Monday, December 31, 2012

As Frederick the Great said, "No nation ever persecuted the Jew and prospered." Hitler tried to destroy the Jews of Germany and also Germany. Pharaoh tried, Amalek tried, Sibon, king of the Amorites, Og, King of Bashan, tried and perished. The Assyrian Empire, the Babylonian Empire tried and passed off the stage of human history, and the eternal Jew lives on.

Jew-haters never learn anything from history. Jeremiah (30 :15), like all the Old Testament prophets, was supernaturally exact when he said,

"All they that devour thee shall be devoured; and all that prey upon thee will I give for a prey."

Anti-Semitism is futile because it is fighting against God. The most obvious lesson to be learned from four thousand years of human history is that the Jewish people are indestructible. They are now more numerous than ever before, and they will continue to exist in the future, both according to many Old Testament promises, and according to the Word of God - "Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled."

Very few Christians ever stop to think what Christ's word "until" implies. He predicted the destruction of Jerusalem, the religious and political capital of the Jewish nation, and He said Jerusalem would be "trodden down until" the end of Gentile domination of world affairs. Then Jerusalem will become again the religious and political capital of the Jewish nation, and of the world.

In view of the awful suffering of Jews for two thousand years largely because of their disbelief and rejection of the Messiah, how shall  Gentile Christians escape if they too ignore those large sections of the New Testament which speak of His second coming in power and glory "on the clouds," taking vengeance on them that obey not the gospel?  Gentiles who have any religion at all should take warning from Israel. They try to attain salvation through good works. They try to become just before God through their own efforts. Their whole history proves to the world that this is impossible; and yet this is the vain attempt not only of all heathen religions of the world ancient or modem, but also of many of the most intellectual and "modern" clergymen in the United States, [I'm a good person...]

"Thus saith the Lord, Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches: but let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me, that I am the Lord which exercise loving kindness, judgment, and righteousness, in the earth: for in these things I delight, saith the Lord." Jeremiah 9:23-24

Whether Jew of Gentile, all are "saved by grace."

Since the Jew is God's promised channel of blessing to the world,  what then is anti-Semitism?

Frederick R. Erdman - February 1934

Wednesday, December 26, 2012

Hamas leader Khaled Mashaal instructed the terror group's sleeper cells in the West Bank to prepare themselves for armed struggle to take control of the Palestinian territory, The Sunday Times reported.

According to the report, citing the Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) and the Aman military intelligence service, Hamas, at the behest of Iran, was preparing to seize power in the West Bank as it did in Gaza in a 2007 civil war.

"The LORD's voice will roar from Zion and thunder from Jerusalem, and the heavens and the earth will shake. But the LORD will be a refuge for his people, a strong fortress for the people of Israel". Joel 3:16

Sunday, December 23, 2012

Pressure from the local community is forcing the hands of the Bethlehem municipality to immediately take down a large Christmas billboard sign that has Jesus on it.
 
"In the birthplace of Christianity, we have seen over the years that the Christmas holiday has been reduced to snowmen and bells," said Pastor Steven Khoury of Holy Land Missions, the ministry behind putting the 1200 square foot sign up. He added, "The essential message of the holiday season has been taken away for fear of what the dominant religious factors [aka Muslims] in Bethlehem would say".
 
Vandals cut the electric cable surrounding the sign to ensure that it would not be lit up during the night, and the print shop hired to print and hang the billboard has been bombarded with harassment. Barraged with phone calls from the local community, the municipality informed Pastor Khoury that many are campaigning asking them to take down the sign. "Jesus and His message have been lost in the city that God chose for His Son to come into this world"
 
The billboard sign, located at Manger Square' main street entrance reads:
 
"Jesus born to die and rose again. Invite him into your heart so you might live - Merry Christmas."
 
Ironic isn't it.??.
 
Even after 2,000 years it appears there is still no room for Jesus in Bethlehem.


 

Friday, December 21, 2012

Scoffers ungodly people and scoffers have taken over this "Church" in New Zealand.
St. Matthew-in-the-City, Auckland, New Zealand
--- described on their home page as a progressive Anglican church.

