Both the world’s media and the Christian media have been prolific about the announcement by President Trump, on December 6 last year, that the United States recognises Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. I don’t propose adding to the debate that has ensued, except to say that since I was born after 1948, when the State of Israel came into existence, this announcement by the President of the US is the most significant event, in relation to end times, to have occurred in my lifetime. I believe it eclipses the very significant event in 1967 when Jerusalem was returned to Israeli control.

Clearly, I applaud the announcement and the ongoing arrangements to honour it by the recent confirmation that the US embassy will be moved to Jerusalem by the end of next year. What concerns me though, is the way in which this announcement has been touted as a major contributor to both the polarisation of a nation (the US) and to the widening of the divide between those who support the nation of Israel and those who don’t, including such a divide within the Church.

This polarisation and division is spoken of as if it’s a bad thing. I say it’s not a bad thing. In fact, as counter-intuitive as it sounds, in the days we are living in, not only is polarisation and division inevitable, it is absolutely necessary.

I can hear you saying, ‘what about a Scripture like Psalm 133:1?’ This verse, which is often read as applying just to the Church, says:

“Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brothers to dwell together in unity” (KJV).

Of course, the ideal is for all people to dwell in unity. But the reality of the days we are living in is the reality that Yeshua spoke of when He said in Matthew 10:34-36:

“Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace but a sword. For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. And a person’s enemies will be those of his own household” (ESV).

He wasn’t saying that his intention was to cause division within families or anywhere. He was speaking of what had been prophesied that will happen. That prophecy is found in Micah 7:5-6:

“Put no trust in a neighbor; have no confidence in a friend; guard the doors of your mouth from her who lies in your arms; for the son treats the father with contempt, the daughter rises up against the mother, the daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; a man’s enemies are the men of his own house” (ESV).

So, inevitably there will be polarisation, disunity and division, simply because there are those who choose the truth, the truth found in God’s Word, and there are those who choose to follow their own understanding of how things should be in the world. Remember the words of Proverbs 3:1and 5:

“My son, do not forget my teaching, but let your heart keep my commandments, ….. Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding” (ESV).

Truth is absolute, not relative or subject to modification according to times or circumstances. It is found in God’s Word, where it is always clear and unequivocal in its application to every possible situation. If we put unity ahead of truth the result is compromise. In the economy of man compromise is seen as good – it brings about unity, and unity is seen as good. But in God’s economy compromise over the truth is unacceptable. Only the truth of His Word is acceptable. The only way to achieve true unity is to unify around God’s truth. But of course, God’s Word makes it plain that man won’t be doing that.

President Trump’s announcement was uncompromising. It was based on the truth from the Word of God. And what rage it caused and is still causing. How dare the President of the United States obey the one true God, the God of Israel! How dare He provide the world with what appears to be the beginning of the outworking of the prophecy contained in Isaiah 2:1-3:

“The word that Isaiah the son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem. It shall come to pass in the latter days that the mountain of the house of the Lord shall be established as the highest of the mountains, and shall be lifted above the hills; and all the nations shall flow to it, and many peoples shall come, and say: “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob, that he may teach us his ways and that we may walk in his paths.” For out of Zion shall go the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.” (ESV).

At the heart of the tumult that has arisen is not just the real estate known as Jerusalem. History, as well as God’s Word, makes it plain that Jerusalem belongs to Israel, while the koran does not even mention Jerusalem. No, the tumult is due to the fact that the will of the true God, the God of creation, the God of Israel is being done, and specifically concerning Israel and Jerusalem. Satan knows his end will come when the Messiah reigns the world from Jerusalem. This is a battle in the heavenlies, a phenomenon explained succinctly in Ephesians 6:12:

“For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.” (ESV)

This precise fulfillment of God’s Word about Israel and Jerusalem and the battle that is taking place in heavenly places is forcing the nations to address their stance on Israel. It is forcing them to choose a side to be on. It is also forcing church fellowships to address their position in relation to Israel, and they too must then take a stand about Israel. No longer is it just a few people who comprise the small group in a church who speak about Israel and Jerusalem, and who have typically been an irritant in the fellowship. Now it’s all over the international news, almost daily – how the Lord works!

Inevitably, there will be opposing views within church fellowships, as there are within nations. This brings division because, as prophesied in Scripture, this has become a major issue that can no longer be ignored, glossed over, or treated with indecision. The question for each nation, each church fellowship, and each person, is whether to choose truth or falsehood, to obey or disobey God’s Word. In God’s economy there can be no middle ground, no compromise, no ambivalence and no indecision.

Given that, in this age, there will not be total unity around the truth, there will, accordingly, be disunity and division. This is the reality Yeshua spoke of in Matthew 10, quoted above. If we see disunity and division as something to be avoided at all costs, then we must embrace compromise. But if we accept the reality that there will continue to be those in our nations, in our churches, and maybe even in our families who will choose not to accept the truth about God’s nation of Israel, and we refuse to compromise with them, then we must accept disunity and division as the best option. That’s because in God’s eyes this is a better option than compromise. That’s why I say that disunity and division is not a bad thing. Relentlessly adhering to the truth of God’s Word 100% of the time, can never be a bad thing.

God’s Word is replete with clear, unequivocal statements about His view of Israel and Jerusalem. Furthermore, satan knows that his immortal and all powerful enemy, Yeshua, the Son of the one and only God, will soon rule the earth from Jerusalem. That’s why he’s causing the mayhem that, incidentally, is being attributed to President Trump. Satan knows very well Scriptures like Psalm 2:1-6. It’s a pity that more leaders of nations and churches and more people in the pews don’t know what satan knows from this passage in Psalm 2:

“Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord and against his Anointed, saying, “Let us burst their bonds apart and cast away their cords from us”. He who sits in the heavens laughs; the Lord holds them in derision. Then he will speak to them in his wrath, and terrify them in his fury, saying, “As for me, I have set my King on Zion, my holy hill” [that’s Jerusalem] (ESV)

What a privilege it is to be living in the days of the literal fulfillment of prophecies of God’s Word. One would have to be blind and disconnected from God’s Word not to be filled with anticipation and excitement. Unfortunately both the previous and the current leadership of our own nation, New Zealand, have chosen, so far at least, to oppose the plans for Israel of Almighty God. This will come with a price, as it will for anyone making that choice. God’s Word promises that.

Many church fellowships are not experiencing growth. Indeed, I believe that many are experiencing decline. Although I am predominantly referencing churches in New Zealand, I feel the same is experienced in Australia and further afield.

I write this to follow on from our last post, “The Apple of His Eye”, where I made the comment that “unity with God’s people, Israel, is the key to revival and blessing at any level in the Church”.

I believe there are three fundamental problems that can be identified, where there is no growth. These three problems are interrelated. In a sense, they are each a symptom of the other. Address any one of them, and the others will tend to fall into place as a consequence.

The first problem concerns what is typically understood by the term “church growth”. The problem is, church growth is commonly measured in terms of numbers of people attending. I believe the numeric size of a congregation is simply one of the results of church growth. Genuine church growth, I define as the individual members growing in their relationship with Yeshua, their faith, and their commitment to holiness.

So, the first thing a church fellowship must do is take its focus off growth in numbers and place it on individual growth within its church members. How does it do this? Well, the answer is simple, yet profound. Growth within people comes from sound Biblical teaching from the pulpit, and in other church contexts, like home groups, children and youth ministries, and in the encouraging and facilitating of personal Bible study. It is all about God’s Word.

Down the track, one of the results will be growth in numbers. The word will get around in a community that something is happening in this church, that the people are somehow different. This will be attractive.

