Hanukkah – spiritual darkness on earth and in the heavenlies

“For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist on the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm” (Ephesians 6:12-13).

The Feast of Hanukkah – also known as the Festival of Lights or Dedication – is close at hand (December 18 eve through December 26 twilight). Some see this holiday as a Jewish parallel to Christmas, with glowing menorahs being a Jewish equivalent to Christmas trees, and traditional Yuletide gifts vying with eight days of Hanukkah presents.  But the Festival of Lights shines lessons of faith upon mankind, bringing strength as we struggle for truth in these days of darkness.

Daniel. Michael and the prince of Greece

“And there was war in heaven, Michael and his angels waging war with the dragon. The dragon and his angels waged war, and they did not prevail, and there was no longer a place found for them in heaven. And the great dragon was thrown down, the serpent of old who is called the devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world. He was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him” (Revelation 12:7-9).

Spiritual warfare and physical battle are often connected. This is revealed in the scriptural description of the Archangel Michael, who holds the divine portfolio for the Jewish people (Daniel 10:21 “Michael your prince” and Daniel 12:1 12 “Michael, the great prince who stands guard over the sons of your people”). In the above-quoted future scenario Michael is surrounded by his angelic warriors, locked in hand-to-hand combat with Satan and his fallen angels.

The Book of Daniel reveals a hierarchy among the powers of spiritual wickedness, with lesser devils commanded by higher demonic principalities. The Persian Empire and the Greek Empire were overseen by demonic principalities called ‘the princes of Persia and Greece’ (see Daniel 10:13, 20).   The demonic principality of Persia opposed God’s purposes in freeing the Jewish people and returning them to the land of Israel. That demon tried to use Haman to commit genocide against the entire Jewish nation, as revealed in the Book of Esther. God’s reinforcements (called in and directed by Michael) won the day and preserved Israel.

Daniel the prophet was informed that the angel would soon need to leave and rejoin the battle against Persia. But after the Persian demonic overlord would be defeated, another demonic prince – the prince of Greece – would then arise. Daniel 11:21-35 prophesies that Greek forces in the days of Antiochus IV Epiphanes would attempt to destroy the Jewish people. That is the background to the Feast of Hanukkah.

The defenders of the faith

The Maccabees have been described as Jewish defenders of the faith. In the historical book 2 Maccabees 8:34-36, the Greek-Syrian General Nicanor “proclaimed that the Jews had a Defender” in Judah the Maccabee. Both in the Book of Daniel and in the Letter to the Hebrews, the same testimony rings out about these commandos of God:

Is YHVH a pacifist?

Some Christians and Jews do not know what to make of Moses’ bold declaration that “YHVH is a warrior! YHVH is His name!” (Exodus 15:3). Their pietistic and pacifist upbringing has made them skittish of military issues in general and of warriors in particular. But King David did not hesitate to proclaim: “Blessed be YHVH my rock, who trains my hands for war, and my fingers for battle!” (Psalm 144:1). David’s reputation in Israel was described in rather non-pacifistic terms: “Then one of the young men responded and said, ‘Behold, I have seen a son of Jesse the Bethlehemite who is a skillful musician, a valiant mighty man, a warrior, skillful in speech, and a handsome man; and YHVH is with him’” (1 Samuel 16:18).

David’s top Special Operations Forces soldiers are heartily described in 2 Samuel 23:8-39 – men who won battles when the odds were 800 to one, or 300 to one; men who jumped into snow-filled pits to wrestle lions, etc.  And let’s not forget the last of the Judges and the first of the Prophets – Samuel – who “cut Agag to pieces before YHVH at Gilgal” (1 Samuel 15:33).

In the same way as young men look up to Navy Seals Team VI or to Delta Force warriors, in the same was as Israeli youth admire Sayeret Matkal or Shayetet 13, so the Bible speaks highly of warriors who defend the Jewish people and defeat Israel’s enemies. Zechariah prophecies about the Last Days Jewish army who will do exploits in the Battle of Jerusalem:

The Maccabean warriors are a prophetic foreshadowing of Ezekiel 37:9-10:

The Hebrew Scriptures certainly prophesy about hard times coming to the whole world, to the Middle East and to the Jewish people. But they also speak of Jewish warriors who will stop the enemy dead in his tracks. Both sides of this prophetic message are biblical, and both sides should be part of our Last Days vision and message.

Dragons in Bethlehem

A well-loved Christmas carol proclaims that Bethlehem’s silent night is filled with calm and heavenly peace. Yet the Gospels add context that reveal satanic origins behind Herod’s murderous attempt to slay the infant Messiah (see Matthew 2:1-20):

Spiritual warfare targets the Jewish people, using world empires (like Persian and Greece) and world rulers (like Herod, Hitler and Haman) in a concerted attempt to destroy the seed of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

Sleeping dragons in Manhattan

Quite recently, in World War II, Satan used the Nazi empire in similar ways. He also used powerful industrialists and bankers in the USA and across Europe in his genocidal plans.  Here are three books which expose these demonically energized schemes:

There was deep involvement by the cream of American, British and German industries, companies and banks in supporting and enabling the Nazi death machine. These sobering facts are mostly unknown to the majority of citizens in the West. The leaders in question and their followers have not yet repented for being accessories to murder and enablers of genocidal against the Jewish people.

As we consider how the God of Israel has responded throughout Scripture to those who threaten and harm Israel the apple of His eye (see Zechariah 2:8), we are challenged to press in through prayer regarding current international and Islamist efforts to weaken and crush the regathered Jewish people and their state.  

How should we then pray?

Your prayers and support hold up our arms and are the very practical enablement of God to us in the work He has called us to do.

In Messiah Yeshua,

Avner Boskey

Donations can be sent to:

 FINAL FRONTIER MINISTRIES

BOX 121971 NASHVILLE TN 37212-1971 USA

Donations can also be made on-line (by PayPal) through: www.davidstent.org

Strong horses and lion cubs

The world’s largest sports event – FIFA World Cup 2022 (also known as ‘the Mondial’) – is taking place this month in Doha, Qatar. It is the first World Cup to be held in the Arab/Muslim world, with 32 soccer/football teams participating. Over the past 12 years an estimated $220 billion dollars has been invested by Qatar in preparation for these games, fifteen times more than Moscow laid out for its 2018 World Cup.

Only five years previously, on June 5, 2017 Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt severed diplomatic relations with Qatar, banning Qatar-registered planes and ships from utilizing their airspace and sea routes and, in the case of Saudi Arabia, blocking Qatar’s only land crossing. This was officially due to Qatar’s open support for jihadi terror groups (including hosting the spiritual leader of the Muslim Brotherhood, funding and arming Hamas, and violating Gulf consensus regarding ties with the Shi’ite revolutionary dictatorship, the Islamic Republic of Iran).

Investigative reporters have uncovered the facts that over 6,500 migrant workers are said to have died building the Olympic facilities in Qatar, subject to cruel and deadly working conditions. To add to this potent mix, strong evidence of corruption and bribery have been published regarding Qatar’s successful bid to host FIFA 2022. Yet just in time, the diplomatic tide turned. Qatar was able to pour oil on troubled waters, making Middle Eastern peace with its four opponents (who also have supported terrorism throughout the years). And the Mondial is now being successfully hosted in Doha.

Mohammad al-Emadi (Qatari envoy to Gaza) flew to the Gaza Strip at the beginning of the Mondial. His job? To convey the message to the Palestinian terror groups Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad, that they needed to chill any rocket attacks on Israel during the World Cup (that is, until after December 18). Such activities would embarrass Qatar in world media and would certainly spoil the party.

In other news, Israelis attending the Qatari World Cup have been running into hostility and hatred from Islamic and Arab football fans. Some Israelis have been thrown out of restaurants when their national identity became known. Israel (a member in good standing of FIFA) has been removed from the FIFA site travel links, and visitors are directed instead to a site entitled ‘Occupied Palestinian Territories.’ Israelis who had thought that a new era of friendship and brotherhood was opening between the Arab world and the Jewish people (with direct Tel Aviv-Doha flights for the duration of the World Cup) are seeing their hopes dashed by anti-Semitic pails of cold water thrown at them in Doha.

A historic step between Jews and Arabs – or treason?

Right in the middle of the Mondial, on Sunday December 4, Israeli President Isaac Herzog flew to Manama, Bahrain with a message that his trip was “another historic step in the relationship between Israel and Arab states that signed the Abraham Accords, with the hope that more and more countries will be able to join the circle of peace with the State of Israel.”

But a few days before, on Friday December 2, demonstrators in Bahrain chanted “death to Israel” at rallies, gathering in several areas of the tiny country to denounce Herzog’s upcoming Sunday arrival – the first Israeli head of state to ever visit Bahrain. Signs at the demonstrations featured Herzog’s photo with the word ‘criminal’ and ‘you are not welcome in Bahrain.’ Demonstrators burned an Israeli flag and squared off with riot police. One activist Bahraini post stated, “All normalization is an act of treason. Do not come.”

Is peace breaking out in the Middle East? Or are the various Oslo and Abraham Accords bumps in the road on the way to regional war?

The Abrahamic Accords bump up against Arab realities

In a recent Jerusalem Post analysis titled ‘Qatar shows that Abraham Accords did not change Arab-Israeli relations’, Lahav Harkov points out a sobering fact: average people in the Arab world do not view the Abraham Accords positively.

The Washington Institute for Near East Policy published a July 2022 poll which revealed by national percentages that the majority of the Arab world’s public does not have a positive view about the Abraham Accords. Positive views of the Abraham Accords were listed as follows:

United Arab Emirates – 25%

Bahrain – 20%

Saudi Arabia – 19%

Kuwait – 14%

Egypt – 13%

Jordan – 12%

Surprisingly, Palestinians lined up as follows:

Palestinian Authority – 25%

Gaza – 34%

East Jerusalem – 48%

Approximately half of Persian Gulf Arabs oppose having any business and sports dealings with Israelis. The populations of the two countries which already have peace treaties with Israel are overwhelmingly opposed to business and sports relations with Israelis – Egypt (85%) and Jordan (87%). Another poll (The Arab Barometer) conducted in 2021-2022 and released in September 2022, found that the only countries with more than 20% in favor of normalization between Israel and Arab states are Sudan (39%) and Morocco (31%). Positive attitudes in Jordan and Egypt hover at around 6% each. 

The Oslo Accords were signed between Israel (PM Yitzhak Rabin) and the PLO (Chairman Yasser Arafat) between 1993 and 1995, but by 1996 a bloody wave of Palestinian terrorism swept across Israel.  Former Israeli PM Yitzhak Shamir wryly declared at the time that “the sea is the same sea and the Arabs are the same Arabs.’ Shamir was implying that, in spite of the Oslo Accords, Arab leaders had changed neither their animosity toward Israel nor their desire to throw the Jews of Israel into the Mediterranean.  Recent opinion polls show that Shamir’s concerns are still anchored in reality, as far as the bulk of the Arab world is concerned.

The longing in the Jewish soul for peace

One of the Songs of Ascent, sung in ancient days as Jewish pilgrims made their way uphill to the House of YHVH in Jerusalem, spoke of the Jewish desire for peace while surrounded by Arab nations seeking our physical destruction: “Rescue my soul, YHVH, from lying lips, from a deceitful tongue . . . Woe to me, for I reside in Meshech – for I have settled among the tents of Kedar [Arabian desert areas]! Too long has my soul had its dwelling with those who hate peace. I am for peace, but when I speak, they are for war” (Psalm 120).

