, he escaped to Turkey where there began an amazing journey to faith in Jesus Christ.

Daniel's mission is to help others understand and lovingly respond to those who do not know Christ. He is also deeply concerned for the future of Western societies, their loss of confidence in Judeo-Christian values, and their persistent naivete about the implications of the world-wide Islamic revival.

Drafted for Prayer Extract courtesy of Israel Today. Complied by Aviel Schneider On Tisha B’av, summer vacation for yeshiva (Jewish seminary) students was scheduled to begin. This posed a theological dilemma for the ultraOrthodox community: Since the rabbis argue that Israel’s protection depends solely on their prayers, if they had sent their students off on vacation while the rest of the nation was at war, they would have lost credibility.

Since Israel became a state in 1948, ultra-Orthodox Jews have claimed that Torah study and prayer are the true defense of the nation, not the army.

Therefore, they have been exempt from the mandatory three years of military

service, much to the chagrin of the secular majority whose sons risk their lives on the front lines. A victory by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) during the Gaza war, while the Torah study halls were empty of the faithful, would have been a sign that it is possible to manage without their prayers.

So the rabbis launched a pre-emptive strike of their own, instructing students to remain in yeshivas rather than taking the summer break. While 86,000 reserve soldiers were called upon to serve in Operation Protective Edge, Torah students were doing another form of reserve duty.

Both religious and secular were making a sacrifice for the nation.

This was a hot topic of debate in Orthodox newspapers and websites since initially not all of the rabbinical authorities were in agreement. But then the Council of Torah Sages, a supreme rabbinical policy-making body, published the following ruling: “Hard times have come upon the house of Israel, a time of Jacob’s trouble [Jeremiah 30:7]. Blood is being shed; threats and danger approach us from the sky and from beneath the earth. In such a time we are obligated to hold close to our Torah: ‘Come, my people, enter into your rooms and close your doors behind you.

Hide for a little while until indignation runs its course’ [Isaiah 26:20]. It is our duty to grow stronger through Torah and prayer. We call upon our students to stay in school despite the holiday, continuing their devotion to Torah.”

08

Israel and the Church

October 2014

A Matter of Simple Justice

By Graeme Carlé I am always happy to argue the case for Israel’s existence today from the Scriptures. However, many of the people we need to convince have no interest in, or place little credence in, God or the Scriptures, so I suggest we instead speak of simple justice for the Jewish people.

Not the justice due them after their 4,000 year history of suffering unrelenting genocidal attacks, persecution and pogroms, Crusades and Inquisition, nor even the Holocaust: Israel has a right to exist even if we consider only events of the last 100 years in the Middle East.

So few today seem to know anything of Palestine or Israel or the creation of the Palestinian refugee crisis other than what they have been told by a television screen showing dead or wounded children and a voice-over blaming Israeli “occupation” of Palestinian land. One picture is indeed worth a thousand words but a picture can also tell a thousand lies. We need to understand the context of what we’re watching.

Our news media also seem completely beguiled by the narrative which portrays 1948 as the beginning of troubles, the Nakba or Catastrophe, as Arabs today describe the creation of the Jewish state and the displacement of Palestinians. Yet it is this truncated view that sets us up, at best for irrational judgments, or at worst for the blatant anti-Semitism seen today on the streets of European capitals as well as in Wellington and Auckland, here in the uttermost parts of the earth from Israel.

Of course, those advocating for the Palestinians today have to pretend it all started in 1948. After all, if anyone bothers to look back thirty years to 1918, they may well end up with a very different

perspective on today’s events.

Consider 1918, when the Ottoman Empire lost control of the Middle East and a new era began. Their mostly Arab subjects there had chafed under the Turkish yoke for some four hundred years so the British dismembered that empire into autonomous Arab states: Saudi Arabia, Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, Kuwait, Yemen, Oman and the Gulf States. Today, the Arab nations, including North Africa, occupy some 13,333,296 sq kms. However, in 1920, the British Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs Lord Arthur Balfour warned: So far as the Arabs are concerned, I hope they will remember that it is we who have established an independent Arab sovereignty of the Hedjaz. I hope they will remember it is we who desire in Mesopotamia to prepare the way for the future of a self-governing, autonomous Arab State, and I hope that, remembering all that, they will not grudge that small notch - for it is no more than that geographically - that small notch in what are now Arab territories being given to the [Jews].1 ___________________________________ And the “small notch” was to become even smaller. ___________________________________ In 1922, the British divided the 120,466 sq kms of Mandatory Palestine to establish “a Jewish National Home in Palestine west of the Jordan and a separate Arab entity in Palestine east of the Jordan”. This division granted the Arabs all of the 92,300 sq kms east of the Jordan (77% of Mandatory Palestine) which they promptly renamed Jordan (The Hashemite Kingdom of…), and then began today’s claims for another new sovereign state called Palestine but within the remaining 28,166 sq kms west of the Jordan (23% of Mandatory Palestine).

