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Standing in support of Israel, Jews, and believers in all the nations, in the name of Jesus (Yeshua). Sharing biblical truth, encouragement, news and prophecy.
Showing posts with label fig tree. Show all posts
Showing posts with label fig tree. Show all posts
Wednesday, January 10, 2018
The Promise of Peace and Tranquility ✡ “Every Man Shall Sit Under His Grapevine Or Fig Tree” - Israel365
Saturday, November 4, 2017
V’ahavta וְאָהַבְתָּ ‘And you shall love’ - "Perspective" Hadassah from Jerusalem
וְאָהַבְתָּ ‘And you shall love’
Perspective
Hadassah from Jerusalem
We did not fully understand the ‘gift’ that had been given us. In looking in the Torah, we know that the fig is one of the 7 species of Israel. (Deuteronomy 8:8) There is also a wonderful promise that upon returning to the Land, we will ‘live in houses we did not build and eat from trees we did not plants’. That each of us will invite our neighbor to sit with us under our fig tree-- a picture of dwelling in peace. (Zechariah 3:10).
From the Editor (Steve Martin, Love For His People Founder):
Todah rabah! (Hebrew – Thank you very much.)
When we first moved back to Israel, we had a small two-bedroom apartment. It was exactly what we wanted and needed at the time. There was a fig tree in our ‘yard’. We say ‘yard’ because it was really only the size of a small bedroom. There used to be an apple tree, but for some reason the landlord saw fit to remove it. That left a massive fig tree surrounded by dirt. Not a very useful area as in the winter it turned into mud and the summer it was full of bugs. So we decided to pave the area to make it more useful.
Having a fruit tree in ones’ yard is a mixed blessing. There is the romantic notion of trotting into the garden, bowl in hand, to pick the morning fare. (We are not especially fond of figs though). The reality is, there is dropped fruit everywhere including on the clean laundry. Dropped fruit means ants and bees and bugs and a funny smell if not cleaned up right away. This tree also had a branch that seemed to always swipe me in the head as I walked by!
We did not fully understand the ‘gift’ that had been given us. In looking in the Torah, we know that the fig is one of the 7 species of Israel. (Deuteronomy 8:8) There is also a wonderful promise that upon returning to the Land, we will ‘live in houses we did not build and eat from trees we did not plants’. That each of us will invite our neighbor to sit with us under our fig tree-- a picture of dwelling in peace. (Zechariah 3:10).
Right in front of us, we had the blessing of returning to the Land in the ‘person’ of this fig tree. But we also learned another lesson from our Arab gardener, Ya’acov and our Moroccan Jewish landlord, Pini.
Ya’acov installed tile in our yard. The branch that hangs too low kept clipping him and he saw what a nuisance it can be. He kept wanting to cut it off. Actually, even before putting in the tile when he worked for us he had been bugging us to cut it off.
One day he came and said that the landlord wanted it cut. We asked him several times if he was sure. We couldn’t imagine Pini doing that as it would be about half of the tree! Our understanding of Hebrew isn’t that bad but I thought I should ask Pini to be certain.
Sure enough, when we asked Pini about it he said ‘NO! It is a mitzvah to grow this tree! It is one of the Shivat HaMinim! The 7 species’ He went on the show us the others of the 7 species that he was growing in the garden.
As Pini walked away, we were struck by the different perspectives on this tree:
Ours: the fig tree was a bit of a nuisance- messy, bug drawing, sticky mess.
Ya’acov: cutting the fig tree represented a bit of income if he could cut it.
Pini: his fig tree was a mitzvah… an act of obedience to Torah and a Holy work; a blessing and a fulfillment of promises made by God.
After this, we looked at the fig tree with totally new eyes. I also learned to make jam so we could enjoy the fruit! May we continue to have this kind of ‘seeing’ as we walk this Land of promise.
