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.
“Beware
of the false prophets! They come to you wearing sheep’s clothing, but underneath
they are hungry wolves! You will recognize them by their fruit. Can people pick
grapes from thorn bushes, or figs from thistles? Likewise, every healthy tree
produces good fruit, but a poor tree produces bad fruit. A healthy tree cannot
bear bad fruit, or a poor tree good fruit. Any tree that does not produce good
fruit is cut down and thrown in the fire! So you will recognize them by their
fruit.” Matt. 7:15-20 CJB
As a kid growing up Roman Catholic in Cedar Falls,
Iowa, I tried to make the morning Mass before grade school as often as I could.
St. Patrick’s Church was just a block away from the St. Patrick’s Grade School
where I went for eight years, and so I’d go to the 7:30 am Mass before class
started at 8:15 am.
Part of me wanted to get closer to the Lord; another
part wanted to skip a lot of years in Purgatory, for so I was taught back then.
“Mass a day kept the years away!” Not until I personally received Jesus as my
Lord and Savior years later did I realize you can’t get to heaven by good
works, but only by accepting the saving grace and redemption of Jesus’ sacrificial
work on the cross, suffered on our behalf.
Often in the early morning hours, before and after
the Mass started, I would see an old lady cleaning the altar, moving around
quietly and without hype. Dressed in what looked like a long black robe, with a
black head covering, I perceived her to be rather weird and and even spooky. As
a 10-year old boy, having watched a few too many TV shows such as the Twilight
Zone and such, what I “saw” and what was reality didn’t match up.
One Saturday morning, being brave enough to check
things out further, I followed her home as she slowly walked, stooped over, to
her house a few doors down the street from the church. (Going to Mass on a
Saturday especially took off a lot of Purgatory years!) The old house where I
discovered she lived was probably older than her. With two wooden stories, having
creepy shaded windows, and needing a paint job bad, it fit perfectly with my
perception of the inhabitant.
What I didn’t expect was for her to stop, turn
around, and smile at me when she discovered my following. She then spoke,
asking me how I was doing. Being dumb founded and totally surprised at her kindness,
I briefly replied, and headed quickly home to my house. Thinking back now, in a
way this moment reminded me of when Scout Finch met Boo Radley for the first
time in the movie, Too Kill A Mockingbird.
What she had expected and what was reality was about the same as the understanding
I then received too.
Jesus often said that we would know people by their
fruit – what they did rather than by what they said, or what they wanted you to
think who they were. Getting a proper perception of one’s character cuts out
any false image that one may try to convey. The biblical truth remains - a bad
tree will not produce good fruit.
In our world today, there are many personalities and
organizations that “advertise” as being one thing, when in reality they are the
complete opposite. Stripping away the glitz and glamor, removing the falsehoods
put out in deception, reveal the actuality that lies below the surface. Planned
Parenthood’s murderous abortions are one prime example. Another are politicians
who say one thing repeatedly, but then are proven wrong when the actual truth, later
caught on tape or revealed in previously undisclosed documents, exposes their
real tree’s fruit. We need to develop good perceptions, so we are not among
those who fall for the lies of the devil himself.
They say you can’t judge a book by its cover. In
many instances that is true. Wrapping words around a fancy digital image needs our
closer inspection. Same holds for what we see, hear and feel if we don’t have the
spiritual eyes needed to see the truth. Being sensitive in allowing the Holy
Spirit to show us what He sees will enable us to know what is right and wrong,
going beneath the outward appearance to see what really lies under the surface.
Many will be deceived by the lack of integrity,
honesty and humility in these times. Preparation for the revealing of the false
messiah, and the anti-christ is growing rapidly. We need the proper perception
to understand and act accordingly in our daily lives. The Holy Spirit will be
with us to give us that, as we draw near to Him, and spend time with Him daily.
Our lives will depend on this.
Now think on this,
Steve Martin
Founder
Love For His People. Inc.
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
contributions receive a receipt for each donation. Fed. ID #27-1633858.
Ready for a great Hebrew lesson?! Today's verse describes the holy Ark of the Covenant. In Hebrew, the word for Ark/אָרון comes from the word "light"/אורה. The Ark held the two tablets which Moses brought down from Sinai, thus containing the spiritual "light" of the world. Learn more in the Israel Bible Reading Plan, a daily plan with great online lessons and an Israeli mentor.