Living with existential tension is not easy. The leaders of the Jewish people continuously face the temptation to offer their electorate tantalizing promises of rapidly approaching peace, even if cold realities are quite different. Over 2.600 years ago the prophet Ezekiel spoke of YHVH’s wrath against “the prophets of Israel who prophesy to Jerusalem, and who see a vision of peace for her when there is no peace” (Ezekiel 13:16). The God of Jacob soberly warned those leaders: “It is definitely because they have misled My people by saying, ‘Peace!’ when there is no peace. And when anyone builds a wall, behold, they plaster it over with whitewash. So tell those who plaster it over with whitewash, that it will fall”  (Ezekiel 13:10-11).

Just before the destruction of Solomon’s Temple at the hands of Babylon, Jeremiah repeated the same prophetic warning with tears: “They have healed the brokenness of My people superficially, saying, ‘Peace, peace!’ But there is no peace” (Jeremiah 6:14).

In these days some believe that peace to be breaking out across the Middle East. Some speak hopefully of a new dynamic supposedly now at play between the Arab world and Israel – an incremental progression toward greater acceptance, and greater military, intelligence and political cooperation between Islamic states and the Jewish state. But such ethereal dynamics have not persuaded the Middle East’s Arab majority. Unfortunately, these pipe-dreams have influenced many in Israel.

The ‘konseptzia’ syndrome

The stunning and earth-shattering victory of the June 1967 Six Day War made many Israelis giddy. The Israel Defense Forces had fought off a concerted invasion by five hostile Arab nation (Egypt, Syria, Jordan, Iraq and Saudi Arabia) as well as two minor supporting nations (Lebanon and Kuwait), capturing territories promised in prophecy to the Jewish people from Abraham to Amos. The words of the Psalmist seemed to come alive once again:  “When YHVH restored the captivity of Zion, we were like those who dream. Then our mouth was filled with laughter and our tongue with joyful shouting. Then they said among the nations, ‘YHVH has done great things for them.’ YHVH has done great things for us. We are full of joy!” (Psalm 126).

Yet in a short while giddiness morphed into hubris (chutzpa in Hebrew). Significant amounts of Israelis began to boast of ‘our achievements’ and began to assume that the Jewish state would always emerge triumphant from any battle. The humble prayer of the psalmist was not the focus: “Not to us, YHVH, not to us, but to Your name give glory, because of Your covenant faithfulness, because of Your truth!” (Psalm 115:1).

Six years later, in 1973 the Yom Kippur War (also known in the Arab world as the Ramadan or October War) surprised an unprepared Israel. Eleven hostile Arab invaders (Egypt, Syria, Jordan, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Kuwait, Sudan) and Cuba, as well as five supporting nations (Soviet Union, East Germany, North Korea, Pakistan and Lebanon) broke through into Sinai and the Golan Heights. Though AMAN (Israeli military intelligence) and the MOSSAD had received the entire Arab order of battle as well as many concrete warnings, the military, intelligence and political shomrei hasaf (Hebrew, watchmen) had let their guard down. The prevailing perspective (konseptzia in Hebrew) was that the Arab world would never dare to attack Israel and if they did, they would be quickly and soundly broken on the battlefield. But in the meantime, Soviet military and intelligence forces analyzed Israeli weaknesses and came up with their own battlefield strategies. These included new battlefield weapons like the anti-tank AT-3 Sagger, the latest SAM 6 anti-aircraft missiles, jamming equipment, etc., as well as strategic military disinformation. Israel’s false assumptions and lack of preparedness cost us dearly in military casualties.

Present military threats against Israel and the new ‘konseptzia’

Existential threats against the Jewish state have incrementally increased over the past 17 years. At this point we are faced with mortal enemies on at least five fronts: Iran; Lebanon (Hezbollah); Syria; Iraqi Shi’ite forces which are Iranian proxies; Houthi Yemenite Shi’ite forces in cooperation with Iran; ISIS/ISIL forces in both Syria and Egyptian Sinai. There are also fungible and internal fronts: Hamas Muslim Brotherhood forces in Gaza/the West Bank/Israel; Palestinian Islamic Jihad forces in Gaza/the West Bank/Israel; PLO/Palestinian Authority terror gangs in the West Bank and Israel; Arab and Bedouin Israeli civilians involved in terror, rioting and civil unrest. A brief description of the nature of some of these threats follows:

Iran – The Islamic Republic of Iran is a Shi’ite Islamic revolutionary movement actively spreading terrorism throughout the world in general and the Middle East in particular. Its strategic goals include the nuclear destruction of Israel, the crushing of Sunni Islam (85-87% of all Muslims) and the establishment of a Shi’ite caliphate over the entire planet, centered in the Middle East (the Shi’ite Crescent).  A recent article in Beirut-based Al Mayadeen (a pan-Arabist satellite news channel) reported that media outlets close to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) have published a list of sensitive sites that Iran would target by missile in a future war: the Knesset; the Prime Minister’s Office; the Defense Ministry; nuclear sites and facilities; Rafael Advanced Defense Systems site in Haifa; the Weizmann Institute of Science in Rehovot; the Technion (Israel Institute of Technology) in Haifa; military and intelligence bases; civilian airports (such as Ben-Gurion Airport and Ramon Airport near Eilat); military airports and bases.

Lebanon (Hezbollah) – Col. Yechiel Kuperstein, head of the IDF’s Physical Protection Department, noted that during the 34-day war in 2006 between Israel and Hezbollah (July 12 to August 14, 2006), 3,917 rockets were fired from Lebanon into Israel, 23% of which fell in built-up (civilian) areas. A total of 43 Israeli civilians and 121 IDF soldiers were killed. Thirty-three civilians suffered serious physical injuries, 68 suffered moderate physical injuries, and 1,388 civilians suffered light physical injuries. Hospitals treated 2,773 civilians for shock and anxiety. Rockets struck homes, damaging over 9,000 and totally destroying 2,000.  Hospitals in Nahariya, Safed, and Mazra were hit, as was an elementary school in Kiryat Yam, a post office in Haifa, etc.

Throughout the 2006 war, an average of 116 rockets per day were fired by Hezbollah. This effectively paralyzed large areas of northern Israel and 650,000 residents fled south for safety. In 2006 Hezbollah’s arsenal was predominantly composed of short-range Katyushas.  IDF Major-General Noam Tibon comments about that conflict: “A key lesson from the conflict is that when flooded with enemy rockets, the ability of Israel's home front to continue to function is extremely finite.”

Shi’ite Iran has been helping the Shi’ite terror group Hezbollah (Arabic, the party of Allah) develop and improve the accuracy of its current stockpile of more than 150,000 rockets, missiles and mortars – all of which can hit civilian and military targets in Israel. The development of precision-guided rockets has been an ardent Hezbollah goal for many years.

On November 20, 2022, Al-Hadath (a Saudi Arabian media outlet) reported current Hezbollah intentions to transfer chemical warhead-armed rockets (chlorine or possibly sarin nerve gas) from Syria into Lebanon.

In a future war, Hezbollah’s main effort will be to fire massive barrages of rockets and missiles into Israel. The majority will be of high statistical accuracy, with long-range systems such as Syrian M-600s, Iranian Fateh-110 surface-to-surface missiles, Shahab-1 and Shahab-2s (Iran-made Scuds) that can cover most of the Israeli heartland and accurately strike key IDF infrastructure. A recent IDF Home Front Command report forecasts that up to 1,500 rockets and missiles will be launched daily into Israel. Major General Uri Gordin, recent head of the Home Front Command, foresees up to 2,500 Hezbollah rockets per day. The IDF assumes that thousands of homes will be hit, hundreds of Israeli civilians will be injured or killed, and hundreds of thousands will be evacuated from their homes. Herein lies the magnitude of the coming threat.

During a recent military drill, Chief of General Staff Aviv Kochavi briefed IDF commanders, and some of his words were leaked to the media: “Israel could suffer 300 civilian and military deaths after nine days, and the destruction of 80 sites around the country, including apartment buildings that may take direct fire and collapse . . . But military leaders are uncertain as to how the impact of such a war on the home front, as it emerged from the drill, should be presented to the Israeli civilians. The IDF understands Israelis may suffer under rockets and missiles fire in an intensity never before seen in Israel – but wish to avoid unnecessary panic.”

Dr. Uzi Rubin, 81, the father of Israeli missile defense and the Arrow missile system, was the founder and first director of the Israel Missile Defense Organization in the Defense Ministry. His perspective is helpful regarding IDF predictions that Hezbollah rocket fire could lead to as many as 1,000 dead Israeli civilians. Rubin pointed out “that the total volume – whether it was 100,000, 150,000 or whether it someday reached 200,000 rockets – [is] not the pivotal point. Rather, the two critical points [are] ‘the rate and the precision of the rockets’ . . . Hezbollah [doesn’t have] the ability to unleash its full arsenal at once . . . In that light, the question becomes how many rockets per day an adversary like Hezbollah is capable of actually launching against Israel as compared to how many rockets Israel can shoot down when under attack by a simultaneous hail of rockets.”

Major-General (reserves) Yitzhak Gershon, former IDF Home Front chief in 2006, spoke of the coming war between Israel and Hezbollah in a 2016 Army Radio interview: “It will be a completely different scenario from anything we’ve known . . . We will need mental fortitude more than physical protection.” According to current IDF estimates, Hezbollah today is six times more powerful than it was in 2006.

Syria – The Syrian Arab Army was one of the main threats to Israel in times past. In 1967 and 1973 some of the fiercest battles were fought on the Golan Heights between Syrian and Israeli forces. The rise of ISIS/ISIL, the irredentist goals of Turkey, the military strategies of Iran, the goals of the scattered Kurdish nation, and Russian and American geostrategic moves have certainly weakened the cruel Syrian regime.

Iran’s efforts in Syria involve the establishment of its Shi’ite Crescent; military bases which serve as a bridge of control between Lebanese Hezbollah, Iraqi Hezbollah and its own Revolutionary Guards; the import and smuggling of precision-guided weapon systems, munitions (regular and chemical), and military/terror trainers into both Syria and Lebanon; missile and drone bases targeting Israel; etc.

Russia’s goals of seeking warm water ports and controlling Middle East geopolitics have come together significantly in our day. Its construction of naval and submarines facilities in Tartus, and fighter aircraft bases in Khmeimim, attenuate the strategic importance and difficulties for Israel in preserving operational freedom of action against Iranian weapons shipments (which shipments have the potential of drastically shifting the military balance in a future war).

Syria’s documented repeated use of chemical weapons against civilians (with Russian oversight) establishes a worrying precedent for Israel in any future conflict. With an eye to the future, the involvement of Syria in coming attacks on Israel cannot be ruled out. Consider the possibility that Egypt and Jordan will turn on Israel as well – think of Muslim Brotherhood Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi who temporarily upended Cairo’s apple cart.

Yemenite Houthis – Iran has recently been helping Houthi jihadis in Yemen to develop UAVs (unmanned air vehicles) and military drones which have the ability to hit and destroy both Saudi oil refineries and Israeli airfields and civilian installations. Dr. Uzi Rubin notes that the “growing capabilities and the impressive skill of their operators elevate the threat from Iran’s unmanned air vehicles (UAVs) from a nuisance to a strategic level on par with Iran’s missiles and rockets threat on Israel.” Israel has shot down Iranian UAVs recently which had been launched both from Syria and Iran. The likelihood of Houthi swarming attacks of drones and UAVs must be considered by those watching over Israel’s national security.

