Tuesday, April 14, 2015

Anti-Semitism Rears Its Ugly Head in Many Forms

Anti-Semitism Rears Its Ugly Head in Many Forms

The relentless persecution of Jews worldwide is tragic.
The relentless persecution of Jews worldwide is tragic. (Reuters file photo)

Standing With Israel
Exodus 17 tells how Amalekites, descendants of Esau's grandson, attacked the children of Israel in the desert of Sinai during their exodus from Egypt. This unprovoked attack was especially serious and the Israelites battled all day, only achieving victory at nightfall.
In response to this demonstration of cruelty, the Lord told Moses that he would blot out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven. Moses later recounted: "The Lord will have war with Amalek from generation to generation" (Exodus 17:16). Amalek's attack on the children of Israel was now a perpetual war between him and the God of Israel.
Amalek was not just a foe, but a genocidal one, so in Jewish tradition the Amalekites came to represent the archetypal enemy of the Jews present in generation after generation. It is interesting to note that some one thousand years later, in the book of Esther, the arch villain Haman was an Amalekite who led the plot to kill the Jews.
The Longest Hatred
This evil pursuit of the Jewish people has continued for millennia, which is why historian Robert Wistrich calls anti-Semitism "the longest hatred." Every time this genocidal hatred seems to be dying out it reinvents itself with a different look and a different name. But the goal is always the same: to rid the world of the Jewish people.
In the ancient world, classical anti-Semitism was a clash between pagan rulers, who demanded obedient homage, and their Jewish subjects, who would only worship and obey the God of Israel. The Jewish people could not bow down to earthly leaders, and were bound by the Sinaitic Law to certain behaviors and observances that set them apart and incurred the wrath of their rulers.
Religious Anti-Semitism
After the rise of Christianity, the problem did not go away. It is a travesty that anti-Semitism was then found in the heart of Christian Europe. Indeed, in the annals of those who persecuted and hated the Jewish people are professing Christians. Space does not permit a full treatment of this sad story, but centuries of state and church-backed denigration, persecution, forced conversions, and expulsions actually paved the way for the Holocaust.
Proof of this is found in the fact that Martin Luther's anti-Semitic writings were published and distributed by the Nazis in order to justify their anti-Jewish laws and eventually their extermination program. Hitler admitted as much when he told two Catholic Bishops who questioned his policy that "he was only putting into effect what Christianity had preached and practiced for 2000 years."
Racial Anti-Semitism
The form of anti-Semitism found in Nazi ideology was not based on religion, however, but on racial theories about the superiority of the Aryan race. Whereas Christianity had sought the conversion of the Jews, and state leaders had sought their expulsion, the Nazis sought the "final solution to the Jewish question," the murder of all Jews and their eradication from the human race.
The good news is that these older forms of anti-Semitism are socially unacceptable in the 21st century. Religious bigotry and racism are frowned upon and are antithetical to the prevailing ideologies of globalism and secularism.
Political Anti-Semitism
The bad news is that Israel, a Jewish nation-state, is also antithetical to both globalism and secularism. Therefore, the modern form of anti-Semitism that has found a stronghold and large-scale acceptance today is political. It is against the Jewish state and is called anti-Zionism.
There is still religious anti-Semitism, but this time it is found throughout the Muslim world and is responsible for the genocidal rhetoric emanating from Iran. Muslim anti-Semitism, however, is tolerated by anti-Zionist Western leaders who blame it on Israeli policies.
Not all criticism of Israel can be considered anti-Semitic. However, criticism of Israel becomes anti-Semitic when it delegitimizes the state and questions its right to exist, when it uses anti-Jewish rhetoric and stereotypes or compares Israelis to Nazis, when it judges Israel by a different standard than for any other nation, and when it becomes an excuse to attack local Jewish individuals and institutions.
During the 2014 war in Gaza, a defensive war on Israel's part to prevent further missile launches from Hamas, there were attacks on synagogues and Jewish citizens in France, refrains such as "Jews to the Gas" in Germany, the use of swastikas at anti-Israel demonstrations, and anti-Semitic caricatures in newspapers and social media.
While America is a safe-haven today for Jews fleeing Europe, low levels of anti-Semitism here should not be taken for granted. As American Christians, we should take every opportunity to stand in solidarity with the Jewish community, attending their Holocaust remembrance events, and teaching our children to recognize anti-Semitism and take a stand against it.
This generation's battle is not so much with the Amalek of old, and its pagan, Christian or racial anti-Semitism, but with the Amalek of today—the rabid anti-Israel movement that demonizes the Jewish people and nation while excusing Muslim anti-Semitism. This one is on our watch, and it is our responsibility to stand against it.
Susan Michael is the U.S. Director for the International Christian Embassy Jerusalem www.icejusa.org and creator of IsraelAnswers.com. The ICEJ is bringing Holocaust education to Christians worldwide through its partnership with Yad Vashem, Israel's Holocaust Memorial.       
Did you enjoy this blog? Click here to receive Charisma News by email.

