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August 31, 2006 7 Elul, 5766 Dear Praying Friends,
What just happened? How are we to understand the events of the last month? There is a fine line between criticism and evaluation. When something doesn’t work the way it should, to not ask what went wrong would border on irresponsibility. In such times our natural human reaction is to look for someone to blame. But it is crucial that we look for the roots and not stop at just identifying the agents of the error.
The account of Saul’s installation as king of Israel presents us with an instructive picture of how to approach our current situation. Israel wanted to be like all the other nations. We were more tied to human concerns than to what God thought. Having God as king did not fit our desired national profile. When Samuel confronted Saul’s sin and declared that the kingdom had been taken from him (1Sam.15), Saul’s final request of the prophet was that he (Saul) be honored in the sight of the people. What a sad picture. Having just been chastened and rejected by God from being king of Israel, all he cared about was his image before the people. In the end, Saul turned out to be the reflection of those that “called him forth.” I think we can safely say that in many cases this is true, as expressed in the adage that people get the government they deserve. If the root of the problem actually lies with the people, the solution is national repentance. Then God would change the heart of the leadership...one way or the other (2Chron.7:14). With the exception of a relatively small percentage of Israelis, we as a nation have not been concerned with God or His purpose and calling for us as a people. We are deeply in need of such a national repentance.
In the past, when our cup of iniquity overflowed, God cast us out of the land. As we understand Scripture, this happened twice and God will not do that again. Even the secular Israelis we have spoken with freely admit that we have not changed or learned anything since the Diaspora (the exile). We have in fact been cast out of the land in part. Let us not think that a man sitting behind a desk had the final word on the fate (albeit temporary) of Judea and Samaria. God is righteous, just, and merciful in all He does. His ways are not our ways. The Kingdom of God and of our Messiah Yeshua is not of this world. In His final hours, Yeshua prayed not for the world but for His Bride...His Body... for those that would believe in His message. He came to set the captives free and heal from the destructive effects of the surrounding darkness those who love the truth. Let us not be distracted from the work of the Kingdom by the temptation to fix a system that is irreparably broken and destined for destruction. (This is not to say, however, that we are to be passive as the world falls apart. We just need to know from the Lord what our part is).
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Both political and military leaders have taken this attack on the State of Israel as a serious wake-up call. Bibi Netanyahu said that Israel was caught sleeping. With enemies all around that never stop voicing their desire and intentions to wipe us from the face of the earth, how is it that we were so unprepared to respond to what took place? There are a number of factors that have brought us to where we are. But rather than trying to analyze the situation from a social, religious, political, or military standpoint, our burden is to understand what the Lord is doing. We have said before that we believe that the condition of the State of Israel is a reflection of the condition of the Body of Messiah...the Church. The Lord makes several references in Scripture to people who thought they were ready and were not. They lost everything. If we heed the Spirit’s call now, we will be soldiers ready for the battle, able through our prayers and intercessions to affect the events in the natural realm.
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In Matthew 25 the Son of Man separates the sheep from the goats based upon how they treated the least of His brethren. All throughout our believing life, we had understood this to be all about how we treated those that were physically or materially less fortunate than we were. But a closer look reveals a startling reality. There are three groups of people in the parable. The sheep, the goats, and those He calls “my brethren.” If this third group were born-again believers, then they would also be the brethren of the sheep. If so, the Lord would have likely referred to them as your brethren or as our brethren. We suggest to you that by saying my brethren He is indicating that these are not, or at least were not, spiritually related to the sheep. If they are not spiritually related to the sheep, they cannot be spiritually related to the Lord either. Therefore, they must be naturally related to the Lord -- in other words…Jewish. This parable is teaching us that the fate of nations depends on how they treat the Jews. Of course, this principle appears all throughout the Scriptures.
