AN HISTORIC FLIGHT FROM ‘THE ENDS OF THE EARTH’

BY PASTOR MIKAELE MUDREILAGI, ICEJ-FIJI NATIONAL DIRECTOR

Let me tell you a little about Oceania, which includes Australasia, Melanesia, Micronesia and Polynesia. With some 3.3 million square miles, this region spans the Eastern and Western Hemispheres and covers one-fifth of the earth’s surface. It connects continents and has many islands and distinct languages and peoples. Thus, it is of global importance. Yet my region also has great spiritual significance, especially in relation to Jerusalem, which sits at the center of the earth. The Bible says the Gospel of the Kingdom would go forth from Jerusalem to Judea and Samaria, and even to “the end of the earth” (Acts 1:8).

Here in Fiji and all the surrounding island nations, it has been amazing to experience the impact of the Gospel which journeyed forth from Jerusalem and finally reached us in modern times. This journey has led us to the pages of Scripture, to discover the God of Israel and redemption through a Jewish Messiah named Yeshua. We now know the Creator of the whole universe. And indeed, God has watched over His word to perform it (Isaiah 55:11; Jeremiah 1:12).

Our faith in Messiah has now summoned our feet to journey back to the Land of Israel where it all started, and to come stand beside Israel in challenging times, to reassure her people they are not alone (Isaiah 40:1, 62:1-2).

The Scriptures also invite the Gentiles to come celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles with His people in Jerusalem. Fiji has been attending the Feast since 1990, when a few individuals like the late Rev. Aisake Kunanitu made the journey to Jerusalem to celebrate with other Christians from around the world. As a result, the ICEJ-Fiji chapter was launched in March 1993, meaning we have now reached our 30th Anniversary.

To mark this occasion, as well as Israel’s 75th Anniversary, ICEJ-Fiji is organising an historic charter flight through our national airline. For the first time, a Fiji Airways plane will land on Israeli soil at Ben-Gurion Airport, bringing over 250 Feast pilgrims to Jerusalem. This unprecedented journey is an expression of our love for the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and for the people of Israel.

This has truly come about by the hand of God. During the Feast of 2017, I received a clear vision while praying at the Western Wall. I saw a Fiji Airways plane carrying pilgrims to Israel for the Feast, and as it passed through the clouds to land, I heard the words of Isaiah 60:8-9, about doves that fly home to their nests. Yet I did not share this vision with anyone except my wife.

Then at last year’s Feast 2022, my fellow countryman, Pastor Manasa Kolivuso, spoke at an evening celebration on the Sea of Galilee, which happened to be on Fiji’s independence day. The next morning, he shared that the Lord laid upon his heart that Fiji was to bring a charter flight to the Feast 2023. My heart was filled with emotion! Grabbing the opportunity, I took a Fiji Airways model plane to the Feast prayer vigil at the Pavilion, during Oceania’s prayer time, and declared that this would come to pass.

We have been blessed by the awesome cooperation of our travel agents and Fiji Airways to make this historic flight happen. The “ends of the earth” are coming to Jerusalem for the Feast, to glorify the King of all the Earth (Psalm 47:2, 7), and to keep the Feast of Tabernacles (Zechariah 14:16).

“And I will make them one nation in the land, on the mountains of Israel; and one king shall be king over them all; they shall no longer be two nations, nor shall they ever be divided into two kingdoms again.” (Ezekiel 37:22)