Israel Photo Trivia ✡ "Son of Man, Set Thy Face Toward the Mountains"

Son of man, set thy face toward the mountains of Israel, and prophesy against them.

EZEKIEL (6:2)
 

בֶּן אָדָם שִׂים פָּנֶיךָ אֶל-הָרֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל וְהִנָּבֵא אֲלֵיהֶם

יחזקאל ו:ב

ben a-dam seem pa-ne-kha el ha-ray yis-ra-ayl v'-hi-na-vay a-lay-hem

Today's Israel Inspiration

Ezekiel is described as "son of man" 93 times in his book. This alludes to both his humility and mortality, but also to mankind's role at God's side in improving the world. While his message is specific to Israel, the truths it contained are meant for the betterment of all mankind. "Heart to Heart", Israel's national blood bank, provides life-saving blood for Jews and non Jews throughout Israel in times of emergency.
 

Explore Israel's Beautiful Grottoes

Trivia spoiler alert! On Israel's Mediterranean coast lies a magical site of natural caves and the steepest cable car ride in the world. As the wave rush in and out of the caverns, they create a sound-and-light of water and shadow.

Netanyahu Takes on Obama

In a short video statement directed at President Obama, Netanyahu calls on the international community to open their eyes to Iranian aggression around the world, and presents an alternative nuclear deal.

Word By Word Bible Study Tool

Word by Word teaches the meaning and pronunciation of every Hebrew word in the five books of Moses. It is an essential Bible Study tool, that will help you develop Bible Study skills that will last a lifetime.

Israel Photo Trivia

Can you guess where Rebecca Kowalskytook this beautiful photograph? Send mean email or guess on Facebook

Thank You

Please help us continue to spread the beauty and significance of the Land of Israel!
 

“Deep With Meaning”

It’s great to hear from so many of you - stay in touch and let us know where in the world you are enjoying Israel365!
 
Thank YOU so much for your lovely site! I have loved learning the Hebrew language since last September and even though I am terribly slow due to my age, when the world overwhelms me with too much "stuff," I come back to rely on just your language and learning and reading about it.  It is so wonderful and deep with meaning. Jerry R.
Shalom,
Rabbi Tuly Weisz
RabbiTuly@Israel365.com
Copyright © 2015 Israel365, All rights reserved.
You are receiving this email because you signed up for daily Israel Scenes and Inspiration on our website,www.israel365.com.

Our mailing address is:
Israel365
34 Nahal Ein Gedi Apt #17
Beit Shemesh 9909875
Israel