An incredible Bible Codes discovery reveals that the conflicts between US President Obama and Israeli PM Netanyahu are reflected in the hidden messages in the Torah.
On Rosh Hashana we express our hope that the new year will be “sweet” by dipping apples in dishes of honey. This year celebrate Rosh Hashana with delicious, 100% pure natural honey from Israel, the land of milk and honey.
Today's photo by Grace and Rick Knelsen features the Roman ruins in Caesarea, a city on the Mediterranean that Herod dedicated to Caesar Augustus more than 2,000 years ago.
Hi, I am Doshan Poundon from Papua New Guinea and it is of great interest and much help in receiving these newsletters from you. I am a follower of Israel's God and this helps me understand well and keep up to date with prophecy from the bible. Thanks.
Hello! All my Love to Israel! I’m from Phoenix, Arizona. Love 365, it helps me keep updated with all my brothers and sisters in the L-rd!!! -MaryAnne Gibson
Prophetic ministry can empower or destroy the church. (Lightstock )
Note: This article ran in the November 1990 issue of Charisma.
Where are the prophets? In every quarter of the church today we hear that question ringing. Not only in charismatic and Pentecostal churches, but even in the old mainline denominations, Christians are experiencing prophetic ministry, acknowledging prophetic ministers and wondering where the Holy Spirit is headed in these closing years of the 20th century.
I believe that we are actually in the midst of a divinely ordained move of God—what many are calling the prophetic movement. The Holy Spirit has designed this movement to bring full recognition, restoration and activation of prophets and prophetic ministry—within church ministry and structure. The current move of God is in fact an extension of earlier restoration movements throughout the last 500 years that have brought back to the church a number of truths and spiritual experiences that had previously been neglected—in particular, the Protestant, Holiness, Pentecostal and charismatic movements.
Each of these great restoration movements has been more powerful and gained a greater potential for salvation, or self-destruction, than the one before. The process is like the progressive invention of modern warfare weapons, from gunpowder to dynamite to nitroglycerin to nuclear bombs. As the latest and most powerful force and spiritual weapon of warfare being brought forth in the church, the prophetic movement has the most potential for blessing or destruction of any restoration movement during the last five centuries.
If nuclear or laser weapons were to fall into the hands of unprincipled, self-centered terrorists, they would have no scruples about using this power to destroy many lives in furthering their own selfish ends. They would use these weapons to intimidate, manipulate and control people to build their own dictatorial kingdom. In the same way, if a prophetic minister does not have Christ's character, biblical principles of operation, and a right spirit and motivation, he or she has the potential to control and manipulate people with supernatural knowledge, visions, revelations and miracles. False prophets, wrongly motivated ministers and immature believers misusing prophetic ministry can cause great destruction.
On the other hand, with the right character and spirit, prophetic ministers have great power to influence people for God toward unity, obedience, humility and Christlikeness. Thus prophetic ministry can bring life or death, blessing or blasting. Like atomic or laser power, the prophetic can be used for good or evil.
Swings in the Pendulum
When truth is in the process of being restored to the church, it usually swings extremely to the right, then to the left. At last it finally hangs straight with a balanced message, like the pendulum of a grandfather clock, in the middle of the two extremes.
Those who are stuck out on the extreme left become cultic in their doctrines and practices. Those who don't make it back from the extreme right become an exclusive group who separate themselves from the rest of the body of Christ. In between is the group that brings itself together from both extremes to maintain a balance of wisdom and maturity in proper biblical doctrine and practice as God originally intended it to be restored to the church.
At the same time, the "balanced" group may become so protective of the truth and so reactionary toward the extremists that they keep the original form—yet lose the flow of the Holy Spirit. They may keep the purity of the doctrine yet lose the fresh anointing that restored those truths. They may maintain the proper preaching and practices yet lose God's mighty presence and power that originally accompanied the ministry.
Sad to say, church history reveals that this "balanced" group usually becomes the main persecutors of the next restorational movement of the Holy Spirit. They establish "wineskins" of doctrinal limitations with regard to what, when, where, who and how the truth can be ministered. Their wineskins become dry and set with such limitations that they cannot receive the new wine of restored truth that adds new dimensions to the church.