As a matter of simple justice, shouldn’t the Arabs indeed remember that the British,

whom they resent for giving any land at all to the Jews, gave to the Arabs all of the sovereign states they have in the Middle East today? That Arabs already occupy lands almost 500 times the size of Israel?

That when it came to Mandatory Palestine in 1922, they were given 77% and renamed it Jordan? Why then are they begrudging the Jews even the 23%?

The usual answer is that because the creation of Israel in 1948 created 600,000 Palestinian refugees2, Israel needs to accept them all back. If that’s fair, then what should be done for the 856,000 Jewish refugees driven out of the Arab nations at that time?3 These Jewish refugees left not only frozen bank accounts, homes, businesses and other assets but also an estimated 100,000 sq kms of Jewish-owned land, or almost five times the size of the State of Israel (20,770 sq kms).4 Wouldn’t simple justice include their plight as well as that of the Palestinian refugees?

So… what happened to all of these refugees? Almost a third of the Jewish refugees fled to Europe or the USA but some 600,000 were absorbed into Israel and the last refugee camp there closed in 1958.

The 600,000 Palestinian refugees, however, were turned away by their fellow-Arabs and there are now 5 million, and 58 refugee camps requiring permanent international aid.5 Was it asking too much of the Arabs to accept their half-share, as the Jews did, in this population transfer of 1.2 million Jews and Arabs? After all, in other spheres of brutal antagonism, disengagement and separation was considered the only possible solution. In 1923, the Treaty of Lausanne required the expulsion of 1.5 million Greeks and Christians from Turkish territory, and 800,000 Turks and Muslims from Greek territory; the 1947 partition of India, to halt Hindu-Muslim warfare, required 14 million people to change

homelands, 7 million Muslims moving to East and West Pakistan from India and 7 million Hindus and Sikhs from Pakistan to India.

Isn’t it indeed racist to believe that only Arabs cannot be as compassionate and accepting as others, such as the Greeks, Turks, Indians and Pakistanis? Or that only the Jews can or should be loving enough to accept all of the 1.2 million refugees in 1948? Is it really Israel’s fault that their often ostentatiously wealthy Arab neighbours prefer to corral the Palestinian refugees into 58 permanent refugee camps?

Or even to massacre them, as they did in Jordan during Black September in 1970 and Lebanon in 1992?

Shouldn’t we apply some simple justice for all?

1 Sir Martin Gilbert, The Routledge Atlas of the ArabIsraeli Conflict, 7th Edition, London, 2002, p. 7 2 After comparing many different sources and methods, it seems the most consistently calculated and likely number of permanent Arab or Palestinian refugees in 1948 was about 600,000 (www.mideastweb.org/palpop.htm, 15 Nov, 2007).

Israel also accepted back some 150,000 Palestinian Arabs after the 1948 hostilities.

3 Morocco (248,000), Iraq (150,000), Algeria (140,000), Tunisia (103,000), Egypt (63,500), Yemen (46,000), Libya (36,000), Syria (15,000), Lebanon, Aden, Iran etc, as well as 17,000 from the Arab areas of Palestine? www.justiceforjews.com/index.html, 12 May, 2008.

4 www.justiceforjews.com/biblio-book.doc; also the World Organization of Jews from Arab Countries (WOJAC), http://wojac.com, 12 May, 2008 5 www.unrwa.org/palestine-refugees

Graeme Carle is a New Zealand evangelist, teacher and author. His books are Eating Sacred Cows, Because of the Angels, The Red Heifer’s Ashes, Born of the Spirit, Dancing in the Dragon’s Jaws, Slouching Towards Bethlehem and Gotta Serve Somebody.

Sharansky Predicts “the Beginning of the End” Sourced from European Coalition for Israel Brussels - The head of the Jewish Agency, Natan Sharansky, has warned of ”the beginning of the end of Jewish life in Europe” if the current trend of Jew hatred and demonisation does not stop in time. The outspoken former Soviet refusenik has caused quite a stir in Europe where we pride ourselves on our tolerance and diversity.

Sharansky noted that Europe has opened its gates to the immigration of people who are not asked to share its values of freedom

and tolerance. At the same time, many Europeans are rushing back to right wing parties who are hostile to minorities. ___________________________________ Sharansky sees the choice as being between assimilation or leaving Europe.