Israelis Respond to Hillary Clinton's Candidacy

Israelis Respond to Hillary Clinton's Candidacy

Tuesday, April 14, 2015 |  Israel Today Staff
A number of openly pro-Israel Republican candidates have already thrown their hats into the ring of the upcoming US presidential election. But they are largely unknown in the Jewish state. Hillary Clinton, on the other hand, is well known and widely admired, so her announcement elicited a much stronger Israeli response.
Most reflecting the mainstream media response was Israel’s Yediot Ahronot newspaper, which ran a cover story on Hillary, complete with a two-page photographic look at her life and rise to power. Similarly congratulatory articles appeared on the Walla! news portal, the website of Channel 2 News, and other outlets.
“When Hillary Clinton decided to run [for president], she took yet another step toward” realizing the feminist agenda, gushed Israeli lawmaker Merav Michaeli (Labor) in an op-ed published by the left-leaningHa’aretz.
Michaeli urged readers to hold fast to the “hope that no one will arise to stop Hillary Clinton… [who] is not just any female candidate, but the first woman to bring global attention to the notion that ‘women’s rights are human rights.’”
At the same time, the right-wing nature of the Israeli public was apparent in the comments to many of these articles, with most respondents fearful that Clinton would be even worse for Israel than President Barack Obama.
The ultra-Orthodox news portal Behadrey Haredim noted that Clinton’s campaign management had already leaked that she intends to embrace, rather than distance herself from Obama and his policies. If that extends to Obama’s policies vis-a-vis Israel, Iran and the rest of the Middle East, Clinton might soon earn a new, more negative reputation in this region.
Want more news from Israel?
Click Here to sign up for our FREE daily email updates from ISRAEL TODAY.

WATCH: Jonathan Cahn Shares Starling Prophetic Mystery About the Seventh Cow

WATCH: Jonathan Cahn Shares Starling Prophetic Mystery About the Seventh Cow






New York Times' best-selling author Jonathan Cahn knew the super Shemitah was coming, but even he was startled when the biblical cycle revealed itself on national media. 
 A throwback to Pharaoh's dream in Genesis, on Sept. 25, a cow with the number seven was born and hit the news wires.
Now, Cahn says the mystery deepens. 
Watch the video to see what he says about the cow. 
Did you like this article? You'll enjoy Jonathan Cahn's book, The Harbinger: The Ancient Mystery that Holds the Secret of America's Future

Monday, April 13, 2015

God Says, "It's My Dream Too, Remember" - Joey LeTourneau




God Says, "It's My Dream Too, Remember"
Joey LeTourneau, Redding, CA
The Elijah List

"Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us." Ephesians 3:20

When was the last time you asked God about His dreams? For many of us, it has been a tremendous process just to learn that God invites us to dream with Him. So what do we do when we reach a point when our dreams aren't enough as currently constructed, or are moving forward differently than we expect?

We remember that God dreams too! When God entrusts a dream into our hands, it is an amazing thing. But when we trust Him enough to let go and still put it back in His hands, that's where the "exceedingly and abundantly" we often talk about starts to come to life.

Sacrifice or Multiplication?

...because you have done this thing, and not withheld your son, your only son – blessing I will bless you, and multiplying I will multiply your descendants as the stars of the Heaven and as the sand which is on the seashore... Genesis 22:16-17

Sometimes we're afraid to surrender the way Abraham did at Mt. Moriah. We're often worried surrender will equal loss; but that's not our Father's nature, He prefers multiplication!

Abraham dreamt of Isaac, and while this was a wonderful start according to the extent of Abraham's vision, God still dreamed of many more "Isaacs" beyond what Abraham could number. When our dreams and God's find their place of conception together, His dreams complete ours to even greater extents as we continue to surrender through the dreaming process. To dream with God, and live those dreams with Him, requires a tension of BOTH ridiculous trust and fearless action. (Photo via Pixabay)

Emphasizing "With"

When we dream with God, "with" becomes far too underrated a word of emphasis. It's easy to focus on the "dreaming," and hopefully on "God" too. But it's the "with" where an unusual power of eternal multiplication is truly birthed – here on earth and in Heaven. If we're not mindful of it, our version of "with" can quickly become dreaming "about" God or "in regards to" or "on behalf of."

Like in most cases of life, we tend to focus on the "end" more than the "means." But it is when we embrace the mysterious tension of "with" that it truly becomes a joint effort, a back and forth at Heaven's white board and earth's canvas; not just dreaming into His possibilities, but allowing Him to dream into ours.

