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Friday, December 30, 2016 | Tsvi Sadan ISRAEL TODAY
This story of David’s defection demonstrates how, at unique times of clear and present danger, normal moral codes can be suspended for the sake of a greater good.
The full article appears in the January 2016 issue of Israel Today Magazine. CLICK HERE to read it all
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“And I will make them one nation in the land upon the mountains of Yisrael and one king shall be king to them all; and they shall be no more two nations neither shall they be divided into two kingdoms any more at all.” Ezekiel 37:22 (The Israel Bible™)
In the wake of deteriorating relations between Israel and the US culminating in the disastrous UN vote last Friday, Tommy Waller, a Christian from Tennessee, is bringing a delegation of Israeli Knesset members to Donald Trump’s inauguration on January 20th.
A spiritual Christian, Waller describes himself as deeply connected to the land and agriculture of his native Tennessee. When he came to Israel 13 years ago and saw the vineyards bearing fruit in Mount Bracha near Shechem, he realized he was witnessing the fulfillment of prophecy right in front of his eyes.
Again shalt thou plant vineyards upon the mountains of Shomron; the planters shall plant, and shall have the use thereof. Jeremiah 31:4
Waller did not set out to make a political statement when he founded HaYovel, a non-profit organization that brings Christian volunteers to Israel to experience the wonder of the Holy Land for themselves. However, he realized that even his religious project would include unavoidable political implications, and accepted it as part of the process.
God doesn’t do things on earth without first revealing it to His prophets. And we need more direction right now. You see, we are in a war. – Zach Drew
God called you to vote. And because enough Christians voted, we have a chance to put Christ back in the United States of America. – Pastor Jim
Because without God, there’s no hope for tomorrow. Without God, there’s no hope for 2017. But I have hope. Because the King is coming. It’s the greatest hour we’ve ever known. – Pastor Jim
Scriptures
Amos 3:7 NIV Surely the Sovereign Lord does nothingwithout revealing his planto his servants the prophets.
Matthew 24:29 KJV Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken:
Philippians 4:13 NKJV I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.
John 3:16 KJV For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
James 2:17 MEV So faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead.
I Kings 18:21-22 KJV And Elijah came unto all the people, and said, How long halt ye between two opinions? if the Lord be God, follow him: but if Baal, then follow him. And the people answered him not a word. Then said Elijah unto the people, I, even I only, remain a prophet of the Lord; but Baal’s prophets are four hundred and fifty men.
I Kings 18:24 KJV And call ye on the name of your gods, and I will call on the name of the Lord: and the God that answereth by fire, let him be God. And all the people answered and said, It is well spoken.
I Kings 18:26-28 KJV And they took the bullock which was given them, and they dressed it, and called on the name of Baal from morning even until noon, saying, O Baal, hear us. But there was no voice, nor any that answered. And they leaped upon the altar which was made. And it came to pass at noon, that Elijah mocked them, and said, Cry aloud: for he is a god; either he is talking, or he is pursuing, or he is in a journey, or peradventure he sleepeth, and must be awaked. And they cried aloud, and cut themselves after their manner with knives and lancets, till the blood gushed out upon them.
I Kings 18:30 KJV And Elijah said unto all the people, Come near unto me. And all the people came near unto him. And he repaired the altar of the Lord that was broken down.
I Kings 18:32-39 KJV And with the stones he built an altar in the name of the Lord: and he made a trench about the altar, as great as would contain two measures of seed. And he put the wood in order, and cut the bullock in pieces, and laid him on the wood, and said, Fill four barrels with water, and pour it on the burnt sacrifice, and on the wood. And he said, Do it the second time. And they did it the second time. And he said, Do it the third time. And they did it the third time. And the water ran round about the altar; and he filled the trench also with water. And it came to pass at the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, that Elijah the prophet came near, and said, Lord God of Abraham, Isaac, and of Israel, let it be known this day that thou art God in Israel, and that I am thy servant, and that I have done all these things at thy word. Hear me, O Lord, hear me, that this people may know that thou art the Lord God, and that thou hast turned their heart back again. Then the fire of the Lord fell, and consumed the burnt sacrifice, and the wood, and the stones, and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench. And when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces: and they said, The Lord, he is the God; the Lord, he is the God.
I Samuel 13:14 KJV But now thy kingdom shall not continue: the Lord hath sought him a man after his own heart, and the Lord hath commanded him to be captain over his people, because thou hast not kept that which the Lord commanded thee.