An Arab Israeli ‘fifth column’ – In April and May 2021 tensions broke out at symbolic Jerusalem flashpoints (Sheikh Jarrah, Damascus Gate Plaza, Silwan, etc.) between East Jerusalem Arab demonstrators and Israeli security forces. Within a few days a significant minority of Israeli Arabs and Bedouin engaged in violent rioting against Jewish neighbors and Israeli infrastructure (highways, stores, homes, police, etc.). The potentially explosive Ramadan season was a factor, irritated by the Jewish celebration of Jerusalem Day. The catalytic behavior of some extreme right-wing Jewish groups was also a factor. Arabs assaulted Jews travelling on Jerusalem’s light rail network or on streets close to Arab areas. Arab-Israeli riots spread to mixed cities, with life-threatening attacks carried out on Jews in Jaffa, Lod, Akko, Ramle, Haifa, and at major intersections in the north and south of the country. Main highways in our area were shut down as local Bedouin toppled kilometers of electrical poles and towers, even shooting into the back entrance of our home town.

Jewish residents’ sense of security was shaken, and this caused serious damage to the fabric of common life. Police response to the riots was slow. Violent retaliatory Jewish riots then erupted in various hotspots – Arabs were attacked, some of them innocent bystanders.

On May 10, 2021 the jihadi terror group Hamas launched a surprise rocket attack during the Israeli Jerusalem Day Flag March, firing a barrage of rockets into Israel and even at Jerusalem. The IDF responded with the 11-day military Operation Guardians of the Walls, during which time even more violent riots erupted in various parts of the country. Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad fired a total of 4,360 rockets and mortars against Israeli civilians (400 a day, on the average). Of these, approximately 3,600 crossed the border from Gaza into Israel. Around 1,700 were intercepted, and close to 180 fell in populated areas, causing casualties and substantial damage at dozens of sites while disrupting daily life.

The intensity and strength of these Arab-Israeli riots caused many Jewish Israelis to think hard. At this point, the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank shelters over 20,000 trained and equipped terrorists armed with sub-machine guns. Were these to rise up in coordination with Hamas, Hezbollah and local Israeli Arabs/Bedouin, they would be able to quickly massacre and destroy a significant amount of Jewish towns and settlements located within the biblical borders of Judea and Samaria (the West Bank) – think 1948. IDF forces would be rushed to reinforce Jewish residents of those areas. But if tens of thousands of Arab Israelis were to block the free movement of those Israeli troops, or if thousands of Arab mechanics and Bedouin tank-transporter drivers who do contract work for the IDF refused to show up to move armor into place, Israel would be facing a clear and present danger. Severe measures would need to be taken to keep roads and supply lines open. Herein lies the magnitude of the local and internal threat.

Dr. Eado Hecht, researcher at the Begin-Sadat Center for Strategic Studies, is a defense analyst specializing in military theory and history. He lectures at Bar-Ilan University and at the IDF Command and General Staff College. He challenges his readers to think strategically about possible future scenarios: “What will happen if the IDF needs to fight against more than only Hezbollah? If, for example, a rebuilt Syrian military faces it in the Golan Heights, backed up by Shiite forces from Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Iran? And at the same time, Hamas begins bombarding our home front from the south? Does the IDF have a sufficiently large order of battle to deal with all of these enemies at the same time? We would have to call up reserves against Hamas on its own. Against a smaller Hezbollah in 2006, we had to call up reserves. Since then, we have cut reserves very sharply – entire divisions and brigades have been canceled.”

Strong horses and lion cubs

Lt. Col. (res.) Dr. Mordechai Kedar, senior research associate at the Begin-Sadat Center for Strategic Studies, served for 25 years in IDF military intelligence specializing in Syria, Arab political discourse and mass media, Islamic groups and Israeli Arabs. An expert on the Muslim Brotherhood and other Islamist groups, his take on these developments is worth reading: “Given Islam’s pervasive entrenchment in Palestinian society (and for that matter in all Middle Eastern societies) – even Yasser Arafat and most of the PLO’s founding generation were Muslim Brotherhood members in their young age – the acceptance of Israel’s existence by Muslims communities, both within Israel and abroad, will only be feasible upon their realization of the Jewish state’s overwhelming strength and invincibility. Only a powerful, well organized, highly determined and militarily invincible Israel can stand a chance of surviving in its violent and merciless neighborhood.”

This can be described as ‘the strong horse’ principle. In mid-November 2001, Osama Bin Laden spoke to a room of supporters, discussing the September 11th terrorist attacks: “When people see a strong horse and a weak horse, by nature, they will like the strong horse. This is [the] only goal . . . following the doctrine of Muhammad.” Bin Laden saw Islam as the strong horse, and Christian America as the weak one.

Journalist Lee Smith based the name of his book The Strong Horse: Power, Politics, and the Clash of Arab Civilizations on Osama bin Laden’s above-mentioned quote. In this work, Smith states that strength or “violence is central to the politics, society, and culture of the Arabic-speaking Middle East, and that Arab politics is driven by the ‘strong horse’ principle.” “Bin Ladenism is not drawn from the extremist fringe but represents the political and social norm [of the Arabic-speaking Middle East].”  According to T. Edward Donselm (writing in the Arab Studies Quarterly), Smith sees a revived modern Islamism as an effort to employ the fourteen-hundred-year old political institution of jihad as a tool to restore Sunni Islam to the supremacism it enjoyed in Islam's first century.

Agreeing with Dr. Kedar’s appraisal, Daniel Pipes (director of the Middle East Forum and Taube distinguished visiting fellow at the Hoover Institution of Stanford University) applies Bin Laden’s ‘strong horse’ principle to Israel’s role in the Middle East. Israel serves as “a proxy strong horse” for both the United States and the Saudi-Egyptian bloc in the latter’s Cold War rivalry with Iran’s bloc. Pipes outlines the policies of non-Arab actors in the Arab world: unless they are forceful and show true staying power, they lose. “Being nice – say, withdrawing unilaterally from southern Lebanon and Gaza – leads to inevitable failure.  More broadly, when the U.S. government flinches, others (e.g., the Iranian leadership) have an opportunity to ‘force their own order on the region.’ Walid Jumblatt, a Lebanese Druze leader, has half-seriously suggested that Washington [should] ‘send car bombs to Damascus’ to get its message across and signal its understanding of Arab ways.”

Pipes concludes that Lee Smith’s ‘strong horse’ paradigm helps us to comprehend the Arabs’ cult of death, honor killings, terrorist attacks, despotism and warfare. Pipes acknowledges that the strong-horse principle may strike Westerners as ineffably crude, but he correctly insists on its being a cold reality that outsiders must recognize, take into account, and respond to.

In the Hebrew Scriptures the God of Jacob uses the poetic figure of a strong war horse to describe His gifts and calling on the Jewish nation: “For YHVH of armies has visited His flock, the House of Judah, and will make them like His majestic horse in battle” (Zechariah 10:3).

But the Jewish people are not only YHVH’s strong horse; they are also His lion cub (Genesis 49:8-9): “As for you, Judah, your brothers shall praise you. Your hand shall be on the neck of your enemies. Your father’s sons shall bow down to you. Judah is a lion’s cub. From the prey, my son, you have gone up. He crouches, he lies down as a lion, and as a lion, who dares to stir him up?”

For the present time, the best and most realistic posture for the Jewish people to take in the Middle East is to be both the strong horse and the roaring lion – until the time when the Arab world bows the knee before the God of the armies of Israel.

How should we then pray?

Your prayers and support hold up our arms and are the very practical enablement of God to us in the work He has called us to do.

In Messiah Yeshua,

Avner Boskey

Donations can be sent to:

 FINAL FRONTIER MINISTRIES

BOX 121971 NASHVILLE TN 37212-1971 USA

Donations can also be made on-line (by PayPal) through: www.davidstent.org

The Israeli elections – casting lots and ballots

King Solomon said it first: “The cast lot puts an end to quarrels and decides between the mighty ones” (Proverbs 18:18). Yet modern political developments indicate that elections don’t always put an end to quarrels. Another Solomonic gem wryly notes that “the first to plead his case seems right until another comes and examines him” (Proverbs 18:17). Both the USA and Brazil have recently been walking through difficult days regarding election-related matters.

Israel, the Jewish state, has just completed its fifth quarrelsome round of elections in three and a half years.  The clash of the two electoral titans (leftists/centrists vs. rightists/religious) has just ended. A third proverb from Solomon remains, but not everyone would want to agree with its message:  “The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from YHVH” (Proverbs 16:33).

Some of our friends are overjoyed at the incoming election results from Israel, while others are very concerned. How can we achieve clear focus, accurate appraisal and biblical balance? This newsletter is an attempt to shed more light than heat on the present political predicament in Zion.  

Roots and shoots

In 1920 during the times of the British Mandate, the Jewish community (or Yishuv) established the Assembly of Representatives. After May 1948 when Israel became a modern state, the first Knesset was elected in January 1949 and sworn in on February 1949, with a total of 21 parties vying for seats in the April elections. The founding fathers of the Jewish state tended to be socialist and secularist, so it was no surprise that the leftist Labor party led by David Ben-Gurion held the reins of Israeli political influence and development for nearly 30 years, from 1948 until 1977. The Jewish leaders of the state came from European (Ashkenazi) background. Jewish newcomers from North African (Sephardic) and Middle Eastern (Mizrahi) countries found themselves lower down on the food chain in the new Jewish state.

From the beginning in 1948, religious parties (mostly Ashkenazi-led) played a significant role in influencing coalition politics, far beyond their actual numbers. Their goals were to incrementally enshrine rabbinic laws (halacha) within the secular corpus of Israeli law – which meant increased coercion regarding Sabbath observance in the areas of government, army and public transport; withholding permits to non-kosher restaurants and hotels; draft exemptions for yeshiva students – all these were areas of theopolitical activism. Whereas the original socialist leaders of Israel tolerated these fledgling Orthodox attempts to carve out their own ‘territory,’ they never imagined that rabbinic influence would increase to today’s present proportions.

In another area, over a thirty year period political corruption grew by leaps and bounds among the socialist Ashkenazi nomenklatura, while European Jewish prejudice against Jews from Arab countries fed into a smoldering time-bomb of burning resentment. This finally exploded in the ‘mahapach’ of 1977 – the astounding ‘overthrow’ of socialist-Ashkenazi Labor party (led by Ben-Gurion, Golda Meir, Yitzchak Rabin, Ehud Barak, etc.) by the more right-wing Likud/Middle-Eastern Jewish coalition led by Menachem Begin, Yitzchak Shamir, Ariel Sharon and Benjamin Netanyahu. The religious parties (who had been long-time allies of the leftist Labor party, the only game in town) crossed the aisle to join the right-wingers in a marriage (if not made in heaven) at least consummated on earth.

The Israeli political see-saw

From its very beginning, the Knesset was the embodiment of the famous Yiddish saying, “Two Jews; three opinions.” With 120 potential Knesset seats up for grabs, and the two major parties unable to wield decisive majorities, the strategic role and influence of the smaller blocs in cobbling together successful coalition compromises became a source of weakness and instability in parliament. A measure of corruption and blackmail became de rigeur, and backroom deals which adulterated accepted democratic civil liberties were now considered the price for keeping political machines running smoothly – on both sides of the aisle. These factors led to an increasing malaise in Israel’s body politic, with top leaders changing their spots and even starting new political parties when outvoted by their constituencies.