Israeli Government Diaspora Minister, Naftali Bennet, warns that ”for every Jew that makes Aliyah as a result of antiSemitism, there are many others who simply cut their ties with Judaism and the Jewish way of life.” ___________________________________ It still remains to be seen how the new EU leadership will react to these statements. Just last week the composition of the new EU Commission was

announced, and now all key positions in the new EU leadership have been filled.

Polish Prime Minister, Donald Tusk, will become the new President of the European Council and Italian Foreign Minister, Federica Mogherini, will replace Catherine Ashton as new EU Foreign Policy Chief. The Presidents of the European Parliament, (Martin Schultz) and the European Commission (Jean-Claude Juncker) were confirmed back in June.

Out of the four EU leaders, two are known to be friends of Israel. In his first public appearance as a new President of the European Parliament in 2012, at the ECI co-sponsored Holocaust memorial service, Martin Schulz stated that ”his first and

foremost task will be to stand up for the Jews and for the State of Israel.” Polish Prime Minister, Donald Tusk, is considered to be a close friend of Israel, whereas the other two EU- leaders have a more problematic relationship with the Jewish state.

Natan Sharansky is a Soviet-born Israeli politician and author who spent many years in a Soviet prison for allegedly spying for the Defense Intelligence Agency.

He has served as Chairman of the Executive of the Jewish Agency since June 2009.

Sharansky is the author of three books: Fear No Evil, The Case for Democracy and Defending Identity.

Reflections

October 2014

09

ECI on Solidarity Mission to Israel Sourced from European Coalition for Israel

Jerusalem - As members of the European Parliament returned to a new five year term in Brussels in the first week of September, the Board of the European Coalition for Israel travelled to Israel to show solidarity with the people of Israel.

In a solidarity meeting with the Speaker of the Knesset, Yuli-Joel Edelstein, the Israeli leader reminded the group about the ramifications of the conflict for European citizens.

‘For each rocket fired into Israel, European citizens should consider the financial ramifications. ___________________________________ How many homes could have been built with the funds that were spent on the thousands of missiles? How many schools and hospitals could have been built if the authorities in Gaza had used their resources for the benefit of the people instead of building terrorist tunnels? ___________________________________ One tunnel is estimated to cost around 3 million Euros and the IDF have been able to locate and destroy 30 of them, amounting to a total cost of 90 million Euros. Europe is the single largest financial donor to the Palestinian people and therefore has a special responsibility to ensure that the funds are being used correctly by its leaders.’

The Speaker thanked ECI for is unwavering support of the Jewish state in times of crisis and for its many activities around the world on behalf of the Jewish people. He mentioned in particular the ECI initiative to have the UN recognize Yom Kippur as an official UN holiday.

‘Lack of respect for Jewish holidays prevents Jews from participating fully in the political process, not only at the UN, but also in European institutions’, he said.

The bulk of the meeting however was focused on the troubling rise of antiSemitism in Europe. Mr Edelstein praised the ECI initiative in 2005 introducing Holocaust remembrance into the European Parliament in Brussels, as it reminds the people of Europe about the deadly consequences of not waking up and taking action against Jew hatred in time..

Harald Eckert and Tomas Sandell spoke

on behalf of the ECI delegation, presenting the many initiatives with which ECI is involved in strengthening support for the Jewish state. They mentioned in particular the upcoming 70th Anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz and the end of the Second World War. ‘This window of time will be of crucial importance in raising awareness of our responsibility to learn from history. It does not stop at the borders of Europe. The tragic experience of the German people, as well as other Europeans, also needs to be shared with other continents.

The Global Prayer Call in connection with the 100 days between January 27th (Liberation of Auschwitz) and May 8th (Victory Day) provides a unique opportunity to recommit to the safety and security of the Jewish people in Israel, as well as in Europe’, they said.

The Middle East Update (abridged)

By Lance Lambert, highly respected Jewish Evangelist, Teacher and Author In this Update I will seek to cover what is happening as a result of the recent war - the attitude of the nations and the media and many other things that have been drawn out into the open by this conflict.

Israel has suffered the loss of many soldiers, and it should be apparent that no democracy can have this without defending itself. The aim of Hamas is absolutely clear.

It is the total elimination and destruction of Israel and annihilation of Jews worldwide.

One of the things that has surprised the IDF was how extensive the tunnel operation has become. They have been built with concrete but that concrete or cement was supplied by Israel for the homes in Gaza.

We need to understand that what has taken place in Gaza is in fact a war crime and the UN is culpable. It is culpable because they have allowed things to happen that should be urgently investigated. It seems that the UN has deliberately cooperated with Hamas in allowing rockets and missiles to be placed in UN localities.