For that reason, we must keep our wineskins flexible so that we can go from movement to movement of the Holy Spirit, incorporating into our personal lives and our churches all that God wants to restore to His church (2 Cor. 3:18). At the same time, we must not become vulnerable to extremism and fanaticism. As the apostle Peter declared, we must continually "be established in the present truth" without forsaking any of the truths and practices that have already been restored (2 Pet. 1:12). Jesus said that a wise scribe is one who brings out of his treasure chest treasures both old and new (Matt. 13:52).
The true apostles and prophets called to pioneer the prophetic movement will do all they can to maintain balance and to keep prophetic ministers from doing foolish things that bring reproach and disgrace upon the movement as a whole. But none of the past restoration movements were able to prevent abuses and extremes totally, and neither will we be able to do so.
In the Protestant Reformation, for example, some groups reacting to Catholic control became extremely lawless. In the Holiness movement, some extremists succumbed to the bondage of legalism. Among the early Pentecostals, some went so far as to teach that speaking in tongues was necessary for salvation. And most of us are familiar with the past charismatic extremes in demonology, discipleship and prosperity teaching.
Every movement will manifest some people who are biblically uneducated and who never become birthed in the present truth. There will always be those emotionally unstable and spiritually immature people who cannot handle the truth and thus exhibit weird behavior. And there will always be charlatans, false ministers and others who are wrongly motivated, looking for an opportunity to promote themselves and to profit from the movement.
Abuses to Avoid
As with every move of God, the prophetic movement will produce its share of abuses when people carry it too far or totally misapply the truths God is restoring. God's Spirit is pure and restores unadulterated truth and ministry, but such truth and ministry are poured into earthen vessels that can be faulty (2 Cor. 4:7). So I want to raise a warning against perverting the truths being restored or using them for personal gain or for other ungodly purposes.
I believe that several specific cautions are necessary at this point as Christians seek to maintain integrity and balance in the prophetic movement:
Overemphasis on personal prophecy. Some Christians will think they need a "word from the Lord" to make every major and minor decision. They will no longer depend on their personal convictions, the Holy Spirit's leadings, or pastoral counsel and wisdom to walk daily before the Lord. In some lives, personal prophecy will replace personal prayer and hearing from God for oneself.
This is not of the Lord. Personal prophecy has a valid place in the church and in the lives of individual Christians, but it was never intended to be a "quick fix" or a replacement for seeking God.
Elevating prophecy to the level of Scripture. Another form that abuse will take is an elevation of contemporary prophecy to the same level of authority and inspiration as the written Word of God, causing cultic groups who esteem prophetic utterance as Scripture. All orthodox Christians, however, believe that the Scriptures are complete and sufficient, and will reject all extrabiblical revelation claiming authority equal to the Bible,
Ministering out from under authority. Some Christians will begin to prophesy in places other than those their church leadership has sanctioned as appropriate. I call these "parking lot prophecies," in which people draw others outside of meetings to prophesy strange things to them.
I believe it's critical that all prophecies be given only under spiritual oversight, and also that they be tape-recorded. This allows the local eldership to adjust or correct any words that are false, wrongly applied or untimely, thus saving, the person who is receiving the prophecy from confusion or misunderstanding. Sadly enough, some who are new to this movement will prophesy helter-skelter without allowing their words to be weighed and evaluated (1 Cor. 14:31; 1 Thess. 5:21). Because the prophetic ministry has the power either to bless or curse, all words must be witnessed to and judged by those who are spiritually mature and are in oversight in the local assembly.
Using prophecy to justify rebellion and sin.The charismatic movement caused many prayer groups and unstructured meetings to break themselves off from the church. Some were of God, as the Holy Spirit poured out new wine that old wineskins couldn't contain, causing inevitable splits. But many others were just rebellious groups who wanted to do their own thing without any oversight.
The prophetic movement will see a continuation of this trend, with personal prophecy used as a tool to justify rebellious factions and groups. When confronted by spiritual authority, some will say "God told me," and will produce as evidence several prophecies they gave themselves or which were given by others who endorse their group or ministry. God never intended prophecy to judge doctrinal or disciplinary matters, and He certainly has not appointed certain saints in the church to straighten out everybody else through their spiritual ministry.
Control and manipulation through prophecy. Some ministers or leaders who already have a problem with being controlling will use the gift of prophecy to dictate "orders from God" to those under them. The abuses of the discipleship movement may pale in comparison to this abuse of personal prophecy. Ministers will prophesy to people about whom to marry, which job to get, and when and where to move, all in the name of "spiritual revelation."