This effectively leads into the second and related problem. This is the problem we read of in 2 Peter 2: 1-2 (ESV):

But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction. And many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of truth will be blasphemed.

Yeshua warned of this in Matthew 24 as He spoke of the end times, the times I believe we now live in. False teachers deceive, not only with false doctrines, but also with subtle teachings that sound interesting and feel good. This is the sensuality Peter speaks of. Satan’s most effective weapon against the Church is not blatant evil. It is not the local witches’ coven or rationalist association that are the biggest threats to the church, because they are easily recognisable for their evil.

No, Satan’s most effective weapon is counterfeit – subtle, yet profound changes to the teaching of God’s Word. He couches this in terms of “interpretation” of God’s Word that seems to make sense for the 21st century. He convinces people that a new understanding is needed. But instead, he brings a false understanding that slowly but surely takes the people away from a reliance on the plain, literal, timeless and unchanging meaning of the Word of God. The warning of this is found in 2 Corinthians 11:3-4 (KJV):

But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him.

There are a number of subtle false teachings and deceptions pervading the Church today, which I don’t intend canvassing here, except for one – Replacement Theology. This introduces the third problem.

The deception of Replacement Theology (the teaching that the Church has replaced Israel) has seemed logical and even appropriate in the Church over a number of centuries. Eventually, it became firmly entrenched in the teaching in large parts of the Church. This is an anti-Christ teaching that, in reality, is the fundamental guiding principle behind the failure of the majority of local churches to openly acknowledge and regularly teach about God’s requirement for us to love and support His land and people, Israel. Even acknowledging the Feasts of the Lord, instead of calling them the “Feasts of Israel”, one would expect to be a normal part of the Church. But, alas, it’s not.

We could write a book setting out the many Biblical injunctions and reasons why the Church should be constantly acknowledging, praying for and supporting the nation of Israel. Indeed, such books have been written! However, for our purposes today, we need only to remind ourselves of three Scriptures.

The first, in the words of Yeshua Himself, tells us that we owe our salvation to the Jews – John 4:22b (ESV): …. for salvation is from the Jews.

A second Scripture shows us how important the nation of Israel is to our God – Romans 1:16 (KJV):

[Gentile][Emphasis added].

A third Scripture makes it plain that the Lord has never changed His mind about Israel. He has never abandoned Israel and given her place in His heart to the Church because of Israel’s treatment of His Son, as Replacement Theology claims. Zechariah 2:8 (ESV) is a prophetic Scripture speaking of the Lord’s “view” of Israel. It applies to the days we live in now, as well as the days to come:

For thus said the Lord of hosts, after his glory sent me to the nations who plundered you, for he who touches you touches the apple of his eye.

“Apple of His eye” is a perfectly good translation of the Hebrew, but a literal translation is “pupil of His eye”. Somehow, this seems even more poignant – Israel is constantly and forever in the centre and the forefront of His view. This is why He says in Deuteronomy 11:12 (KJV):

A land which the Lord thy God careth for: the eyes of the Lord are always upon it, from the beginning of the year even unto the end of the year.

Israel is always front and centre of His view. Surely this must be the Godly view for the Church as well.

I believe the Scriptural route to church growth simply has to include a Biblically based treatment of God’s people, the Jews and His land, Israel. On another occasion we will consider what this route looks like. What does a church actually do to please God in this way, and so be assured of His blessing?

Since our last blog posting on 20 March, in which I wrote of the significance of Jerusalem, Israel has celebrated Jerusalem Day. This year was a particularly important milestone for this city – the 50th anniversary of its reunification under Israeli sovereignty, gained during the Six Day War in 1967.

Commentators have pointed out various auspicious occasions and events that have accompanied this critical time in history – things like President Trump’s visit to the Western Wall, the first time an incumbent US President has done that; and the fact that a thousand Jews went up to the Temple Mount on Jerusalem Day, more than twice the previous record for Jewish people ascending the Mount. For me, while these various events and their timing are hugely significant in themselves, I am particularly drawn to the overall significance of the way in which the whole world seems to be focused on the City of God – Jerusalem, and on the land of Israel. Do we realise that we are, virtually daily, living and witnessing the unfolding of Biblical prophecy regarding Israel?

Indeed, Jerusalem Day was a recognition and a celebration of the ongoing fulfillment of God’s 3000 year old promise to King David – “Our feet were already standing in your gates, Jerusalem” (Psalms 122:2 (Complete Jewish Bible)). Israeli soldiers blew open the sealed up Zion’s Gate, and stood in the gate as they entered the city in 1967. The 2000 year old promise of Jesus Himself is also being fulfilled in our days – “… Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled” (Luke 21:24 (KJV)). While sovereignty of the Temple Mount now rests with Israel (since 1967), daily control remains in the hands of the Muslims (Gentiles), and the Gentile nations continue to make constant demands of Israel regarding the way Jerusalem is run.

But there has recently been another very important date on Israel’s calendar – one of the Lord’s festivals has been celebrated. This was Shavu’ot (Feast of Weeks). God’s Word requires the celebration of Shavu’ot on the 50th day following Passover. This year, on the calendar we use, this was from the evening of 30 May to the evening of 31 May. Many Christian churches will have celebrated Pentecost on Sunday 4 June, that date being calculated as 50 days from Easter. Unfortunately, many churches will have omitted or even ignored making a reference to the inextricable connection of Pentecost with the Lord’s festival of Shavu’ot.

In our Hebrew classes during the week in which Shavu’ot fell we considered some of the Scriptural bases of the relationship between Shavu’ot and Pentecost. This led us also to see a prophetic element as well as a strong message for us in these days in which we are now living.

In Exodus 34:22 we read the Scriptural injunction to keep Shavu’ot. “And thou shalt observe the feast of weeks, of the firstfruits of wheat harvest…” (KJV). In Deuteronomy 16:9-10 we see the instructions repeated with the seven week time frame from Passover being set out. This is also instructed in Leviticus 23:15-16. But then in the next verse we read some very interesting detail about requirements of the Feast of Shavu’ot. “You shall bring from your dwelling places two loaves of bread to be waved...” (Leviticus 23:17 (ESV)).

What’s the significance of two loaves of bread? I believe this is an early reference to Jew and gentile – a prophetic element that forms the basis of the strong message for us in these days, which I referred to earlier. The message is: that we must bring about, both in the Church and among the Jewish people, the reality, the outworking of a very significant Scripture, Ephesians 2:14-15:

“For he himself is our shalom – he has made us both [i.e. Jew and Gentile] one and has broken down the m’chitzah [wall of partition] which divided us by destroying in his own body the enmity occasioned by the Torah, with its commands set forth in the form of ordinances. He did this in order to create in union with himself from the two groups a single new humanity and thus make shalom.” (Complete Jewish Bible)

It is long overdue for what was done on the Cross in breaking down the wall of division between Jew and Gentile to be accepted and actioned – to be made operational. In a sense, this is like salvation. On the Cross Jesus paid the full penalty for our sin, but we must operationalise that for ourselves – we must personally accept what He did.

The wall of partition spoken of in this passage is commonly seen by the Church as being the “law”. That’s partly because English translations typically give that impression. I have purposely quoted these verses from the Complete Jewish Bible because there we read that the wall of partition has been removed “by destroying in his own body the enmity occasioned by the Torah”. Interestingly, the Moffat version says that Jesus “put an end to the feud of the law”. Most other versions have it that Jesus abolished the law. For example the New International Version (NIV) says that He “has destroyed the dividing wall of hostility, by abolishing in His flesh the law”. Such a translation would appear to contradict Scriptures like Matthew 5:17: “Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am come not to destroy, but to fulfil” (KJV), and Romans 3:31: “Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid: yea, we establish the law”(KJV), and also Romans 7:12: “Wherefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy, and just, and good” (KJV).