Recently Hamas leaders appeared on their own TV saying that Hamas loves death like Israelis love life. What a statement! This however doesn't seem to affect the way in which most nations responded. By and large most nations except for Canada and Australia who have taken Israel's part, have been most critical of Israel actions. This was in spite of the careful way in which the IDF did their best to avoid civilian casualties when they undertook special target bombing. I remember that in the Second World War the Allies literally flattened city after city in

Germany. In one night of their bombing 76,000 people died. Dresden and some of the neighbouring cities were literally flattened. The hypocrisy is that the nations presently condemning Israel were part of the allies that undertook the carpet bombing.

Of course in bombing Germany the purpose was to destroy the Nazi system.

However the system of Hamas is very similar. It has an avowed aim to destroy Israel and bases that aim upon the Quran, which says in the last stage of world history Jews everywhere will be destroyed. It says even the trees will call out to people and say "there's a Jew hiding behind me. Come and get him".

I find it amazing what US Secretary of State John Kerry has had to say recently.

The ceasefire proposal that he made on this Gaza war was incredible. He had a meeting with a number of EU foreign ministers plus Qatar which is founder of Hamas, and Turkey which is a supporter of Hamas. The ceasefire proposal was totally on the side of Hamas. Israel was not invited to that meeting, nor interestingly was the Palestinian authority. Kerry's proposal was remarkable. Leave all the tunnels in place and lift the naval blockade to enable one sea port to be open. Kerry offered billions of dollars in donations to Hamas. This is one of the most extraordinary things I’ve heard.

It is interesting that the Palestinian Authority is now one of those who have joined Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the oil Emirates, and Jordan, in their dislike of Kerry's ceasefire. They believe that he is trying to revive the Muslim Brotherhood as a moderating force on Islam, which is absolute nonsense. Israel's ambassador to the United Nations said that the recent UN Security Council statement on Gaza did not reflect what Israel has to deal with and he

called on members to stand with Israel in the fight against terrorism. He said "Make no mistake - Hamas is not working alone.”

Ambassador Prosor said it’s funded by Qatar and Iran. I have to say that the United Nations culpability is appalling. I have no influence upon the government of Israel, but if I had, I would advise them to withdraw from the UN altogether.

Netanyahu actually said in a public address that it was the theatre of the absurd, and then went on later to describe it as a "house of lies". And I totally agree. I find it extraordinary that the Chairman of the Persecuted Minorities Committee is Syrian.

That says it all. I mean you don't have to say any more. The whole thing is a "jamboree". It's ridiculous.

Think about this. Hamas apparently used during the conflict 5 UN schools and hospitals to store rockets and missiles. The hospital actually had the missiles stored in the basement. Surely any civilised country must be horrified that a terrorist organisation could use schools with children using the premises and the hospitals full of ill people? Is someone going to tell me that everybody did not know what was going on? Charles Krauthammer put it beautifully - did they carry these missiles into the buildings in golf bags? I need to say something more about the tunnels. The IDF discovered during the conflict 80 tunnels to my knowledge. It is almost unbelievable. Quite a number of them were built to cross under the Israeli border. The idea was that Hamas commandos could pour out from multiple tunnel exits directly into Israel, seize different moshavim and kibbutzim, murder the people and kidnap some for hostage purposes!!

I want now to refer to other Middle East Issues. See what is happening in Iraq

through ISIS. Mosul in Iraq had at one time 105,000 Christians. Now it is almost nil.

We have seen videos of ISIS men shooting men, women and children in the back of the head – in the same way the Einsatz Gruppen did in Germany - it is the same fascist Nazi spirit. For them this whole question of life is very unimportant, especially when it’s followed by the Muslims.

They tend to believe that when someone dies, they go into Paradise, so why not help them there? I mean, shorten the time of misery on earth. I find it incredible!

I always remember the old Latin dictum, Quos vult perdere Jovis prius dememtat. The dictum goes like this: “When the gods want to destroy a nation, they first make their leaders mad,” and I think that is exactly what has happened.

Some of the leaders speak of the “glories of Islam” and the contribution of Islam to world civilization as being colossal. I mean, what are they talking about?

Well, these Updates have always been the light of God’s word, and it just seems to me that the whole operation – this past war in Gaza, is underlining what the word of God says. It is He who keeps guard, watching over Israel without slumber nor sleep! Where does Israel’s help come from?

In the end, nowhere else but God Himself.

And that’s the only thing [we need].