Scores of ignorant and immature believers will follow such leaders because they seem to prophesy the word of the Lord and have signs following their ministry. Moses told the Israelites the reason God allows such things to take place: "The Lord your God is testing you to know whether you love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul" (Deut 13:3; NKJV). So Christians must understand the difference between obeying the word of the Lord and getting confirmation of major moves and life's decisions.
Using the prophetic gift for personal gain.This abuse of deceit will take two forms as people flock to prophetic ministry because God's anointing is upon it. First, many will hold "prophetic conferences" that are prophetic in name only. They will be more interested in drawing people in to pay large seminar fees to bolster their churches' finances than in ministering prophetically to the people. We will hear the word "prophetic" hung like a tag on nearly everything in the church as some try to manipulate people into becoming a part of ministries that are not at all prophetic.
The second form of this abuse is as ancient as Balaam, who tried to prophesy for his own personal gain. Even now certain ones prophesy, "Thus saith the Lord, God is saying if you will support His servant with a one-time gift of $1,000, He will surely bless you." Thousands of gullible Christians will send their money, thinking the man is speaking for God. In the end, however, these false prophets will be exposed as charlatans and judged for making merchandise of the gift of God.
Trying to fulfill personal prophecy out of proper timing.Many Christians who receive true personal prophecies about some great ministry or life situation will misunderstand God's dealing over a period of time and run out to try to fulfill their prophecy in their own strength. If God tells them prophetically that they will be raised up as a great pastor, prophet or apostle, they will run out and print up business cards with titles and proclaim themselves as God's wonder-workers.
Others who are called to be financial stewards for the kingdom of God will rush into business situations based on a personal prophecy because they think one prophecy will cause them to prosper in all their endeavors. The results will be broken contracts, bankruptcy and ruined lives.
When a true prophecy is spoken to an individual, God intends to accomplish that prophecy at some point in that person's life, not necessarily in the following week or month. Christians must learn to wait on the timing of the Lord.
Presumptuous, critical and judgmental prophesying.One of the greatest dangers and abuses of the prophetic movement will be people prophesying presumptuously or critically. For some reason, folks with a critical or negative spirit seem to flock to prophetic ministry, feeling that congregational or personal prophecy is their platform to blast everyone else for living in sin, directly implying that they themselves are the true standard for righteousness. I have seen and heard many who felt they were God's lone prophet in the wilderness, proclaiming righteousness while the rest of the church was wicked and sinful (see Deut. 18:20-22).
I have found, however, that the result of such prophesying is bitter, fruitless and condemning. God has not anointed any sheriffs in the kingdom of God to judge and condemn others, and I believe He rarely, if ever, uses immature believers to give a true word of rebuke and correction. This will be left instead to the mature person whom God can trust with hard words that need to be delivered in the spirit of humility and healing.
Abuses Have Already Begun
My spirit is grieved when I see and hear how some are already abusing the truths and ministries being restored by the prophetic movement. Even now, there are those with television programs who are using the ministry of prophesying to manipulate people to give them financial support. They close their eyes and point their finger and say, "The Lord says" or "The Lord shows me" that someone is to send them a certain amount of money. If the Lord ever did anoint them to prophesy in the first place, then that anointing left when they started using the gift for personal promotion.
I was shocked and disgusted when I heard another television personality say, "Write to me, and I will send you your personal prophecy tape for personal prosperity." I sent for it just so I could hear for myself what was being said. It was a soulish sham of using prophetic ministry to manipulate and motivate people to support his ministry.
I sometimes wish I had the power to close the mouths of such ministers. But then the Lord reminds me of what Paul told the Corinthian church: "There must be also heresies among you, that they who are approved may be made manifest among you" (1 Cor. 11:19, KJV). In relation to this movement, that means there must be false prophets, the ignorant, the immature and the wrongly motivated prophetic ministers who are improperly using the office of the prophet and the ministry of prophesying, so that those who are true and proper may be made manifest as the true prophetic ministers within Christ's church. Jesus said we must let the tares grow along with the wheat until the time of the harvest (Matt. 13:24-30).
Let All Things Be Done
Paul declared, "Let all things be done decently and in order" (1 Cor. 14:40). But there is no need for decency and order unless something is being done. The emphasis should be placed on the first five words in this statement as much as it is on the last four. Let all things be done!