II Samuel 12:24 KJV And David comforted Bathsheba his wife, and went in unto her, and lay with her: and she bare a son, and he called his name Solomon: and the Lord loved him.
Matthew 16:18 KJV And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
U.S. President Barack Obama listens as he participates in his last news conference of the year at the White House in Washington. (REUTERS/Carlos Barria)
Obama and Israel From 2008 to 2016: A Story of Betrayal and Reversal
In June 2008, presidential candidate Barack Obama gave a stirring speech to AIPAC, making strong commitments to the Jewish people and Israel. In December, 2016, President Obama's secretary of state, John Kerry, delivered an important policy speech that directly contradicted some of candidate Obama's words. The contrast is striking, unnerving and downright hypocritical.
To be fair, there is some consistency between the speeches, as both advocate a two-state solution among other parallels. And on a certain level, President Obama has kept some of the commitments he made to Israel, including massive defense contracts and military aid. And it is true that, until last week, Obama had not allowed the U.N. Security Council to pass any anti-Israel resolutions.
Still, reading Obama's 2008 speech in light of the last eight years is a real shocker. Consider the following.
In 2008, candidate Obama pledged, "As president, I will work to help Israel achieve the goal of two states, a Jewish state of Israel and a Palestinian state, living side by side in peace and security. And I won't wait until the waning days of my presidency. I will take an active role and make a personal commitment to do all I can to advance the cause of peace from the start of my administration."
Ironically, he has done the opposite, not only failing to move the peace process forward but rather, in "the waning days of [his] presidency," taking aggressive steps to undermine the peace process and to betray Israel. (It's even possible that before the transfer of power, he will lash out at Israel once more.)
In 2008, Obama declared that, "Jerusalem will remain the capital of Israel, and it must remain undivided."
This week, John Kerry declared a peace agreement would "provide an agreed resolution for Jerusalem as the internationally recognized capital of the two states, and protect and assure freedom of access to the holy sites consistent with the established status quo."
He added, "Most acknowledge that Jerusalem should not be divided again like it was in 1967, and we believe that." But, he continued, "At the same time, there is broad recognition that there will be no peace agreement without reconciling the basic aspirations of both sides to have capitals there."
Well, here's a note from Jerusalem to our secretary of state and president: You cannot have it both ways. Either Jerusalem is the undivided capital of Israel, or it is the divided capital of Israel and Palestine. And if Jerusalem is to be the undivided capital of Israel, Mr. Kerry has no reason to protest strongly the relocation of our embassy to Jerusalem, which he did this week as well.
Joel Pollack also points out that "through the Obama administration's acceptance of U.N. Security Council Resolution 2334 last Friday," America now "regards the Israel presence in East Jerusalem as 'settlements' that are in 'flagrant violation of international law.'" This means that, "Effectively, the Obama administration has allowed the Palestinians to claim East Jerusalem as their own, with the option of negotiating that claim away. The starting point of negotiations is now a division of Jerusalem 'like it was in 1967.'"
Getting back to 2008, while pledging to work diplomatically with Iran rather than militarily against Iran, candidate Obama was very clear about the danger Iran presented, stating, "There is no greater threat to Israel—or to the peace and stability of the region—than Iran."
He continued:
The Iranian regime supports violent extremists and challenges us across the region. It pursues a nuclear capability that could spark a dangerous arms race and raise the prospect of a transfer of nuclear know-how to terrorists. Its president denies the Holocaust and threatens to wipe Israel off the map. The danger from Iran is grave, it is real, and my goal will be to eliminate this threat.
I doubt anyone listening to his speech in 2008 would have imagined he would end up striking such a disastrous deal with Iran, one that not only rewarded the Iranians with billions of dollars, some of which would be used to fund terrorism—Kerry himself admitted to this explicitly—but one which also gave them a clear path to nuclear development in the coming years. Is this not the height of betrayal?
But there's more. In 2008, then-Senator Obama said:
I have long understood Israel's quest for peace and need for security. But never more so than during my travels there two years ago. Flying in an [Israeli Defense Forces] helicopter, I saw a narrow and beautiful strip of land nestled against the Mediterranean. On the ground, I met a family who saw their house destroyed by a Katyusha rocket. I spoke to Israeli troops who faced daily threats as they maintained security near the blue line. I talked to people who wanted nothing more simple, or elusive, than a secure future for their children.