I believe the Lord is fighting for Zion! I believe – the re-creation of Israel is the word of God being fulfilled, and that means that if she is threatened by the nations – it doesn’t matter who, for their opposition and antagonism will force the Almighty into confrontation with them! I believe that it is happening now!

So we need not only to pray for Israel, we need to pray also for the nations that we are part of.

10

Reflection

October 2014

Our Debt to the Jewish People Sourced from the Teaching Legacy of Derek Prince, Volume XVII, Issue 2. www.derekprince.com I want to point out some elementary, simple truths. All Christians - whatever race or background or nationality - owe an incalculable debt to the Jewish people, a spiritual debt. Every spiritual blessing we have ever received we owe to one nation, the Jewish people.

Let me illustrate this briefly: If there had been no Jews, there would be no patriarchs, no prophets, no apostles, no Bible, and no Savior. How much would any of us have without those five things? No wonder Jesus Himself said in John 4:22: “Salvation is from the Jews.” Every person who has received salvation through faith in Jesus owes their whole spiritual inheritance to the Jewish people.

But the tragedy is that rather than acknowledge our debt to the Jewish people, multitudes of professing Christians over the centuries have compounded that debt by sixteen or more centuries of rabid antiSemitism. Most of the anti-Semitic activity in Europe (which was the area mainly affected, but also in Russia) was carried out by professing Christians, often led by

priests and by people carrying crucifixes, all done in the name of Christ.

If you find that Jewish people are rather reluctant to acknowledge the claims of Jesus, or to give ear to the claims of the Christian gospel, you need to bear that fact in mind. They have a background of sixteen or more centuries of vicious, unjust persecution carried out in the name of Christ by professing Christians.

What Can We Do? You might ask: How can we make amends? The answer is, we can’t. There is nothing we can ever do that will expiate all the crimes that have been carried out in the name of Christ against the Jewish people for all those many centuries.

We cannot make amends. But we should repent. If we repent, John the Baptist instructed the people of his day, “Bear fruits worthy of repentance” (Matthew 3:8). In other words, “Do something practical to show that you really have repented.” One thing we can do, which is practical and very powerful, is to accept our responsibility to intercede for Israel, for Jerusalem and for the Jewish people.

There is a very beautiful picture in Isaiah that speaks about intercession for Jerusalem. The Lord is speaking and He

says: “I have set watchmen on your walls, O Jerusalem; they shall never hold their peace [never become silent] day or night.

You who make mention of the LORD, do not keep silent, and give Him no rest till He establishes, and till He makes Jerusalem a praise in the earth.” Isaiah 62:6–7 Other versions render that, “Give Him no rest, and take no rest for yourselves until the Lord establishes Jerusalem as the praise of the earth.” ___________________________________ That is a word spoken to us as believers in Jesus at this time when God is moving for the restoration of Jerusalem. There should be watchmen, in a spiritual sense, on the walls of Jerusalem ringing the whole earth around in every nation where there are Christians. There should be intercessors taking their place on the walls of Jerusalem. ___________________________________ In the military to be on watch is a very serious responsibility. If you fall asleep on watch it is a court-martial offense, and that is the seriousness I believe God wants us to attach to this commitment to intercede for Jerusalem. Though we may not be physically situated on the walls of Jerusalem, in a spiritual sense that is where God is posting intercessors from the nations

all around the world.

An interesting word appears there. God says, “You who make mention of the LORD, do not keep silent.” The Hebrew word is mazkir, which means somebody who reminds somebody else. It is the modern Hebrew word for “secretary.” One of a secretary’s jobs is to remind her boss of his appointments and what he has to do. We are to be the Lord’s secretaries, reminding Him, “Lord, remember, Your promise to Abraham, Isaac and Israel. Remember what Jesus said about Jerusalem? Remember, remember, remember.” In other words, we are holding God to His own commitment to Jerusalem.

That is the most powerful form of intercession we can practice. It says, “God, You said. We hold You to Your word. We will not keep quiet. We will not stop praying until You do what You have said.”

God is looking for that kind of intercession all around the world.

Derek Prince (1915-2003) was educated in Britain. While serving in the British army during World War II, he experienced a lifechanging encounter with Jesus Christ. He devoted his life to the teaching and study of the Bible and became internationally recognized as a leading authority on Bible prophecy. His daily radio program continues to touch lives around the world.

God Reshuffles the Deck Extract courtesy of Israel Today. Written by Victor Mordecai __________________________________ Current events in the Middle East show us that God - the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob - is in full control and is able to “reshuffle the deck” of cards.