The preacher of old declared that the only way to have a totally clean stall was not to have an ox in it—thus losing the benefit of the ox's labor (Prov. 14:4). So it is with the prophetic movement. If we want the benefit of prophetic ministry in the church, we must expect a few messes in the "stall" as some believers demonstrate a lack of balance, integrity or maturity.
The ones who do not manifest the truth as God intended will not make it back to the middle from the extreme swings of the pendulum of restored truth. But those who have the heart of God and the mind of Christ for this movement will proceed with proper prophetic procedures and practices—bringing the church closer to full restoration, maturity and triumph.
Israel Prepares For Its High Holy Days and the Messiah's Return
All Israelis are encouraged to prepare for Israel's High Holy Days with forgiveness in their hearts. (Wikimedia Commons)
The Fall Feasts of Israel, the most important appointments of the biblical calendar, are just around the corner.
These three feasts: The Feast of Trumpets (Rosh HaShanah), the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur), and the Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot), hold great biblical, historical, and prophetic significance for believers in Yeshua (Jesus) as they point to the events surrounding His second coming (This will be explained more fully in my next article for Standing With Israel). The sixth month of the Hebrew calendar, the month of Elul, (beginning August 16th this year) is traditionally a time of spiritual preparation as Jewish people anticipate these upcoming High Holy Days.
One of the customs that is practiced during this time is the reciting of Selichot, special prayers for forgiveness, also said on days of fasting. In the Sephardic Jewish tradition, these prayers are said throughout the month, whereas in the Ashkenazic Jewish tradition, they are added to the morning synagogue services near the end of the month. These prayers continue throughout the High Holy Days as individuals consider the profound issues of life and death, sin and forgiveness.
The significance given to these prayers in traditional Jewish thinking shows up in the three levels of forgiveness which people hope to attain. Traditionally, these levels are identified by three Hebrew terms: selichah (pardon), mechilah (wiping away), and kapparah (atonement). They are all related to forgiveness, but each has its own shade of meaning.
In Israel, a common word for "pardon" or "excuse me" is selichah. This is the first step a person takes if a sin has been committed, whether against God or man. One asks for forgiveness, saying to the offended party, "I am sorry for what I did; I sincerely regret having done it, and will never do it again." It is considered cruel not to accept a person's sincere apology.
Mechilah is usually translated as "wiping away," It is a response to the request, "Can our relationship be as it was before I offended you?" At this level, the relationship gets a "reset button." It is more difficult to accomplish than selichah, but not impossible.
Kapparah is usually translated as "atonement," (as in the Day of Atonement). This level of forgiveness is the deepest of all as it deals with a person's guilty conscience. It is recognized that only God can heal and comfort the conscience of a person. In traditional Jewish circles, "kapparah" completes this three-part process on Yom Kippur.
What can truly bring the deepest level of forgiveness between man and God? We remember how the people of Israel sinned at the giving of the Torah at Mt. Sinai when they created and worshipped a golden calf. Beginning in the month of Elul, Moses prayed to God for Israel's spiritual restoration. God's favorable response was to provide a new set of tablets inscribed with the Ten Commandments, and to renew His Presence in the people's midst.
It is said by the sages that when Moses went up the second time to receive the two tablets, the people of Israel blew the shofar to remind themselves not to fall into idol worship ever again. Thus the shofar is also blown at the beginning of the month of Elul as a reminder of our frailty and of how easy it is to stumble.
The New Covenant (New Testament) shows us that there is One who can forgive sins fully, even to the core of our being and to the cleansing and healing of our souls (Matthew 9:6). Because of Yeshua's once-and-for-all atonement, there is never a need for any other offering for sin (Hebrews 10:18). As we confess our sins, Messiah's atonement is enough to enjoy the renewal of our souls before God (1 John 1:9), and our prayers are now of praise and thanksgiving.
In Messiah's atonement, we have the grace of God to forgive one another for any offense committed against us (Ephesians 4:32). Indeed, by this same grace, we can not only forgive but also comfort any who are guilt ridden by their consciences (2 Corinthians 2:7). In Messiah's atonement is full forgiveness, not merely restoration to a previous relationship, but "forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who have been sanctified by faith" (Acts 26:18).