Yet in 2011, President Obama briefly suggested Israel return to its totally indefensible pre-1967 borders, which would reduce this "narrow and beautiful strip of land" to as few as nine miles wide, thereby committing national suicide. And in 2015, it was reported that "President Barack Obama is considering agreeing to a United Nations Security Council resolution 'embodying the principles of a two-state solution that would be based on the pre-1967 lines between Israel and the West Bank and Gaza Strip and mutually agreed swaps,' a senior administration official has told The New York Times."
Will something like this be the last element in the president's parting shots against Israel?
Making things even worse is the very strong evidence that the Obama administration worked directly with Palestinian leadership to craft and advance the recent U.N. Security Council resolution, despite the administration's denials. Evidence includes: 1. Discussion months in advance by political pundits that this was one of the options being discussed by the administration (how did they know this?), 2. Prime Minister Netanyahu stating unequivocally that America was behind the resolution, which he would hardly do without "rather ironclad information" and 3. An Egyptian paper releasing transcripts of a purported meeting between Kerry and Palestinian officials from early December, planning out the strategy.
This is just part of what makes President Obama's final actions so shameful and why Rabbi Shmuley Boteach was right to say Obama has "demonized Israel little by little."
So much for the man who said in 2008 that he spoke "as a true friend of Israel," explaining, "And I know that when I visit with AIPAC, I am among friends. Good friends. Friends who share my strong commitment to make sure that the bond between the United States and Israel is unbreakable today, tomorrow and forever."
As the old saying goes, with friends like these, who needs enemies?
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A general view shows a Star of David near buildings in the Israeli settlement of Maale Edumim, in the occupied West Bank Dec. 28, 2016. (Baz Ratner/Reuters )
How Hanukkah Empowers Us to Overcome the New Anti-Israel Alignment
A day before Hanukkah, U.S. President Obama brokered U.N. Security Council Resolution 2334, declaring that Judea and Samaria (including the Western Wall) belong to Palestine. The resolution puts in place putative legal groundwork, lacking until now, for dividing Israel into a Palestinian state.
The exquisitely evil timing of the American ambush against Israel is not unprecedented. Through history, God's enemies have plotted genocidal schemes against the Jews specifically to coincide with biblical holidays. Historically, those schemes backfire. God judges His enemies and more than overcomes them. From a macroview perspective, He actually advances His kingdom to the next phase of global redemption.
Therefore, when the kingdoms of this world rage against Yaweh and His people, we should weep and pray. But we should also be encouraged, for the kingdom of heaven will soon break upon us in a greater, more glorious measure.
Last week's unjust international resolution at Hanukkah (and Christmas) may forebode a new year of extreme difficulty for Israel and the nations. Battle lines have been drawn; kingdoms are clashing. Sadly, the battle may be bloody.
There will likely be serious casualties—and a call for compassionate ministry in response. For this we must be ready. But as God delivered His people over 2,000 years ago at Hanukkah (and Christmas), we must remember He will deliver us again.
The Hope of Hanukkah
Israeli officials say they expect Obama and the U.N. to take further steps to enforce Resolution 2334 before the Nobel Peace Prize-winning president leaves office next month. The next president will be hard pressed to reverse or amend the international resolution or any mechanisms put in place for its enforcement.
He will, however, have authority to redirect America's response to the travesty. We must pray for him to act wisely and rightly so other nations may follow his lead. President-elect Trump faces an unprecedented, worldwide anti-Israel alignment that has just gained exponential momentum. It is possible only a wide-scale military operation can reverse this momentum. (On this I pray I prove wrong.)
Global circumstances at the start of 2017 are reminiscent of those leading to events culminating in the original Hanukkah. Less than 200 years before Messiah's first coming, the Seleucid emperor Antiochus IV was in power across the Middle East. The crazed conqueror is regarded by Bible scholars as a type of antichrist prophesied in the book of Daniel.
Antiochus IV sought to rule the known world as one people, under one humanist religion. With great arrogance he surnamed himself "Epiphanes," meaning Manifest God. He made it illegal to teach or even speak the Holy Scriptures. With murderous tortures resembling those of ISIS, the devil-driven ruler aimed to destroy all worship of Yaweh. Miraculously, a small band of Jewish priests named the Maccabees militarily resisted and defeated him. Hanukkah celebrates this victory.
The timing of Resolution 2334 last week, ushering in Hanukkah, actually underscores its ultimate defeat. As God raised up a remnant over 2,000 years ago to defeat the anti-Jewish, antichrist spirit, He will do so again. He wants us inspired, infused with faith and empowered for victory. He wants us embracing the hope of Hanukkah.