Many are the thoughts of man, but inevitably, the will of God will prevail (Proverbs 19:21). __________________________________ One example is the Arab Spring, in which “out of nowhere” a revolution takes place in the Arab world that spreads like a wildfire, confounding even the greatest of analysts and pundits. The so-called “One World Government” or the “the powers that be” in the US and Europe all make plans, usually to the detriment of Israel; but God comes into the picture most miraculously and confounds those who think that Israel should be blamed for everything.

It took the same anti-Israel agenda of the world powers at least three years to overcome the paralysis and shock of the Arab Spring that began in February 2011 with the revolutions in Tunisia, Libya, Egypt, Yemen and Syria, as well as the ongoing internecine strife in Iraq. One manifestation of this misguided thinking was President Barack Obama’s support for

the Muslim Brotherhood takeover in Egypt.

Then, as the world powers were cooking up more plans to pressure Israel into its own demise, two remarkable things took place showing that God is in charge.

First, three Jewish teenagers were abducted and murdered by Hamas terrorists near the biblical town of Hebron, sparking the 50-day Gaza war in which Israel neutralized Hamas’s infrastructure, terrorists, rockets and tunnels. The war crimes of Hamas strengthened Israel’s case that it cannot relinquish further strategic territory that would become a base for relentless Arab terror.

Second is the sudden emergence of the Islamic State (also known as ISIS or ISIL), one of the most fanatical and ruthless groups in world history. As it says in the Koran: “Anyone who wages war against Allah and Mohammed and spreads disorder in the earth, we will kill, crucify, chop their arms and legs off and banish from the land” (Sura 5:33). This has sharpened the clash of civilizations between Islam and the West and even between one branch of Islam and another (e.g., Shiites and Sunnis).

Weapons Stored in Mosques Extract courtesy of Israel Today. Compiled by Aviel Schneider During “Operation Protective Edge,” this summer’s war in Gaza, Israeli security forces arrested and interrogated over 200 members of Hamas and Islamic Jihad. They provided valuable intelligence enabling air and ground forces to locate rocket launching sites, tunnels and weapons depots. They also confessed to firing rockets from civilian facilities such as schools, apartments and hospitals. Mosques were used by Hamas to store weapons and

to build entrances to tunnels. That is why Israel targeted dozens of mosques during the 50-day conflict. Some examples are: Abdel Rahman Balousha of Khan Yunis admitted that the Alsafa and Alabra Mosques in Khan Yunis in southern Gaza were gathering places for senior Hamas officials and operatives. The meetings in Alabra took place in a tunnel beneath the mosque. Under interrogation, Muhammad Ramadan of Khan Yunis confessed to

REIGN OF TERROR The Islamic State is fulfilling the commandments of the Koran

We knew about the ethnic cleansing, killing, torture and rape of Christians in Egypt, Lebanon, Syria and Iraq as a result of the Arab Spring already in 2011. If that weren’t enough, now we see beheadings, mass killings of Shiites, Kurds, Yazidis and Christians, in addition even to Sunnis who are not considered “kosher” enough by these maddened ISIS terrorists.

Even the pro-Muslim Obama has had to change his stance, concluding that the Islamic State must be destroyed. Obama said in his famous book that he would never go to war against Muslims, yet now, we see Western nations and armies joining up with Russia and Iran to defeat this growing Islamist threat. We also see intervention on behalf of the tens of millions of Kurds in the Middle East who

weapons training in an underground bunker below the Alshafi Mosque. He said the Hamas military wing also had facilities beneath the Alatzlakh Mosque, and the Albana Mosque was planned as a site for building tunnels into Israel.

Muhammad Alqadra described Khan Yunis mosques and the Nasser and Halal Hospitals as storage sites for weapons including, rockets, rocketpropelled grenades (RPGs), Kalashnikov assault rifles and heavy machine guns. He said it is an open secret that Hamas leaders and their bodyguards wear police uniforms as a disguise and hide in bunkers under

have been a traditional ally of Israel.

The conclusion is that God has again reshuffled the deck. While the world condemns Israel for border changes after the Six Day War in 1967 and insists on a withdrawal from “occupied territory“, we see the borders of Lebanon, Syria, and Iraq, and potentially Jordan and Saudi Arabia as well, being erased. These artificial borders were created by Britain and France in the Sykes-Picot Agreement following the allied victory in World War I, yet they are considered sacrosanct by the Western world.

On the other hand, the 1967 lines remain the most disputed borders in the world. But thanks to the Arab Spring and ISIS, God is preparing for His prophecies to be fulfilled.

HOUSE OF WORSHIP or weapons?

hospitals. In Nasser Hospital, bodyguards were seen in the Intensive Care Unit seated behind desks, and Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh hid in Gaza City’s Shifa Hospital, knowing that Israel would not bomb there.

