Thank-you for your prayers for the nation of Israel! In the faithfulness and goodness of God to keep His covenant promises, He has been protecting Israel providentially way beyond what we normally appreciate. Just this Sonday morning, a missile fired from Yemen by the Houthis actually landed within the Ben-Gurion Airport area! There were several injuries, but none “serious”, and some people were also treated for shock. But, once again, a major tragedy was averted: what if the missile had hit a plane; or had hit the terminal building?! Of course the Houthis are telling Israel that until Israel stops fighting against Hamas in Gaza, they will continue to target Israel and whomsoever happens to be in the vicinity of the attack.
About 2 1/2 weeks ago, on Holocaust Memorial Day eve, arsonists started a huge wildfire that destroyed thousands of acres of forest and agricultural fields. Many residents around Beit Shemesh (think Samson) and the Jerusalem area were evacuated. But the Lord prevented deaths, and the fire was brought under control in a couple of days. Then exactly one week later, on Memorial Day eve, during ceremonies remembering all those who have lost their lives protecting Israel from wars and terror without, and from fires and terror within, again arsonists are suspected (and, in fact, one was caught in the act trying to start a fire) of starting an even larger fire around one of the heaviest intersection of highways between the Christian Protestant monastery of Latrun (and also the Catholic monastery there, as well) and up towards Jerusalem, crossing the highway to threaten the Messianic moshav of Yad HaShmonah (where our son and daughter-in-law and granddaughter are currently living), again forcing many to be evacuated. A national emergency was declared over one of the largest fires in Israel’s modern history, and again, no loss of life. Other countries sent assistance the day following with large water planes. The fire services expected the fire to be brought under control after 3-4 days, but it was done in about 31 hours. It was an apocalyptic scene of raging fires along highways and roads, cars stopped, people running away, abandoning their cars. All this during a “slow” traffic day, being a national memorial day. What if this, and the same for the previous week’s fire, had been done when normal business, school, travel filling the highways in those major corridors?!
The sovereign Lord Yeshua/Jesus is watching over His people and land, even while He also lets bad things happen that the people might look towards the God of Heaven and Earth, the only One who can make certain that such efforts to destroy His beloved people and land and city will never be attacked for destruction ever again!
Islamic jihad in all its manifestations — causing fear and lack of peace of mind, waging war, making “peace”, education, politics, threats and intimidation, appealing to the lust for money to weaken clear discernment and resolve, sponsorship of major and popular sports teams and tournaments — all have the objective of destroying and crushing those people, cultures, countries that are not within the Islamic “House of Peace”. Proof of the promised land of Canaan/Israel for the Jewish people is not the “home” of the jihadis or their sympathizers lies in this: they will burn it up rather than love it and protect and preserve it. “If we can’t have it, neither will anyone else, especially YOU (the Jews)!”
I have written before that support for Israel can not be dependent on whether Israel is a “western, pluralistic, liberal democracy”. For one thing, YHVH has called His people to be a kingdom of priests, under HIS sovereign rule. This is not yet; yet, it is what the apostles were referring to when they asked Yeshua before He ascended back to His glory in Heaven: “Will you at this time restore the Kingdom to Israel?” It wasn’t for that time, but the time is surely coming when He will physically return to do just that in the same manner in which He went up! For another thing, until then, certain things must take place, which have not yet happened; and the generation that sees the fig tree/national Israel put forth leaves will see them: daily sacrifices; the abomination of desolation and the antichrist; Jacob’s Trouble/Great Tribulation, the devil’s wrath; the first resurrection and rapture; the Day of the LORD/YHVH, God’s wrath on His enemies and of His covenanted people.
(We may disagree about some of the order, but these things must take place before the Kingdom is restored to Israel.) The point, though, is that for sacrifices to take place, it will surely indicate that Israel is not, at that time, a “western, pluralistic, liberal democracy”; but our support for Israel is for the name of the Lord’s sake, and of the Father. His name will be sanctified and vindicated when He fulfills His purpose for His chosen people, and that will bring blessing to the entire world, especially for those who are glad about that. (Rom 9 – 11; Hab 2:14). While there is legitimate criticism to made of any government, in whatever country, support for Israel must be unconditional towards the fulfillment of the great and grand plan of the Creator, YEHOVAH, to redeem and restore His complete “rights” to His own creation and its “way of life”, and for all to know Him alone as the one true living God. Those who are complicit in wiping out Israel from being a nation anymore, will find themselves fighting against the God Most High. The mission that we as believers in Jesus/Yeshua being the Christ/Messiah is take and preach and share the true gospel with any and all, and let the Holy Spirit deal with the outcome of that. For that, we will need to have Jesus/Yeshua as our first love, and not put any one or thing else between us and Him. (Mt 10:32-39)
For Israel’s 77th Independence Day celebration, Nachalat Yeshua/Yeshua’s Inheritance went out and joined thousands of other Israelis to a nearby large park, the Beer Sheva River Park, to have a BBQ Israeli-style, and to fellowship together for much of the day. A few of us had to get there much earlier to hopefully get the spot that we wanted, and to hold it; and thankfully the Lord helped us get that. He also helped greatly with the weather: the day before, which was Memorial Day, it was a terribly hot and dry windy day (a sharav); Independence Day (Yom HaAtzmaoot) was lovely. Not because any of us here “deserve” any of these good things in God’s providential care that I have mentioned in this letter, but because He is good to the evil and to the good, to the just and to the unjust. At least, we can give Him thanks and praise! We had some unbelievers that some in the congregation had recently met; we also had some believers from another city in the northern Negev that had never joined us for anything before; and, some members of the kehila brought unbelieving family members with them, and we heard good reports about that from them.
The Earth is the LORD’s/YHVH’s, which includes this particular land which He has chosen for the physical descendants of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob. They will inherit it as an everlasting possession with genuine peace and brotherly love once they bless the beloved Son, who comes in the name of the Father. Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