So, the enmity between Jew and Gentile that was removed at the Cross was not the law itself. The Jewish religious establishment failed, or refused, to see that key aspects of the law, such as the need for the shedding of sacrificial blood, were now fulfilled by the shed blood of Jesus. The work of Jesus on the Cross “occasioned” a “feud” about interpretation of the law as it applied post the crucifixion. But it did not bring about the abolition of the law itself.

Where does this leave us, in reality, today? I suggest it means that the partition between Jew and Gentile is represented by two barriers that interrupt the outworking of our passage in Ephesians 2. One of these barriers is the mistrust of the Church by the Jewish people. In a sense, this is understandable given the abysmal treatment the Church has given the Jews down through the ages, mostly in the name of Christ.

The second barrier, however, is not at all understandable, in my view. It is the continued contempt of the Jewish nation on the part of many in the church, including many in leadership. This plays out in various ways, including a belief that Israel is an “occupier” of large parts of the Land (anti-Zionism); support for the evil Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement; support for the avowed enemies of Israel; replacement theology beliefs; a general mistrust of the nation; and a general apathy and indifference towards Israel and her people. These are, in fact, all forms of anti-Semitism for which there is no justification or excuse. Indeed, John Hagee once said: “If you don’t support Israel you are either not a Christian or you haven’t read your Bible”.

While we know from our Ephesians passage that at the Cross Jesus removed the basis for this partition between Jew and Gentile, the Church must take responsibility for its part in failing to accept and act on the basis that the wall of partition has been removed. It’s as if the wall has gone, but large sections of the Church continue to act as though it’s still there. This is why so far the Church has failed to make the Jews jealous of its relationship with the Lord as Paul speaks of in Romans 11:11. And it is at least partly why there is still a mistrust of the Church by Jewish people.

In 2017 it seems that many in the Church have not embraced and engaged with the opportunity and the means Jesus provided for unity between Jew and Gentile. I can’t imagine how Jesus, the Jew, must view the Church who don’t accept the work He did to break down the barrier and bring unity between the Church and His people. It suits the Church to accept His work of salvation, but seemingly not to accept His desire and the work He did for unity as “one new man” between Jew and Gentile. I believe this is a pervasive theme of Scripture – at the earliest opportunity God recorded His desire for us to bless the “apple of His eye” when He said in Genesis 12:3 that He will bless those who bless Israel.

I also believe that here is power inherent in unity between Jew and Gentile. It is in this unity that the power for revival resides. A couple of lines in the wonderful Messianic song, “Jew and Gentile”, sum this up in a simple yet powerful statement:

“Jew and Gentile, one in Messiah. One in Yeshua’s love…..bind us together so the world might believe”

My view is that if the Church wants to see revival, it needs to bind together with, to bless that nation, the apple of His eye, which the Father chose to bear His Son, our Saviour, our Messiah. Unity between Jew and Gentile is a foundational theme that begins with Abraham, the father of the Jewish nation, and continues in the Newer Covenant Scriptures as part of the work of our Lord on the Cross. Unity with God’s people, Israel is the key to revival and blessing at any level in the Church.

Let me conclude with the recent words of Professor Alan Dershowitz, Emeritus Professor of Law, Harvard Law School, commenting on US Presidential Candidate, Bernie Sanders’ support for UK Labour Party leader, Jeremy Corbyn, in the recent British elections. He said:

“Those who tolerate anti-Semitism argue that it is a question of priorities …. No decent person should ever, under any circumstances, campaign for an anti-Semite…. There are two reasons why Sanders would campaign for an anti-Semite: 1) he has allowed Corbyn’s socialism to bind him to his anti-Semitism; 2) he doesn’t care about Corbyn’s anti-Semitism,because it is not important enough to him”.

Anti-Semitism is a problem for the whole world. How can the Church be any part of it?

As most are aware, last December 23 the nations of the world, led by New Zealand, passed an anti-Israel UN resolution (Resolution 2334). The resolution had a particular emphasis on God’s special place – Jerusalem. This was nothing less than defiance of the Living God. The resolution denied a connection between the Jewish people and Jerusalem, declaring it illegal for Jews to live in East Jerusalem, as well as in large tracts of Israel like Judea and Samaria and the Golan. This unrighteous decree also denied a Jewish connection with the Temple Mount, including the Western Wall.

On October 17 2014 the President of the Palestinian Authority said: “Jerusalem is the jewel in the crown and it is the eternal capital of the Palestinian State. Without it there will not be a state.”

What does the Almighty God say about Jerusalem? He says: “The Lord loveth the gates of Zion more than all the dwellings of Jacob” (Psalm 87:2). He also says “I am returned unto Zion, and will dwell in the midst of Jerusalem: and Jerusalem shall be called a city of truth…..” (Zechariah 8:3). I’m with Him!

The nations seem blind to the truth about Jerusalem. Indeed, there are two truths about their determination to divide this city, neither of which the nations seem to understand (with the exception of the new US administration).

The first truth is that “Palestinians” do not want Jerusalem divided between them and the nation of Israel. The nations, including the New Zealand government, speak constantly of giving East Jerusalem to the “Palestinians” for their capital. But the truth is the “Palestinians” want the whole of Jerusalem for themselves – they do not want it divided.

The second truth is that the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, our God, also does not want His city divided. Look at what He says in Psalm 122:3 (ESV): “Jerusalem – built as a city that is bound firmly together”. This doesn’t sound to me like a divided city! Indeed, all nine verses of this Psalm make wonderful reading about the Lord’s intentions for Jerusalem.

The fact is, all proposals to divide Jerusalem are up against some serious opposition – the opposition of the Living God.

Are the world leaders, who for some reason consider that they have a right and are qualified to make these pronouncements about Jerusalem that are in total opposition to God’s statements, ignorant, or are the defiant of the living God? I trust for their sake, and for the sakes of the nations they lead, that it is the former – that they are ignorant. This is not to say that ignorance is an excuse, but at least there is always the possibility of their ignorance being mitigated at some future point before it’s too late.

I fear, however, that the position they are taking is out of defiance of the Almighty, who chose this city to be His “dwelling place” on earth. Nations and their leaders defy Him at their peril. Not only has God made it absolutely plain what His intentions are in relation to Jerusalem for the coming days, but historically as well. His hand has been totally obvious in His dealings with Jerusalem. A brief look at these might be helpful.

Mount Moriah, to where God led Abraham to offer his son Isaac, almost 4000 years ago, was in what is now Jerusalem.

This was also the place where Jacob dreamed his dream of the ladder to heaven, connecting Jerusalem and God’s heavenly abode, and signifying the special relationship between God and man.

Then 275 years later God promised to bring the Israelites back to Jerusalem after their exile in Egypt: “Thou shalt bring them in, and plant them in the mountain of thine inheritance, in the place, (emphasis added) O Lord, which thou hast made for thee to dwell in, in the Sanctuary, O Lord, which thy hands have established.”(Exodus 15:17). From the promise in that verse Jerusalem became known as “the place”.