The "with" gives God permission to take His "exceedingly and abundantly" and use it to re-model what we ask or imagine. "With" is a tension that doesn't focus on the answer, but upon the back and forth trust relationship that will bear more answers than we could count. To see our God-dreams become reality in this ripe season ahead, "with" must become our renewed point of emphasis, and an active trust will become our means.

ElijahList Prophetic Resources

"Foot On the Gas, Hands Off the Wheel"

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths." Proverbs 3:5-6

So how do we go forward in this "with" mode? The last couple years God has given me a clear word I continue to move forward by. 

As I asked Him how to move forward, He said, "Foot on the gas, hands off the wheel." To me, it's like a child would drive. 

They can't press the gas and steer at the same time. They have to choose. God doesn't make us go forward, but He does help us steer. So I have learned to choose to go forward boldly in trust and faith, while yet surrendering the wheel, even and especially when I want to hold on, see, or understand the most. (Photo via Pixabay)

Childlike is one of the most effective revelations of the Kingdom here on earth, as Jesus pointed to in Mark 10:14-15. I believe that's why we must learn to "drive" childlike. It's a powerful position of forward-moving dependence on God, and a position that lets God's dreams lead ours towards His very best.

"It's My Dream Too, Remember"

We were recently in the middle of getting a new resource ready to launch and needed to develop a launch strategy. I love to strategize in all sorts of ways, but this was one of the times God was telling me to take my hands off the wheel and "watch" instead. However, I also did not want to be a poor steward, so I double-checked with God, wanting to make sure He really did want me to let go of this aspect and just leave it with Him for the time being, still ready and willing to do my diligent part.

The next thing I heard from the Lord felt like a playful nudge from a friend, "It's My dream too, remember." 

I laughed, nodded, and upon hearing this remembered that truly our current endeavor of a board game that empowers people to dream into their purpose was indeed a combo of my dream starting to be infused by His. I had never set out to create a board game, but I had been dreaming with God for years about empowering people, especially youth around the world, into their purpose. The fact that it came about through a game was very much His idea.

With these joint dream ventures, God is partnering with us and has a very vested interest in seeing them come to life. He wants us to trust Him to fulfill His part too. This requires that we trust Him with both faith and patience.

Joseph has often been known as "the dreamer" with the way he dreamt of what would happen in Israel through his life. And Joseph watched and waited for those dreams to come to reality. All along, God was trying to show him something he didn't expect: "Yes, I'll give you your dream for Israel, but it's part of My much bigger dream for your life. I want to give you Egypt, which will give you the nations, which will also include Israel."(Photo via Pixabay)

Joseph waited for Israel to take notice, but God sent Pharaoh to take notice and be the one who helped launch Joseph's dream instead. God dreams differently than we do, but it's an exceedingly and abundantly kind of different. And, suddenly, our dream might be remodeled or re-routed in a way we never knew possible!

He's given us permission to dream with Him, but do we trust Him enough to give it back and see His dream empower ours? God dreams too – thankfully!

Joey LeTourneau
Imagi-Nations LLC

Joey LeTourneau, along with his wife Destiny and their five kids, live in Redding, California, and work across the nations to see the Father's heart and blessings revealed, and want to see God's children empowered to live out their unique purpose and calling. Joey has authored six books, and together with his wife they have founded Imagi-Nations LLC, a movement to "Imagine nations changed because you lived your purpose and dream."

To subscribe to The Elijah List go to:http://elijahlist.com/subscribe

Will the Church Wake Up Before God’s Wrath Falls on the Nation? - JENNIFER LECLAIRE

Will the Church Wake Up Before God’s Wrath Falls on the Nation?