"Every man will sit under his own fig tree, and no one will make them afraid; for the Lord Almighty has spoken." Micah 4:4
Nissim & Hadassah
Jerusalem, Israel
Hadassah and Nissim, her accountant husband, live in a settlement just outside Jerusalem with their dog Molly. After making Aliyah (immigrating) from the U.S. with their five children in 1989, they are now semi-retired and open their home to guests and those wishing to make Aliyah. When not busy with their 16 'GrandWonders', they enjoy a quiet life of study, prayer and learning to serve the LORD.
Hadassah #12 11.04.17
From the Editor (Steve Martin, Love For His People Founder):
If these messages have ministered to you, please consider sending a charitable gift of $10-$25 today, and maybe each month, to help us bless families as Hadassah's in Israel, whom we consistently help monthly through our work. Your tax-deductible contributions receive a receipt for each donation. Fed. ID #27-1633858.
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Todah rabah! (Hebrew – Thank you very much.)
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Saturday, September 16, 2017
The God of Israel Rules - Charles Gardner ISRAEL TODAY
The God of Israel Rules
Friday, September 15, 2017 | Charles Gardner ISRAEL TODAY
The threats of the North Korean dictator are frightening indeed, and could well ignite a nuclear war, but they are part of a bigger picture of worldwide rebellion against the God of creation. On a more specific front, they’re a smokescreen for a potential Armageddon in the Middle East as Russian-backed Iran and its allies move dangerously close to Israel’s borders.
Only last week (September 7) Israel carried out a daring air strike against an Iranian-run weapons factory in the heart of Syria, severely damaging (if not destroying) the facility where chemical and biological munitions as well as medium-range missiles are being developed. Syria has in turn warned about “dangerous repercussions”.
The strike took place exactly ten years after Israel – the only country in recent years that has stood up to North Korea until now – destroyed a Syrian nuclear reactor being built with the help of the rogue regime.
British politicians, while appalled by the antics of Kim Jong-un, are nevertheless shaking their fists at God in their own way as, with their atheist agenda, they question the existence of a divine order. Like the serpent in the Garden of Eden, they pose the subtle question: “Did God really create man and woman to procreate?” (See Genesis 3.1)
At the centre of the earth today stands a small Jewish state. And what the world interprets as an ideological battle over a piece of land the size of Wales is in effect an Arab-Muslim challenge to the God of Israel, revealed to us through his Son Jesus Christ.
Their claim that the land does not belong to the Jews despite thousands of years of historical, archeological and biblical evidence was decisively countered by the 1947 discovery on the shores of the Dead Sea of ancient scrolls proving Jewish connection to the territory well before the emergence of Islam – and recognised as such by the United Nations that same year.
The findings in caves at Qumran included the entire original text of the Book of Isaiah, over 2,500 years old. This was found intact among hundreds of parchment scrolls hidden in the desert cliffs exactly as it is recorded in modern times – no Chinese whispers here, but God’s authentic hand.
There is no doubt that the unearthing of these scrolls – along with much more archeological evidence – fully vindicated Israel’s claim to the land, quite apart from other political and biblical factors.
At the heart of all the sabre-rattling going on now is a battle – not really over whether there is a God, but over who he is. And the Judeo-Christian position that formed the basis of Western civilization is that He is the God of Israel. When Sennacherib, the Assyrian king, threatened Jerusalem with destruction in ancient times (2 Kings 18 & 19), Judah’s King Hezekiah prayed to the ‘God of Israel’ and the result was a resounding defeat for their enemies. The emphasis of his prayer was that his Lord would demonstrate that he alone was God. (2 Kings 19.14-19)
Similar threats are heard today from those opposed to Israel. The former Grand Mufti of Jerusalem, Sheikh Ekrima Sabri, has been denied the chance “to promote dialogue and a better understanding of the Palestinian narrative” in the UK Parliament thanks, it seems, to an 18,000-strong petition. But the barefaced nerve of a man who has called for the destruction of Britain to attempt to infiltrate its parliament with his poisonous lies takes some beating.