Another 400 years later, after the Jebusites had earlier taken Jerusalem, David reconquered the city, establishing his throne there. Even though he had conquered the city fairly and squarely, David still purchased the site on Mount Moriah from where he offered a significant sacrifice to the Lord. Not only were the Israelites the owners of Jerusalem by Divine gift, but they had secured it militarily as well, and by also purchasing it for value under the civil legal system. Then in 982BCE (2999 years ago) the Jewish King Solomon began building the first Temple on the same site on Mount Moriah, in Jerusalem (2 Chronicles 3).

400 years later the Temple was destroyed and the Jews were taken captive. But after 70 years in captivity the Persian King Cyrus permitted them to return and they rebuilt the Temple, on exactly the same site, in Jerusalem.

Then came Yeshua (Jesus), and once again Jerusalem occupied centre stage. We read in Luke 9:51 that as the time of His crucifixion was approaching He “stedfastly set His face to go to Jerusalem”. He was sacrificed on the same Mount Moriah, and so began the faith that we know today as the Christian Faith.

For sure, Jerusalem is המכון (hamakon) - the Place! It actually means “the foundation” or “the fixed place”!

But yet again, the temple was destroyed in AD70 by the Romans. Part of the foundation remained, however, and this is the famous Western Wall visited by millions who come to pray there. The Almighty God continues to preserve “hamakon” – the Place, even though significant parts of it are occupied by those of another faith, who consistently deny God’s people their full God given and legal entitlement to “the Place”.

It may be premature to suggest that the views of Antonio Gueterres, the new UN Secretary General, represent a light at the end of the tunnel. But he recently said it’s “completely clear that the Temple that the Romans destroyed in Jerusalem was a Jewish Temple”. This is an important, indeed groundbreaking acknowledgement by the head of the UN.

The response of the Palestinian Authority Jerusalem Affairs Minister was that the Secretary General has “violated all legal, diplomatic and humanitarian customs, overstepped his role as Secretary General and …. must issue an apology to the Palestinian people”.

There would appear, in the natural, to be no possibility of a negotiated agreement which would permit a Jewish presence and a Temple on Mount Moriah - God’s Place.

And so, on into the days to come. We read in Psalm 132:13-14: “For the Lord hath chosen Zion; He hath desired it for His habitation. This is My rest forever: here will I dwell; for I have desired it”. These words are referring to Jerusalem – this is confirmed in Zechariah 14:17 where we read how in the days to come “… the families of the earth” will come “unto Jerusalem to worship the King, the Lord of hosts …”.

Even if one is unprepared to accept what God says about Jerusalem in the Scriptures, it is difficult to dispute the fundamental centrality of this Place as one looks into the very name “Jerusalem”.

Of course, in Hebrew it is pronounced “Yerushalayim”, and ירושלם is its Biblical Hebrew spelling. The tracking of this name in Hebrew produces some significant insights. From the earliest times it was named “Salem” (שלם) (Genesis 14:18). Remembering that Hebrew reads from right to left, note that שלם appears in the Hebrew word above for Jerusalem. “Salem” means “completed”; “brought to completion”; “whole”. From this word comes the word “shalom” (שלום), which means “peace”; “wellbeing”; “safety”; “completeness”. So, there’s clearly a destiny embedded in the earliest name of this Place.

Then when Abraham returned to offer Isaac on the altar he renamed the Place “Adonai Yireh” (יהוה יראה), which translates as “the Lord will see”. If we place the two names “yireh” and “shalom” together we see “Yirehshalom”, which translates as “he will see peace”. (And of course, compare this with “Yerushalayim”). This reminds one of an interesting prophetic verse in Isaiah 31:5: “As birds flying, so will the Lord of hosts defend Jerusalem; defending also He will deliver it; and passing over He will preserve it”.

We could also consider the Hebrew word “yerushah” (ירושה) for its relationship with the name Yerushalayim. Yerushah means “inheritance” or “heritage”. Certainly, this can be seen as pointing to Jerusalem as the inheritance of God’s people.

Finally, we might remember how in Zechariah 12 God makes it plain that the nations who come against Jerusalem will pay. Interestingly, the Hebrew verb “to pay” is “leshalem (לשלם). One immediately sees that this word shares the same root as “salem” and “shalom” (שלם) and, of course, this root word is found in the Hebrew word for Jerusalem. Jerusalem comes at a cost and with a cost. Much has been paid for Jerusalem in the past and those who seek to hurt Jerusalem in the days to come will be held to account – they will pay a heavy price!

It’s important to remember that there are no coincidences in the Hebrew language. These are all real linkages, placed by God Himself in His language, for us to discover, wonder at, and believe.

Just to place a seal on what Scripture has to say about the place of Jerusalem in God’s economy, we can read the last words of Ezekiel: “and the name of the city from that day shall be, The Lord is there” (Ezekiel 48:35).

I believe one can come to only one conclusion as to why virtually all of the leaders of the world’s nations, including our own, refuse to accept these realities about Jerusalem – and that is because the Living God has said these things. Many of these leaders profess a belief in God, yet they prefer to lean on their own understanding even though this opposes the reality found in God’s Word. They will believe anyone but the Living God. They believe they know better than God Himself, even when it comes to His own property!

The last two weeks or so have demonstrated how the hand of God can be seen in world affairs as they affect Israel. What this means is, He is a God who answers prayer. Perhaps though, it’s time to take stock of how, as the Christian community, we can be more and more effective in critical issues involving the treatment of Israel on the world stage.

Perhaps we could mark our ‘scorecard’ in this. I must point out that these comments apply to the communications that come out of the Christian community as a whole. Many individuals within that community will have a different ‘scorecard’. So, based on what I see being written about all these events, I suggest that the scorecard would look something like this:

Excellent at:

- Recognising approaching crises.

- Placing these crises in their Scriptural contexts.

- Issuing appropriate warnings.

- Undertaking important and very effective activities like providing much needed detail, using various media to get the message out, conducting things like petitions and rallies, and communicating with politicians.

A pass mark at:

- Recognising that prayer is our most valuable and effective weapon.

- Utilising this weapon fervently (James 5:16b-17), unceasingly (1 Thessalonians 5:17), and in faith without wavering (James 1:6-8).

Often failing to reach a pass mark at:

- Publicly acknowledging and crediting the hand of God for “unexpected” outcomes that have actually been prayed for by many, including publicly rejoicing over and celebrating answered prayer.

- And, most importantly, publicly thanking God for His intervention (1 Thessalonians 5:18), instead, often moving on to discussing the next looming crisis, encouraging people to engage with it and its various forebodings. As important as this might be, when we don’t thank the Lord for His intervention in the previous crisis, we are starting from a position of disobedience as we come to Him with the new problem.

Recent events have surely shown that the Lord will move in response to the prayers of His people. UN Resolution 2334 was a serious attack on the sovereignty of Israel that came without warning, and so without the opportunity for specific and focused prayer against it. But it did mobilise the Christian community in this country, and worldwide, to pray against the intention of that resolution which was to provide the catalyst for another Israel damning resolution to result from the Paris conference that was due three weeks later. Those prayers were answered in a mighty and miraculous way!

Indeed, there were a number of ways in which the Lord moved against the effect of Resolution 2334 and the subsequent Paris conference. For example, even after the preciseness of the wording of Resolution 2334, the Paris conference was unable to reach a consensus on a similarly damning follow-up resolution against Israel, which could then have been put to the UN Security Council. This followed the clear communiqué, that had been sent in advance to all attending countries, clearly stating the aims of the conference and the proposed outcomes. Yet confusion reigned and the resulting outcome bore little resemblance to the intended one, effectively adding nothing to the existing international ‘recommendations’ regarding the Israel – Palestinian situation. Interestingly, I am reliably told that there were those in New Zealand whose specific prayer focus was for confusion among the conference attendees!

