Last month, after I spoke about Israel at a Bible study, one of the ladies there asked me whether the name Jesus came from Zeus. No, it does not. As Dr. Michael Brown points out, “The original Hebrew-Aramaic name of Jesus is Yeshua, which is short for Yehoshua (Joshua), just as Sammy is short for Samuel.”
As the United Nations announced that 93,000 people have died in the Syrian conflict, the United States announced that it is ready to arm the Syrian rebels. Russia is vocally upset the US is leaving jets and missiles in Jordan, which some say could be used for a no-fly zone in Syria (much like was done to aid Libya’s ultimately victorious revolutionaries).
It is interesting that this week’s Torah Portion (Numbers 19:1-22:1) ends on the Golan Heights with God instructing Moses, regarding the ruling power there, “Do not fear him, for I have delivered him into your hand, with all his people and his land.” The land eventually became part of the inheritance of the tribe of Manasseh. Golan is mentioned several times in Scripture as the location of a “city of refuge” in Bashan, and that is the name by which the region is known today, the Golan Heights.
Russia offered to send troops to the Golan Heights after other UN peacekeepers pulled out. The same week, Russia announced it would have a permanent naval presence in the Mediterranean Sea. Add that to Russia’s tenacious support for Syrian president Bashar Assad, which includes providing weapons. Why is Putin asserting himself in the Middle East? Is this Magog moving?
Joel Rosenberg lays out several reasons why Christians should stand with modern Israel, how Israel is a fulfillment of prophesy and how the treatment of Israel could affect a nation. “The Church is splitting over the nation of Israel. It has for years, and it will get worse. The world is turning against the nation of Israel. And the question is ‘What will you and your congregation do?’ We have to get this Biblically right because we’re going stand before Jesus very soon.”
The LORD showed us many years ago that the Middle East conflict cannot be understood just in traditional terms of wars, history, refugees and borders. We need to understand that it is a huge spiritual battle. It is probably the biggest spiritual battle in the world. It’s a battle for Jerusalem. In Jerusalem, it is a battle for the Temple Mount. Ultimately, it is a battle for who will be worshiped on God’s holy hill.
Iranian pastor Saeed Abedini has been imprisoned in Iran for 250 days as of this writing, according to the American Center of Law and Justice. Abedini has been beaten, denied medical attention and placed in solitary confinement. On Tuesday, Abedini’s wife Naghmeh will address the United Nations Human Rights Council on behalf of her husband.
Witnesses saw two men strike with a car a British soldier on his way back to the barracks. The two men were seen then hacking at the soldier with knives and a cleaver. After killing the soldier, one of the attackers made a statement of motive to a filming bystander. In the video, the attacker’s hands are vividly red with blood, holding the murder weapons. These men who killed this soldier are not the enemy. They are captives of Satan, doing his bidding whether by persuasion or deception. The enemy is the fallen angel now known as Satan.
Many of us have been following the story of Pastor Saeed Abedini, the Iranian-American pastor imprisoned in Iran. He reported being severely beaten before being put in solitary confinement. When he came out of solitary just after his 33 birthday, he came out “glowing with joy.” Now, he’s released a letter (through the American Center [...]
Last November, the United Nations voted 138-9 to declare Palestine a (nonmember observer) state with East Jerusalem as its capital. If you are a Bible-believer, you MUST come to terms with the truth that Israel is God’s land and he gave it to Abraham and his descendants through Isaac. While the Land has been divided throughout history under various circumstances, we have a unique situation that begs our attention. The world has voted to divide Jerusalem. God is clear. There are consequences for dividing the Land and for exploiting and persecuting the Jews.
Sadly, the killing continues in Syria. So does the persecution of the Body of Messiah in diverse places. The stories are becoming almost routine. So the red flag and warning shout that should snap many of us out of our stupor is the news that human embryos have been successfully cloned. Add to this that they were promptly destroyed to harvest stem cells.
Many who pray for Israel are not aware that abortion is widespread here. In fact, the government offers two free abortions to each young woman serving her two years in the Israeli Defense Forces. Be’ad Chaim, a Messianic pro-life ministry in Israel, estimates that every fourth pregnancy in Israel is terminated by abortion. Could this infanticide be tied to the ancient worship of an abominable god?