Inside Israel

October 2014

11

Israel’s Contribution to the World Extract courtesy of Israel Today Even the Islamic Nations Benefit

Cherry Tomatoes

During the Gaza war, Israel was forced to defend itself against terrorist attacks, bringing great destruction on its enemies.

But this is not what the Jewish state wants to be known for. Israelis are proud of their achievements in areas that benefit mankind.

So we have compiled a short selection from a long list of Israeli inventions.

One of the most notable products developed in the Israeli desert is the cherry tomato - a modern vegetable that is popular all over the world. The cherry tomatoes growing in the Negev are two to three times sweeter than other tomato varieties because of the desert minerals in the water used to irrigate the crop.

Netafim - Drip Irrigation In the 1960s, Netafim developed a drip irrigation technology enabling Israel to efficiently utilize its scarce water resources in agriculture.

Today, the company is the global leader in the field, helping deserts worldwide to bloom.

ReWalk - Exoskeleton for Paralysis A special system allows individuals with spinal cord injuries to walk upright. This “miracle” was developed by a paralyzed Israeli academic and praised by Time magazine as the best invention of the year. ReWalk is available in Europe and North America.

Pill Cam – The Camera Pill Like something straight out of a science fiction novel, Gavriel Idda invented a pill with a built-in camera.

The device produced by his company has revolutionized diagnoses of the digestive system.

Desert Potato

Copaxone is a groundbreaking drug for treating multiple sclerosis. It was developed by the Israeli pharmaceutical giant Teva.

It took David Levy, a professor from the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, about 20 years to develop a potato that would grow in hot, dry climate zones and could be irrigated with seawater. Thanks to his invention, farmers in the Middle East and Africa can now grow potatoes and even export them.

Babysense - Breathing Monitor

GFA - Fishing in the Desert

Copaxone - MS Medicine

This device was developed and patented in Israel in 1992. Babysense monitors the movement and breathing of a baby, enabling parents to respond quickly in case of emergency.

The company GFA (Grow Fish Anywhere) is living up to its name. Indeed, fish can now be farmed everywhere - without electricity or adding water - because an ecological cycle keeps renewing itself.

Ola Mundo - Communication for Autism OlaMundo, meaning “Hello World” in Spanish, is the first technology worldwide developed for communication with people who suffer from autism.

It is the invention of Ofer Harel, the father of a 10-year-old autistic child. OlaMundo enables children and adults to communicate with a special sign language.

Miracles in the Midst of War Extract courtesy of Israel Today. By Michael Selutin and Barry Rosenfeld ___________________________________ Israel’s wars are known for supernatural events that often blur the boundary between the material and spiritual. This was again the case with the Gaza conflict when three separate “miracles” found their way into the Israeli media. ___________________________________ The first was reported by an Israeli soldier who is deployed with the Iron Dome missile defense system. “A missile was fired from Gaza (toward Tel Aviv) and Iron Dome precisely calculated (its trajectory),” he said. “We know where these missiles are going to land down to a radius of 200 meters (yards). This particular missile was going to hit either the Azrieli Towers (which includes a shopping mall), the Kirya (Israel’s equivalent of the Pentagon) or a railway station. Hundreds could have been killed.

“We fired the first (interceptor). It missed. Second (interceptor). It missed.This is very rare. I was in shock. At this point we had just four seconds until the missile

landed, and we informed the emergency services to be prepared for a mass casualty incident. Suddenly, Iron Dome showed a strong wind coming from the east that sent the missile into the sea. We were all stunned. I stood up and shouted, ‘There is a God!’ “I witnessed this miracle with my own eyes… I saw the hand of God send that missile into the sea!”

A second event involved a group of soldiers who entered a Gaza house searching for rockets, when they were confronted by a woman wearing a suicide belt and running toward them. One of the soldiers blurted out the words of the sacred Jewish prayer spoken in the face of death “Shema Yisrael…” (“Hear O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one” - Deut 6:4).

Hearing the prayer, the woman dropped the belt and fled.

It turns out that she was Jewish and had married a Palestinian years earlier.

Understanding the prayer, she ran away in panic.

In the third “miracle,” a group of ultraOrthodox Jews was searching for wheat to harvest for matzoth (unleavened bread) for next year’s Passover. They needed to do this before Rosh Hashana (the Jewish New Year which began in September) because it is a Shmita or sabbatical (seventh) year in which the land must lie fallow.

Such a field was found at Kibbutz Sufa next to the Gaza border. Under rocket fire they proceeded to harvest the field and load the wheat onto trucks.