Therefore, let us be prepared indeed! As we anticipate Messiah's return, let us prepare our hearts that we will not be "ashamed at His coming" (1 John 2:28). And as we approach the High Holy Days during this month of Elul, let us commit to pray that not only will we be prepared, but that Israel and all people will be prepared to meet with the Lord as a result of the true forgiveness which comes only through Messiah. "Prepare to meet thy God, O Israel!" (Amos 4:12).
Dr. Sam Nadleris a Jewish believer in Jesus and has been in Messianic Jewish ministry for over 40 years. Sam is the president of Word of Messiah Ministries, which is bringing the Good News to the Jew first but not to the Jew only, and planting Messianic Congregations in Jewish communities worldwide. To equip the Body of Messiah in our shared calling, Sam has written multiple books on Jewish evangelism, discipleship, and the Feasts of Israel. Sam mentors Messianic leaders around the world, and regularly holds leadership conferences to train and encourage congregation planters in their vital ministry. For more information and resources, visit: www.wordofmessiah.org.
JERUSALEM, Israel -- Biblical historians say Luke is one of the few non-Jewish authors of the Bible, with both the Old and New Testaments almost exclusively written by Jews.
In his Gospel, Luke writes about the life of Yeshua (Jesus), and in the Book of Acts, we learn how his disciples fared after His ascension.
When God chooses Jeremiah, He tells him He’s watching over His Word to perform it (Jer. 1:12).
It certainly appears His plan is moving right along.
To better understand today’s headlines, the biblical prophets are a good place to start. After all Jeremiah lived in politically turbulent times, especially for the Jews.
Today, the Jewish people are returning to their biblical homeland. Since the late 1800s, there’s been a steady stream of returnees. On May 14, 1948, Israel officially became the modern nation-state of the Jewish people.
Aliyah -- immigration to Israel -- is increasing again, partly because of rising anti-Semitism, but also because Diaspora Jews are beginning to realize if they’re not in Israel, they’re in exile. They are returning to the place where a lot of promises to them as a people will be fulfilled. And they’re wonderful promises!
For the first time in nearly 2,000 years, there’s an indigenous Israeli Body.
Estimated at about 15,000 and growing, it’s part of this regathering. And its diversity reflects Israeli society as a whole.
Set in a Jewish Context
While Luke may not have been a Hebrew, his writings mirror the Jewish context of God’s plan of salvation for all mankind. Yeshua was born, lived and died a Jew.
You can’t separate Israel’s Messiah from Israel. Edith Schaffer was right. Christianity is Jewish.
Yeshua said, “You worship what you do not know; we know what we worship, for salvation is of the Jews.” (John 4:22)
So here’s some very good news.
God is raising up an indigenous Body in Israel. These young believers have grown up in a tough little country. They’ve served in the IDF, they’re pursuing their education and careers, meeting their mates, getting married and starting families. These young people are PRAYers and DOers. Corporately and individually they’re products of prayer. In short, they make our hearts smile.
Those with the gift of evangelism are sharing the Good News with Israelis who for the most part never heard it or heard it in a cultural context they couldn’t relate to. The biblical comparison is Joseph’s brothers not recognizing him because he looked like an Egyptian. In the end they find out he’s their brother. So it will be when the Jewish people come to know their Jewish Messiah.
Click here to see “The Forbidden Chapter in the Tenach.”
As latent anti-Semitism raises its ugly head yet again, God is raising up a generation of Israelis equipped to share the Good News with the Jewish people.
Prayer and More Prayer
Now is the time to undergird the Israeli Body in prayer. God is moving in Israel. It’s very exciting and at the same time challenging to be here at this point in time.
The prophet Zechariah foretells that God will pour out a spirit of grace and supplication on Israel and simultaneously remove the veil that has prevented His covenant people from seeing the One they’re awaiting for thousands of years.
Jews will see they are not outside God’s plan of salvation. In fact, the Bible states in more than one place, “to the Jew first and then the Greek.” Israel as a nation will understand and it will bring us to national repentance and salvation. We will be saved as a people, as it is written, “all Israel will be saved.”
And the world can hardly stand it. God’s enemy, the prince of the power of the air, the one who walks about like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour, whose only interest is to steal, kill and destroy, is more intent than ever to wipe out the Jewish people.
Iranian Nuclear Deal
The US-brokered Iranian nuclear deal is a prime example. Sadly, the Obama administration has been a tool in the enemy’s hand to stir up anti-Semitism wherever it may be found. His vendetta against Israel and its prime minister is palpable. Many of the world’s largest news agencies are simply pawns in the hands of “the prince of the power of the air.”