This man represents the same ideological ethos as Islamic State. We are investing so much in the prevention of terror, yet are pathetically slow to recognise such threats to our democracy. ‘We all worship the same God,’ I hear so many naïve people say – even in church pews. But Sheikh Sabri says that when he enters the Al-Aqsa Mosque (on Jerusalem’s Temple Mount) he is “filled with rage toward the Jews”.
Contrast this with Jesus’ command to love our enemies and pray for our persecutors. (Matthew 5.44) As the Sheikh makes clear, Islam is a death cult committed to the destruction of ‘infidels’. “The Muslim loves death and martyrdom,” he says.
Part of the ‘Palestinian narrative’ is that Israel is guilty of human rights violations and of being an apartheid state. But the absurdity of these accusations is underlined by the emergence of a transgender Arab Christian from Nazareth as a new secret weapon against BDS, the boycott Israel campaign. Talleen Abu Hana, winner of the first Miss Trans Israel pageant, was guest of honour at the Israeli Embassy in Washington during LGBT Pride month.
Abu declared: “I’m happy to be Israeli because being Israeli means being truly free.” And when an American journalist questioned Israel’s record on human rights, she replied: “Are you crazy? In what other country in the Middle East can I live my life openly.”
Most Christians, including myself, do not agree with her lifestyle choice, but far more distasteful is the rank hypocrisy behind much liberal thought which sets politically correct agendas that are inevitably contradictory.
In any case, Israel’s restoration – according to biblical prophecy – is not yet complete. A restoration to the land (i.e. a political rebirth) is what we are witnessing today; this will be followed by a restoration to their Lord and Messiah, which is in the process of happening but still in the early stages.
One line of theological thought sees the ‘fig tree’ (Matthew 24.32) as a symbol of political Israel while the olive tree is seen as representing a return to its original purpose as a nation under God.
The fig tree is certainly blossoming as Israel becomes a powerful nation once more, but many of its inhabitants are still in rebellion against the Almighty.
Christians are privileged to have been grafted onto the natural olive tree of Israel (Romans 11.11-24). But the day is coming when all Israel will finally turn to their Messiah (Romans 11.26).
All the hordes of hell are trying to stop that happening – hence the current battle – because it will usher in the Lord of glory who will crush the enemies of Israel and rule over the earth from Jerusalem for a thousand years of peace.
Pic: [The caves of] Qumran, where the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered by a shepherd boy in 1947
Charles Gardner is author of Israel the Chosen, available from Amazon, and Peace in Jerusalem, available from olivepresspublisher.com
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Tuesday, October 27, 2015
Israel – The One To Watch - Now Think On This Steve Martin
Israel – The One To Watch
Now Think On This
Steve Martin
"Now learn the
parable from the fig tree: when its branch has already become tender and puts
forth its leaves, you know that summer is near; so, you too, when you see all
these things, recognize that He is near, right at the door. Truly I say to you,
this generation will not pass away until all these things take place. Heaven
and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away.” (Matthew 24:32-35
NASU)
Jesus, the Messiah,
spoke directly to His disciples when asked when the end of the age would come, along
with His return. “As He was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came
to Him privately, saying, "Tell us, when will these things happen, and
what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?" (Matthew
24:3 NASU)
He then proceeded to
tell them about the signs to be aware of - wars, rumors or wars, earthquakes,
famines and other birth pangs.
But the one event that would
be the determining factor in starting the countdown to the end of the age would
be “the fig tree”. In our Scripture studies we have come to know that the fig
tree represents the land of Israel, occupied by the Jewish nation. When the fig
tree put forth its leaves, we would know that summer was near. Jesus said when
this occurred He would then be right at the door, ready to come again.
In May of 1948, the
historical, undeniable prophesy of Isaiah 66:8 was fulfilled. Israel became a
nation in our time, with the newly declared Jewish nation taking its rightful
place on the land.
"Who has heard such
a thing? Who has seen such things? Can a land be born in one day? Can a nation
be brought forth all at once? As soon as Zion travailed, she also brought forth
her sons.”
So what’s the big deal
about Israel, and the Jews, as the ones to watch? And why, as believers in the
nations, should we Gentiles, part of the Church of Yeshua (Jesus) support and
stand with this very small nation, having less than 15 million people?
