It is a time of crisis for Israel.
Taken from Prophetic Vision Magazine by David Hathaway, for more information click here
Acknowledgements to:
Dr Susan Rolef, Historian and Political Scientist, Israel
Peter Oborne, Commentator, Daily Telegraph newspaper, David Hathaway
"Time is short in
Israel, let's hurry up!'' was the cry to us from 50
local churches - Messianic and Arabic congre‑
gations - from 16 regions of the Holy Land - all
concerned about the rapidly unfolding political
and spiritual situation - in Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, Lebanon, Jordan, Syria - in the light of Bible prophecy. Israel could find itself isolated in a sea of Islamist nations. In February Egypt allowed the first Iranian warships to enter the Mediterranean through the Suez Canal since Egypt's peace agreement with Israel in 1979.
The historical facts are that there have always been Jews living in the Land, even after Rome destroyed Jerusalem in AD 70. There has never been a period when there were no Jews. In AD 638 Moslem Arabs seized Jerusalem. They ruled Jews and Christians alike under the system of dhimmitude, the oppressive rules that apply to non-Moslem populations conquered by Jihad. Jewish and Christian scholarship shows the continuous persecution of Jews and Christians in the Holy Land under Islamic rule.
The name 'Palestine', used by Christians worldwide in their Bible maps of the Holy Land, was first given by the Romans to the Land after they razed Jerusalem in 70 AD. They chose the name Palestine as an insult to the Jews, and as a memorial to Israel's ancient enemy, the Philistines. But under the Moslem Ottoman-Turkish Empire, AD 1299-1923, the designation 'Palestine' and 'Palestinians' was never used. However, after Britain drove the Turks out of Jerusalem in 1917 and until the formation of Israel in 1948, 'Palestinian' identity was ascribed to all those individuals - Jew, Arab, Christian - who lived in this land that Britain now called 'Palestine'. Arabs first became 'Palestinians' under the British Mandate.Since World War II the Arab world has been 'America's invisible empire' - whose brutal and corrupt dictators have been supplied with arms, military training and advice from Washington. Many commentators have claimed that this year's Arab revolutions compare with the 1989 uprisings of the peoples of Eastern Europe against Soviet tyranny and its communist ideology; freedom followed. But what is happening in the Arab countries is NOT the collapse of their ideology, which is Islam. It is simply the removal of dictators kept in power by America and the West. Arab 'democracy' is unlikely to follow the Western model; in Gaza in 2006, 'democracy' brought Islamist terrorist organisation Hamas to power. In Egypi- will it be the Moslem Brotherhood (suppressed under the former regime)? The Moslem Brotherhood is a worldwide organisation, the largest Islamic Movement in the modern era, of which Hamas (also known as the Islamic Resistance Movement) is merely one small wing.
The Preamble to the Hamas Charter (1988) says: 'In the Name of Allah, the Merciful, the Compassionate. You are the best community that has been raised up for mankind. Ye enjoin right conduct and forbid indecency; and ye believe in Allah. And if the People of the Scripture had believed, it had been better for them... Ignominy shall be their portion wheresoever they are found... Israel will rise and will remain erect until Islam eliminates it...' The Hamas Covenant is a comprehensive manifesto comprised of 36 articles, all of which promote the basic Hamas goal of destroying the State of Israel through Jihad (Islamic Holy War).
Israel is surrounded by Islam.
Jerusalem will become a bargaining tool to resolve global political issues of such magnitude that it will lead to a catastrophic battle involving the major armies of the world. - And the return of Christ! Jews and Christians alike believe that the Messiah will come to Jerusalem, and that the Jews will be in Jerusalem when that happens - Zechariah 13/14. Even the Koran, which corrupted Old Testament prophecies, agrees with this. But the Bible says that only the Messiah, when He comes, will bring peace to Jerusalem and to the world, and until then Jerusalem will be a stumbling stone; one day all nations will fight against her - Zechariah 12:1-2; 14:2.