In a broader sense, I believe it was also an answer to prayer that the confused result of the Paris conference meant that the inauguration of President Trump duly arrived and took place before there was an opportunity for a further UN Security Council resolution, which was widely expected, and which President Obama was expected to support by again failing to veto.

It’s also of interest that New Zealand did not attend the Paris conference, after having been a crucial player in the preparatory Resolution 2334. Perhaps this too was an answer to the prayers of many New Zealanders that the Lord would have mercy on our nation, notwithstanding our leaders’ anti-Israel stances. Perhaps our leadership realised its grave mistake regarding Resolution 2334. Either way, we kept away from heaping further coals.

Perhaps too, the Lord protected New Zealand when former Prime Minister Helen Clarke failed in her New Zealand supported bid to head the UN. The new Secretary General, who took over on 1 January, has stated that he regrets his country’s (Portugal) treatment of Jews in the past and has pledged to condemn all forms of expression of anti-Semitism. Thank the Lord for this very encouraging development.

Often, something that characterises the Lord’s working in a situation is the way things happen in unexpected ways or from unexpected sources. As I am writing this today (23 January) the Newstalk ZB radio host, Larry Williams, returned to air for his regular 4pm programme, for the first time since before Resolution 2334. His first comments concerned New Zealand’s sponsoring of Resolution 2334. He was scathing of New Zealand’s role, stating that this may well make the situation in the region worse; that our friends are now those who want to see Israel obliterated; and that this will “undoubtedly cost National votes”. I applaud him for his courage. He stands apart from the majority of the secular media.

Larry Williams’ comments about New Zealand’s agreement with those who are committed to the demise of Israel reminded me that we are totally out of step with our major allies and partners – the US, Australia and Britain. Both the new US administration and Australia have been strident in their criticism and Britain has thought better of its original acquiescence in Resolution2334 and made only a nominal appearance in Paris, and refused to sign the resulting resolution.

In conclusion, since we are speaking of prayer and praying for Israel, I am reminded of something interesting from the Hebrew language of Scripture. Many will be familiar with the words of Psalm 122:6. In most English versions it reads “Pray for the peace of Jerusalem”. In the Hebrew it is actually ”Ask for the peace of Jerusalem”. My question is: what does it mean to ‘pray for’? If one thinks carefully about it, it is not easy to define ‘praying for’. A person might say to another who is unwell, grieving, in need, or in a difficult situation, “I will pray for you”. I suggest this is a rather unspecific promise. In James 4:2b we read “You do not have because you do not ask” (emphasis added). When we ask, we have to ask for something specific. In the Messianic Psalm 2 we read in verse 8b: “Ask of me and I shall give…” – an instruction from God the Father to the Son. Even the Son must ask. I believe that the Lord would have us name our requests of Him very specifically when we come to Him over Israel.

Maybe, when we make a specific request we are then able to clearly recognise the specific answer, which means we are more likely to acknowledge God’s hand and go on to specifically thank Him for it. I would like to see the highly informative and prolific communications about the treatment of Israel that emanate from the Christian community go on to be as prolific and vociferous in acknowledging the hand of God and thanking Him for answered prayer. This is not something that should be taken for granted, it should be expressed

January 15 is the next critical date for Israel. Media reports are that representatives from “some 70 countries” have been invited to meet in Paris for a ‘Middle East peace conference’. This will be an attempt once again to divide Israel. (See our blogs of 3 December and 24 December if you are not familiar with events concerning Israel that New Zealand has been involved in recently).

Incidentally, there is something significant about the specific reference to 70 nations being invited. Biblically, “70 nations” symbolises all the nations of the world – an important concept that stems from Noah’s 70 grandsons (or great grandsons etc), listed in Scripture (Genesis 10), each becoming the ancestor of a nation.

It’s also interesting that Israel is not one of the nations that will be at the Paris conference. This reminds us of Numbers 23:9 – “…lo, the people [that’s Israel] shall dwell alone, and shall not be reckoned among the nations.”

Back to the phrase ‘divide Israel’. What does this mean? Some have questioned whether the 23 December resolution sponsored by New Zealand (Resolution 2334) does amount to dividing Israel. If we look at what God’s Word says we see something interesting. In Exodus 14:21 we read about the parting of the Red Sea. Moses stretched out his hand “and the waters were divided” to enable the Israelites to cross on dry land. The Hebrew word translated as “divided” is בקע (baka). This word means ‘divided’ as in rent; ripped apart; made a breach in. This is clearly describing a very physical process.

But when we come to Joel 3:2, where we read about the nations having “parted my land” (many translations say “divided up”), the Hebrew word used for “parted” or “divided up” is חלק (chalak). This is a different word that means ‘divided’ as in apportioned; distributed; separated. It carries with it the presumption that the one dividing has the power and authority to do that. This process of division is the type of dividing that the nations are currently undertaking, rather than a more physical process of forced border changes that result from war. Presumption on the part of other nations that they somehow have the right to do these things to the sovereign state of Israel consistently characterises the unique way in which the world deals with God’s Land. So this is the more subtle process that is driven by UN resolutions. The resolution of 23 December, sponsored by New Zealand, and effectively passed unanimously, was a decision to divide God’s Land as prophesied in Joel 3:2.

The 23 December resolution paved the way for a further resolution to result from the decisions that will inevitably be made on January 15, leaving 4 to 5 days for the UN Security Council to convene and pass a resolution formally dividing up God’s Land in specific ways.

So, I am making two points that I think are important here. One is that even if New Zealand doesn’t sponsor this follow-up UN resolution, as a country we have already provided the crucial framework that permitted President Obama to break with traditional US policy, by facilitating the passing of the anti-Israel 23 December resolution. So, either way, New Zealand has played a major role in the dividing of God’s Land.

The second point is that even if Israel and the US under the Trump administration ignore and even resist on the ground the 23 December resolution, or any subsequent resolution, according to the language of Joel’s prophecy, the nations will still have divided God’s Land. Remember that Resolution 2334 declared that Jewish settlements in Judea, Samaria and East Jerusalem are illegal and gave “legal ownership” of these lands to the ‘Palestinians’. They will face the Almighty’s promised judgment for that.

The question of Jerusalem itself is also very important. This is possibly the hottest issue. East Jerusalem is specifically referred to in Resolution 2334, where it is seen as the capital of a Palestinian State. It is that part of the city that is especially important to both Judaism and Christianity and of course, to the Lord Himself.

God’s Word makes it plain that in end times Jerusalem will be a troublesome issue. In Zechariah 12:3 He says: “And in that day I will make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all people: all that burden themselves with it shall be cut in pieces, and all the people of the earth shall be gathered together against it”.

I believe there are no coincidences in God’s economy. Most will know that the day of the passing of Resolution 2334 was the eve of Chanukah, the Festival of Lights on the Jewish calendar, a festival recognised by our Lord. But this year Chanukah was not its usual happy festival for God’s people thanks to New Zealand and the US.

The miracle of the retaking of Jerusalem by the Jewish Maccabees from the occupying forces in 167BC, and the miracle of the jar of oil, sufficient for one day yet burning for eight days, is what Chanukah celebrates annually. These miraculous events took place in what we know today as East Jerusalem. It was where Abraham prepared to sacrifice Isaac (but we know that God intervened and reserved that role for His own Son to come); it was the very place where Jacob dreamed of the ladder to heaven, signifying the partnership between God and His people; it was the site where the Jewish King Solomon built the first Temple, and where the Jews rebuilt the second Temple. And of course, another Temple is yet to be built on this most sacred place on the planet.