In 1979 Laurie and I,
still newlyweds after two years, were part of a church group in LaSalle/Peru,
Illinois. The former Baptist pastors, Stan and Dixie Buren, had gathered a
small group of charismatics around them. Many of the members were seeking to be
more involved with a national Christian movement called discipleship. To better
achieve that purpose, we were invited to a conference held by Shiloh Fellowship
in East Lansing, MI. The gathering was at Mackinac Island, in the very north of
the great state of Michigan. Laurie and I made the long trip, with our two
boys, Josh and Ben in arms, along with a few other carloads.
As a young couple (24
and 20 years old) we were fervently seeking the Lord. We wanted, in our heart
of hearts, to be right in the middle of what He was doing. We were going to do
what it took to follow Him, trust Him, and see His will come, on earth as it is
in heaven. We were strongly committed.
The name of one of the
speakers, Derek Prince, was familiar to us. He was an author too. The magazine,
New Wine, published in Fort
Lauderdale, had regular articles featuring five Bible teachers on a monthly
basis. They were Derek, Don Basham, Bob Mumford, Charles Simpson and Ern
Baxter. Personally, I devoured the messages each month, appreciating everything
that was written. Derek was one of my favorites of the five.
(To this day I have kept all the editions of the
magazine’s publications since 1984. Dick Leggatt, an editor of the magazine
over its life span, is now President of DPM-USA, Derek Prince Ministries. Thank
you Dick. And eight years after that Mackinac Island conference, in
1987, I began my eight years of working for Derek Prince Ministries, with David
Selby, International Director, as my boss. Thank you David!)
Derek spoke on the last
night of the conference, Saturday, and shared a message based on a little
pamphlet he had written. It was called “Our
Debt To Israel.” The words, spoken straight forward, hit my heart. I knew
there was something very special about what he was saying, and that I needed to
understand it. For this I am eternally grateful, as he made the Bible’s words
on the subject clear, as to why Israel.
Pointing out that the
Bible itself was written and accurately kept over these several centuries, by
God’s chosen people, the Jews, was the starting point. All of the writers -
Moses, Joshua, David, Solomon, Nehemiah, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Micah and more –
were all Jews. Because of this reason alone we have a huge debt to the Jewish
people.
But the most important
reason of all, in regards to our debt to Israel and the Jewish people, is the
historical fact that the Messiah, Jesus Christ, Yeshua HaMashiach, was, is, and
ever shall be a Jew. He came down from heaven, God becoming man, to the nation
of Israel two centuries ago, to bring salvation to the world, both for Jew and
Gentile alike.
In our daily reading of
the Torah, the Scriptures, the Bible, as believers, we can know and understand
the Lord’s heart for the Jewish people, through which He came, and His
everlasting love for them now. We can see the fulfillment of His promises of
restoration to them, how He has brought them back to their rightful Promised
and Holy Land. It is now our part of our debt payment to them, to stand with
them to the end of time.
Having been to Israel 11
times as of this writing in October 2015, my heart for Israel and the Jewish
people continues to grow in love and appreciation, with a firm, long standing
commitment. Our ministry, Love For His
People, founded by Laurie and I in April of 2010, monthly send financial
and prayer support to Jewish families in the Land. We are always looking to do
more, as God the Father directs.
Why Israel? Because
without the Jews, which remain as God’s eternal choice to reveal Himself to the
nations, we would not have had a Bible. Nor would we have a living
Messiah/Savior.
The Word says that in the last days all the
nations will again rise up against these whom have continually been blamed for
everything that has gone wrong. Really? Well, it is about time that someone
like us, as believers, prove them all liars, and that His eternal Word is true.
Why Israel? Because God said so. And that is certainly enough for me and my house. May your heart and commitment be to do the same.
God the Father Himself promised that He would take the offspring of Abraham, born through the promised son Isaac, and not Ishmael, and give them the Land of Promise.