The Maccabees' Message
The Maccabee remnant stood firm in the grace of Yaweh. Unlike us, they were not indwelled by the Holy Spirit. Nevertheless, they intentionally chose to access the strength, courage and faith residing in us today. They clung tenaciously to righteousness.
Hanukkah's heroes of old loved not their lives unto death. They trusted God as their personal redeemer, despite the limited revelation they had of His salvation. They knew He would use their faithfulness—even martyrdom—for His glory through eternity. Indeed, these saintly ones are collectively memorialized in Hebrews 11:35-39. Their testimony is intended to help us stand firm in these last days.
In Matthew 24, Yeshua (Jesus) connects Hanukkah-related events with the end times antichrist. He shows how Daniel prophesied concerning them both. Prior to His first coming, the antichrist spirit sought to destroy the Jews. Satan's goal was to thwart God's plan of redemption and future, governmental kingdom rule. But the Jews survived. Hanukkah resulted. Messiah King was born not long thereafter.
The antichrist spirit will arise with even greater vengeance before Messiah's Second Coming. Conditions that led to the original Hanukkah will be similar to those resulting at the end of this age. Events at the U.N. last week reflect this prophetic trajectory.
In 2017 and beyond, like the Maccabees, you and I will have opportunity to align in righteousness with the kingdom government that rests on His shoulders (Is. 9:6). In an increasingly anti-Christian/anti-Jewish culture, it will be our Father's good pleasure to impart faith, courage and victory to us.
This new year, I encourage you to align even more intentionally with the government of His kingdom. Execute the authority He gives you for the salvation of Israel and the nations. Choose righteousness and humble boldness. Do not let your love grow cold because of the increase of wickedness around you (Matt. 24:12). And do not keep silent. Remember that no circumstance or decision of yours will be too big or too small to impact according to the rule of His government.
2017 Celebrates Kingdom Advance
God sets times and seasons, giving special meanings to them (Dan. 7:25). One hundred years ago in 1917, Britain's Balfour Declaration formalized the intent to create a Jewish homeland. Seventy years ago in 1947, U.N. Resolution 181 re-established a Jewish state. Fifty years ago in 1967, the City of Jerusalem was restored to Israel. The time frames of 50, 70 and 100 years are biblically significant. 2017 could prove a watershed year for Israel (and the nations) in which your life makes a difference for eternity.
There is reason to believe we are entering a very challenging but also very happy new year.
"Why do the nations rage? ... Blessed are all who seek refuge in Him" (Psalm 2:1, 12). In 2017, put your trust in Him and be blessed!
Sandra Teplinsky has been in Messianic Jewish ministry since 1979. She is president and founder of Light of Zion, a Messianic outreach to Israel and the church based in California and Jerusalem.
3 Reasons Why you should read Life in the Spirit. 1) Get to know the Holy Spirit. 2) Learn to enter God's presence 3) Hear God's voice clearly! Go deeper!
Has God called you to be a leader? Ministry Today magazine is the source that Christian leaders who want to serve with passion and purpose turn to. Subscribe now and receive a free leadership book.
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This last year has been surreal. (iluvgadgets/Flickr/CC)
Prophetically Speaking, 2016 Was Surreal
JENNIFER LECLAIRE CHARISMA NEWS Dec. 30, 2016
Jennifer LeClaire is now sharing her reflections and revelations through Walking in the Spirit. Listen at charismapodcastnetwork.com.
"Surreal." It was Merriam-Webster's Word of the Year.
What does it mean? You may have some idea through usage, but Merriam-Webster defines "surreal" as "marked by the intense irrational reality of a dream."
"We also give as its synonyms 'unbelievable' and 'fantastic.' It's a relatively new word in English, and derives from 'surrealism,' the artistic movement of the early 1900s that attempted to depict the unconscious mind in dreamlike ways as 'above' or 'beyond' reality," M-W editor Peter Sokolowski reports. "'Surreal' itself dates to the 1930s, and was first defined in a Merriam-Webster dictionary in 1967.
Visitors to the online dictionary looked up the word "surreal" in 2016 more than any other word.
"'Surreal' had three major spikes in interest that were higher in volume and were sustained for longer periods of time than in past years. In March, the word was used in coverage of the Brussels terror attacks," writes Sokolowski. "Then, in July, we saw the word spike again: It was used in descriptions of the coup attempt in Turkey and in coverage of the terrorist attack in Nice. Finally, we saw the largest spike in look-ups for 'surreal' following the U.S. election in November."
According to Sokolowski, "surreal" is often looked up spontaneously in moments of both tragedy and surprise, whether or not it is used in speech or writing.