Dutch Sheets and the Appeal to Heaven flag.
Dutch Sheets and the Appeal to Heaven flag. (Jennifer LeClaire)
I'm sober. I'm awake. I see—and report—on the tsunami of perversion that's rising. I don't have my head in the sand. I lift my voice against the antichrist agendas that have infiltrated our government, schools, media, entertainment, medical and other fields. It's dark out there and it appears to be growing darker.
Yet, amid my sobriety and vigilance, I am not in utter despair. Desperate, yes, but not in despair. Indeed, I am wide-awake but ever hopeful that God will bring a transforming revival to America. I am watchful but confident that God is going to bring a Third Great Awakening—a greater Great Awakening; the greatest Great Awakening the world has ever seen—to our land. I see an emerging move of God even now.
Yes, many in our nation have turned their back on God—many never knew Him. But God has not turned His back on this nation. Yes, the hedge of protection around America has been at least partially lifted. But God still has His hand on these United States. God does not delight in seeing a nation that was birthed in covenant with Him fall—and God has not broken His covenant with us. He's just waiting on American to be repent so she can be born again.
Could America Crumble and Fall?
I was greatly honored this week to be on "The Line of Fire," revolutionary radio with Dr. Michael Brown. I work with Dr. Brown week in and week out on Charisma News, publishing his hard-hitting, yet compassionate columns. Over the years, I've learned quite a lot from how he approaches difficult subjects and he's been kind enough to help me wade through the backlash that often results from my own hard-hitting, yet compassionate columns.
CLICK HERE TO FOLLOW JENNIFER ON FACEBOOK FOR SPIRITUAL CONVERSATION.
Dr. Michael Brown also knows revival. He preached alongside John Kilpatrick and the late Steve Hill at the Brownsville Revival, otherwise known as the Pensacola Outpouring, in the 1990s. He's written books about God's holy fire, the power of God, holy revolution and other revival-oriented topics. In his show this week, we talked about the next great move of God, this transforming revival I believe God wants to bring to America. Here's how Brown opened the segment:
"We understand that revival is only needed, that awakening is only needed when decline has happened—but there are nations that have risen and fallen and are no more. Could that happen to America? Or could it be that Jesus is coming soon and things are only going down hill from here and we shouldn't pray for revival? Or is this the very time we should be crying out in holy desperation out of a desire to see Jesus glorified, out of desire to see a lost world touched, out of desire to see health and blessing come to the people of God?"
The Next Great Move of God
I believe we should pray for revival. I believe we should be crying out in holy desperation out of a desire to see Jesus glorified. I believe we should make intercession to see a lost world touched. I believe we should make an appeal to heaven to see health and blessing come to the people of God. I believe the next great move of God is emerging even now.
As Brown pointed out, I start my book with a chapter that declares, "It's time to wake up!" For the opening question of the program, he asked me why I think we need to wake up. I explained that the church at large has been drowsy for decades and is snoozing on the job. If the church was alert we would not have allowed prayer to be removed from schools, abortions to be legalized, gay marriage to become the norm and so on. The result: America is in a great crisis.
Is there time for awakening? Absolutely. Jesus gave Jezebel space to repent (see Rev. 2:20). Jehovah held back mass judgment when Nineveh repented (see Jonah 3:5). God gave Hezekiah 15 more years even after He declared his coming death (see 2 Kin. 20:1-6). Yes, there is time for an awakening. God's arm is not too short to save (see Is. 59:1). It's time to make an appeal to heaven. I believe God wants to sweep through this nation with a spirit of repentance that will bring transforming revival.
"I really encourage you to get the book. Your heart will be stirred. What got my attention with this book is that it's hard-hitting, no-holds-barred but full of hope," says Brown. "I'm really excited about the content here. Each page I want to read another quote from Leonard Ravenhill or Billy Graham or John Kilpatrick or different ones. Friends, get the book, the Next Great Move of God: An Appeal to Heaven for Spiritual Awakening."
Jennifer LeClaire is senior editor of Charisma. She is also director of Awakening House of Prayer in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and author of several books, including The Next Great Move of God: An Appeal to Heaven for Spiritual AwakeningMornings With the Holy Spirit, Listening Daily to the Still Small Voice of God, The Making of a Prophet and Satan's Deadly Trio: Defeating the Deceptions of Jezebel, Religion and Witchcraft. You can visit her website here. You can also join Jennifer on Facebook or follow her on Twitter.
Did you enjoy this blog? Click here to receive CHARISMA NEWS by email.