The victory of the Maccabees against impossible odds was a spiritual victory giving God’s people the right once again to worship in the place where their ancestors in past generations worshipped. And the miracle of the oil for the Temple Menorah, gave them once again the ability to relight the menorah to illuminate the spiritual darkness of the world. Resolution 2334 struck at the very heart of these things by purporting to remove this critical real estate from the hands of God’s people and giving it to its so called “Palestinian original owners” – a people who never existed in Biblical times and who follow a ‘prophet’ who was not born until the 7th century AD. And Resolution 2334 has done all of this at Chanukah – a further parting insult.

It’s also significant that at Chanukah we are reminded of another demand made by the evil Antiochus that the Jews return to him the “illegally occupied” cities of Jaffa (Joppa / Tel Aviv), Gezer and other coastal settlements. The Jews’ response was “We have not taken strange lands, nor are we ruling over foreign territory. We have returned to our ancestral inheritance, from which we had been unjustly expelled by our enemies. And now that we have been blessed with the opportunity, we will hold onto our ancestral land.” (Maccabees 1:15) How familiar does this sound!? We must pray that this attitude holds good for the coming days.

Whether it is East Jerusalem or Judea and Samaria, another miracle is needed for Israel. I want to suggest that in the next few days leading up to January 15 and then on until the inauguration of President Elect Trump, we have the opportunity to use our most powerful weapon – we must pray and ask for a miracle – a Chanukah type miracle. Deuteronomy 11:12 tells us something that God does every day: “A land which the Lord God careth for: the eyes of the Lord thy God are always upon it, from the beginning of the year, even unto the end of the year.” Surely we should emulate Him. We too can watch over Israel every day by praying.

On the 7th day of Chanukah (which was 31 December), but in 1947, the Arab Legion surrounded Jerusalem. This siege lasted until May 1948 when Jordan occupied East Jerusalem, dividing the city for the first time in its history. All 58 synagogues in the Jewish Quarter were destroyed and Jewish gravestones on the Mount of Olives were used to build roads and public toilets. Jews were prohibited from accessing even the Western Wall, a situation the remained until Israel’s victory in the 1967 war, although only limited access remains today.

The world, led by New Zealand and the US is creating this division of Jerusalem again. The final move could be made on January 15 and in the days following until January 20. On 28 December last, Israel’s Sephardic Chief Rabbi said: “Sometimes, we need to be reminded from above that we can count on no one but our Father who art in heaven”. Let’s make sure that Israel can count on us to petition our Father who art in heaven, on their behalf in these dark days.

“Woe unto them that decree unrighteous decrees, and that write grievousness which they have prescribed”. (Isaiah 10: 1)

Today the leadership of New Zealand has crossed a line. Israel and the US under a Donald Trump administration may take no notice of the evil UN resolution sponsored by New Zealand and passed this morning (NZ time), attempting to outlaw Israel’s settlement of parts of the Biblical heartland of Judea and Samaria – part of the very land given to the Jewish people absolutely and for eternity by God Himself. But be sure, the Almighty God will take notice.

If this wasn’t enough to display our country’s intentions regarding Israel, our leadership also knew that this further step in the attempted destruction of Israel had to take place before 20 January when President Obama’s administration is removed and replaced by one that supports Israel.

Pray that the Lord will have mercy on our nation now that we have crossed this line. We could hope that our leaders are ignorant rather than determined to staunchly defy the living God. Only God knows, but He has made it absolutely clear in His Word how He sees those who “touch the apple of his eye” – that’s Israel. Zechariah 2:8-9 says: “For thus says the Lord of hosts; after the glory hath he sent me unto the nations which spoiled you: for he that toucheth you toucheth the apple of his eye. For, behold, I will shake mine hand upon them, and they shall be a spoil to their servants: and ye shall know that the Lord of hosts hath sent me.”

In our earlier blogs we have referred to a number of Scriptures clearly warning about actions against God’s Land of Israel. I think that God’s Word in relation to Israel has been pointed out to our leaders on a number of occasions. So, I don’t think they are altogether ignorant.

Ask the Lord urgently for mercy on our nation.

Any country that seeks to divide Israel will answer to God. As New Zealanders who understand the Scriptural injunction that the land of Israel must not be divided, we are presented right now with an opportunity, indeed an obligation, to pray fervently for both Israel and our own nation.

Why the urgency? Because the clock is ticking. There are suggestions from high places that President Obama has been considering ways in which a final push can be made, before his presidency ends on 20th January, to enforce so called “peace” between Israel and the ‘Palestinians’. This is the “two state solution” which includes the proposed redrawing of the borders of Israel to the pre-1967 lines. This is the division of Israel and Jerusalem.

“I will gather all the nations and bring them down to the valley of Jehoshaphat. And I will enter into judgment with them there, on behalf of my people and my heritage Israel, because they have scattered them among the nations and have divided up my land.” (Joel 3:2)(ESV)

Where does New Zealand fit into this? Well, New Zealand’s chairmanship of the United Nations Security Council ends this coming January. You may remember that at the beginning of our two year term in January 2015, our Minister of Foreign Affairs, Minister McCully, stated that our government’s intention was to “punch way above our weight” and to “use the opportunity to push Israel and the Arabs effectively towards the ‘two state solution’”.

Minister McCully has already said that New Zealand may support a resolution of the Security Council to begin the process to force a redrawing of the borders of Israel to the pre-1967 positions and the declaring of Jerusalem as the capital of Palestine. He indicated this after Australia had voted against such a resolution in December 2014.

This attitude places New Zealand in a precarious position. Read Joel 3:2 – God will judge any nation that divides up His land. Remember too Genesis 12:3 – “I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee…”. Make no mistake, such a redrawing of the borders of Israel would be cursing Israel. The government of Israel and the Israel Defence Force have made this abundantly clear to the nations of the world.

What is the likelihood of New Zealand being involved or supporting such a UN resolution? Well, we know about Minister McCully’s support for and intentions in relation to the ‘two state solution’. Maybe it’s significant that the US Secretary of State, John Kerry, an ardent proponent of the ‘two state solution’, has just visited New Zealand. Ostensibly, he was here on ‘climate change’ matters. One has to wonder why a minor player in the world of climate change like New Zealand would be visited by the US Secretary of State in the last two months of his tenure. Of course it was slated as a stopover in his visit to Antarctica. But even that would seem an unlikely priority in his last days in the job.

It was reported though that Mr Kerry met with our Prime Minister and others in the government. Perhaps it’s cynical to think that, even though the Israel situation was not mentioned in the resulting press conference, New Zealand’s role as chair of the UN Security Council in supporting a final push for the ‘two state solution’, was possibly the main reason for this high-level visit during these very significant final days of “opportunity”?! Oh, and Mr Kerry did actually thank New Zealand for being “a key contributor to global peace and security” through our “very productive term on the UN Security Council”, which hasn’t quite finished yet!

Our government is clearly considered on the international stage to be a supporter of the ‘two state solution’. The Times of Israel, for example, reported that while the New Zealand government was considered a close friend of Jerusalem, the government of New Zealand is “convinced that the peace process needs to be advanced, if necessary by forcing a solution on the parties.” As long as that remains the arrogant view of our government we are on a deadly collision course with the Almighty.

By the way, you may recall that Secretary Kerry left New Zealand a few hours before the 7.8 earthquake that devastated the Kaikoura area, sending damaging shock waves north to Wellington. Maybe Wellington has been warned.