"This is not surprising: we often search for just the right word to help us bring order to abstract thoughts, emotions or reactions," he says. "'Surreal' seems to be, for 2016, such a word."
I believe we're going to see more surreal activity in 2017. The Lord has released the angels of abundant harvest. Find out more about this at angelsprophecy.com.
3 Reasons Why you should read Life in the Spirit. 1) Get to know the Holy Spirit. 2) Learn to enter God's presence 3) Hear God's voice clearly! Go deeper!
Has God called you to be a leader? Ministry Today magazine is the source that Christian leaders who want to serve with passion and purpose turn to. Subscribe now and receive a free leadership book.
Did you enjoy this blog? Click here to receive it by email.
U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) unloaded his anger with President Barack Obama and Secretary of State John Kerry over their attacks on Israel in a statement Wednesday. (Reuters photo)
Ted Cruz: History Will Record 'Bitter Clingers' Obama and Kerry as 'Relentless Enemies of Israel'
U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), since last week's adoption of United Nations Resolution 2334, has become a man on a mission.
After Secretary of State John Kerry's hour-long rant about Israel, settlements in the West Bank and the future of the so-called "two-state solution," the Texas senator unleashed just a bit of his anger with a statement. In it, he spared little venom for either the secretary or his boss, President Barack Obama.
Cruz said:
Like bitter clingers, President Obama and Secretary Kerry are spending every last minute of this administration wreaking havoc domestically and abroad. With their last breath in office, they have struck at Israel through the United Nations and through today's disgraceful speech.
These acts are shameful. They are designed to secure a legacy, and indeed they have: history will record and the world will fully understand Obama and Kerry as relentless enemies of Israel. Their actions were designed to weaken and marginalize Israel and to embolden its enemies.
Today's speech—like Kerry's 2014 remarks likening Israel to an apartheid state—will inflame rising anti-Semitism in Europe. It will encourage the mullahs who hate Israel and hate America. And it will facilitate "law-fare," growing legal assaults on Israel through transnational legal fora.
Kerry's speech drew a stunning moral equivalence between our great ally Israel and the Palestinian Authority, currently formed in a "unity" government with the vicious terrorists of Hamas. Secretary Kerry declared the Hamas regime in Gaza "radical" in the same way he declared the duly-elected government of Israel "extreme." He declared vicious terrorism sponsored by Hamas equal to Israeli settlements in West Bank. And he equated Israel's celebration of its birth with the Palestinian description of this event as the "disaster." His speech attempted to lay out an historic and seismic shift towards the de-legitimization of our ally, Israel, and the further empowerment of the Palestinian Authority.
Kerry's central conclusion, that "Israel can either be Jewish or democratic, it cannot be both" is an inanity that passes as profound only in Ivory Tower faculty lounges. There are roughly 50 majority-Muslim countries in the world. There is one—only one—Jewish state. And yet, for Kerry and Obama, that is too much. The Israeli Knesset has 17 elected Arab members. It has Muslim members and Christian members. In contrast, one searches in vain for Muslim countries that have elected Jewish representatives.
It is a sign of their radicalism and refusal to defend American interests that Obama and Kerry choose to attack the only inclusive democracy in the Middle East—a strong, steadfast ally of America—while turning a blind eye to the Islamic terrorism that grows daily.
America is an unshakable friend of Israel, and we are horrified at what has transpired this week.
I believe Obama's and Kerry's shameful conduct will backfire, that it will be short-lived and will inspire a bipartisan repudiation of their radical anti-Israel agenda.
All Americans who understand the value of the U.S.-Israel alliance must immediately and unequivocally reject their false and dangerous narrative and reassert our fundamental commitment to Israel's security. Thankfully, Congress and the incoming administration can and I hope will take decisive action to intercept the administration's final and desperate Hail Mary, and that should begin with eliminating U.S. funding to the U.N. unless and until this disgraceful resolution is reversed.
I look forward to working with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle as well as the incoming administration to chart a new path forward based on America's national security interests and clear-eyed reality, not on the Obama administration's globalist agenda and wishful thinking.
3 Reasons Why you should read Life in the Spirit. 1) Get to know the Holy Spirit. 2) Learn to enter God's presence 3) Hear God's voice clearly! Go deeper!
Has God called you to be a leader? Ministry Today magazine is the source that Christian leaders who want to serve with passion and purpose turn to. Subscribe now and receive a free leadership book.
Cunning as Serpents: David's Defection