Their argument - Jesus might have been gay....

For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles.  Romans 1

Wednesday, December 19, 2012

"A thought for Christmas...

"If Jesus and mother Mary were alive today, they would, as Jews without security, probably end up being lynched in Bethlehem by hostile Palestinians. Just a thought..."

It is arguable if such an idea is correct or not, but the fact is that many people in Europe and in America have forgotten the Jewish background of Jesus and his earthly family.

Everywhere you go in Europe, you are constantly confronted with two Jews - Jesus hanging on a cross and Mary with a baby in her arms. In restaurants, bars, and of course churches, there they are. And yet, a majority of Europeans no longer remembers that these two iconic figures are part of the Jewish people.

A year ago when Palestinians put on a provocative performance depicting Joseph, Mary and Jesus in front of an Israeli checkpoint near Bethlehem, nobody made a fuss about that. But the truth is that the family of Jesus is neither Palestinian nor Gentile...

...they are Jewish.


Sunday, December 16, 2012

A 'true' statesman ---

Israeli leaders on Sunday spoke on behalf of an empathetic nation when they told the people of America that Israel feels their pain following last week's massacre of 26 school children and their teachers.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sent the following message to President Barack Obama, the grieving families and all Americans:

"The people of Israel grieve with you. When we see these horrible sights of slain children, young boys and girls whose life is nipped in the bud in such cruel acts of savagery, I can tell you from my own experience that we understand the pain and agony. We feel we’re one family with you, and I can only pray that God will give you the strength, as he’s given us, to overcome the tragedy and go on living."

Friday, December 14, 2012

"Never Again," they say, and yet even in 2012 Jews must be warned not to openly identify themselves as Jews in certain places for fear of a violent response to their ethnicity.

Such was the case in Denmark this week, where Israeli Ambassador Arthur Avnon warned visiting Israelis not to wear their skullcaps (kippot) in public, to hide any Star of David jewelry and to refrain from conversing loudly in Hebrew.



Local Jewish leaders confirmed that it has become increasingly dangerous to be seen as a Jew, and hinted that the problem stems from the growing Muslim influence in the city.

Thursday, December 13, 2012

A woman Border Guard sergeant stationed in Hebron shot dead a Palestinian whom she saw attacking a soldier under her command at a post near the Patriarchs Tomb Wednesday. The Palestinian knocked the soldier over and held what looked like a pistol to his head, whereupon the soldier’s female comrade shot the assailant dead. The investigation which followed found the gun was a metal dummy.

She later explained in a radio interview that she had split seconds to act in what was obviously a death-threatening situation for one of her subordinates and she acted as she was trained to do.

Palestinian websites ran the sergeant’s photo over the caption Arabic: “Wanted for international justice. We are asking her to be tried as a murderess at the Hague international court.”

Tuesday, December 11, 2012

Israel was locked in heated and worried debate over videos and photographs showing Israeli soldiers fleeing before a stone-throwing mob of Palestinian Arabs.

The incident occurred in the Samarian ("West Bank") village of Kfar Qaddum last Friday, when locals staged a weekly riot against the nearby presence of Israel's security fence.

Typically, the soldiers will engage and arrest those who use violence. But some of the soldiers involved said their commander was frightened by the presence of foreign media cameramen and the inaccurate way they would portray any act of self defense on the part of the IDF troops.

So, the soldiers were ordered to run away, and the Palestinian media hailed the confrontation as a major victory.

Friday, December 7, 2012

Hanuka [some spell it Hanukkah, others Chanukkah] this year begins December 8th and is celebrated for eight days.
 
Hanuka celebrates the mighty deliverance of God through the Maccabees, who fought against an evil Syrian king called Antiochus IV Epiphanes. He wanted all the Jews to walk in Hellenistic culture and to worship the Greek gods and goddesses. He murdered the Jewish people who wouldn’t. Anyone who kept the Sabbath or circumcision or had Scriptures in their possession was sentenced to death.