These dynamics have eaten away the public’s trust in what have been the pillars of society. The latest 2021 survey published by the Israel Democracy Institute (IDI) reveals how much public trust has dropped in governmental institutions over the past few years:

Israel Defense Forces                              90% in 2019 to 78%    in 2021

Supreme Court                                           42% in 2020 to 41%    in 2021

Israel Police                                                 41% in 2020 to 33.5% in 2021

The media                                                     32% in 2020 to 25%    in 2021

Knesset                                                          32% in 2020 to 21%    in 2021

Political parties                                           17% in 2020 to 10%    in 2021

The nature of Israeli discourse is intense, and the ‘two Jews, three opinions’ dynamic makes for lively and heated discussion among Israelis on a daily basis. The debate among Jews here involves deep polarization: many consider their political rivals to definitely be enemies, and most probably evil personified. A specifically Yiddish turn of phrase is used to describe this dynamic – ‘the gevalt campaign’ (from the Yiddish word for ‘a cry of impending doom’). Even Israeli Arab parties today use similar tactics, shouting out with alarm when political opponents seem to be gaining on them. This worldview is very Middle Eastern, and these strident tones play out well in the news media, where lurid colors predominate.

‘Whose blood is redder’?

This above-asked rabbinic saying raises a question about moral equivalencies. For example: should one attempt to free a captive in your immediate family from murderous kidnappers, knowing all the time that his release will lead to the death of another captive, from someone else’s family? Such a zero-sum game seems to be all too common in Israel’s present political scenario.

Here are some examples of this zero-sum game choice: One political party is known for its strong posture of military deterrence and daring intelligence operations, yet it is linked by coalition politics to ultra-Orthodox and strongly-anti-Messianic Jewish parties. A second party advocates helping tens of thousands of Israelis living below the poverty line, yet simultaneously actively attacks Conservative, Reform and Messianic Jews. Only two Israeli political parties are pro-life – one is ultra-Orthodox and strongly anti-Messianic Jewish; the other most closely reflects Messianic Jewish values in some areas. This last party garnered less than 500 votes in the present elections. Some parties are rabidly against Orthodox Judaism while being stridently pro-secular. Other parties are zealously pro-rabbinic Judaism while simultaneously anti-Conservative, anti-Reform and anti-Messianic Jews. Some parties home in on special interests, appealing to new Russian-speaking immigrants, or to Ethiopian and Yemenite communities. And again, other parties are strongly pro-abortion and feminist. The stunning array of choices here insures that inherent fault-lines in the Israeli body politic will continue for some time yet.

The most recent roller-coaster ride in Israeli politics began in June 2021, when coalition horse-trading led to the party with the most votes (Bibi Netanyahu’s Likud) failing to cement a stable coalition. This led to Naftali Bennett’s small party of 6-7 members being propped up as the Prime Ministerial front-man for a consortium of centrist, leftist and anti-Zionist Arab parties. For the first time in Israel’s short political history, the Jewish state’s political stability depended upon Arab anti-Israeli parties. This disconcerting reality was bolstered by another development: five potential Likud leaders who had been sidelined, badly humiliated and burned by Bibi, ended up establishing new and smaller parties in their attempt to bring Bibi down. This dynamic has all the pathos of a Greek tragedy, and it has led to the lurching Knesset dynamics of the past two years.

A house divided against itself

‘And knowing their thoughts, Yeshua said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste; and no city or house divided against itself will stand”’ (Matthew 12:25). The people of Israel are divided. The bonds holding their political coalitions together are fragile and can come unglued in the fraction of a second. Whatever the dream is that binds the Jewish people together, it is also jarringly fragmented. People are asking: Is the Return to Zion an act of God? Will the Jewish people’s return to Jerusalem result in all Israel becoming Orthodox Jews? Is Israel to become a Light to the Nations through secular ethics and scientific technology and military cutting-edge armaments? Will the country end up being the exclusively Jewish homeland envisioned by the Hebrew Prophets, or will it be a bi-national secular state, sort of like Lebanon prior to its murderous Civil War of 1975-1982? How will the nation relate to moral issues that the Bible declares to be abominable sins?

Messianic Jewish options?

Jewish Messianic believers in Israel can be found involved in and advocating for many of the available political configurations. In this latest election, two new parties are presenting some new options.

The first party is the Bible Bloc (Gush Tanachi), a fairly new party founded by Avi Lipkin, a traditional Jew. Lipkin sees this bloc as “a Judeo-Christian political party in Israel” whose ideology is “Judeo-Christian Western Civilization and Democracy.” It appeals to Christians, Messianic Jews and those Russian-speakers and Arabs who identify with this message, especially its pro-life platform. This party received 425 votes (0.01%) in the current election.

The second party is a two-month old party called OMETZ (‘Courage’ in Hebrew). It was founded by some of Israel’s top doctors and medical researchers, including Dr. Amir Shahar (Founder and former head of the Department of Emergency Medicine at Sheba Hospital, former deputy director of Meir Hospital and currently ER director at Laniado Hospital) and Prof. Zvika Granot, Professor of Immunology in the Faculty of Medicine at the Hebrew University. The leadership team includes doctors, lawyers, scientists, social activists, security personnel and media personalities.

Part of OMETZ’s six-point program includes seeking justice for the significant amount of Israelis injured during the country’s extensive inoculation campaigns. Another focus involves challenging and overturning the recent rushed-through cabinet executive order (‘The Authorities Law’ – Hoq ha-samchuyot; passed on July 23, 2020) which removes oversight and legislative authority from the Knesset in areas defined and declared by the cabinet to be national or medical emergencies. This law has striking similarities to the Enabling Act of 1933 (Gesetz zur Behebung der Not von Volk und Reich; lit.  ‘Law to Remedy the Distress of People and Reich’). This Nazi law gave the German Cabinet or the Chancellor himself, the power to bypass the system of checks and balances in the government, as well as the powers to make and enforce laws without the involvement of the Reichstag or Weimar President. This included the power to create and enforce laws that explicitly violated individual rights prescribed in the German constitution – essentially establishing legal grounds for totalitarian dictatorship. The present Israeli law, combined with Israel’s continuing legal state of emergency, has the ability to lead to the establishment of legal dictatorship in Israel.

OMETZ received 14,781 votes in the current election (0.31%).

Potential ramifications

Provided that coalition negotiations do not encounter unforeseen bumps in the road (which is unlikely), the incoming government will have a stronger military deterrent posture (which can be helpful in a region surrounded by genocidal enemies (like Iran) and unstable peace-partners (like the Gulf States, Jordan and Egypt). As a result, some of the favor granted by Western governments to Israel’s recent left-leaning government may evaporate, and UN pressures may increase for the establishing of a terrorist-ruled Arab state in Judea and Samaria (the biblical names for what is generally referred to as the West Bank). The Abraham Accords (a tenuous agreement built on shifting sands) may go through some shuddering moments as well.

The horse-trading necessary to ensure the loyalty of the religious parties will rack up greater financial stress on Israel’s economy, and will quite likely involve a freeze on greater freedoms in the area of religious pluralism. This would conceivably have chilling effects on the Conservative and Reform Judaism movements in Israel, as well as on Messianic Jews. One of the religious Zionist streams which will be a solid linchpin of the new coalition is led by people who have been associated with Rabbi Meir Kahane, who are outspoken in their anti-Arab words and actions, and who have actively supported persecution of Messianic Jews.

I will raise my eyes to the mountains. From where will my help come? (Psalm 121:1)

Solomon saw much in his day. His court was full of people begging for favors and, occasionally, for justice. Here is the summation of his thoughts on that matter: “Many seek the ruler’s favor, but justice for mankind comes from YHVH” (Proverbs 29:26). Though justice is not always advocated or actuated by human courts and governments, by lawyers and kings, we would all do well to remember the divine perspective: “Many are the plans in the heart of man, but the counsel of YHVH – that will stand!” (Proverbs 19:21).

“Return, you faithless sons, declares YHVH, for I am a master to you. And I will take you, one from a city and two from a family, and bring you to Zion. Then I will give you shepherds after My own heart, who will feed you knowledge and understanding” (Jeremiah 3:14-15).

How should we then pray?

 

Your prayers and support hold up our arms and are the very practical enablement of God to us in the work He has called us to do.

In Messiah Yeshua,

Avner Boskey

Donations can be sent to:

 FINAL FRONTIER MINISTRIES

BOX 121971 NASHVILLE TN 37212-1971 USA

Donations can also be made on-line (by PayPal) through: www.davidstent.org

Red heifers and red herrings

Many years ago Rachmiel Frydland (an outstanding Polish-born Messianic Jew and survivor of the Warsaw Ghetto) once told me in Yiddish: “If we give the rabbis the right to define who is a Jew, then we will also be giving them the right to define who is the Messiah.” His pearl of wisdom has remained with me to this day.

When is a Jewish New Year not a Jewish New Year?

Many dear friends have recently celebrated what the rabbis call ‘the Jewish New Year.’ It might be surprising to some that the Book of Exodus defines the real Jewish New Year as occurring at Passover time: “Now YHVH said to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, ‘This month shall be the beginning of months for you; it is to be the first month of the year to you. Speak to all the congregation of Israel, saying, “On the tenth of this month they are each one to take a lamb for themselves, according to their fathers’ households, a lamb for each household” (Exodus 12:1-3).

So how did the biblical New Year date (around April) get moved to that of the Babylonian New Year (around September)? You might enjoy reading “Raiders of the Lost Jewish New Year” from September 8, 2018 at https://davidstent.org to find out.

Leviticus 23:23-35 refers to the fifth, sixth and seventh holy convocations as falling in the seventh month of the Hebrew calendar year (called Eitanim –‘the strong ones’ in Hebrew – see 1 Kings 8:1-2). When Israel returned from Babylonian Exile, according to Rabbi Hanina bar Hama (d. 250 A.D.) “the month names came up with them [with the exiles] from Babylon” (Jerusalem Talmud, Rosh HaShanah 1:2, 56d). After the days of Ezra and Nehemiah, Babylonian names were gradually switched for the original Hebrew names. Today eight of the twelve original Hebrew names of the months have disappeared. These Babylonian month names are for the most part names of Babylonian demons (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Babylonian_calendar), even as most modern Western months  (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_calendar) are based on Roman deities, while European days of the week are taken from Norse and Germanic gods (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Names_of_the_days_of_the_week). The Babylonian royal calendar began its year in Tishrei (biblical Eitanim); the Jewish people gradually adjusted themselves to this international calendar.

The influence of the Exile and our sojourn in Babylon have indeed shaped medieval and modern Jewish history. The primacy given to Babylonian cultural influences gradually led to a weakening among the Jewish people regarding staying faithful to biblical patterns and expressions. But a day is coming when YHVH will bring full restoration to His Jewish people, He will re-tweak our calendars and our feast days, as Zechariah prophesied in Zechariah 7:1-6; 8:18-19. Part of that restoration will involve a return to YHVH’s original calendar in Leviticus 23:2: “Speak to the sons of Israel and say to them, ‘YHVH’s appointed times which you shall proclaim as holy convocations – My appointed times are these…”  As Paul says, “For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable” (Romans 11:29).

Red heifers

On September 15, 2022 five red heifers arrived in Israel. These were raised and brought to Israel with the help of Byron Stinson, a Texas rancher, fundraiser and advisor for the Boneh Israel organization. Stinson is involved as well in the Father’s House Educational Foundation. Stinson is described as a devout Christian searching for and breeding cattle for a sensational purpose – the potential use of their ashes in purifying Levitical priests for ministry in what is called the future Third Temple. The purification ritual is described in the Book of Numbers: “Then YHVH spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying, ‘This is the statute of the teaching which YHVH has commanded, saying, “Speak to the sons of Israel that they bring you an unblemished red heifer in which there is no defect and on which a yoke has never been mounted” (Numbers 19:1-2).