Among all the nations and peoples, who are more hungry, thirsty, estranged, naked, and imprisoned than those that think that Yeshua, the Lamb of God, is the cause of all their problems? From the cradle, we Jews are taught that the persecutions of the last two thousand years were done in the Name of Jesus. (This is not quite the same for the current young generation of Jews in Israel, but for their parents and those outside the Land this is the common understanding). And I can testify personally how deeply this lie is embedded in our soul.
We are not saying that being called “His brethren” in this context indicates that the Jewish people have been saved from the second death. But God will use the Jews in and out of the State of Israel, saved or unsaved, as a threshing board on which to judge the peoples of the earth (Is. 41:15).
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At every point when the Spirit was about to incarnate the next stage of God’s plan, the enemy rose up to oppose it. As the time drew near for the children of Israel to be delivered from bondage in Egypt and brought into the Promised Land, Pharaoh, not being aware of the Deliverer’s pending birth, was moved by satan to have all Hebrew male children drowned. Later, about 40 years before the second return of exiles from Babylon and Nehemiah’s call to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem, satan sought to bring an end to the Jews and stop the plan of God through Haman. When the sign of the Savior’s birth arose in the heavens, again an edict went forth to kill all males under the age of two. Then, as the Holy Spirit was stirring the Jews to return to Israel after a two-thousand-year exile, the devil through Adolph Hitler tried in vain to stop the preparation for Yeshua’s return. Though all four of the enemy’s attempts failed to stop what the Spirit of God was doing, all but one resulted in great suffering and distress for the house of Israel. In this one instance, the intercession of one woman, Esther, made the difference.
It’s been about seventy years since the world has heard an open call for the destruction of the Jewish people. The voice of the President of Iran is perhaps even more bold than that of the Nazi leader. There is much reason for concern in these days...for the prince of darkness. Why? Because a generation of Jews in Israel that is without the historical bias against Yeshua has come of age, with little hope of finding a natural solution to the overwhelming problems facing our society, for which indeed there is none.
From our perspective, having grown up in America in the 60’s, the political, social, economic, and religious breakdown of Israeli society at least equals what gave birth to the spiritual awakening back then. We have no doubt that the generation to cry “Blessed is He that comes in the Name of the Lord” is alive and walking about the streets of Israel.
Let the Esthers pray and intercede. Let the Ezras and Nehemiahs put their shoulder to the work. Let the Cyruses provide the materials necessary to build the Kingdom. Many workers stand waiting to be released. Plans and visions are ready to be implemented. It is harvest time. Look to see how you can invest in the work of God in Israel. There has never been a better deal. Sow the substance which will pass away and reap what will endure for all eternity. Our plea is not for the State of Israel. It is for the glory of the Lord, His return, and life from the dead for the world (Rom. 11:15).
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Many many thanks to all who prayed for us during our long trip to Germany and Ireland, and for all of you who welcomed us so warmly and received the word we carried. We are left with the sense that at every stop something was accomplished for God’s Kingdom. People everywhere are catching the vision for ministering to the Lord, regional worship gatherings, set-apart spaces, and God’s heart for His chosen people.
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On the home front, we are enjoying hosting our first group since we left Tel Aviv over a year ago. Praise the Lord! The Worship Center is fully up and running with participants from England, Germany, Ireland, and the USA going through the Emmaus Way School of Worship’s first course, Preparing a Place for the Presence of the Lord. Our hope and expectation is that, through these courses, tabernacles of worship would be planted all throughout the Body everywhere. We have seen a number of places already birthed out of the experience people had in Tel Aviv...and more are planned. It is great having the “students” here and watching the Lord break them out of box after religious box. The next course, again on the theme of Preparing a Place for the Presence of the Lord, will be offered from November 5-14th, with arrival by the 3rd. We hope that those of you that could not attend the current one will be able to be with us then. To apply, or for more information, you can contact Terry at terry@emmausway.org.
We are most grateful for your friendship, prayers, and financial support. May God bless you from Zion!
Your servants… For the Glory of His Name, Arni and Yonit |