“Then Abraham fell on his face and laughed, and said in his heart, "Shall a child be born to a man who is one hundred years old? And shall Sarah, who is ninety years old, bear a child?" And Abraham said to God, "Oh, that Ishmael might live before You!" Then God said: "No, Sarah your wife shall bear you a son, and you shall call his name Isaac; I will establish My covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, and with his descendants after him.
And as for Ishmael, I have heard you. Behold, I have blessed him, and will make him fruitful, and will multiply him exceedingly. He shall beget twelve princes, and I will make him a great nation. But My covenant I will establish with Isaac, whom Sarah shall bear to you at this set time next year." Then He finished talking with him, and God went up from Abraham.” (Genesis 17:17-22 NKJV)
God the Father again reaffirmed His promise, this time to both Jacob and Joseph, descendants of Abraham and Isaac.
As written in the Torah (Bible), Genesis 48:1-4, “Now it came about after these things that Joseph was told, "Behold, your father is sick." So he took his two sons Manasseh and Ephraim with him. When it was told to Jacob, "Behold, your son Joseph has come to you," Israel collected his strength and sat up in the bed. Then Jacob said to Joseph, " God Almighty appeared to me at Luz in the land of Canaan and blessed me, and He said to me, 'Behold, I will make you fruitful and numerous, and I will make you a company of peoples, and will give this land to your descendants after you for an everlasting possession.' (NASU)
An e-mail circulated in 2013, and because of the accurate statements given, I wanted to share it with you. (Sorry, I do not know the original source, to give due credit.)
Benjamin Netanyahu was asked by a reporter about Israel's occupation of Arab lands. His response was, "It's our land." The reporter was stunned.
Please read below "It's our land..." It has important information, since fair and accurate reporting from the media is sorely lacking, and facts are often lost, or even lied about, in the jumble.
"Crash Course on the Arab Israeli Conflict"--compiled by a Christian university professor:
1. Nationhood and Jerusalem: Israel became a nation in 1312 BCE, two thousand years before the rise of Islam.
2. Arab refugees in Israel began identifying themselves as part of a Palestinian people in 1967, two decades after the establishment of the modern State of Israel.
3. Since the Jewish conquest in 1272 BCE, the Jews have had dominion over the land for one thousand years with a continuous presence in the land for the past 3,300 years.
4. The only Arab dominion since the conquest in 635 CE lasted no more than 22 years.
5. For over 3,300 years, Jerusalem has been the Jewish capital. Jerusalem has never been the capital of any Arab or Muslim entity. Even when the Jordanians occupied Jerusalem, they never sought to make it their capital, and Arab leaders did not come to visit.
6. Jerusalem is mentioned over 700 times in Tanach, the Jewish Holy Scriptures. Jerusalem is not mentioned once in the Koran.
7. King David founded the city of Jerusalem. Mohammed never came to Jerusalem.
8. Jews pray facing Jerusalem. Muslims pray with their backs toward Jerusalem.
9. Arab and Jewish Refugees: in 1948 the Arab refugees were encouraged to leave Israel by Arab leaders promising to purge the land of Jews. Sixty-eight percent left without ever seeing an Israeli soldier.
10. The Jewish refugees were forced to flee from Arab lands due to Arab brutality, persecution and pogroms.
11. The number of Arab refugees who left Israel in 1948 is estimated to be around 630,000. The number of Jewish refugees from Arab lands is estimated to be the same.
12. Arab refugees were INTENTIONALLY not absorbed or integrated into the Arab lands to which they fled, despite the vast Arab territory. Out of the 100,000,000 refugees since World War II, theirs is the only refugee group in the world that has never been absorbed or integrated into their own people's lands. Jewish refugees were completely absorbed into Israel, a country no larger than the state of New Jersey.
13. The Arab-Israeli Conflict: the Arabs are represented by eight separate nations, not including the Palestinians. There is only one Jewish nation. The Arab nations initiated all five wars and lost. Israel defended itself each time and won.