The heifers arrived to a ceremony at Ben-Gurion Airport where Temple Institute officials participated in the ceremony, alongside Stinson and Jerusalem and Heritage Ministry Director-General Netanel Isaac. The Temple Institute actively seeks to fashion implements for use in the Third Temple, while educating Jews on how to proactively “act to bring the Holy Temple back to the world [as] a ‘House of prayer for all nations’ . . . Isaiah’s promise [is] that the Third Temple is the secret of world peace and harmony and the hope of all mankind . . .  We truly hope and pray for a time of unparalleled world peace and harmony with the re-building of the Third Temple.”

The Boneh Israel’s website posts links including ‘What You Can Do To Help In The Redemption Process’ and ‘Let’s put out into the universe that we want world peace, the Third Holy Temple & the Red Heifer.’ On Stinson’s website he presents graphics and scriptures commonly used by the new form of Replacement Theology known as ‘Two House’ or Ephraimite teaching. Stinson describes his beliefs on his website: “Byron Stinson and his wife Tammy are Judeo-Christian believers in the God of Abraham and His Messiah from the line of David.” Stinson’s motivation is clearly stated: “The Bible says to bring a red cow to purify Israel, and I may not understand it, but I am just doing what the Bible said . . . The prophecies came true, and the Jews are back in Israel. Now they need to build a Temple. But it’s like buying a really nice car. If you don’t have the key, you aren’t going anywhere. The red heifer is the key to making the Temple work like it’s supposed to.”

In Nicole Jansezian’s pertinent article in All Israel News, she notes that “as a Christian, Stinson believes that it is his obligation to support the Jewish sacrifice even if that is not what he believes himself, because the ‘purpose of the red heifer is to let the veil be lifted.’ Stinson said he is motivated by one main purpose: to foster unity between Christians and Jews.” 

Rachmiel Frydland’s proverb (mentioned above) brings us back to reality here. Will the House of prayer for all nations be established by rabbinic authority? Will the Third Temple usher in unparalleled world peace, harmony and the hope of all mankind? Which biblical prophecies describe the Third Temple and what is the outcome of its construction?

Red herrings

There are three extraordinarily clear passages in the New Covenant which describe the building of the Third Temple in foreboding terms. The first is 2 Thessalonians 2:1-12, which tells us that ‘the man of lawlessness’ (what is commonly called ‘the anti-Christ’) will be revealed to the nations in the rebuilt Third Temple:

The second relevant passage is Daniel 9:27, which describes the ‘man of lawlessness’ as connected to the functioning of the sacrificial system in the Third Temple:

The third passage is Matthew 24:15-16, where the abomination of desolation is described as standing in the holy place of the Third Temple:

For followers of Yeshua to aid in the construction or purification of the Third Temple, in cooperation with Orthodox groups who are zealously opposed to Messianic Jews and the Messiahship of Yeshua, is not helping to fulfill prophecy. To the contrary! It is doing fundraising and public relations for the anti-Christ’s ministry.

Over the years we have met Evangelical Gentiles who deeply want to be accepted by Orthodox and ultra-Orthodox Jews. In their way of thinking, the Orthodox and ultra-Orthodox are ‘the real Jews.’ Such Evangelicals stay far away from Messianic Jews and do not share their faith with the Jewish people – all in an attempt ‘to foster unity between Christians and Jews.’ This is a false unity which flies in the face of Ephesians 2:11-22:

There is a need for clear biblical thinking here, for spiritual deliverance and revelation, and for repentance for muddying the clear truth of Yeshua’s good news.

It causes sadness to see some Evangelical Gentiles and Jews getting deceived by the red herring of this deceptive ‘Peace Train.’ Neither funds nor prayers should be given to such endeavors which “encourage mankind to support the rebuilding of the Holy [Third] Temple in Jerusalem.”

The Bible speaks prophetically and positively of a Fourth Temple yet to be constructed during the Days of Messiah. Ezekiel 40-48, Isaiah 2:1-4 and 56:7, Zechariah 8, etc., describe this glorious prophetic vision.

How should we then pray?

Your prayers and support hold up our arms and are the very practical enablement of God to us in the work He has called us to do.

In Messiah Yeshua,

Avner Boskey

Donations can be sent to:

 FINAL FRONTIER MINISTRIES

BOX 121971 NASHVILLE TN 37212-1971 USA

Donations can also be made on-line (by PayPal) through: www.davidstent.org

Two new videos from our new CD - 'SHTETL DREAMS'

We are pleased to present two new videos from our our newest musical project ‘SHTETL DREAMS’

They are now available for your enjoyment and encouragement on YouTube at the following links:

Every Tribe   --  https://youtu.be/9tewW2506FI 

In The Middle of The Road --  https://youtu.be/cHL8RNfrlTU

For those who love to hold a real physical CD in their hands, you can order ‘Shtetl Dreams’ from our website (or the digital download, if you prefer):
https://davidstent.org/product/shtetl-dreams/
 
You can also find ‘Shtetl Dreams’ on Apple Music, Spotify, YouTube and iTunes.
 
Here’s the link to find the background story and the lyrics of each song:
https://davidstent.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Shtetl-Dreams-Lyrics.pdf

Upcoming US trip

Avner and I will be speaking and singing in the USA in September:

Dallas                                              Sept 1-3
Nashville                                       Sept 4-7
Lake Geneva, Wisconsin    Sept 9-10
Pittsburgh                                  Sept 12-18
Kansas City                              Sept 20-21
Birmingham, Alabama       Sept 23-26
Nashville                                  Sept 27-28
 

Your prayers and support hold up our arms and are the very practical enablement of God to us in the work He has called us to do.

In Messiah Yeshua,

Avner Boskey

Donations can be sent to:

FINAL FRONTIER MINISTRIES
BOX 121971 NASHVILLE TN 37212-1971 USA

Donations can also be made on-line (by PayPal) through: www.davidstent.org

Islamic Jihad – the tip of the spear

Islamist rocket fire is lighting up the Middle Eastern skies. Journalists are rushing to scoop the battle as moths fly to a flame. Here is some helpful background on Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) and fast moving events.

Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) – spiritual roots

The PLO, al Qa’eda, ISIS, Hamas and PIJ – all of them have spiritual roots in the Society of Muslim Brothers (or Muslim Brotherhood – Jamāʿat al-Ikhwān al-Muslimīn). Founded in 1928 by Egyptian Islamic schoolteacher Hassan al-Banna, its message combined an Islamist blend of political action, economic and social welfare. Islamist teaching and instruction went hand in hand with the establishing of schools, clinics, and mosques. But al-Banna moved away from issues of moral reform (‘the jihad of the heart’), toward promoting violent jihad against Islam’s enemies (jihad bil-sayf; the jihad of the sword).

Al-Banna was assassinated in 1949 in Cairo, and the movement began to focus on establishing a state ruled by Islamist Shari’a law. Its slogan became “Islam is the solution.” Ikhwan’s leaders taught that it was a priority to oppose imperialist and Western occupation. Then a period of Islamist teaching and social welfare should follow. Only then could violent jihad come into play – after the above-mentioned conditions were met. The Muslim world should deal with Israel only after Islam cured its own spiritual and religious ills, revitalizing Islam for the masses.

But others in the movement maintained that waging jihad against the Jewish state was a more effective method. Such ‘holy violence’ would catalyze confrontation between Islam and the West. The result would be a speedier restoration of the Islamic Caliphate.

Sheikh Izz ad-Din al-Qassam (1882-1935), a native Syrian, studied at al-Azhar in Egypt. In 1922 he was appointed Imam of Haifa’s al-Istiqlal Mosque. In 1930 he founded a secret terror organization known as ‘the Black Hand’ (al-Kaff al-Aswad), anti-Zionist and anti-British, which aimed to kill Jews and to terrorize the Jewish population in Galilee and the North. Al-Qassam was killed in a shoot-out with British forces near Jenin in 1935, pursued by the British for having murdered a Palestine policeman. Some rioters in the 1936-39 Arab Revolt began to call themselves Qassamiyun (followers of al-Qassam) in his honor. Today’s Palestinian terror group Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades (the military wing of the Gaza-based organization Hamas) use his name in his honor. Their Qassam rockets, fired from Gazan civilian population centers into Israeli civilian population centers, also owe their name to this Islamist terrorist.

Al-Qassam taught that Palestine could be “freed from the danger of Jewish domination” through “an organized and methodical armed struggle.” He referenced Qur’anic verses about jihad to bolster his arguments for attacking Jews in the Promised Land. Al-Qassam’s legacy as a Palestinian hero remains a source of inspiration for radical groups up to the present day. The logo of a Qur’an in one hand and a rifle in the other (inspired by his example) today serves as a symbol for both the PIJ and Hamas.

PIJ – organizational origins

The name Islamic Jihad Movement in Palestine (Harakat al-Jihād al-Islāmi fi Filastīn; also known as Palestinian Islamic Jihad /PIJ) is an Islamist terror organization founded in 1981 by Fathi al-Shiqaqi and Sheikh Abd al-Aziz Awda.

Fathi al-Shiqaqi was born 1951 in Gaza. He received a mathematics degree from Bir Zeit University, followed by a medical degree from Zaqaziq University in Egypt. While in Egypt he joined the Muslim Brotherhood, though eventually turned against their incremental strategies in favor of a more aggressive and violent anti-Israel jihad to be waged by an Islamic revolutionary vanguard.

In Gaza he joined up with former Brotherhood member and fellow Gazan Sheikh Abd al-Aziz Awda. Together they founded PIJ. Sami Al-Arian and Ramadan Abdullah Shallah made important and foundational contributions.

Though all PIJ’s founders were religious Sunnis, they were strongly influenced by Shi’ite Ayatollah Khomeini’s 1979 Islamic Revolution – especially its advocacy of the priority of defeating Israel; his radical strategy of raising up an army of suicide bombers (using Islamist justification); and his success in establishing an Islamist state based on Shari’a (Islamic law).

Both PIJ and Hamas borrowed Khomeini’s strategy of suicide bombing (‘istishadiya’ or self-martyrdom in Arabic). It has also been stridently advocated by Sheikh Yusuf Abdallah Qaradawi, considered one of the foremost Sunni Islamist authorities in the world. Qaradawi’s offices are in Doha, Qatar, not far from United States Central Command Forward HQ at Al Udeid Airbase.

PIJ – foundational beliefs

Here are some eye-opening PIJ statements, taken from their “The By-Laws of the Islamic Jihad in Palestine” (FBI evidence in the 2003-2006 Florida trial of Sami al-Arian).

At the Fourth Annual ICP (Islamic Committee for Palestine) Conference in Chicago, December 1991, FBI transcripts quote PIJ founder Awda: “The contradiction between us and the Zionist enemy is a fundamental contradiction, which stands on one side annihilating the other . . . The first issue among our basic principles in our struggle with the Zionist enemy is that: There is no peace with Israel.”

At a 1991 ICP event held at Currie High School in Chicago, FBI transcripts of September 29 (USA v. AlArian, Exhibit T-567), show Al-Arian stating:

PIJ – track record

The armed wing of PIJ is known as Saraya Al-Quds (‘The Al-Quds/The Holy Place/ Jerusalem Brigades’), and is responsible for carrying out the group’s attacks.