There is nothing Elohei Yisrael, the God of Israel, doesn’t know about. He is omniscient, omnipotent and allows what He allows for His purposes.
So while Israel and the Jewish people face increasingly difficult times, God is moving. Along with praying for the peace of Jerusalem, ask God to pour out His spirit on His people (Zech. 12:10).
“And I will pour on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and supplication; then they will look on Me whom they pierced. Yes, they will mourn for Him as one mourns for his only son, and grieve for Him as one grieves for a firstborn.”
End of End Days
It’s coming. It’s closer and closer. When all the nations of the world come up against Jerusalem, Yeshua himself will save us.
It’s time to dig into the Word of God more than ever. Ask God to open it up to you. Ask for your marching orders. Listen and obey.
These are exciting times, ones the prophets would like to have seen.
He is coming in the clouds! Two millennia ago Yeshua said he was coming quickly. A day is as a thousand years. It won’t be long now.
He will save us! To him be glory and dominion and power forever and ever! Amen.
William Francis Lynch (1801-1865) was a naval officer who served in both the U.S. Navy and the Confederate Navy.In the 1840s he proposed to the United States Government to undertake a voyage to the Holy Land to explore and map the Jordan River and the Dead Sea.
Lynch conducted his mission with a crew of 16 sailors in 1847 and published his findings in his book, Narrative of the United States' Expedition to the River Jordan and the Dead Sea.Lynch did not include a photographer in his entourage, but a crewman did provide illustrations for his book.
Lynch's motives appeared to be part patriotic, religious, and scientific. He wrote, "We [Americans] owe something to the scientific and Christian world, and while extending the blessing of civil liberty in the south and west [otherwise known as "Manifest Destiny"], may well afford to foster science and strengthen the bulwarks of Christianity in the east."
Lynch was also a strong adherent of "restorationism" (a precursor to Christian Zionism) -- a belief that the Jewish people must return to the Holy Land to fulfill their biblical prophecy of the "Second Coming." The belief drove many Americans, including American presidents, to advocate for the establishment of a Jewish homeland.
Map of Lynch's journey from the Sea of Galilee to the Dead Sea, 1847. (World Digital Library)
Along the route, Lynch described raging rapids in the Jordan River, difficult terrain, strange flora and fauna, warring Arab tribes, and suffering Christian and Jewish communities.
Lynch's 170-year-old description of the Jews of Tiberias is remarkable:
Safed and Tiberias, Jerusalem and Hebron, are the four holy cities of the Jews in Palestine. Tiberias is held in peculiar veneration by the Jews, for here they believe that Jacob resided, and it is situated on the shores of the lake whence they hope that the Messiah will arise. Winding down the rugged road, we descended to the city, seated on the margin of the lake. Tiberias (Tubariyeh) is a walled town of some magnitude, but in ruins, from the earthquake which, in 1837, destroyed so many of its inhabitants.
We had letters to the chief rabbi of the Jews, who came to meet us, and escorted us through labyrinthine streets to the house of Heim Wiseman, a brother Israelite. It is an hotel sui generis, as well in the mode of entertaining as in the subsequent settlement with its guests. In a book which was shown to us we read the following gentle insinuation:— “I beg the gentlemen arriving at my house that, at their departure, they will have the goodness to give me, in my hands, what they please. Tibaria, APRIL 7, 1845.” The above is an exact copy of the notice referred to, in English. It is likewise written in bad Italian and worse Spanish.
A trifling circumstance will show in what thraldom the Jews are held. Our landlord, Heim Wiseman, had been kind enough to show me the way to the governor’s. On our entrance, he meekly sat down on the floor, some distance from the divan. After the sherbet was handed round to all, including many Arabs, it was tendered to him. It was a rigid fast-day with his tribe, the eve of the feast of the azymes [Passover], and he declined it. It was again tendered, and again declined, when the attendant made some exclamation, which reached the ears of the governor, who thereupon turned abruptly round, and sharply called out, “Drink it.” The poor Jew, agitated and trembling, carried it to his lips, where he held it for a moment, when, perceiving the attention of the governor to be diverted, he put down the untasted goblet.