Franklin Graham: Still Preaching the Gospel as the Plane Went Down

Franklin Graham: Still Preaching the Gospel as the Plane Went Down


JESSILYN JUSTICE  charisma news
Franklin Graham
Franklin Graham gives evangelism advice. (BGEA)
Dear Friend,
Last month I was in South Sudan, Ethiopia and Kenya. South Sudan is the world's newest nation, gaining independence in 2011, and we held a large evangelistic Crusade in the capital city of Juba in 2012. Now ethnic divisions and political rivalry have led to civil war, with fighting and lawlessness across the nation. I met separately and prayed with the country's president, Salva Kiir, and the leader of the opposition, former vice president Riek Machar, and I urged them to sign a peace agreement.
I also met with about 150 South Sudan church leaders in Juba. We worshiped together and prayed for peace and unity in their nation. These pastors care passionately about the people of their nation and about sharing the gospel, and they asked us to return for another evangelistic Crusade as soon as conditions in the country make that possible. Pray that we would be able to do this and that there will be an end to the strife in South Sudan.
In a few weeks I'll be in Barcelona, Spain, for an evangelistic Festival. Spain is a country with its own political unrest as separatist movements keep the country under constant pressure to pull apart. Secularism has spread rapidly, just as it is spreading across the rest of Europe and the United States. An increasingly large part of the population, especially among young people, accepts an "anything goes" attitude toward sexual behavior, drugs and morality in general. Spain has the highest rate of cocaine use of any nation in the world. Officially a Catholic nation, Spain today has more people who say they have little or no interest in religion than it has actively committed Catholics. The country has twice as many Muslims as evangelical Christians.
Barcelona, the country's second-largest city, is the center of one of the major separatist movements. It is also the city with the highest concentration of Muslims—along with a number of small evangelical churches—and that is where we will be going May 1 to proclaim the gospel. Pray with us that God will open hearts and do a great work among the people of this city.
Later in May, I will lead a Crusade in Jacksonville, Florida, and three weeks after that in Lviv, a city in war-torn Ukraine. My son Will has just returned from the Philippines, where he led Crusade events in two cities, Tacloban and Cebu. He will lead a Crusade in Owensboro, Kentucky, this month and another in June in Tanzania.
Traveling in Ethiopia brought to mind a man I met there and got to know in the 1980s. Andy Meakins was a gentle giant of the faith, an Englishman who loved Jesus Christ and served Him in Africa for many years. In 1996 an Ethiopian Airlines flight was hijacked and crashed into the ocean just off the Comoros Islands after running out of fuel—you may have heard the story. The dramatic moment of impact was caught on home video and broadcast around the world. Only later did we learn of something even more dramatic happening in the cabin as the plane headed for disaster.
Andy Meakins and his wife were on that plane, seated together. The hijackers demanded to be flown to Australia even though there wasn't nearly enough fuel for that distance. As they neared the Comoros Islands in the Indian Ocean, one engine flamed out, and the pilot told passengers that the remaining engine would soon run out of fuel as well. Immediately, Andy's wife heard the snap of a seatbelt being unbuckled and turned to see her husband stand up.
"Many of us might die in this crash," he called out, "so there's something you need to know." Andy then began explaining the gospel simply and urgently, moving to each part of the cabin so that everyone would hear. He invited people to place their trust in Jesus Christ in repentance and faith. A flight attendant heard Andy's words, bowed her head, and asked Jesus to forgive her sins and come into her heart. She watched many more respond and, along with another survivor, later told the story. Of the 175 people on board, 125 died, including Andy, who was still on his feet preaching the gospel as the plane hit the water.
Every day tens of thousands of people slip from this world into eternity—the vast majority unprepared, "dead in trespasses and sins" (Eph. 2:1, NKJV). We need to take every opportunity to share the love of Jesus Christ and the truth of the gospel, the only message that will make a difference to a lost soul. Just like an airplane going down, time is running out.
Andy Meakins used his life to witness every day, and he did so to his last breath. It is this same urgency that drives all we do at the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association as we seek to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ to as many people as possible. Will you be a part of this work through your prayers and your financial gifts?