Outnumbered by trained armies, the priests and people of Judah, under Judah Maccabee, fought and won battle after battle, due to their faith in God. They were able to re-take possession of the Temple and cleanse it from the idol statue of the Syrian king Antiochus IV. He had erected a statue of Zeus with his face in on it and wanted everyone to worship him as Zeus incarnate, hence the title Epiphanes (God appears or manifests). The Jewish people called him Epimanes (the madman), a play on Epiphanes.
 
There is a biblical reason why Hanuka lasts for eight days. When Moses consecrated Aaron and his sons for the priesthood, and the Tabernacle was initially dedicated for service, there’s an eight day period (Lev. 8–9). Seven days were the days of consecration and dedication of the priests and the Tabernacle, and the eighth day was the first day of official service. This was what was on the minds of the Torah observant Maccabees and the reason for the eight days because the word ‘hanuka’ means ‘dedication.’ As such, Hanuka becomes for us an eight day period of re-dedication of ourselves (the temple of God; 1st Cor. 3:16-17; 6:19) to God the Father in the name of His Son, Messiah Yeshua, asking Him to cleanse us of our idols, that we might be fully consecrated and dedicated to Him!
 
Hanuka is a holiday commemorating a time when Yahveh moved mightily for the salvation of His Jewish people. It’s a real historical event.
 
The major theme of Hanuka is our re-dedicating ourselves to Yeshua, to His purpose for our lives. In this we see the cleansing of the Temple in the days of the Maccabees as an apt picture for what Yeshua wants to do with us, the temple of the Living God (1st Cor. 3:16). With Yeshua declaring at Hanuka, in the Temple in Jerusalem that day, that He was the visible manifestation of the Living God, Yeshua was authenticating Hanuka for all of us and our children.
 
"Chag Urim Sameach!"
(Happy Festival of Lights.)

Tuesday, December 4, 2012

Israel has responded to international condemnation over its earlier approval of more Jewish apartments in Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria by announcing that an additional 1,600 housing units will now be constructed.

In addition to the 3,000 units, Israel will now add another 1,600 apartments to the northern Jerusalem neighborhood of Ramat Shlomo, which was at the center of a previous major dispute between Israel and the US over Israel's right to build anywhere in its own capital. While the Palestinian motion at the UN was a clear violation of its signed agreements with the Jewish state, Israel's punitive approval of more Jewish housing in areas claimed by the Palestinians is not prohibited by those same documents.

Following Israel's decision to build new Jewish housing in response to the Palestinian statehood bid, Chicago Mayor and former Obama chief of staff Rahm Emanuel [a Jew] launched a serious of vicious verbal attacks against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. First Emanuel called Netanyahu's behavior "unfathomable," then he accused the Israeli leader of repeatedly "betraying" Obama.

There is growing concern in Israel that Obama, via Emanuel, will attempt to influence Israel's upcoming election in order to oust Netanyahu from office. While that is a long-shot, the White House could succeed in making it nearly impossible for Netanyahu to form a stable coalition following the election.

"He changes times and seasons; he removes kings and sets up kings; he gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding; He reveals deep and hidden things; He knows what is in the darkness, and the light dwells with Him". Daniel 2:21-22

Sunday, December 2, 2012

Israel's government on Sunday voted to officially reject last week's UN General Assembly vote recognizing "Palestine" as a sovereign state, and took several punitive measures such as withholding tax revenues and approving more Jewish "settlement" housing.

The resolution passed by the Israeli cabinet insisted that despite what a majority of the UN member states say, the Jews have a legal and historic claim in Judea and Samaria, and those territories will remain disputed.

"The Jewish people have natural, historical and legal rights to its homeland with its eternal capital Jerusalem," the resolution stated. "The State of Israel as the state of the Jewish people has rights and claims to areas that are under dispute in the land of Israel."

"No king is saved by the multitude of an army; A mighty man is not delivered by great strength. A horse is a vain hope for safety; Neither shall it deliver any by its great strength. Behold, the eye of the Lord is on those who fear Him,  On those who hope in His mercy...." Psalm 33:16-18