Then only a few days ago, Mr Kerry, now back in the US, said in a speech to the Women’s Foreign Policy Group conference that there are “things we can do” in relation to the ‘two state solution’. So this possibility remains on the table. But, interestingly, also in the last few days, it has been reported that President Obama has now “nearly ruled out” his pushing for a UN resolution enforcing a peace arrangement between Israel and the ‘Palestinians’. At first glance this may seem encouraging. On giving it further thought, however, this may be an ominous situation. It may simply mean that the US will encourage another nation to present the resolution which the US would then support by voting for it and not exercising its power of veto. If that scenario played out, recent history suggests that such a resolution would pass. Minister McCully has, indeed, mentioned the possibility of New Zealand sponsoring such a resolution. This would be “punching above our weight” and would certainly see New Zealand leave a lasting (albeit deadly) legacy on the world scene through our Security Council chairmanship.

Remember, any nation that presents or supports such a resolution will be invoking the future judgment of the almighty God as He has warned in Joel 3:2, and will be immediately invoking the curse of the living God as He warns in Genesis 12:3. Let’s pray urgently and fervently that this is not New Zealand.

We should also note that during this last week New Zealand has been visited, for the first time, by the King of Jordan, Israel’s immediate neighbour. Of course, Jordan is the nation that controls the Temple Mount in Jerusalem, the holiest site on earth for the Jewish people. Yet it is jealously “protected” by Jordan for Islam, even though it is not mentioned in the annals of the Islamic faith. Jordan too has a major interest in seeing its neighbor Israel divided. A quick look at the map shows a strategic reason why Jordan would love to see Judea and Samaria in Arab hands.

Is it being unnecessarily suspicious to wonder if the question of the ‘two state solution’ was a topic of discussion with the King? While my friend’s friend may not necessarily be my friend, shouldn’t I be wary of my friend’s enemy? Jordan and Israel coexist as neighbours and Jordan sent help to Israel during the recent fires. But there is ample evidence that Jordan both fears and hates Israel

There is time, but it is measured in days. Prayer changes things. It is what we have available to us to alter or scuttle the plans of powerful world leaders. Pray now that New Zealand will not use the closing days of its position of influence on the world stage to stand against the Almighty God. The Lord has warned us clearly through His Word, and maybe He has recently been giving Wellington and our nation some specifically directed powerful warnings?

Steven Spielberg once said: “As a Jew I am aware of how important the existence of Israel is for the survival of us all. And because I am proud of being Jewish, I am worried by the growing anti-Semitism and anti-Zionism in the world.”

And God once said: “For Zion’s sake will I not hold my peace, and for Jerusalem’s sake I will not rest …..” (Isaiah 62:1) (KJV). In the Hebrew, the first phrase may also be read “For Zion’s sake I will not be silent”, as a number of versions have translated it. If you have read our earlier blogs you will have noticed that we too are not keeping silent about our commitment to the people and the Land of Israel.

I believe that we are living now in times which present to us an amazing opportunity. I think we have seen in some recent events on the world stage how the people, ordinary everyday people, are able to reach their fellow countrymen and women in an unprecedented way and, as a result, bring about major change. Through social media and the internet, ordinary folk have a voice that can be very quickly and effectively spread among and heard by the people.

This is the voice that was once represented by the mainstream media, which have largely abdicated that responsibility and so have lost the privilege. So, each of us may now use our newfound freedom and opportunity to spread among the people God’s own message about His nation and land of Israel and His city Jerusalem. What’s good about this opportunity is that we don’t need to have any particular standing or recognition, we don’t have to be skilled orators or writers, and we don’t have to have an organised audience. We can simply network on social media and see our message proliferate!

The direct references in God’s Word to His commitment to Israel are plentiful and are very clear statements. But one of the amazing things about the Hebrew language – God’s own language in which the Old Testament Scriptures were written, is the way that the Hebrew contains a depth of meaning that cannot be represented in English. It’s just that English is often an inadequate vehicle to bring us the full depth of meaning that the Hebrew of God’s Word contains. It’s usually limited to getting its message across through the cumulative meaning of the words in a phrase or a sentence.

Let’s look at an example of this which will provide us with another level of understanding from the very heart of God, through His own unique language, about His commitment to the nation and land of Israel. This will show us how beneath those obvious messages we read in the English Bible about the place Israel occupies in His heart, there is a further profound message about Israel woven into the very fabric of the word “Israel”.

The spelling of “Israel” in Hebrew is ישראל (pronounced Yisra’el – remembering that Hebrew is read from right to left). The root word on which this word is based, and which carries the fundamental meaning, is ישר. Note, these are the first three letters of the word ישראל. This root word (ישר) means “upright” or “honest”. The remaining two letters (אל – pronounced “el”) mean “God”. So, we can translate the word “Israel” with a number of possibilities: “upright (or honest) before God”; “upright (or honest) of God”; “upright (or honest) with God”.

So the point is, the word “Israel” carries within it a profound statement of how the Almighty perceives this land and these people. What a privilege and a blessing it must be to belong to a nation and a land, the very name of which describes its wonderful relationship to Almighty God. What a privilege it is to be associated in some way with this nation!

Perhaps this meaning of the name “Israel” helps us understand more fully the significance of passages like Joel 3:21: “… For the Lord dwelleth in Zion” and Ezekiel 48:35: “… and the name of the city [Jerusalem] from that day shall be, The Lord is there.” Surely we would want to do all we can to support and help protect such a place – God’s own place.

The words of the respected teacher of the Word, the late Derek Prince, provide a concise summary: “All Christians … owe an incalculable debt to the Jewish people, a spiritual debt. Every spiritual blessing we have ever received we owe to one nation, the Jewish people. … If there had been no Jews, there would be no patriarchs, no prophets, no apostles, no Bible, and no Savior. How much would any of us have without those five things? No wonder Jesus Himself said in John 4:22: “Salvation is from the Jews”. Every person who has received salvation through faith in Jesus owes their whole spiritual inheritance to the Jewish people”

Even here in New Zealand, a dividing line is beginning to appear within the Church in the position people are taking in relation to God’s people, the Jews and His land, Israel. Unfortunately, this is inevitable since New Zealand, including much of the Church, typically follows the developing trends of the Western world.

Not only is anti-Semitism and anti-Zionism growing in the West, but persecution of Christians generally, and in particular, of those who support Israel, is growing at an alarming rate. Be sure that this is coming to New Zealand. When it does, we will be unable to avoid making a decision about which side of the dividing line we stand on. We will also be unable to conceal the position we take.

Remember what Yeshua (Jesus) prophesied to the Disciples as recorded in John 16:2-3. He said:

“They shall put you out of the synagogues: yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service. And these things will they do unto you, because they have not known the Father, nor Me.”

While that prophecy saw a fulfilment when Stephen was expelled from the synagogue and stoned to death (Acts 7:57-60), as is the nature of Biblical prophecy and the concept of time in Hebraic thinking, this remains a living, extant prophecy for us today. At the present time there are almost daily reports of Muslim radicals torturing, raping and killing Christians throughout the world, claiming as they do it that they “doeth God service” (John 16:2). Recall too, how later in the same chapter (John 16:33) Yeshua tells us “… ye shall have tribulation…”.

But if we read on in the book of Acts after the account of the stoning of Stephen, we read of how Saul (later to be named Paul) went throughout the land persecuting the Christians, and what is significant is that he did this under the authority of the High Priest (Acts 9:1-2).