Jerusalem will become a bargaining tool to resolve global political issues of such magnitude that it will lead to a catastrophic battle involving the major armies of the world. - And the return of Christ! Jews and Christians alike believe that the Messiah will come to Jerusalem, and that the Jews will be in Jerusalem when that happens - Zechariah 13/14. Even the Koran, which corrupted Old Testament prophecies, agrees with this. But the Bible says that only the Messiah, when He comes, will bring peace to Jerusalem and to the world, and until then Jerusalem will be a stumbling stone; one day all nations will fight against her - Zechariah 12:1-2; 14:2.
When Jesus said to His disciples, "You shall be baptised with the Holy Spirit," the immediate reaction of the disciples was a political one - Acts 1:5-6. They said, "When the Holy Spirit comes, will You restore the Kingdom to Israel?" They asked this question 2000 years ago! But when the power of God comes today, God will restore the Kingdom to Israel, and God will establish His Kingdom on earth! The Kingdom of God is coming when Christ will rule the whole world from Jerusalem! This is why it is so important that we preach the Gospel now. It is the work of the Holy Spirit. NOW.
The Bible says the Gospel will be preached to the Gentiles until the time of the Gentiles is ended, and then shall Israel be saved. Jesus, the Messiah, will come to deliver Israel. He comes back as King.
This is the urgency to preach the Gospel!
The Bible says we are bought with a price - 1 Cor 6:20 - the precious blood of Jesus.
It is interesting today when there is a political accusation that the Jews have driven the Arabs out of so-called Palestine and stolen their land, to see how much of the land was actually bought by the Jews!
The Bible tells us that Abraham bought the field at Mamre (Gen 23), and when David had sinned in numbering the people, in his repentance he bought the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite on Mount Moriah (2 Sam 24, the same place where first Abraham was to sacrifice Isaac and where eventually Solomon built the Temple).
Yes, the Jews did return to Jerusalem and remained until the Roman occupation when, after the death of Christ, in AD 70 the Jews were again expelled from the land. But God is faithful to His Word, and land in Israel has been legally bought by Jews in recent times.
In the latter days of the Turkish Ottoman Empire, which controlled the Holy Land for 400 years (1517-1917), wealthy Arab landowners Syria, Egypt and Lebanon acquired enormous tracts of real estate from the local tribes and Bedouins - and then made a huge profit by selling the land to Jews from Europe and America! According to Turkish records, by 1915, almost 1 million acres of Palestinian land was owned by only 144 of these Arabs who leased it to Moslem tenant farmers at exorbitant rents, making many destitute. Ultimately these same Arab landowners drove out their Moslem brothers so that they could sell the land to the Jews for a huge profit! (Do not be naive how Moslems treat other Moslems. Christians don't fare much better between themselves ofcourse! But don't believe a Moslem who gives you a glowing track record of their behaviour either, which historically has often been equally atrocious.ACW)
The British Palestine Commission reported in 1937 that the Hula Valley in the north was infested with mosquitoes. The landowners were Syrian Moslems in Damascus who leased the land to poor Arab peasants who lived in primitive mud huts and were dying from malaria. In 1934 the Jewish National Fund bought 51 square miles of this infested marshland for $4.5 million and set up 20 Jewish settlements on it. These settlers drained the land and reclaimed it from the mosquitoes and malaria. By 1935, the report says, the Jews had increased the amount purchased to 145,000 acres. By 1948 when the State of Israel was established, almost 80% of the land had been purchased already.
Under the Mandate, Britain and France divided the former Moslem Ottoman territory to become the newly created countries of Lebanon, Syria, Jordan and Iraq. The so-called Jewish/ Palestinian area remained under British control until in 1948, Britain, by pulling out of the Mandate, allowed the Jews to reclaim land which they had originally bought in the period under British control!
Up to 90% of those who came to David's meetings in Israel in April were not Messianic Believers; they were not Western Christians who love and support Israel; but they were secular Jews, non-believers and holocaust survivors! see below
Why do the governments and people today believe the 'Palestinian Lie' that the Jews stole the land from the very Arabs who sold it in the first place? The greedy Moslem landlords pushed out the poor farmers in order to make money from the Jews - then accused them of stealing!