Between 1984-1987, the PIJ carried out a string of murders, stabbings, and bombings.

Here is an incomplete list of PIJ terror bomb attacks from 1989 through 2006:

Space and time do not permit a full list of PIJ terror attacks. It is clear that PIJ is a murderous jihadi terror organization, which invests much time and effort in killing Jews and Israelis. This is a small portion of the context behind recent events in Gaza and Israel. PIJ, which considers itself the ‘tip of the Islamist spear’ against the Jewish people, now finds itself facing the tip of Israel’s spear over the past few days.

PIJ & Iran – strange bedfellows

PIJ and the Islamic Republic of Iran have been much involved in planning terror and rocket attacks on Israel over the years. Prior to this latest outbreak, PIJ Secretary General Ziad Nakhaleh met with Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian in Tehran to coordinate moves. PIJ is quite open about the military equipment and support it receives from Iran – aid which has reached a total of $70 million per year.

Iran’s strategy in preparing to annihilate Israel involves supporting Hamas and PIJ on the west, Hezbollah on the north west, Syria on the northeast, and Yemenite Houthi drone armies on the farther east. Iran itself is hard at work developing nuclear weapons, cruise missiles and drone armies for its own use, as well as conventional rockets and missiles to send through Damascus International Airport for trans-shipment to Lebanon and Gaza.

The present military stirrings are no accident, and are a challenge for us to pray for Israel’s protection at this time.

PIJ and Hamas

The relations between Hamas and PIJ have sometimes been good, and at other times rocky. Both groups have Muslim Brotherhood roots. Both groups share the twin goals of destroying Israel and replacing it with a Palestinian state ruled by an Islamic government.

The PIJ, however, refuses to negotiate or engage in diplomacy, prioritizing terrorist jihadi activity, while Hamas is also political party, providing social services while operating a large military wing.

In the late 1980s and early 1990s, the two groups clashed mainly over ideological differences. PIJ buys into the Iranian concept of waliyat al faqih (governance by clerics led by a supreme ruler), while Hamas rejects this notion.

In June 2013, Hamas police killed PIJ rocket unit commander Raed Jundiya after he launched rockets towards Israel, thus violated a ceasefire between Hamas and Israel. The PIJ cut off ties with Hamas for three days, but soon resumed cooperation.

PIJ will occasionally fire rockets at Israel in an attempt to catalyze full-blown hostilities between Gaza and the Jewish state. Hamas half-heartedly attempts to restrain PIJ at those times, alternately opposing PIJ’s tactics or going along with them.

PIJ and the Wild West Bank

PIJ leadership in the West Bank has been increasing shooting and bombing against Israelis, both civilian and military, in recent months. Jenin has also been receiving daily incursions from IDF special operations forces.

Bassem al-Saadi (senior leader of PIJ’s al-Quds Brigades in the West Bank) and his son Ashraf al-Jada were arrested less than a week ago in Jenin, where they had been in the planning stages for imminent attacks on Israelis. Israel’s SHABAK (equivalent to FBI) noted that al-Saadi’s “presence was a significant factor in the radicalization of the organization’s operatives in the field” and that his arrest was due to the fact that he was a ‘clear and present danger.’

In response to al-Saadi’s arrest, PIJ began to activate plans for terror attacks on IDF soldiers and farmers in the vicinity of the Gaza Strip. Israel’s SIGINT and human assets picked up on chatter about a PIJ plot to mount an anti-tank missile attack on an Israeli bus or a train. IDF Chief of Staff Benny Gantz gave orders to activate Operation Break of Dawn (that’s the literal Hebrew for ‘alot hashachar’; the English name given by the IDF is Operation Breaking Dawn; see Genesis 32:25).

On Thursday August 4 at 16:16 hours, Israel Air Force drones moved with pinpoint precision and, in a total of 170 seconds, they took out the top PIJ General in northern Gaza, and the top anti-tank PIJ commander in southern Gaza. By Saturday evening August 6, the IAF and SHABAK had eliminated all of PIJ’s top command structure.

PIJ – battle statistics

For a few days PIJ has been firing Qassam rockets (935 at latest count) into Israeli farms, kibbutzim, villages and cities – directed only at civilians. PIJ on the other hand places its rocket launchers in the middle of its own civilian population. This makes it increasingly difficult for the IAF to attack and destroy these launchers. Colonel Richard Kemp, a highly respected British Army commander, has stated that the IDF is the most responsible and careful of any army in the world when it comes to avoiding civilian casualties.

Latest breaking news is that both sides in this conflict have agreed to a ceasefire at 23:30 local time Sunday August 7. Until then, PIJ will continue to fire salvoes of rockets, and the IAF will continue to interdict them.

A ceasefire does not last forever

Both PIJ and Hamas want to see Israel destroyed. If they felt sufficiently strong and militarily capable, and if they felt that Iran, Hezbollah, Syria, the Houthis and Qatar would have their backs, these two organizations would be happy to try a ‘Hail Mary pass,’ throwing everything they have into a desperate, last-ditch jihadi effort at annihilating the Jewish state.

With that eschatological understanding as a background, the world should realize that ceasefires with jihadi Islamists are not worth the paper they are written on. Only when the spiritual powers behind such movements are decisively crushed (as in the Axis Powers at the conclusion of WWII) can these destructive forces be quenched. Barring that eventuality, it will only be at Messiah Yeshua’s coming when Yeshua will eliminate the lawless one “with the breath of His mouth and bring to [his] end by the appearance of His coming” (2 Thessalonians 2:8).

How should we then pray?

Your prayers and support hold up our arms and are the very practical enablement of God to us in the work He has called us to do.

In Messiah Yeshua,

Avner Boskey

Donations can be sent to:

FINAL FRONTIER MINISTRIES

BOX 121971 NASHVILLE TN 37212-1971 USA

Donations can also be made on-line (by PayPal) through: www.davidstent.org

Peace, peace and there is no peace

Why did Messiah Yeshua once say. “When it is evening, you say, ‘It will be fair weather, for the sky is red.’ And in the morning, ‘There will be a storm today, for the sky is red and threatening.’ You know how to discern the appearance of the sky, but are you unable to discern the signs of the times?” (Matthew 16:2-3). Luke phrases it this way: “How is it that you do not know how to analyze this present time?” (Luke 12:56).

Evidently, during the reign of Tiberius, Caligula and Nero, Pontius Pilate and assorted Herodian Edomites, some descendants of Jacob – spiritual leaders – nevertheless lacked accurate discernment about what was then going down in Jewish history.

It’s me O Lord, standing in the need of prayer

There is an urgent need for Messianic Jewish leaders (as well as other leaders in the Body of Messiah) to cry out to God for cutting edge spiritual discernment about today’s clear and present dangers. Yeshua Himself challenges us to knock, ask and seek YHVH about these matters.

What is needed, first of all, is an undivided heart, sold out to the God of Jacob: “Give me an undivided heart, that I may fear your name” (Psalm 86:11). “I will give them an undivided heart and put a new spirit in them. I will remove from them their heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh” (Ezekiel 11:19).

Second comes a revelation of God’s heart of love for Israel (Hosea 11:8; Psalm 148:14;  Romans 9:1-3). We are not simply dealing with a cosmic chess game; YHVH has a priority love for the Jewish people (Isaiah 43:3-4). Our heart must be tuned to His heart on this matter. Otherwise we will not be able to discern what is happening at this present time.

Not everyone who teaches about Israel and prophetic events has drunk from the well of the Father’s love for the Jewish people, as Matthew 7:22 points out. Here’s a good touchstone: does the teaching we are hearing about Israel bring us to tears and anguish of heart for Israel’s rescue and honor? Does it move us to deeper intercession for Israel, that Jacob’s children be kept from the evil day, and enter into the fullness of their Scriptural inheritance? Or does it move us into a state of pre-occupation about Last Days gnats, while we simultaneously swallow Last Days prophetic camels whole (Matthew 23:24)?

The threefold cord

In the Upper Room, just before Yeshua faced the cross, He prophesied about the upcoming message that Ruach Hakodesh (Holy Spirit) would minister to mankind after Messiah rose from the dead: “And He, when He comes, will convict the world regarding sin, and righteousness, and judgment” (John 16:8).

This message is still relevant; indeed, it is eminently suited to our generation. For not only are all sons of Adam and daughters of Eve infected by the virus of sin; the world’s leaders and talking heads great and small (see C.S. Lewis’ That Hideous Strength for a reworking of these themes) are similarly testing positive to the same spiritual sickness. We are witnessing a red and threatening sky, as menaces increase and nations are stampeded by tsunami-like fears, all fostered by an irresponsible media and egged on by power-hungry plutocrats and oligarchs.

Like George Orwell’s ‘Ministry of Truth’ in his classic Nineteen Eighty Four, our TVs and internet news pages are filled with fast-changing, ever-transforming ‘facts’ regarding the economy, medical threats and solutions, climate and energy threats, etc.  Orwell’s apocalyptic vision in his book (penned in 1949) now approximates our daily reality:

When science fiction morphs into daily fact, one could ask how it came to be that ‘fact-checkers’ are currently asleep at the wheel. And as our red skies increase in intensity, coming judgment is not so hard for many of us to imagine.

Sharks gathering on July 4

The American magazine Newsweek posted a recent headline, ‘Great White Sharks Gather Just Miles From New York Coast Over July 4.’ And indeed, the Middle East this month is seeing the gathering of world leaders and superpowers – each with his own agenda, press releases and secret strategies.

Most palpable is this week’s meeting of Russia’s Putin, Turkey’s Erdogan and Iran’s Raisi – three leaders considered bad news to Western interests, and whose perspectives on Israel have not always been positive. Ezekiel 38 and Psalm 83 make reference either to these countries specifically or to the regions currently ruled by these totalitarian regimes (see Jews, Arabs and the Middle East: A Messianic Perspective for more background).

US President Biden just completed a whirlwind tour of both Israel and Saudi Arabia (KSA), where he declared that significant steps had been taken.

Biden called KSA’s decision (taken under US pressure) to allow overflights from Israeli commercial and passenger traffic “a big deal, not only symbolically but substantively . . . This is the first tangible step on the path of what I hope will eventually be a broader normalization of relations” between Israel and Saudi Arabia, Biden noted.

But Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan immediately side-stepped Biden’s declaration: “No, this has nothing to do with diplomatic ties with Israel . . . The issue of overflights is a decision we took… in the interest [of] providing connectivity between countries in the world, and we hope that it will make some travelers’ lives easier. It’s not in any way a precursor to any further steps.”

POTUS Biden then spoke in Bethlehem, adding that the US is still committed to dividing both the city of Jerusalem and the Biblical borders of the Land of Israel between the PLO and Israel:

Biden “reiterated the US position that Jerusalem is the capital of Israel, and that it continues to be the policy of the United States that the specific boundaries of sovereignty in Jerusalem must be resolved through final status negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians.”

The God of the Bible declares His blessing on any nation or individual who blesses the Jewish people (see Genesis 12:3). At the same time, He is distinctly not pleased when any nation sets its hand to divide the Land and the City that He has chosen as an irrevocable inheritance of the sons and daughters of Jacob (see Joel 3:1-2).

These two biblical principles underscore today’s challenging need for prayer!

Fake peace and true peace

There are principles in the Scriptures which sometimes have uncanny parallels to what is going on in our day:

The God of Israel declares that a day of peace is coming, but not based on whittling away God’s Land and giving it to nations who deny the calling and gifts given by YHVH to the sons and daughters of Jacob:

Let us be praying for that day!