The Jews here are divested of that spirit of trade which is everywhere else their peculiar characteristic. Their sole occupation, we were told, is to pray and to read the Talmud. That book, Johann Ludwig Burckhardt says, declares that creation will return to primitive chaos if prayers are not addressed to the God of Israel at least twice a week in the four holy cities. Hence the Jews all over the world are liberal in their contributions.
Returned the visit of the Rabbis. They have two synagogues, the Sephardim and Askeniazim, but live harmoniously together. There are many Polish Jews, with light complexions, among them. They describe themselves as very poor, and maintained by the charitable contributions of Jews abroad, mostly in Europe. More meek, subdued, and unpretending men than these Rabbis I have never seen. The chief one illustrated the tyranny of the Turks by a recent circumstance. In consequence of the drought of the preceding year there had been a failure of the crops, and the Sultan, whose disposition is humane, ordered a large quantity of grain to be distributed among the fellahin for seed. The latter were accordingly called in; — to him whose portion was twenty okes (1 oke = approx. 2 3/4 lbs.) was given ten, and to him whose portion was ten, five okes were given, — after each had signed a paper acknowledging the receipt of the greater quantity. How admirably the scriptures portray the manners and customs of the east! Here is the verification of the parable of the unjust steward. It is true, that in this instance the decree was issued by the Turks — a comparatively modern people, — but it was carried into effect by the descendants of the ancient Gentile races of the country.
In the evening we visited several of the synagogues. It was impressive yet melancholy to witness the fervid zeal of the worshippers. In gabardines, with broad and narrow phylacteries, some of them embroidered, the men were reading or rather chanting, or rather screaming and shouting, the lamentations of Jeremias — all the time swaying their bodies to and fro with a regular and monotonous movement. There was an earnest expression of countenance that could not have been feigned. The tones of the men were loud and almost querulous with complaint; while the women, who stood apart, were more hushed in their sorrow, and lowly wailed, moving the heart by their sincerity. In each synagogue was an octagon recess, where the Pentateuch and other sacred works were kept. Whatever they may be in worldly matters, the Jews are no hypocrites in the article of faith.
The females marry very early. There was one in the house, then eleven and a half years of age, who, we were assured, had been married eighteen months. Mr. Wiseman pointed out another, a mere child in appearance, ten years of age, who had been two years married. It seems incredible. The unmarried wear the hair exposed, but the married women studiously conceal it. To make up for it, the heads of the latter were profusely ornamented with coins and gems and any quantity of another’s hair, the prohibition only extending to their own. Their dress is a bodice, a short, narrow-skirted gown, and pantalettes gathered at the ankles. Unlike the Turkish and the Arab women, they sometimes wear stockings. The bodice is open in front, and the breasts are held, but not restrained, by loose open pockets of thin white gauze.
There are about three hundred families, or one thousand Jews, in this town. The Sanhedrin consists of seventy rabbis, of whom thirty are natives and forty Franks, mostly from Poland, with a few from Spain. The rabbis stated that controversial matters of discipline among Jews, all over the world, are referred to this Sanhedrin.
The Lynch caravan taking their boats to the Sea of Galilee
After visiting a town with a Christian community, Lynch wrote about Christians, Jews and Turks:
Christians of Kerak...there were from 900 to 1000 Christians here, comprising three-fourths of the population. They could muster a little over 200 fighting men; but are kept in subjection by the Muslim Arabs, living mostly in tents, without the town. He stated that they are, in every manner, imposed upon. If a Muslim comes to the town, instead of going to the house of another Muslim, he quarters himself upon a Christian, and appropriates the best of every thing; that Christian families have been two days at a time without food — all that they had being consumed by their self-invited guests. If a Muslim sheikh buys a horse for so many sheep, he makes the Christians contribute until the number be made up. Their property, he said, is seized without there being any one to whom to appeal; and remonstrance, on their part, only makes it worse.
It needs but the destruction of that power which, for so many centuries, has rested like an incubus upon the eastern world, [emphasis added]to ensure the restoration of the Jews to Palestine. The increase of toleration; the assimilation of creeds; the unanimity with which all works of charity are undertaken, prove, to the observing mind, that, ere long, with every other vestige of bigotry, the prejudices against this unhappy race will be obliterated by a noble and a God-like sympathy....the time will come. All things are onward; and, in God’s providence, all things are good. How eventful, yet how fearful, is the history of this people! The Almighty, moved by their lamentations, determined, not only to relieve them from Egyptian bondage, but to make them the chosen depositary of his law.