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Jesus commanded us, "Preach the Good News, heal the sick." Up to 90% of those who came to David's meetings in Israel in April were not Messianic Believers; they were not Western Christians who love and support Israel; but they were secular Jews, non-believers and holocaust survivors! Survivors of the ghettos, the prison camps, the holocaust, are the hardest to reach for Jesus due to their experiences - but yet almost all unbelievers who came, stood to receive Jesus as their Messiah!
Under the Mandate, Britain and France divided the former Moslem Ottoman territory to become the newly created countries of Lebanon, Syria, Jordan and Iraq. The so-called Jewish/ Palestinian area remained under British control until in 1948, Britain, by pulling out of the Mandate, allowed the Jews to reclaim land which they had originally bought in the period under British control!
Up to 90% of those who came to David's meetings in Israel in April were not Messianic Believers; they were not Western Christians who love and support Israel; but they were secular Jews, non-believers and holocaust survivors! see below
Why do the governments and people today believe the 'Palestinian Lie' that the Jews stole the land from the very Arabs who sold it in the first place? The greedy Moslem landlords pushed out the poor farmers in order to make money from the Jews - then accused them of stealing!
It appears as if the underlying claim against Israel is that under Islamic law, land once owned by Moslems must always remain Islamic. If this is so, we need to resist - because if we accept this, then look at the extent of the Ottoman Empire, or at the Moors who invaded Europe! If Israel is not able to live in peace, then nor is much of Europe! Yes, the area we know as Israel was occupied by Arabs/ Moslems, and the Dome of the Rock was built in 691 AD. I also agree that the Religious Crusades to recapture Jerusalem were a tragic episode in Christian history - but the Moslem Caliphate ended with the defeat of the Ottoman Empire and the capture of Jerusalem by the British in 1917. If we cannot accept this, how can we accept the 'capture' of North America by Europeans, the defeat of the Aborigines in Australia - the Vikings, the Normans - and look at Europe as a result of generations of wars!
Israel belongs to the Jews - they fought for it under God's authority -they bought it under the British - they died for it in 1948! Let them live in peace while they wait for the coming of their Messiah! Psalm 122:6.---------------------------------------
Jesus commanded us, "Preach the Good News, heal the sick." Up to 90% of those who came to David's meetings in Israel in April were not Messianic Believers; they were not Western Christians who love and support Israel; but they were secular Jews, non-believers and holocaust survivors! Survivors of the ghettos, the prison camps, the holocaust, are the hardest to reach for Jesus due to their experiences - but yet almost all unbelievers who came, stood to receive Jesus as their Messiah!
Thousands attended the meetings in Tel Aviv - with even more watching the meetings online. Even before the meetings were held, hundreds of people had been touched by the Gospel during the preparation events. Pastor Viktor Dorozkin, who attended David's Lithuania services, started 'social support campaigns' - to which his congregation invited their secular and even Muslim neighbours, colleagues, friends and family. Every one of these 'campaigns' concluded with prayer and a simple Gospel message.
Preaching in Israel, David said: God sent His own Son. Why? Because the accusation is that God is in heaven. When I was in my communist prison and I tried to pray, so many times there was no answer. I prayed for food and there was none; for help and there was none; when I prayed for deliverance, no one came. And I said, "Oh God, where are You? You are in heaven, how can You understand?" God said to me, "David, that's why I sent My Son." God sent Him to Israel, to see your suffering, your pain, to identify with you. God is Spirit, He is in heaven, but He sent His Son so that He could experience your pain, your sickness, your suffering, and die - despised and rejected by men - hanged in shame on a Roman cross. - Why? So that He can deliver you, pay the price of your sin, of your shame, take the pain of your sickness, break the curse and set you free. The message for you today is that the power of the devil is broken, the devil will not have the victory. God wants to show you His love now. He wants to forgive you, heal your sickness, take away all the memory of the past, He wants to answer the questions in your life. How many of you want to know your Jewish Messiah? This Jesus, Son of David is alive and will answer you today if you will only come to Him.