How should we then pray?

Your prayers and support hold up our arms and are the very practical enablement of God to us in the work He has called us to do.

In Messiah Yeshua,

Avner Boskey

Donations can be sent to:

FINAL FRONTIER MINISTRIES

BOX 121971 NASHVILLE TN 37212-1971 USA

Donations can also be made on-line (by PayPal) through: www.davidstent.org

Love, hate, jealousy and the Jews

“Then what advantage does the Jew have? Or what is the benefit of circumcision? Great in every respect. First, that they were entrusted with the actual words of God” (Romans 3:1-2). The Bible is a book 95% written by Jews, and its subject matter is over 90% concerning the Jewish people. This is not an accident. God’s sovereign heart and hand are revealed in this.

YHVH wants the nations of the world to understand and focus on His heart, His passions, and His plans for the sons and daughters of Jacob. He is not as much looking for people to teach about God’s prophetic strategies for the Jewish people; He is looking for people who are drunk with God’s love for Israel, who weep for Jacob’s present spiritual condition, who honor and rejoice in God’s priority calling on His Hebrew nation.

The choosing (or election) of the Jewish people is not (as some believe) merely a deft gambit in a universal chess game. It is a choice rooted in YHVH’s love for the Hebrew people. Without such a divine heart transplant, anyone who teaches about Israel will find the result stillborn, cold to the touch, bereft of passion, love and life. Here is YHVH’s message of love:

All you need is love

God chooses Israel out of love. The Scriptures repeat this again and again. My experience has shown me that one of the best ways to hide a secret is to put it in the Bible. And the sad fact is that many theologians and preachers often stumble past this incredible Scriptural truth, missing the heart of God in the choosing of Jacob. Here are eleven random passages which underscore this spiritual point:

Jealous of Joseph

There are at least two ways to respond when one discovers that God not only loves us, but loves someone else as well: to rejoice in the truth of His love (1 Corinthians 13:6); or to become jealous and arrogant (1 Corinthians 13:4). James agrees: “But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your heart, do not be arrogant and so lie against the truth” (James 3:14). Solomon concurs: “A tranquil heart is life to the body, but jealousy is rottenness to the bones” (Proverbs 14:30).

Esau responded to God’s loving choice of Jacob with jealousy, anger and murderous thoughts: “So Esau held a grudge against Jacob because of the blessing with which his father had blessed him; and Esau said to himself, ‘The days of mourning for my father are near; then I will kill my brother Jacob’” (Genesis 27:41).

In the same way, one generation later, Joseph’s brothers responded to Jacob’s loving choice of Joseph with jealous, anger and murderous thoughts: “And his brothers were jealous of him” (Genesis 37:11). “The patriarchs became jealous of Joseph and sold him into Egypt” (Acts 7:9).

In the fairy tale ‘Snow White,’ the wicked step-mother queen who practices witchcraft consults her magic mirror every morning, asking “Magic mirror on the wall, who is the fairest one of all?” When Snow White turns seven years old, the mirror confesses that her fairness surpasses that of her stepmother. The jealous queen is shocked; her heart turns against Snow White, and in time her hatred morphs into malevolent plans. “For since there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not fleshly, and are you not walking like ordinary people?” (1 Corinthians 3:3).

Satan’s response to God’s love for Israel, is to hate Israel.

When Gentile trees get jealous

Jeremiah describes the Jewish people prophetically: “YHVH named you ‘a green olive tree, beautiful in fruit and form’” (Jeremiah 11:16). That olive tree is the same beautiful one depicted in Romans 11. Paul notes that, even though many Jewish people did not receive Messiah Yeshua at His First Coming, YHVH would use many Gentiles who came to believe in the Messiah in order to make many Jews jealous and thus come to saving faith: “I say then, they (ed. many Jews) did not stumble so as to fall, did they? Far from it! But by their wrongdoing salvation has come to the Gentiles, to make them [ed., the Jewish people] jealous” (Romans 11:11).

The Scriptures reveal that Gentile nations can similarly become jealous of other nations (in Ezekiel’s context, Assyria):

Paul warns the remnant among the Gentiles that a danger exists for them – they may become arrogant, conceited, uninformed, and wise in their estimation toward the Jewish people (Romans 11:18, 20, 25) – and find themselves transformed into an Esau or into Joseph’s brothers.

Paul’s warning to the nations has become a sobering reality in Church History. The rise of Replacement Theology was based on jealousy of the Jewish people, arrogance toward them, hatred of the fact that God still loves them and will never repent of His calling and gifts to Israel, and evil and murderous intentions toward the sons and daughters of Jacob.

Poisonous flowers have blossomed on the accursed tree of Replacement Theology. And jealousy, anger, conceit, ignorance, murderous thoughts and murderous deeds toward the Jewish people has been the malevolent fruit.

Dealing with Jewish sin and failure

Some of us are called, à la Isaiah 62, to be watchmen on the walls for the Jewish people, their Land, and their calling.

Open-eyed watchmen have great anguish of heart (see Romans 9:1-2) when they see some in Israel embracing what the Bible defines as sin and abominations (see Isaiah 1; 57-59). Paul also felt great anguish about Israel’s sins:

The prophets were well aware of the transgressions of the sons and daughters of Jacob, but even so, at the same time they stressed YHVH’s unchanging covenant faithfulness and overwhelming heart of love for the Jewish people: “YHVH loves the sons of Israel, though they turn to other gods and love raisin cakes” (Hosea 3:1).

The prophet Habakkuk is an excellent example of the balance God is looking for in understanding and responding to Israel’s sins. Habakkuk cries out to YHVH about Judah’s sins, questioning God’s wisdom and asking Him why He is not quickly judging the Jewish people: “YHVH, how long will I cry, and you will not hear? I cry out to you ‘Violence!’ and will you not save?” (Habakkuk 1:2).

God responds, promising to send the cruel pagan superpower of Babylon (also called the Chaldeans) to punish Judah: “Look among the nations! Watch! Be horrified! Be frightened speechless! For I am accomplishing a work in your days – you would not believe it even if you were told! For behold, I am raising up the Chaldeans, that grim and impetuous people who march throughout the earth, to take possession of dwelling places that are not theirs. They are terrifying and feared” (Habakkuk 1:5-7).

The prophet is shocked at God's chosen instrument of judgment: “Your eyes are too pure to look at evil, and You cannot look at harm favorably. Why do You look favorably at those who deal treacherously? Why are You silent when the wicked swallow up those more righteous than they?” (Habakkuk 1:13). YHVH responds that He will eventually judge the Babylonians even more harshly for their treatment of Judah: “Because you have plundered many nations, all the remnant of the peoples will plunder you, because of men’s blood, and for the violence done to the land, to the city and to all who dwell in it” (Habakkuk 2:8-9).

Making sense of Jewish sin and failure

Habakkuk warns us to be careful if we desire to see Israel crushed, humiliated, scattered or decimated. We may be falling short of what YHVH actually has in mind. These desires may owe more to jealousy, anger, conceit and ignorance than to a pure reflection of God’s heart of love for the Jewish people. Micah notes:

Habakkuk confesses that he is not wise enough to figure out exactly how God will bring judgment or restoration to the Jewish people. He does not possess an inerrant timeline or opinion on the matter. Instead, he has tears; he trembles; he quivers; he intercedes; he waits.

How should we then pray?

Your prayers and support hold up our arms and are the very practical enablement of God to us in the work He has called us to do.

In Messiah Yeshua,

Avner Boskey

Donations can be sent to:

FINAL FRONTIER MINISTRIES

BOX 121971 NASHVILLE TN 37212-1971 USA

Donations can also be made on-line (by PayPal) through: www.davidstent.org

Darkness on the face of the deep

The God of eternity revealed to Moses what happened on the first day of recorded history:

As we read the first chapter of the Book of Genesis, we silently observe God moving His creation from darkness to light, from desolation to good. YHVH describes this process as a separation, creating order out of emptiness, creating history out of meaninglessness.

We humans are able to grasp the reality of this process by means of a mystical spiritual dynamic called faith:

In 1 Corinthians 13:13 Paul describes faith as the third of the three greatest qualities, after love and hope. Yet these three qualities seem to be drying up on the vine today.

Where can we find faith as darkness increases on this planet? How can we walk with hope (see 2 Corinthians 5:7), when our human sight shows us what seems to be an endgame of overwhelming darkness?

Darkness at the End of Days

The prophet Isaiah tells us that the last period before the return of Messiah will be characterized by increasing darkness on the face of the earth, exhibiting a grossness that has not been seen heretofore.

The astounding growth of evil in our day is manifest for all to see:

MIT Senior Lecturer Peter Senge uses an old proverb purportedly spoken by Mark Twain to note: “Like the frog that will sit in a pot of water and let itself be slowly boiled to death, we are very good at reacting to immediate danger to our survival, but we are very poor at recognizing gradual threats.” (Peter Senge, The Fifth Discipline, Currency and Doubleday, New York, 1990).

At what point will we frogs come to the conclusion that the pot we are in is actually filled with boiling water? At what point do ‘the last days’ become ‘our present days?’  How should we then live – today, in these last days?

The collapse of termite-infested Western society

Years ago the cutting-edge Christian philosopher and apologeticist Dr. Francis Schaeffer presented the example of a stately wooden mansion whose outer façade is untouched, yet whose foundations and insides are totally termite-infested and eaten away. A slight shaking of the earth, a freak wind – and the entire edifice collapses. Schaeffer drew the parallel to Western society, once built with firm foundations on biblical ethics, presuppositions and moral behavior. As German theological higher criticism ate its termite-like way through Christian belief in the reliability of the Scriptures, subsequent generations step-by-step dispensed with core beliefs. They questioned and eventually jettisoned:

Within a number of generations, the Deutsche Christen (a pro-Nazi Christian movement) founded the fiercely anti-Semitic ‘Institute for the Study and Elimination of Jewish Influence on German Church Life’ (Instituts zur Erforschung jüdischen Einflusses auf das deutsche kirchliche Leben). This institute, headed by Walter Grundmann, denied Yeshua’s Jewishness and called for the removal of any Jewish elements from the Bible and from the Christian faith. Post-Christian Europe had murderously turned on the Jewish authors of the Christian Bible.

The four divine judgments on apostasy

When the psalmist declared, “If the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do?” (Psalm 11:3), he had some very specific things in mind. YHVH declares in Leviticus 26:14-32, Deuteronomy 32:23-35 and 2 Chronicles 20:8-10 that He brings specific judgments on nations that have departed from biblical foundations. They include war, famine, plague and wild beasts: “For this is what YHVH God says: “How much more when I send My four severe judgments against Jerusalem: sword, famine, vicious animals, and plague to eliminate human and animal life from it!” (Ezekiel 14:21).

When we pray what is commonly known as ‘the Lord’s Prayer’ (but which might more accurately be name ‘the Disciples’ Prayer), we ask the Father to fulfil His will on earth as it is already being done in heaven (Matthew 6:8-10; Luke 11:2-4). Part of His will being done on earth entails His judgment of the wicked (Matthew 3:11-12; Luke 3:16-17).

When Yeshua returns on His white horse (Revelation 19:11), it will be a sharp sword which comes out of His mouth to strike down the nations – not a long-stemmed red rose or a Woodstock-like tie-dye flower arrangement.