Three days later, 13 Palestinian terrorists emerged from a tunnel in the same field only to find that their wheat

“camouflage” had been mysteriously removed. Shorn of their covering, they were intercepted by Israeli forces, thus averting yet another tragedy.

Truly, “He who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep!” (Psalm 121:4).

12

Aliyah

October 2014

Ukraine Update

By Koen Carlier, Christians for Israel Leader, Ukraine ___________________________________ The average cost of one Jewish refugee staying with us for a period of two weeks to one month, is 250 euro. This does not include the 135 euro it costs to bring one person to the embassy and the airport. ___________________________________ Again this week we brought a number of Jewish refugees to Kiev Airport, who are leaving for Israel. Saying goodbye is very emotional as they often say to us, “You have saved us!”. Ÿ In total we have assisted 75 Jewish refugees from Eastern Ukraine, through Kiev, emigrate to Israel. Ÿ At the moment, we are caring for 64 Jewish refugees who are staying in and around Kiev. Once their documents are completed, they leave for Israel for good.

Many of them are suffering from trauma after experiencing violence in their hometowns. Ÿ Roughly 250 Jewish refugees are staying in the Jewish orphanage Alumim in Zhitomir, and Tikva in Odessa. Nobody knows the exact numbers or locations. Ÿ Countless Jews have fled from Doneck and Luganck to the port city of Marioepol.

Unfortunately, heavy fighting has started in this city. Last night more than 50 Ukrainian soldiers were killed in battle. We are now expecting a wave of refugees to come from Marioepol, which has 500,000 people. Ÿ A new wave of Jewish refugees wanting to make Aliyah, will be absorbed in the Eastern city of Dnepropetrovsk, a population of over one million people, in the coming days. How fast they can make Aliyah will depending upon their documentation. Unfortunately, as a lot of older people don’t have a passport, the process will take longer for them. The Jewish Agency has asked Christians for Israel to pay for the shelter of the Jewish Refugees, until they can leave for Israel.

Ÿ

Christians for Israel help where needed.

Many Jews now realise that they didn’t take our previous warnings to get prepared for Aliyah seriously enough. For many it is now a necessity to leave for Israel, having to leave everything behind. Ÿ The rabbis who are responsible for the provinces of Luganck and Doneck have fled from their cities, and are for now staying in Zhitomir and Kiev. Ÿ After arriving in Israel, many of the Jews participate in a program called, ‘First Home in the Homeland’, a project designed to assist refugees to settle in Israel. Ÿ Recently we received a call to help a large family of 16 people from the East of Ukraine; to help and accommodate them in Kiev. The youngest is a baby of 4 months old and the oldest a lady of 84 years old, who until yesterday, refused to move until fights broke out in her town Debalchevo! ___________________________________ We appreciate your prayers for the situation in Ukraine. “It is important we can do our work under His protection”.

(Psalm 91) ___________________________________ Ÿ

Following are thank you letters sent to our Aliyah fieldworker, Nataliya Krizhanovski in Kiev. Nataliya has been instrumental in helping these families to flee the East of Ukraine and make Aliyah.

for washing clothes and cleaning, and for caring about us. We are very grateful and sincerely wish to thank Christians for Israel for continuing to labor in the Name of the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ.

Thank You Letter from the Samusev Family: My family and I have been living at Nataliya Krizhanovski’s place from 31 July to 19 August 2014. We express our great appreciation for the care and attention provided to us in this difficult period.

Thank you and with all our hearts we wish to you peace, welfare and strong health.

Thank You Letter from the Ostroukhov Family: We would like to express our deep gratefulness and sincere appreciation to the Christians for Israel, especially Nataliya Krizhanovski for their financial assistance and moral support. When we were given the phone number of this wonderful woman, we, as refugees from Donetsk with two small children, were on the verge of a nervous breakdown, with no place to live and no income. Nataliya organised a hotel for us, where we got three meals a day. She arranged for our things to be brought from Donetsk and would call us regularly to see how we were. Thank you so very much.

Thank You Letter from the Liberchuk Family: On 26 June 2014, we left Severodonetsk for Kiev to apply for permanent residency in Israel. We are sincerely thankful to everyone who assisted and cared for us.

To Larisa from the Jewish Agency, Natasha from Lugansk and Lena Dubinina from Donetsk. To Nataliya Krizhanovski, thanks to you, God has provided peace for us.

Thank you for the accommodation, meals,

Israel & Christians Today is the premier publication of Christians for Israel PHOTO: Jewish refugees from the East of Ukraine now making Aliyah from Kiev Airport after our team looked after them for more than two weeks.

You now see only happy faces because the 'war' they faced in the East is over for them!

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