Commonly found in Scripture are forerunners and prior examples (sort of warnings) of things yet to happen. In the days of the early Church it was the Jewish religious leaders who ordered the persecution of Christians. Do not be mistaken, in the days coming it won’t be the Jewish religious leaders encouraging the persecution of Christians. Instead, persecution of evangelical Christians will come from within the so called “Church” and it will first be aimed at those who openly support Israel. You may feel that this is already happening.

This may seem somewhat paradoxical, if not unthinkable. But, remember how it was the same Paul, the seemingly incorrigible persecutor of Christians, who was later called by God to be the Christian missionary. You see, we should always expect the unexpected when it comes to seeing things spoken of in Scripture unfold. After all, “My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways, saith the Lord” (Isaiah 55:8).

But what we do know is that the persecution received from men for standing with Israel will be no match for the blessing on the other side of the ledger to be received from the Lord, according to His promise, for those who bless Israel.

In our last posting we mentioned that next time we would explore the meanings embedded in the name Israel. The plan was to build on the plain English of some of the Scriptures we referred to in our earlier postings about why we should support Israel, by looking at the significance of the Hebrew word “Israel”. But, that will have to wait until next time!

Why do so many churches worldwide support the anti-Israel BDS movement in flagrant opposition to God’s Word?

The world seems to be hurtling towards an uncertain future. When we see how tenuous the day to day security of Israel appears to be, and how many nations have stated their intention to wipe Israel off the map, and how many others are so determined to interfere in and destabilise the internal politics and affairs of this tiny Land, it would seem counter-intuitive to suggest that the key to certainty in the future is, in fact, this very nation of Israel. Specifically, how we as a nation, as the Church, and as individuals treat Israel, will largely determine the certainty of our own futures. The words of Genesis 12:3 are frighteningly clear on this – “I will bless them that bless thee [Israel], and curse him that curseth thee”.

In our first blog post we looked at the questions: Does God expect Christians to be supportive of Israel and the Jewish people and if so, what is actually required of us? Today we delve a little more into the question why we should love and support Israel. Incidentally, the name “Israel” refers to both the land and the people. The word “Israel” also has embedded in it some powerful and fascinating meanings. We will explore some of these next time.

Basilea Schlink said: “As God’s plan of salvation nears its final consummation ...... and hatred flares up against Him more than ever, there will be a bringing together of those who belong together because they fear the living God and give Him glory – Jews and Christians” (1) and “our relationship with them [the Jewish people] is indicative of our true relationship to the Lord Jesus, showing whether it is a relationship of love. If we love Jesus, we shall love the people whom He loves and always will love and who will yet be the centre and blessing of all nations” (Emphasis added) (2). Here at Things from Israel we want to be part of the “bringing together of those who belong together”.

In His Word the Lord refers to Himself 201 times as “the God of Israel”. If I love the Lord God of Israel it follows that I should love the land and the nation of Israel as He does. Indeed, He opens His message to Israel through the prophet Malachi with the words: “I have loved you, saith the Lord” (Malachi 1:2), and in 2 Chronicles 9:8 we read “...thy God loved Israel, to establish them for ever ...”

It seems that in His Word the Lord couldn’t be clearer and more forthright about His wishes in regard to our treatment of His people and His land – Israel.

No doubt we could think of many ways to bless His people. But in Isaiah 40:1 there’s a very clear description of what we can do. Here we read (translated directly from the Hebrew Scriptures) “Comfort comfort My people says your God”. The Lord needs to say something only once, so when He repeats Himself, as He does here, He is very serious about His message.

Yet many in our Western world, from governments, through the corporate world, the media, church leadership bodies, and down to the individual level that includes many in the Church, are openly unsupportive and even hostile towards Israel. They are doing anything but “comfort” God’s people. I am referring in particular to the boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) movement that condemns investment and trading with Israel. This movement is alive and well in the West, no doubt much to the delight of Israel’s foes in the Middle East.

At Things from Israel we openly reject the principles and strategies of the BDS movement. We are doing this by trading directly with producers, manufacturers, artisans and artists throughout Israel and importing their products to New Zealand and Australia. We believe this is a practical and very real way of blessing the land of Israel and comforting the people. Indeed, those we deal with confirm this.

We stand not only on the promise in Genesis 12:3, but also on the promise in Psalm 128:5 - “The Lord shall bless you from Tsion” (the correct pronunciation is Tsion not Zion!). We know that He has already done this through the provision of our Jewish Saviour, Yeshua. But, of course, His promises are ongoing – His blessing will flow from Tsion.

(1) Basilea Schlink in Evangelical Sisterhood of Mary, Changing the Future, 207

(2) Basilea Schlink, Israel: My Chosen People, 85 - 86

Does God expect Christians to be supportive of Israel and the Jewish people? This being the first of a regular blog post we would like to set out where we stand in relation to the question above, and why. Perhaps we could best describe our position by saying that our signature Scripture is Genesis 12:3a: “and I will bless them that bless thee...”. We know that the “thee” in this verse is referring to the nation of Israel. The question is: what does this mean and what does it actually require of us? Sometimes it’s easier to simply avoid doing anything than it is to take the proactive steps of actually doing something. But the condition attached to the promise in this verse requires us to take actual steps to “bless” Israel if we are to receive blessings. Why isn’t it enough simply to ensure that we don’t curse or dishonour Israel, which is what the verse goes on to warn us against? Why isn’t it enough for us to just have positive thoughts towards Israel and the Jewish people? Because when God tells us to “bless” Israel He is not speaking just of an attitude or a platitude. No, the Hebrew word He uses, translated as “bless”, is an intensive active verb form, where its primary meaning is one of positive action, not just praising or greeting. Note too that God reciprocates with a blessing to us. When the Lord blesses us we know that we have received something, and that it is something to be valued. So, we see in the language of this verse that He wants to bless us as we bless His people. We should then bless Israel and the Jewish people in ways that are meaningful to them. We might also note that God’s promise to bless those who bless Israel appears more than once in Scripture. God doesn’t have to say something more than once before we need to take notice, but when He does repeat something we should recognise that He is very serious about what He is saying. So we are reminded of the requirement to bless Israel in Numbers 24:9, where the enemy had instructed Balaam to curse God’s people. But even Balaam knew that God required him to bless Israel and the instruction is repeated there. Another important thing to consider is God’s own example. Surely He wants us to model our behaviour on Him. He has blessed Israel mightily from the very beginnings of the nation. Even the evil Balaam recognised that he couldn’t reverse God’s command to bless Israel because God Himself blesses Israel. We read that in Numbers 23:20. God continues to bless the nation of Israel, to this very day, often in miraculous ways. That’s just what He promised to do and promises that He will continue to do so. Psalm 115:12 says: The Lord hath been mindful of us: He will bless us; He will bless the house of Israel; He will bless the house of Aaron. Why wouldn’t we want to imitate God in this way? Surely the truly miraculous events surrounding the modern nation of Israel that have taken place over the last hundred years or so testify to the fulfilment of a number of God’s prophetic words in relation to Israel. For example, there’s the resurrection of the Hebrew language (prophesied in Zephaniah 3:9), the creation of the modern State of Israel in 1948, and the continuing restoration of the Jewish people from all around the world to Israel (See Amos 9:14-15; Isaiah 66:8). Why wouldn’t we want to be part of this miracle in our day and stand with God and be part of what He is doing. Blessing Israel is standing with Him. If you are interested in this subject a wonderful book to read is Why Still Care About Israel, written by Susan Teplinsky, a Messianic Jewish believer from an orthodox Jewish background, a former lawyer now involved in ministry to Israel and the Church.