As our planet shudderingly grows darker, as the world senses the tremor of approaching collapse, we must seriously consider the coming likelihood of God’s impending judgment. We must be on the lookout for war, shortages of food, increasing diseases and other devastating manifestations of judgment.

Dr. Schaeffer adds a sober word in his magnum opus How Should We Then Live? The Rise and Decline of Western Thought and Culture:

Let there be light!

Isaiah’s prophecy of amazing Last Days light brings us a context of great hope and faith. When gross darkness (the Hebrew word arafel) has sunk its teeth deep into the flesh of all the nations, the prophetic promise is that YHVH will shine His shekinah glory specifically on the Jewish people (the ‘you’ of Isaiah 60:1).

In the immediate context here (Isaiah 59:15-21) we find Isaiah specifically talking about Zion and the Jewish people. This same context is referenced by the Apostle Paul in Romans 11:27, where he also adds Jeremiah 31:33-34 to the mix – the classic passage prophesying the receiving of the Jewish New Covenant by all the twelve tribes.

Isaiah is clearly confiding in us, if we will but accept his promise in faith, that when gross darkness covers the nations more than it has ever done so, God will break through by shining His Holy Spirit light on the entire Jewish nation in a sovereign and stupendous way, bringing life from the dead to the entire world (Romans 11:12, 15) which at present in the stranglehold of darkness.

Don’t be afraid! Press in with intercession for Israel!

Our generation is beholding the simultaneous shaking of the West and of the East. We are smack dab in the middle of great darkness and it will still be getting darker. Our prayers need to home in like a guided missile, penetrating the ‘anti-missile aluminum chaff.’ Let’s focus in on God’s priority focus – the apple of God’s eye (Zechariah 2:8; Isaiah 43:3-4).

Israel is the ultimate center of God’s Last Days focus. Jerusalem’s Mountain of the Lord will be the earth’s Last Days’ center, to which all nations will stream (Isaiah 2:1-4). Even now God’s eyes are running to and fro throughout the earth to see who gets His biblical focus and who is willing to bet his or her own life on it. Let’s stay focused and stay on target. Let’s remember that Israel is at the center of God’s prophetic heart. No other focus, be it on Egypt or on any another prophetic movement, will be able to go the distance in this race. God’s prophetic heartbeat is Isaiah’s prophetic plumb line:

The Star of David is our North Star. Hold On! He’s coming!

How should we then pray?

Your prayers and support hold up our arms and are the very practical enablement of God to us in the work He has called us to do.

In Messiah Yeshua,

Avner Boskey

Donations can be sent to:

 FINAL FRONTIER MINISTRIES

BOX 121971 NASHVILLE TN 37212-1971 USA

Donations can also be made on-line (by PayPal) through: www.davidstent.org

Roaring on Mount Zion

The enemies of Israel are also the enemies of Israel’s God. And they roar with rage against God’s Jewish people, especially when those Jews thrive on the soil of the Promised Land. In Psalm 74 Jerusalem’s worship leader Asaph raises his intercessory lament about this very situation to YHVH, the God of the armies of Israel:

God, why have You rejected us forever? Why does Your anger smoke against the sheep of Your pasture? Remember Your congregation, which You purchased of old, which You have redeemed to be the tribe of Your inheritance – and this Mount Zion, where You have dwelt. Step toward the irreparable ruins.

The enemy has damaged everything in the sanctuary. Your adversaries have roared in the midst of Your meeting place. They have set up their own signs as signs. It seems like one bringing up his axe into a forest of trees. And now they break down all its carved work with axe and hammers. They have burned Your sanctuary to the ground. They have defiled the dwelling place of Your name.

They said in their heart, “Let’s completely subdue them.” They have burned all the meeting places of God in the land.

The rebel roar

Isaiah adds his prophetic and poetic perspective: “Oh, the uproar of many peoples who roar like the roaring of the seas, and the rumbling of nations who rush on like the rumbling of mighty waters!” (Isaiah 17:12).

The sons of Korah join in, describing the anti-Semitic hatred of the nations as violent earthquakes and roaring seas: “The earth shakes and the mountains slip into the heart of the sea . . . Its waters roar and foam, though the mountains quake at its swelling pride” (Psalm 46:2-3).

Ezekiel sums up God’s heart and strategic anger regarding those who invade, conquer and destroy the Land of Israel, claiming it as their own national homeland:

When God seems silent as nations roar

Asaph continues to press his point with God in Psalm 74: Where are You as our enemies roar against us? Why aren’t you responding more quickly with Your promised judgment?

King David (Psalm 69 and 109), Asaph, Paul (Galatians 1:8-9) and the martyrs in Heaven (Revelation 6:10) all call on YHVH to judge His enemies. The theological term for such prayers is called imprecatory prayers.

It might be helpful, as we consider current events in Israel and the Palestinian-occupied territories, to remember God’s soon-coming judgments against those enemies of Israel who claim the Jewish Land as their own, using terror to achieve their goals:

Don’t forget Your track record, YHVH!

Asaph holds God accountable not to forget His biblical reputation –

Yet God is my King from long ago, who performs acts of salvation in the midst of the earth. You divided the sea by Your strength. You broke the heads of the sea monsters in the waters. You crushed the heads of Leviathan. You gave him as food for the creatures of the wilderness. You broke open springs and torrents. You dried up ever-flowing streams. Yours is the day; Yours also is the night. You have prepared the light and the sun. You have established all the boundaries of the earth. You have created summer and winter.

To paraphrase Asaph: “O God of Jacob! You owe it to Yourself and to the glory of Your name to stretch out Your holy arm and move on behalf of Your beleaguered Jewish people – especially when our enemies roar with murderous cries and actions!”

In the Bible, jihad against Jews is jihad against Jehovah

Asaph wrote in Psalm 83 that when Middle Eastern nations attack the Land of Israel and the Jewish people, they are simultaneously attacking YHVH, the God of Jacob:

Islamist terror attacks against the Jewish people – whether they come from Palestinian Islamic Jihad, Hamas or the PLO’s al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades – have resulted in 18+ Israelis murdered by Palestinian jihadi terrorists so far in 2022. These terrorists would be correctly and biblically classified as enemies of both YHVH and of His people. They echo the declaration of God’s enemies in Psalm 83:12: “Let’s possess for ourselves the pastures of God.”  God’s take on their beliefs and actions can be seen in Asaph’s imprecatory prayer against them in Psalm 83:13-18.

Psalm 74 amplifies this theme:

        [the Hebrew word Hamas is used here, similar to the Arabic name of the Islamic jihadi terror   

         group in Gaza and the Palestinian-occupied territories of Israel, also called Hamas].

Recent jihadi events in Israel

The past two months have seen a sharp rise in jihadi murders of Israelis. From Beersheva in Israel’s South, to Tel Aviv and Bnei Brak on the coastal plain, to Hadera, Elad and Ariel in Israel’s Center, terrorist groups have fatally shot or stabbed 14 civilians and 4 security personnel. Three of the Israeli fatalities died in hand-to-hand combat with the terrorists, and one of these three brave men was an Arab-Israeli policeman.

Many of the jihadis perpetrating these attacks came from the city of Jenin in the Palestinian-occupied territories. This city (not far from where I served in the security forces) is a center of jihadi activities, both regarding planning and sending of terror. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) do counter-terrorist raids there on a regular basis, interdicting ticking-bomb terror squads on the basis of precious intelligence. Recently a top Israeli SWAT counter-terror operative was fatally shot in the back while his team was leaving Jenin following a successful raid.

At no point over the past two months did world diplomats call for any investigation of these jihadi slaughterers. Neither the European Union nor the United Nations (nor the US State Department) expressed anger, outrage or threats against Palestinian terror groups (Islamic Jihad or Hamas) nor against the Palestinian Authority (PLO/al-Fatah/al-Aqsa Brigades) nor against their main bankroller (the Islamic Republic of Iran).

All’s quiet on the Temple Mount

Hamas-catalyzed riots on the Temple Mount during Passover and Ramadan involved physical and murderous attacks on Israeli civilians and security personnel. These included knifing, Molotov firebombs, iron bars, rock and cement block throwing, and physical blows. These riots were conducted on the Temple Mount (where Solomon’s Temple once stood), with attacks launched from within the Muslim mosque structures, where weapons were stockpiled and then used. Israeli police gingerly and valiantly tried to keep those sites open and safe for Muslim, Jewish and Christian pilgrims, but time and again were forced to close access temporarily as violence overwhelmed the platform. But rather than condemn Islamist violence, the Jordanian, European and American leaderships accused Israel of instigating the violence and condemned the Jewish state out-of-hand, with little accuracy or fairness.

A dual-citizen Arab TV reporter for the Qatari al Jazeera network, Shireen Abu Akleh, was fatally shot in the early hours of May 11 in Jenin as she stood next to Islamist terrorists during an Israeli counter-terrorist operation. Her TV station immediately announced that she was deliberately shot by the IDF in cold blood. Whereas the Israeli Duvdevan Special Ops team involved was sparing and accurate in their firepower, the jihadi forces in Jenin shot wildly and without discipline, firing full magazines while running, and not having clear visuals of the targets in question. One Arab video show a terrorist happily shouting out that an Israeli soldier had been hit and was on the ground, whereas in that firefight no Israelis were injured. Only an al Jazeera reporter was killed.

The Palestinian Authority (nominally in charge) refused to allow a joint autopsy of Abu Akleh where Israel would have been allowed to also examine the ballistics involved. Such a joint autopsy would have gone a long way to settling who had fired the fatal bullet. The Palestinian side preferred to spread a new blood libel against Israel rather than to get to the bottom of the matter.

To top it all off, the Catholic funeral of Abu Akleh was commandeered by Islamist terror forces; the reporter’s body was pulled out of the hearse, draped with a PLO flag, and marched from St. Joseph’s hospital toward a Jerusalem cemetery. The marchers shouted anti-Israel chants while attacking Israeli security forces. When Israeli police attempted to return the coffin to the hearse as per the family’s original request, a full scale riot erupted, dutifully recorded by world media. Gazan Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar immediately accused Israel of murdering the reporter ‘twice over,’ once in Jenin and a second time at the funeral.

Washington announced that it was “deeply troubled” by the funeral-associated riot, while the European Union said it was “appalled” by Israel’s “unnecessary force.” The spin-doctors of jihad had quickly managed to turn their inadvertent killing of a TV reporter who had been in the wrong place and at the wrong time, into a media body-blow against the Jewish state, with a sympathetic chorus of Western leaders joining in off-key harmony.

The call on YHVH to roar against His enemies

Asaph concludes Psalm 74 by beseeching YHVH to pro-actively bring dishonor on Israel’s enemies:

The nations may roar in rebellion against the God of Israel, but the Scriptures focus on YHVH as the One whose roar is to be feared: “For I am YHVH your God, who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar – YHVH of armies is His name” (Isaiah 51:15).

The God of Jacob is not only the Great God who roars; He is the Great God who stills all other roarings:

As we face the rabid roaring of the nations, we can have confidence knowing that “YHVH roars from Zion and utters His voice from Jerusalem, and the heavens and the earth quake. But YHVH is a refuge for His people, and a stronghold for the sons of Israel” (Joel 3:16-17).

How should we then pray?

Your prayers and support hold up our arms and are the very practical enablement of God to us in the work He has called us to do.

In Messiah Yeshua,

Avner Boskey

Donations can be sent to:

FINAL FRONTIER MINISTRIES

BOX 121971 NASHVILLE TN 37212-1971 USA

Donations can also be made on-line (by PayPal) through: www.davidstent.org

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