Holocaust survivors and secular Jews willingly came forward to give their lives to Jesus, their Jewish Messiah. One of the organising pastors said, "Our eyes saw the glory of the Lord when we saw our Jewish brethren saved!"
Jesus said, "The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the good news to the poor; to heal the broken-hearted; recovery of sight to the blind; to set at liberty those who are downtrodden, bruised and broken by calamity."
David held a series of special services in Israel 28, 29, 30 April. The first meeting was for Holocaust Survivors - most of whom are over 75, sick and crippled, but needing Jesus to bring peace, healing and forgiveness into their broken lives. This service was followed by evangelism in Tel Aviv.
Up to 90% of those who came to the meetings in Israel were not Messianic Believers; they were not Western Christians who love and support Israel; but they were secular Jews and non-believers. In Tel Aviv, thousands attended the meetings - with even more watching online. Even before the evangelism was held, hundreds of people had been touched by the Gospel during the preparation events. Pastor Viktor Dorozkin, who attended our Lithuania services last year, started 'social support campaigns' - to which his congregation invited their secular and even Muslim neighbours, colleagues, friends and family. Every one of these 'campaigns' concluded with prayer and a simple Gospel message.
It is 50 years since David first went to Israel. In May 1961, after eleven years as a full-time pastor and evangelist in Britain, David's ministry to Russia and Europe began as a result of organising the first ever overland expedition by road to Jerusalem, travelling behind the Iron Curtain through Arab countries and into Israel. This trip marked a major milestone in David's life.
Preaching in Israel, David said: God sent His own Son. Why? Because the accusation is that God is in heaven. When I was in my communist prison and I tried to pray, so many times there was no answer. I prayed for food and there was none; for help and there was none; when I prayed for deliverance, no one came. And I said, "Oh God, where are You? You are in heaven, how can You understand?" God said to me, "David, that's why I sent My Son." God sent Him to Israel, to see your suffering, your pain, to identify with you. God is Spirit, He is in heaven, but He sent His Son so that He could experience your pain, your sickness, your suffering, and die - despised and rejected by men - hanged in shame on a Roman cross. - Why? So that He can deliver you, pay the price of your sin, of your shame, take the pain of your sickness, break the curse and set you free. The message for you today is that the power of the devil is broken, the devil will not have the victory. God wants to show you His love now. He wants to forgive you, heal your sickness, take away all the memory of the past, He wants to answer the questions in your life. How many of you want to know your Jewish Messiah? This Jesus, Son of David is alive and will answer you today if you will only come to Him.
Holocaust survivors and secular Jews willingly came forward to give their lives to Jesus, their Jewish Messiah. One of the organising pastors said, "Our eyes saw the glory of the Lord when we saw our Jewish brethren saved!"
Israel 2011
Jesus said, "The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the good news to the poor; to heal the broken-hearted; recovery of sight to the blind; to set at liberty those who are downtrodden, bruised and broken by calamity."
Up to 90% of those who came to the meetings in Israel were not Messianic Believers; they were not Western Christians who love and support Israel; but they were secular Jews and non-believers. In Tel Aviv, thousands attended the meetings - with even more watching online. Even before the evangelism was held, hundreds of people had been touched by the Gospel during the preparation events. Pastor Viktor Dorozkin, who attended our Lithuania services last year, started 'social support campaigns' - to which his congregation invited their secular and even Muslim neighbours, colleagues, friends and family. Every one of these 'campaigns' concluded with prayer and a simple Gospel message.
1961-2011: First Israel Trip
It is 50 years since David first went to Israel. In May 1961, after eleven years as a full-time pastor and evangelist in Britain, David's ministry to Russia and Europe began as a result of organising the first ever overland expedition by road to Jerusalem, travelling behind the Iron Curtain through Arab countries and into Israel. This trip marked a major milestone in David's life.
David says: All I know is that my experience with God is step by step. Every step, however difficult, however impossible, is another miracle towards experiencing the power of God in my life!
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