14. The PLO's Charter still calls for the destruction of the State of Israel. Israel has given the Palestinians most of the West Bank land, autonomy under the Palestinian Authority, and has supplied them.
15. Under Jordanian rule, Jewish holy sites were desecrated and the Jews were denied access to places of worship. Under Israeli rule, all Muslim and Christian sites have been preserved and made accessible to people of all faiths.
16. The UN Record on Israel and the Arabs: of the 175 Security Council resolutions passed before 1990, 97 were directed against Israel.
17. Of the 690 General Assembly resolutions voted on before 1990, 429 were directed against Israel.
18. The UN was silent while 58 Jerusalem Synagogues were destroyed by the Jordanians.
19. The UN was silent while the Jordanians systematically desecrated the ancient Jewish cemetery on the Mount of Olives.
20. The UN was silent while the Jordanians enforced an apartheid-like policy of preventing Jews from visiting the Temple Mount and the Western Wall.
Many times in Scripture
the Lord God of Israel has promised, and made good on it, that He would return
the Jews to their land.
In Amos 9:11-15 it is
written:
“On that day I will
raise up the tabernacle of David, which has fallen down, and repair its damages;
I will raise up its ruins, and rebuild it as in the days of old; that they may
possess the remnant of Edom, and all the Gentiles who are called by My
name," says the Lord who does this thing.
"Behold, the days
are coming," says the Lord, "When the plowman shall overtake the
reaper, and the treader of grapes him who sows seed; the mountains shall drip
with sweet wine, and all the hills shall flow with it. I will bring back the
captives of My people Israel; they shall build the waste cities and inhabit
them; they shall plant vineyards and
drink wine from them; they shall also make gardens and eat fruit from them. I
will plant them in their land, and no longer shall they be pulled up.” (NKJV)
And again in Acts 15:15-18
it is written:
“And the words of the
Prophets are in complete harmony with this for it is written, ‘“After this, I
will return; and I will rebuild the fallen tent of David. I will rebuild its
ruins, I will restore it, so that the rest of mankind may seek the Lord, that
is, all the Goyim who have been called by my name,” says Adonai, who is doing
these things. All this has been known for ages.’ (Complete Jewish Bible)
He has done it, even as
He spoke through the prophets centuries ago. The Jews have returned to the
Promised Land.
These are incredible
times. We have to ask what our role should be. What will we tell our
grandchildren about what we did when there was a turning point in Jewish
destiny, an opportunity to make a difference?
We stand for Israel, and
continually watch what the God of Israel is doing in the Middle East.
The Jewish nation has
been the one to keep our eyes on, even as the “apple of God’s eye” is
surrounded by her enemies. The nation of Israel’s prophetic destiny is
unfolding before our very eyes.
So keep your eyes open
wide and your ears attuned to the Holy Spirit.
Now think on this,
Steve Martin
Founder
Love For His People.
Inc.
P.S. We sure could use
your help to bless the families we do in Israel, India, Pakistan, Vietnam and
the hurting ones here in the USA. Please give out of the abundance you have
been given.
In May, 2106, my wife
Laurie and I will be traveling to Israel to spend time we our friends. We
support them in word and deed.
Love For His People,
Inc. is a charitable,
not-for-profit USA humanitarian organization started in 2010 to share the love
of the Father in the nations.
If these messages
minister to you, please consider sending a charitable gift of $5-$25 today, and
maybe each month, to help us bless families we know in Israel, whom we
consistently help through our humanitarian ministry. Your tax deductible
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– Thank you very much.)
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Think On This with your friends.
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Now Think On This #197 “Israel
– The One To Watch” by Steve Martin
Date: In the year of our
Lord 2015 (10.27.15) Tuesday at 6:30 pm in Charlotte, NC
All previous editions
of Now Think On This can be found on this
Blog, and on the website: Now Think On This
I would be most grateful if you'd share this encouraging word with your family and friends. You can easily use the social media icons below. Thanks! Steve
I would be most grateful if you'd share this encouraging word with your family and friends. You can easily use the social media icons below. Thanks! Steve
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